Is a Refurbished iPhone 16 Plus Worth It in 2026?

On November 2, 2026, the cheapest unlocked unit was a 128GB phone at $556 at Back Market, and Amazon Renewed had one at $563. The cheapest unit of any kind was a 128GB phone locked to T-Mobile at $496, also at Back Market. RefurbMe counted 190 in-stock US offers that day, 162 of them at Back Market.

RefurbMe's Time-to-Refurb, the median number of days between Apple announcing an iPhone and the first refurbished unit RefurbMe sees in stock, is 67 days for the iPhone family (as of November 2026, RefurbMe iPhone stats). Apple announced the 16 Plus in September 2024, so supply is deep and you can choose by seller, storage and carrier.

Quick verdict: who should buy a refurbished iPhone 16 Plus

Buy one if you want a big screen and long battery life without paying for a Pro. The iPhone 16 Plus has a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, the A18 chip, a 48MP Fusion main camera, Camera Control and a USB-C connector. (Apple) Apple rates it at up to 27 hours of video playback, against 22 hours for the iPhone 16.

Skip it if you want a real zoom lens or a smoother screen. The 16 Plus has an advanced dual-camera system, a 48MP Fusion main camera and a 12MP Ultra Wide, with no separate telephoto camera. Apple says the Fusion camera "Also enables 12MP 2x Telephoto". Its display has no ProMotion, which the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the new iPhone 17 both have.

For most buyers the choice is the 16 Plus or the smaller iPhone 16. On November 2, 2026, Back Market's cheapest unlocked 128GB iPhone 16 was $506, $50 less than its unlocked 128GB 16 Plus. That $50 buys 0.6 inch more screen and five more hours of rated video playback, and our refurbished iPhone 16 guide covers the smaller model.

How much does a refurbished iPhone 16 Plus cost?

On November 2, 2026, a refurbished iPhone 16 Plus started at $556 unlocked on RefurbMe, $343 below its launch price. Apple's launch release said "iPhone 16 Plus starts at $899 (U.S.)", and the phone went on sale on September 20, 2024. (Apple Newsroom)

These are the cheapest in-stock US listings, read from RefurbMe's live prices on November 2, 2026. Sellers are listed by their cheapest unlocked unit. The last column gathers Apple's 512GB unit and the listings last seen on October 30.

The bigger storage tiers cost little extra. Back Market's unlocked 256GB unit was $59 more than its 128GB unit, and its unlocked 512GB unit only $46 more than the 256GB one.

The grades were not checked listing by listing. RefurbMe's product page lists the $496 T-Mobile unit and the $661 unlocked 512GB unit as Fair at Back Market, the lowest of its grades, and the $609 Loop Mobile unit as Excellent. Back Market's cheapest Excellent unit was $499, locked to Verizon, so read the grade on each listing before you pay. Compare every live listing on the refurbished iPhone 16 Plus page.

Prices in Canada and the UK

Canadian supply is thin. RefurbMe counted 5 in-stock offers on November 2, 2026, all unlocked 128GB units. The cheapest was CA$915 at Amazon Renewed, and Apple's Canadian refurbished store had one at CA$1,059.

UK buyers have far more choice, with 113 in-stock offers. Amazon Renewed had an unlocked 128GB unit at £474, Back Market one at £489, and eBay Refurbished one at £539. Back Market's unlocked 256GB unit was £509 and its 512GB unit £655. The £474 at Amazon Renewed matches the lowest price RefurbMe has recorded for the model in the UK, first seen on March 9, 2026. The policy table below uses each seller's US pages, so check the UK or Canadian terms before you order.

Apple stopped selling it new: what that changes

Apple no longer sells the iPhone 16 Plus new. The "All models" shelf of Apple's US iPhone store lists the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Air, iPhone 17, iPhone 17e and iPhone 16, which we checked on November 2, 2026. The iPhone 16 buy page offers one model, the 6.1-inch iPhone 16, which "Comes with 128GB storage".

That makes refurbished the main way to get a 6.7-inch iPhone with an A18 chip without paying Pro prices. A new 128GB iPhone 16 costs $829 unlocked at Apple. Apple advertises it from $799 with carrier activation, a price that includes a $30 connectivity discount, and Apple says the discount "is not available for customers who choose to connect to a carrier later". A refurbished 128GB 16 Plus at $556 costs $273 less than that new, unlocked iPhone 16, with a bigger screen and a bigger battery.

The trade-off is the warranty. Apple says most Apple hardware comes with a one-year limited warranty, while a refurbished phone from another seller comes with that seller's terms, which the table further down compares. Apple's own refurbished store still lists the 16 Plus, at $989 for 512GB, and Apple says "Refurbished iOS devices will come with new battery and outer shell" and includes its standard one-year limited warranty with every Apple Certified Refurbished product. (Apple)

Software: iOS 27, Apple Intelligence and support

The iPhone 16 Plus runs iOS 27, the current release, and gets Apple Intelligence. Apple's iOS 27 compatibility page lists the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. (Apple) Apple says Apple Intelligence in iOS 27 is "available on iPhone Duo, iPhone 16 models or later, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone Air". (Apple) That list includes the iPhone 16e, which has a single rear camera; our guide to buying a refurbished iPhone 16e covers it.

Apple publishes no end-of-support date for any iPhone, so nobody can promise a number of future iOS releases. The margin is wide, though. Apple's iOS 27 list still includes the iPhone 11 family and the iPhone SE (2nd generation), and Apple's security releases page lists iOS 27.2, dated October 26, 2026, for iPhone 11 and later. Our breakdown of how long Apple supports iPhones has the full history.

Battery and condition: what to check

Ask for 90 percent battery health or more, and treat 80 percent as the floor. Apple says batteries of iPhone 15 models and later are designed to retain 80 percent of their original capacity at 1000 complete charge cycles under ideal conditions. (Apple)

The 16 Plus shows more battery data than older iPhones. Apple says that on iPhone 15 models and later you can see the battery's maximum capacity, whether a replacement is recommended and the cycle count. Open Settings, tap Battery, then tap Battery Health & Charging the day the phone arrives, inside the return window.

Then open Settings, tap General, and then tap About. If the phone has been repaired, you see a Parts and Service History section there. (Apple) Our iPhone battery health guide explains what happens to performance below 80 percent.

Each seller sets its own battery floor. Back Market promises a minimum 80 percent battery capacity on its Excellent, Good and Fair phones and 90 percent on Premium. Amazon Renewed promises more than 80 percent, and more than 90 percent on Renewed Premium. eBay Refurbished lists 85%+ battery life at Excellent and 80%+ at Very Good and Good.

Seller grades and warranties compared

One seller's "Excellent" is not another's, so compare the terms before the price. The table below comes from each seller's own US policy pages, fetched on November 2, 2026. MacPro-LA, Gazelle and Loop Mobile, with 17 offers between them that day, are not in it, so read their terms on the listing.

Back Market says an Excellent device shows "Almost no signs of wear. The body may have very light micro-scratches." Its limited warranty covers defects "for 12 months after the delivery date". Amazon sorts Renewed products into "one of four conditions: Premium, Excellent, Good, or Acceptable".

Amazon says most Renewed items include a 90-day return period, and that select items include its 30-day return period followed by a free 11-month limited warranty serviced by Asurion. For how grades map across sellers, see our guide to refurbished grades A, B and C.

128GB, 256GB or 512GB: which storage to pick

Pick 256GB, or 512GB if you shoot a lot of 4K video. On November 2, 2026, Back Market's unlocked 256GB unit was $615, $59 more than its unlocked 128GB unit at $556. Its unlocked 512GB unit was $661, which is $105 more than the 128GB unit.

Loop Mobile had an unlocked 256GB unit at $609, last seen on October 30, and it may have sold. Grades differ between listings, so compare the grade as well as the storage.

iPhone 16 Plus vs iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15 Plus refurbished

Pick by what you would give up. The iPhone 16 has the same A18 chip and cameras in a 6.1-inch body. (Apple) The iPhone 15 Plus has the same 6.7-inch screen size with the A16 Bionic chip, and it does not get Apple Intelligence. (Apple)

Sources: Apple's iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus spec pages; prices from RefurbMe's live listings.

The iPhone 16 is the sensible saving if you do not need the big screen. At 128GB, Back Market's unlocked iPhone 16 cost $50 less than its unlocked 16 Plus, for the same chip, cameras and buttons. Our iPhone 16 vs iPhone 17 comparison covers what the next base model adds.

The iPhone 15 Plus is the budget big screen. Back Market's unlocked 128GB 15 Plus was $391, $165 less than its unlocked 128GB 16 Plus, but you lose Apple Intelligence, Camera Control, the Action button and faster MagSafe. Battery life is close, at up to 26 hours of video playback against 27.

When a 16 Pro Max or a new iPhone 17 makes more sense

If you want a zoom lens, look at the 16 Pro Max. It has a 12MP 5x Telephoto camera, a 6.9-inch display with ProMotion and up to 33 hours of video playback. (Apple) Back Market's cheapest unlocked 256GB 16 Pro Max was $724 on November 2, 2026, $109 more than its unlocked 256GB 16 Plus. Our refurbished iPhone 16 Pro Max guide has its sellers, and the refurbished iPhone 16 Pro guide covers the smaller Pro.

If you want a new phone with a full Apple warranty, the iPhone 17 costs $929 unlocked at Apple, with 256GB, the A19 chip, a 6.3-inch ProMotion display and up to 30 hours of video playback. (Apple) Apple advertises it from $899 with carrier activation, a price that includes a $30 connectivity discount. A refurbished iPhone 17 was $717 unlocked at Back Market, and our refurbished iPhone 17 guide covers it.

Carrier-locked vs unlocked listings and how to check

The cheapest 16 Plus is carrier-locked. On November 2, 2026, Back Market's 128GB unit locked to T-Mobile was $496, $60 less than its cheapest unlocked 128GB unit at $556.

At 256GB and 512GB the lock saves nothing. Back Market's 256GB unit locked to Verizon was $624, $9 more than its unlocked 256GB unit at $615, and its 512GB unit locked to T-Mobile was $700, $39 more than its unlocked 512GB unit at $661.

Buy unlocked unless you already use that carrier. A locked phone works only on that carrier until the carrier unlocks it, and Apple says "Only your current carrier can unlock your iPhone". To check a phone you receive, open Settings, General, About. If "No SIM restrictions" appears next to Carrier Lock, your iPhone is unlocked. (Apple) Our guide to unlocked refurbished iPhones explains the trade-off.

Where to buy a refurbished iPhone 16 Plus

We list the sellers by their cheapest unlocked US offer, from RefurbMe's live prices on November 2, 2026. Sellers whose listings were last seen more than two days earlier come last. Grades were not checked listing by listing, so read each listing's grade before you pay.

1. Back Market. The cheapest unlocked unit at $556 for 128GB, plus unlocked units at $615 for 256GB and $661 for 512GB. It also had the cheapest unit of any kind, at $496 locked to T-Mobile. Back Market promises a minimum 80 percent battery capacity on its Excellent, Good and Fair phones, with a 12-month warranty and 30-day free returns.
2. Amazon Renewed. An unlocked 128GB unit at $563 and an unlocked 256GB unit at $630. Most Renewed items come with a 90-day return period, but Amazon adds an 11-month Asurion warranty only on select items, so check the product page.
3. MacPro-LA. One unlocked 128GB unit at $579.
4. eBay Refurbished. One unlocked 128GB unit at $598. Its grades come with a battery floor, a one-year warranty from vetted sellers and 30-day free returns.
5. Apple Certified Refurbished. The most expensive option, at $989 for 512GB, with a new battery and outer shell and Apple's one-year limited warranty.
6. Gazelle and Loop Mobile. Gazelle had unlocked 128GB units at $573 and Loop Mobile an unlocked 256GB unit at $609, both last seen on October 30.

For more detail on each seller, read our guide to the best places to buy refurbished iPhones and the reviews of Back Market and Amazon Renewed.

Will refurbished iPhone 16 Plus prices keep falling?

Slowly. The lowest price RefurbMe has recorded for a refurbished iPhone 16 Plus in the US is $409, at eBay Refurbished on October 31, 2026, and that listing was gone from the November 2 read. Today's cheapest unit, the $496 T-Mobile phone, is $87 above that record. RefurbMe's iPhone 16 Plus stats page puts today's $496 floor 45% below the $899 launch price.

RefurbMe's Refurb Discount for the iPhone family, the median saving of a refurbished unit against its launch price, is 77 percent (as of November 2026, RefurbMe iPhone stats). That median covers every iPhone RefurbMe tracks, from this year's models to ones many years old, so it says little about where the 16 Plus goes next.

A $409 listing two days before this read shows that deep cuts do appear. Set a price alert if you can wait for one. To see when the newest models reach refurbished stock, our guide to the refurbished iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo tracks them.

FAQ

To compare every refurbished iPhone 16 Plus listing across sellers in real time, head to the refurbished iPhone page and filter by model, grade and price.