Looking for a way to save some money on the latest Apple products? Consider a refurbished MacBook, refurbished iPhone, or refurbished iPad from the Apple Certified Refurbished store. A refurbished product is just like new, but Apple sells it at a lower price.
Here’s a quick guide with information about which products are available on Apple’s refurbished store, how much you can save on the refurb store, and everything you need to know about the ins and outs of the Apple Certified Refurbished store and buying a refurbished MacBook, desktop Mac, iPhone, or iPad from Apple. You’ll find links to the sections of Apple’s Refurbished store so you can buy Apple products for less.
What is the Apple Certified Refurbished Store?
Before we begin, a bit of an explanation of what the Apple Certified Refurbished Store is. This is where Apple sells gently-used products that have usually been returned to the company because someone changed their mind within the 14-day returns period, or due to a fault. Before they are put on the virtual shelves Apple puts these products through what it calls a “stringent refurbishment process” and tests and repairs these products to make sure they are in like-new condition.
Apple says that each product is thoroughly tested and any problematic hardware components are replaced. The exception is with the Apple Watch and Apple Pencil: If these items need new parts, they aren’t put up for sale.
Each product also goes through a quality assurance inspection and is cleaned, inspected, and repackaged with complete documentation, cables, and anything else that usually ships with that device. These products are essentially like new.
Apple also includes a standard one-year limited warranty with all refurbished products. Learn more about Apple’s hardware warranties.
AppleCare is also available, so, for an additional fee, you can get two or three years of coverage and support. Read our guide to AppleCare for more information.
Strangely, finding the Apple Certified Refurbished store isn’t obvious. On Apple.com, scroll to the very bottom of the page, where you’ll find a site directory. Under Apple Store, you’ll find a link for Refurbished and Clearance.
What is available on the Apple Certified Refurbished Store?
We’ll run through what’s available in more detail in the sections below, but here’s what you can get on the Apple Refurbished Store (occasionally not all of the below are available at a particular location, for example, in June 2024 the U.K. refurbished store included Apple Watch Series 7, 8, 9, Ultra and Ultra 2, but the U.S. only had SEries 9, SE, or Ultra (verison 1) to choose from.
- Macs: including MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio and Mac Pro.
- iPads: Including iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad Pro and the standard iPad.
- iPhone: iPhone 12 series to iPhone 14 series.
- Apple Watch: Series 7, 8, 9, Ultra (gen 1 & 2) and SE.
- Apple TV
- Accessories including Apple Pencil and Studio Display.
Refurbished Apple Watch
Apple offers cut-price, refurbished Apple Watches on its Certified Refurbished Store.
In the U.S. you can get an Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra or Apple Watch SE for less than the full price.
You can save $110 on a refurbished Apple Watch Ultra.
In the U.K. you can also save on an Apple Watch Series 7, 8, 9 or Apple Watch Ultra 1 and 2.
You can save £120 on a refurbished Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Have a look at our best Apple Watch deals to see if you can save even more. Also read Should I buy a refurbished Apple Watch?
Refurbished iPhone
If you want to pick up an iPhone unlocked, you can save money by buying one from Apple’s refurbished store.
The U.S. refurbished store has a selection of iPhones including the:
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
You can save as much as $230 on an iPhone 14 Pro Max, compared to the original price.
In the U.K. there is a much wider selection of iPhones available from Apple’s refurbished store. You can get the following:
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
There are savings of £230 on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Check out the best iPhone deals we’ve seen. Also read Where to buy a refurbished iPhone.
Refurbished iPad
If you want an iPad, you can get one for less by shopping at the Apple refurbished store. Various models and different generations are available.
The U.S. refurbished store has a selection that includes:
- Standard iPad (8th generation)
- iPad Air (4th generation)
- 11-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation)
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (5th generation)
- iPad mini (6th generation)
Compared to the original price, you can save as much as $600 on a 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
In the U.K. you’ll find a similar selection of iPads available from Apple’s refurbished store, currently missing the standard iPad. You’ll find the following:
- iPad Air (4th generation)
- 11-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation)
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (5th generation)
- iPad mini (6th generation)
There are savings of £490 on a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, compared to the original price.
Check out the best iPad deals we’ve seen. Also read Why buy a refurbished iPad.
Refurbished MacBook
Apple’s MacBook stock ebbs and flows. Sometimes there are several current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models to choose from, while other times the selection is small. Some are standard configurations, while others are customized, built-to-order models. Read: Why you should buy a refurbished Mac.
In the U.S. you’ll find the following Mac laptops available in the refurbished store:
- 13-inch MacBook Air, M1
- 13-inch MacBook Air, M2
- 13-inch MacBook Air, M3
- 15-inch MacBook Air, M2
- 15-inch MacBook Air, M3
- 13-inch MacBook Pro, M2
- 14-inch MacBook Pro, M2 Pro
- 14-inch MacBook Pro, M2 Max
- 14-inch MacBook Pro, M3
- 14-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Pro
- 14-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Max
- 16-inch MacBook Pro, M2 Pro
- 16-inch MacBook Pro, M2 Max
- 16-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Pro
- 16-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Max
You can save as much as $600 off a 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max, compared to the original price.
In the U.K. you’ll find a slightly smaller selection of Mac laptops available from Apple’s refurbished store. Here’s what you can find:
- 13-inch MacBook Air, M1
- 13-inch MacBook Air, M2
- 13-inch MacBook Air, M3
- 15-inch MacBook Air, M2
- 15-inch MacBook Air, M3
- 13-inch MacBook Pro, M2
- 14-inch MacBook Pro, M2 Pro
- 14-inch MacBook Pro, M2 Max
- 14-inch MacBook Pro, M3
- 14-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Pro
- 14-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Max
- 16-inch MacBook Pro, M2 Pro
- 16-inch MacBook Pro, M2 Max
- 16-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Pro
- 16-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Max
There are savings of £620 on a 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max, compared to the original price.
Check out the best MacBook Air deals and the best MacBook Pro deals we’ve seen.
Refurbished Mac
If you want a desktop Mac, such as an iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio or even a Mac Pro, you can save money by shopping at the Apple refurbished store. Various models and different generations are available.
The U.S. refurbished store has the following Mac desktops in stock:
- Mac mini, M2 Pro
- iMac, M1 & M3
- Mac Studio, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2 Ultra
- Mac Pro, M2 Ultra (and some Intel Mac Pro models!)
You can save as much as $600 on a Mac Studio, compared to the original price.
In the U.K. you’ll find a small selection of Macs available from Apple’s refurbished store including the Mac mini and Mac Studio.
- Mac mini, M2, M2 Pro
- iMac, M1 & M3
- Mac Studio, M1 Max
- Mac Pro, M2 Ultra
There are savings of £360 on the iMac, compared to the original price.
Check out the best iMac deals and the best Mac mini deals we’ve seen.
Other refurbished Mac sellers
Apple isn’t the only company to resell second-hand, refurbished Macs. You could also pick up a refurbished MacBook and reconditioned Mac from the resellers listed below:
In the U.S.:
In the U.K.:
Author: Karen Haslam, Managing Editor, Macworld
Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld more than two decades ago. Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Having edited the U.K. print and online editions of Macworld for many years, more recently her focus has been on SEO and evergreen content as well as product recommendations and buying advice.