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Best refurbished Apple Watches and where to find them

Watch out!

Fergus Halliday
May 27, 2024
Icon Time To Read4 min read

The latest Apple Watch might be better than the last, but it's not that much better. Even if it is the world's most popular wearable piece of tech, Apple's smartwatch doesn't change that much from year to year.

The upshot here is that while those looking to pick up the latest and greatest version of Apple's iconic smartwatch have plenty of options, those who want to zag in the opposite direction and save money by shopping refurbished

Refurbished Apple Watches from the right retailer tend to go through a rigorous appraisal and cleaning on par with other Apple products and don't differ greatly when it comes to the experience they offer. Sure, they might have had a few parts replaced and some evidence of previous use, but on a practical level you're looking at a much more affordable asking price for a near-identical experience.

If that sounds like a deal you want in on, be sure to scroll on for our pick of the best refurbished Apple Watches in Australia.

The big disclaimer with refurbished Apple Watches is their existence is dependent on a returned product. While refurbished Apple Watches are typically closer to new than buying a second-hand tablet from eBay, Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace, stock tends to be limited. A refurbished Apple Watch that’s available one day—including our picks—may not be available the next. If one of our picks of a refurbished Apple Watch isn’t available when you read this, use the price and relevant specs as a guide to source a replacement model.

Refurbished Apple Watch retailers

There’s a great range of retailers to choose from when sourcing a refurbished Apple Watches in Australia.  For example,  you can visit the official Apple store for a range of refurbished Apple Watches. Refurbished Apple Watches are cleaned, tested and repacked in a new box with all the cables and relevant accessories.

That's far from the only place you can find refurbished Apple smartwatches. There are plenty of other retailers who play in the space nowadays. For instance, Reebelo has a range of refurbished Apple Watches, offering 14-day returns and one-year warranties.

Alternatively, there are smaller retailers like Phonebot and Ozmobiles, the latter of which offers a 12-month warranty, price-beat guarantee and 30-day returns. Green Gadgets also offers a selection of refurbished Apple Watches. If you want more options, check out the Amazon Renewed listings or Kogan refurbished smartwatches.

Compare the best refurbished Apple Watches

Check out the comparison table below for a sense of how a refurbished Apple Watch might compare to other smartwatches and wearables that we've reviewed.
Device
Price
Availability
Battery
Water-resistance
Star rating
From$1297
Up to 48 days battery lifeUp to 100m water resistance
4 out of 5 stars
4
Fitbit Charge 6 Product comparisonFitbit Charge 6
From$259
Up to 7 days battery lifeUp to 50m water resistance
Apple Watch Ultra 2 product comparisonApple Watch Ultra 2
From$1399
Up to 36 hours battery lifeUp to 100m water resistance
Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic product comparisonSamsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic
From$699
Up to 40 hours battery lifeUp to 50m water resistance
From$549
24 hour battery lifeUp to 50m water resistance
4 out of 5 stars
4

Apple Watch Series 9

Best refurbished Apple Watch

Compatibility
iOS
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Stand-out feature
Bright always-on screen
Starts at$649

Pricing and availability only accurate as of last page update.

pro
Pros
pro Faster performance
pro Brighter display
pro Double-tap gesture
con
Cons
con No improvements to battery life and charging speed
con Same health and fitness features as Series 8
con Band can be irritating for a first-time user

Love everything about the latest Apple Watch except for how much it csots? Then refurbished is a great way to go about getting your hands on last year's Apple Watch Series 9. You're still getting the new features like double-tap and a faster processor and you're definitely saving some cash when it comes to the price-tag.

Writ large, our reviewer came away pretty chuffed with the Series 9. Even if it didn't tinker too much the formula, it delivered a timely refresh on a formula that's proven to have staying power even among the famously-fickle fitness crowd.

"The Apple Watch Series 9 is a perfect fit for those wanting to dip their toes in the smartwatch pool. It's not vastly different from the Series 8, but it does boast faster performance, a brighter display, and the new double-tap feature that allows you to decline unwanted calls in one gesture. "

Apple Watch Series 6

Best cheap refurbished Apple Watch

Compatibility
iOS
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Stand-out feature
Bright always-on screen
Starts at$349

Pricing and availability only accurate as of last page update.

pro
Pros
pro Great always-on display
pro Fast performance and great features
pro Sleep tracking
con
Cons
con Really short battery life
con iOS only
con Not much of an upgrade from Series 5

While there are plenty of reasons to opt for a refurbished version of Apple's latest iPhone, the reality is that you'll have to roll things backwards a couple of generations if you want to get the most value for your money. In our opinion, the Apple Watch Series 6 is the sweet spot here.

Back in 2020, we called it the best wearable of the year.

"The Apple Watch Series 6 is, undoubtedly, the best smartwatch currently available. It’s good looking, zippy, packed with great health features and unmatched iPhone integration."

How much do Apple Watches usually cost in Australia?

Not sure whether you're getting a good deal? Here's how much you'd usually pay for a set of Apple's smartwatch

Here's how much each Apple Watch retails for Australia:

  • Apple Watch Series 9 starts at $649
  • Apple Watch Ultra (2nd Gen) starts at $1399
  • Apple Watch SE starts at $399

Apple Watch Ultra

Other refurbished Apple Watches

Compatibility
iOS
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Stand-out feature
Bright always-on screen
Starts at$908

Pricing and availability only accurate as of last page update.

pro
Pros
pro Large, bright display
pro Great battery (for an Apple Watch)
pro Action button is helpful
con
Cons
con Expensive
con Will be too big for some wrists

If you can get past the price of the latest Apple Watch but can't extend that courtesy to its high-end Ultra counterpart, then a refurbished model might be the best way forward. Since the hardware here is built to last, there's not going to be a huge difference between a refurbished and brand new version of the Apple Watch Ultra and the experience it offers.

Our reviewer called the smartwatch a surprise favorite of the 2022 lineup.

"The Apple Watch Ultra's larger screen and battery make a compelling pitch, even if you're not in the market for an adventure wearable. "

How we choose the best refurbished Apple Watch

We started our Apple Watch round-up by sourcing the best retailers in Australia for refurbished models. With a long list of contenders, we used price and meaningful use cases to create a shortlist.

Outside of the cheap refurbished category, it’s okay if certain Apple Watch are more expensive. Generally, we'd privilege models that are reasonably priced compared to increasingly expensive new-model flagship smartwatches.

Finally, we had a look at the features and battery life of the contenders to make our recommendations, ensuring we also acknowledged alternatives around the same price point or with similar features.

Fergus Halliday
Written by
Fergus Halliday is a journalist and editor for Reviews.org. He’s written about technology, telecommunications, gaming and more for over a decade. He got his start writing in high school and began his full-time career as the Editor of PC World Australia. Fergus has made the MCV 30 Under 30 list, been a finalist for seven categories at the IT Journalism Awards and won Most Controversial Writer at the 2022 Consensus Awards. He has been published in Gizmodo, Kotaku, GamesHub, Press Start, Screen Rant, Superjump, Nestegg and more.