Is it safe to buy a refurbished iPhone from Walmart?

Walmart lists the condition of its refurbished phones under several quality umbrellas. Usually, you can find this information listed in the Condition section to the right of the image, as well as above the Add to Cart button. Confirming the condition of a renewed iPhone is the most important step of the purchasing process because it not only determines the quality of the phone, but its return policy.

The highest standard is “Restored Premium”, which is reserved for items sold by either manufacturers, manufacturer-authorized sellers or select third-party sellers trusted by Walmart. Walmart states that restored premium products have been “refurbished to the highest standard and tested to ensure like-new performance and reliability.” When purchasing a Restored Premium phone, expect an “excellent screen and body” with only light micro-scratches. Walmart also states that premium phones have 90% battery capacity compared to new iPhones. 

The next set of used iPhones are within Walmart’s “Restored” tier, which have been refurbished by authorized partners. Reportedly inspected, cleaned and verified, these items hit a lower standard than Premium Restored, but may still offer great value. For instance, Restored-tier products only boast 80% of a new iPhone’s battery capacity. 

The retailer uses a three-tier grading scale for these iPhones: Like New, Good and Fair. Phones that are Like New should be in excellent condition, offering screens and bodies with “very light micro-scratches” that are “invisible” beyond a distance of one foot. Good devices, meanwhile, have a clean screen, “barely visible” scuff marks, and minor wear. If you purchase a Fair item, you should expect “noticeable” wear like visible scratches and markings you can feel when touching. 

Walmart Marketplace also offers a pre-owned program that has a more variable inspection process, less stringent quality control standards and no refurbishment requirements. This makes pre-owned items a fit for anyone looking to get a used, non-refurbished phone on the cheap. Walmart ranks these devices using the same three-tiered metric. You may also find Open Box options, which are in “excellent condition with no signs of usage and still in its original packaging or generic packaging.” These also include the original accessories.