Prime Members Refurbished Excellent Apple iPhone SE3 5G 64GB Midnight Unlocked Smartphone $132.99

SlyMonster

4d ago

1,416 Posts

Joined Oct 2006

4d ago

SlyMonster

4d ago

1,416 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank SlyMonster

I thought Amazon had great prices on unlocked iPhones as well last year and wanted to share my experience in case anyone is interested. The phone arrived and would not work on my network; turns out it was actually not unlocked. Amazon customer service tried their best to get the phone unlocked with the carrier, but the original owner would have had to unlock it. It had to be returned to Amazon as a result. Normally this would not have been an issue, however these phones cannot be returned to any of my regular return locations, like UPS or Staples. Turns out IPHONES HAVE TO BE RETURNED TO AN AMAZON PHYSICAL STORE, like Amazon Fresh or Amazon Go and the nearest one to me is over an hour away. This was a hassle.

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BabyBubba

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Pro

4d ago

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Joined Apr 2021

4d ago

BabyBubba

4d ago

Original Poster

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Quote from SlyMonster

:

I thought Amazon had great prices on unlocked iPhones as well last year and wanted to share my experience in case anyone is interested. The phone arrived and would not work on my network; turns out it was actually not unlocked. Amazon customer service tried their best to get the phone unlocked with the carrier, but the original owner would have had to unlock it. It had to be returned to Amazon as a result. Normally this would not have been an issue, however these phones cannot be returned to any of my regular return locations, like UPS or Staples. Turns out IPHONES HAVE TO BE RETURNED TO AN AMAZON PHYSICAL STORE, like Amazon Fresh or Amazon Go and the nearest one to me is over an hour away. This was a hassle.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Good information for those of us who don't have an Amazon retail location nearby in case of an out of the box problem. I perused some recent reviews and it appears that your issue may be relatively uncommon, but nonetheless worth noting for potential buyers.

LTunedX

3d ago

83 Posts

Joined Apr 2009

3d ago

LTunedX

3d ago

83 Posts

Quote from SlyMonster

:

I thought Amazon had great prices on unlocked iPhones as well last year and wanted to share my experience in case anyone is interested. The phone arrived and would not work on my network; turns out it was actually not unlocked. Amazon customer service tried their best to get the phone unlocked with the carrier, but the original owner would have had to unlock it. It had to be returned to Amazon as a result. Normally this would not have been an issue, however these phones cannot be returned to any of my regular return locations, like UPS or Staples. Turns out IPHONES HAVE TO BE RETURNED TO AN AMAZON PHYSICAL STORE, like Amazon Fresh or Amazon Go and the nearest one to me is over an hour away. This was a hassle.

I had this same issue before for a brand new iPad that I wanted to return (unopened), and the closest amazon store location was really far away! So instead, I opened up a chat with an Amazon customer service rep, and he was able to manually generate me a UPS label and i just dropped it off at my nearest UPS Store

1

zdiddy987

3d ago

3,769 Posts

Joined Jul 2009

3d ago

zdiddy987

3d ago

3,769 Posts

Would this be major downgrade from an iPhone 14?

1

rastatech

3d ago

1,090 Posts

Joined Jul 2018

3d ago

rastatech

3d ago

1,090 Posts

No promise of any battery level, "excellent" seems to be a bit of spectrum. For that money then maybe get the iPhone 13 new from Total for $160 or so with port-in, or fetch a mint one from used sites where you know you will get >85% battery health at least.

I think straight talk had these as refurbished for $100 before and they came with 100% battery in most cases.

3

Spaceman6969

Pro

3d ago

14,205 Posts

Joined Dec 2015

3d ago

Spaceman6969

Pro

3d ago

14,205 Posts

Quote from SlyMonster

:

I thought Amazon had great prices on unlocked iPhones as well last year and wanted to share my experience in case anyone is interested. The phone arrived and would not work on my network; turns out it was actually not unlocked. Amazon customer service tried their best to get the phone unlocked with the carrier, but the original owner would have had to unlock it. It had to be returned to Amazon as a result. Normally this would not have been an issue, however these phones cannot be returned to any of my regular return locations, like UPS or Staples. Turns out IPHONES HAVE TO BE RETURNED TO AN AMAZON PHYSICAL STORE, like Amazon Fresh or Amazon Go and the nearest one to me is over an hour away. This was a hassle.

Then it is not worth buying this. Folks with busy lifestyle simply cannot afford to lose more time.

4

HaysuChristo

3d ago

360 Posts

Joined May 2015

3d ago

HaysuChristo

3d ago

360 Posts

Quote from zdiddy987

:

Would this be major downgrade from an iPhone 14?

Yes. Unless you absolutely have to have the smaller sized phone.

BabyBubba

Original Poster

Pro

3d ago

3,744 Posts

Joined Apr 2021

3d ago

BabyBubba

3d ago

Original Poster

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3,744 Posts

Quote from zdiddy987

:

Would this be major downgrade from an iPhone 14?

Smaller screen, slightly slower processor than iPhone 14, basic cameras, less battery capacity. I have one of these and it's a great phone for my needs, but it's on the lower end of Apple's offerings. It's the same size as the old iPhone 6 and 7, but much faster with more features.

KonnichiWTF

3d ago

34 Posts

Joined Apr 2016

3d ago

KonnichiWTF

3d ago

34 Posts

Quote from rastatech

:

No promise of any battery level, "excellent" seems to be a bit of spectrum. For that money then maybe get the iPhone 13 new from Total for $160 or so with port-in, or fetch a mint one from used sites where you know you will get >85% battery health at least. I think straight talk had these as refurbished for $100 before and they came with 100% battery in most cases.

I am not an expert by any means on Amazon Refurbs, but when you click on the Refurb-Excellent link it says "Battery: When included, batteries have a capacity that exceeds 80% of the original battery life."

BabyBubba

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3d ago

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BabyBubba

3d ago

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Quote from KonnichiWTF

:

I am not an expert by any means on Amazon Refurbs, but when you click on the Refurb-Excellent link it says "Battery: When included, batteries have a capacity that exceeds 80% of the original battery life."

I guess any refurb is a roll of the dice on battery condition, although I'd trust Amazon more than most resellers because of their support. Having replaced quite a few iPhone batteries over the years, it's usually straightforward with minimal technical skills required. Years ago aftermarket replacement batteries were sketchy at best, but they've gotten better and overall have given me good service in the last 8 years or so.

In my opinion, 85% life is time for replacement. I find that below that number performance rapidly degrades. Battery replacement on an older generation phone sort of goes with the territory when you're trying to get your best deal. My current factory battery is at 95% after 16 months of use so I'll probably get 3 years or more out of it.

1

wassily

3d ago

293 Posts

Joined Jan 2010

3d ago

wassily

3d ago

293 Posts

go with "premium" condition if you are more concerned about battery condition.
with "Excellent" I've gotten devices at 81%, 83% and 84%.
Others have posted that for the same devices I got, they got 88% or so.
Amazon is true to their description that you will get a battery life at 80% or above.
Most likely 80-90% otherwise they would be in the "premium" condition category.

1

IK47

3d ago

1,719 Posts

Joined Sep 2014

3d ago

IK47

3d ago

1,719 Posts

You are better off buying one from next prepaid deal and wait for unlock unless you need the phone asap. This model is on its way out and not too popular. I love this phone personally but 64 gig is not much these days without upgrade option for storage.

2

Spaceman6969

Pro

3d ago

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Joined Dec 2015

3d ago

Spaceman6969

Pro

3d ago

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Quote from IK47

:

You are better off buying one from next prepaid deal and wait for unlock unless you need the phone asap. This model is on its way out and not too popular. I love this phone personally but 64 gig is not much these days without upgrade option for storage.

I'm sorry but this deal is not good. It better to wait for next prepaid deal and wait for u lock. It more convenient and it gonna be brand new and CHEAPER too

3

echip

2d ago

928 Posts

Joined May 2008

2d ago

echip

2d ago

928 Posts

Quote from zdiddy987

:

Would this be major downgrade from an iPhone 14?

Yes, the screen of this phone is extremely small for 2025, and battery is very weak especially if you buy it used.
If home button is a must for you, then this is the last one still has home button.
iPhone 8 also has home button but it only run on older iOS 16.

The other thing is this phone still has SIM card slot vs iPhone 14 no longer has one.
But if you need a bigger phone with physical SIM card, I would rather get an iPhone 11, 12, or 13.

Last edited by echip July 9, 2025 at 08:03 PM.

rastatech

2d ago

1,090 Posts

Joined Jul 2018

2d ago

rastatech

2d ago

1,090 Posts

Quote from KonnichiWTF

:

I am not an expert by any means on Amazon Refurbs, but when you click on the Refurb-Excellent link it says "Battery: When included, batteries have a capacity that exceeds 80% of the original battery life."

but 80% is the bare minimum when buying used. Under 80% is what Apple replaces on Apple Care+.

Prime Members Refurbished Excellent Apple iPhone SE3 5G 64GB Midnight Unlocked Smartphone $132.99

$133

$159

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