iPhone 3GS new or refurbished?

mostly its all personal preference on if you want a brand new, out of the box iPhone or a refurbished iPhone which had a problem before but its been fixed. you should be fine with either.

An At&T refurbish is not the same as the ones from apple. At&t refurbish phones are usually phones that have been returned during the trial period. Not quite the same as an apple refurb that has been thoroughly checked and fixed. Although, you still get the same warranty so its all up to you.

I often opt for a refurbished item and have never regretted it so far.

Yanki01 wrote:
mostly its all personal preference on if you want a brand new, out of the box iPhone or a refurbished iPhone which had a problem before but its been fixed. you should be fine with either.

that's wrong, a refurbished item does not necessarily mean it's had a problem and been fixed. once an item has been open then it can no longer be sold as a new item, if someone returns the phone during the trial period that phone will now be sold as a refurbished phone.

Actually, it would be sold as an open box not a refurbished. Refurbished means that it has been sent back to the factory for testing and repair prior to being offered as a refurb.

as a matter of preference for me...I'd buy refurb direct from Apple if I'd go that direction...

I have also purchased refurn items in the past from various stores and have yet to have any issue...and since they all come with the same 1 year warranty...really no reason to pay more 🙂

Sorry. Double posted somehow.

Unless there's an exception for the iPhone, refurb phones bought from AT&T only have 90 day warranty. Unless something changed snce I last looked, which has been a few months. Will Apple honor the original warranty?

I just purchased a Refurbished White 16GB iPhone online from AT&T and couldn't be happier. I thought I was getting a used and scratched unit, but the one they sent me looked like new. Not one single scratch and it works perfectly. So if you're worried about cosmetic appearance, well, maybe you'll get one with a few minor scratches or you'll get it like new. It's a big risk if you want a 'new' phone. But if you're willing to sacrifice minor cosmetic imperfections go with the refurbished and save a ton of money.

Not sure about refurbs purchased from AT&T but buying from Apple DOES come with the normal 1 year Apple manuf warranty

I think clarification is needed here.

What are the differences between an Apple refurb to an ATT refurb?

There is no difference.

From AT&T website.

Refurbished wireless devices and netbooks carry a 90-day manufacturer's warranty from the date of purchase. New Apple branded equipment is covered by Apple's one-year Limited Warranty. Refurbished Apple branded equipment is covered under Apple's original Limited Warranty, and will have at least 90 days or more remaining under the warranty when sold.

Basically, you do not get a full year warranty from AT&T of refurbed iPhones. You get at least 90 days, + the remainder of the one year, from THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE DATE. I believe there is a place on Apples website to check the serial number to find the amount of warranty left.

Message was edited by: davidusr

All iphones are Apple units.

You can buy Applecare through Apple. Not sure about refurb. You can call Apple and ask if Applecare is available for refurb iphones.