A refurbished iPhone 11 is worth buying in 2026 if the price is right and you do not need many more years of software ahead of it. It launched on September 20, 2019 at $699, and it still runs the current iOS 27. On RefurbMe a refurbished iPhone 11 starts around $114 for a carrier-locked 64GB unit, or about $164 unlocked, a fraction of its original price. It is also the oldest iPhone still getting new software, so treat it as the budget floor of the lineup rather than a safe middle pick.
Table of contents
- Quick verdict: is a refurbished iPhone 11 worth it in 2026
- How long will the iPhone 11 be supported?
- How much does a refurbished iPhone 11 cost in 2026?
- iPhone 11 vs iPhone 13 vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: which tier fits you
- Battery health and condition grades to demand
- Where to find the best refurbished iPhone 11 deals
- FAQ
Quick verdict: is a refurbished iPhone 11 worth it in 2026
Buy a refurbished iPhone 11 if your budget is the deciding factor and your phone use is ordinary: calls, texts, social apps, streaming, and daylight photos. It carries the A13 Bionic chip, a 6.1-inch LCD display, and a dual 12MP camera, and none of that feels broken in daily use even six years after launch. (Apple)
Skip it if you want a longer runway of updates, an OLED screen, 5G, or Apple Intelligence. The iPhone 11 has none of those, and RefurbMe's own tracking shows why it is priced the way it is. Across every iPhone model RefurbMe has ever listed, the median discount is 80 percent off the original price, and a new iPhone reaches the refurbished market a median of 82 days after release (as of October 2026, iPhone refurbished stats). That family-wide figure is skewed by decade-old models, so it does not describe what you would save on a current flagship, but the iPhone 11 is now old enough that it comes close: the cheapest current listing is about 80 percent below its $699 launch price, deep even by the family's own standard.
The one habit worth keeping is checking live prices before you commit. Refurbished stock turns over fast, and the cheapest listing today may be gone tomorrow. Compare current prices on the refurbished iPhone page before you buy.
How long will the iPhone 11 be supported?
The iPhone 11 is the oldest iPhone still on Apple's active support list. It launched with iOS 13 in September 2019 and currently runs iOS 27, which Apple released on September 14, 2026 for every iPhone 11 and later, plus the iPhone SE (2nd generation) and later. (Apple)
That puts it a full generation behind the models this site already covers. The iPhone 13 is projected to keep receiving major updates through roughly 2028, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max through roughly 2030, both several years further out than the iPhone 11. (RefurbMe) The iPhone 11 has already matched or exceeded Apple's typical six-to-seven-year pattern for older models, so treat one more major update as a bonus, not a promise, and expect security-only patches to follow once the free upgrades stop.
That shrinking runway is the main argument against the iPhone 11 over a newer refurbished pick. If you plan to keep a phone for three or more years, an iPhone 13 buys meaningfully more time for a moderate premium.
How much does a refurbished iPhone 11 cost in 2026?
A refurbished iPhone 11 starts around $114 on RefurbMe for a carrier-locked 64GB unit, well below its $699 launch price for the same storage tier.
Live listings on RefurbMe range widely by carrier lock and storage. The cheapest current unit is $114 at Back Market, an AT&T-locked 64GB phone with 2 offers. If you need the phone unlocked for any carrier, the cheapest listing is $164 at eBay Refurbished for a 64GB model, with several more unlocked 64GB and 128GB units from Back Market and Amazon Renewed in the $161 to $238 range. Gazelle's unlocked stock, which ships with a fresh battery and a warranty, mostly runs $194 and up. A handful of T-Mobile-locked and specialty-color listings run as high as $461, and those are worth skipping in favor of the cheaper options above. (All figures read live from RefurbMe on September 24, 2026; the record low for this model is $64, set in June 2022, well below what is currently in stock.)
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iPhone 11 vs iPhone 13 vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: which tier fits you
Think of these three as a budget, mid-range, and premium tier of the same refurbished decision. Each step up costs more but buys a better screen, a faster chip, and more years of software.
| Model | Chip | Display | Apple Intelligence | Supported until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 11 | A13 Bionic | 6.1-inch LCD | No | About 2027 |
| iPhone 13 | A15 Bionic | 6.1-inch OLED | No | About 2028 |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | A17 Pro | 6.7-inch OLED, 120Hz | Yes | About 2030 |
The iPhone 11 is the right call when price is the only thing that matters and you are fine with an LCD screen and no 5G. It still handles everyday apps, calls, and photos without complaint, and the A13 Bionic has not aged into slowness. (Wikipedia)
Step up to the iPhone 13 if you want an OLED display and roughly a year more of software life for a moderate premium over the iPhone 11. It is the clearer long-term value once you look past the sticker price.
Step up further to the iPhone 15 Pro Max if Apple Intelligence, a telephoto camera, or the longest support runway on this list matters to you. It costs substantially more refurbished than either older model, but it is the only one of the three still receiving Apple's on-device AI features. (Apple)
Battery health and condition grades to demand
Look for a refurbished iPhone 11 with battery health at 80 percent or higher, and prefer sellers who publish the exact figure rather than a vague "good battery" claim. Battery health is the maximum capacity the battery holds relative to new, and on a phone this old it is the single number worth checking before anything else.
Apple designs iPhone 14 and earlier batteries, a group that includes the iPhone 11, to retain 80 percent of original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles under normal use. (Apple) A six-year-old iPhone 11 has had plenty of time to cross that line, so do not expect every listing to show 90-plus percent the way a newer model might. Treat 80 percent as the floor rather than the target, and use a lower reading as a reason to negotiate the price down, not necessarily a reason to walk away, as long as the discount reflects the wear. For a longer explanation of what the number means and how sellers measure it, read our battery health guide.
Condition grades describe cosmetics, not function. Grade A or Excellent means light to no visible wear, Grade B or Good means noticeable marks that do not affect use, and Grade C or Fair means heavier cosmetic wear on a phone that still works normally. Every grade ships tested and working, so a Good or Fair unit is a reasonable way to push the price even lower on a phone this inexpensive already.
You can confirm battery health yourself once the phone arrives. Open Settings, then Battery, then Battery Health and Charging, and read the Maximum Capacity percentage. If it comes in meaningfully below what the listing promised, use the seller's return window.
Where to find the best refurbished iPhone 11 deals
RefurbMe compares refurbished iPhone 11 listings across trusted sellers in one place, so you can see price, storage, carrier lock, and grade without opening a dozen tabs. Back Market currently carries both the cheapest listing and the widest range of storage and color options for this model, with eBay Refurbished and Amazon Renewed filling in nearby price points and Gazelle covering the higher, warranty-backed tier with a fresh battery included.
Filter by carrier lock first, since an AT&T- or Verizon-locked unit is usually the cheapest way into an iPhone 11 if you already use that carrier, while an unlocked phone costs more but works anywhere. Our guide to the best places to buy refurbished iPhones walks through the tradeoffs between sellers in more depth, and our full refurbished iPhone rankings show how the iPhone 11 stacks up against every other model RefurbMe tracks. Because stock changes constantly on a phone this old, checking the live price before you buy is the only reliable way to catch the real deal.
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FAQ
To compare every refurbished iPhone in real time across trusted sellers, head to the refurbished iPhone page and find your best price.
First published: Sep 24, 2026
