Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsIs Renewed Premium worth the extra money?
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2023
Update (12/17/23): Additional observations: 1) the Amazon Renewed certification card is marked 10/27/23, and when I received it 12/2/23 (about 5 weeks), the battery was completely dead; 2) after charging back to 100%, I put it in airplane mode (to turn off both WiFi and bluetooth), and also put it in battery saver mode; I checked the battery percentages once a day, and it was losing 10-15% per day, so this battery is very weak. I did a parallel test with another iPhone (11 pro max), and that one only lost 10% (100% > 90%) over a week. This is an excellent test to check the true condition of the battery.
Update (12/15/23): Ordered a 5th Amazon Premium Renewed phone (iPhone 12 Pro Max), and the battery life, which should be above 90%, is actually 88%.
Update (3/28/23): After lengthy discussions with Amazon, they will not honor the 90% battery guarantee stated on the Amazon Premium Renewed page, because it is "not stated on the Amazon invoice". 1-star, no longer recommended.
Update (2/1/23): Ran into some issues, probably things that should be checked upon receipt of a renewed or premium renewed product: 1) battery life [below advertised 80 or 90%], 2) parts replaced, either with genuine or non-genuine Apple parts, 3) overall functionality [defective charging port]. Reducing overall rating to 4-stars.
Summary: Upgrading from an iPhone 7 plus, and decided I would go with the 11 Pro Max version. I was on the fence whether the extra money for the premium renewed is worth it, so will be discussing what I considered.
Observations: The high level basic differences are: 1) about a $100 difference; 2) three vs. 12 months return period: 3) battery level of 80% vs. 90%.
Recommendation: After considering the factors, I decided to look into how much a replacement battery would cost, which is $40 right now. However, starting with the iPhone 8 (i think), Apple started sealing the cases, which requires a heat gun to separate the case because of the extra waterproofing adhesive. To breakdown the addition $100 cost, subtract the $40 battery from that, leaving $60 for an additional 9-months (or $6.67/month) to "insurance" to return the phone if issues come up.
Carrier Lock: I decided I wanted an unlocked version, and that appears to be another feature that is included with Premium Renewed, with the majority of carrier locked versions being offered as renewed only.
Conclusion: For the additional $100, I elected to go with the Renewed Premium. I rate both the Renewed and the Premium Renewed as 5-stars. Which you chose would depend on individual financial and personal factors.
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