We've been paying attention to the iPhone 13 Black Friday deals and iPhone 12 Black Friday deals for the past few weeks, and what has become clear is that most of the top deals require you to purchase a new cell phone plan as well as a cell phone.

That's all very well if you're already coming to the end of your current contract, but what if you want a new phone while staying with your current provider?

Except for a few rare circumstances, deals are only available to new customers; given that Apple phones don't lose value as quickly as Android phones of the same class launched in the same year, buying an unlocked iPhone out of the box is often not much cheaper than when it was new.

While it may feel like you have found yourself in an impossible situation, there are alternatives. While this is not true for all users, you may be able to get an unlocked iPhone for less money by purchasing a refurbished iPhone.

A refurbished device is a phone that is returned to a retailer, usually as part of a trade-in deal, but then bought up, gets parts repaired or replaced, and packaged again ready to resell. Some, like Apple, offer a one-year warranty on refurbished products, guaranteeing the use of genuine replacement parts and a new battery and body.

Needless to say, you can find refurbished phones from other brands, most notably Samsung Galaxy devices, but as you can see in our Samsung Black Friday deals, Samsung discounts brand new devices more than Apple more than willing to discount brand new devices a lot.

There may be a bit of a stigma about using old or used technology, but there's no good reason for this. As mentioned earlier, Apple devices last longer than Android ones. This is because Apple has a generous update schedule of up to five years or more. Older devices may not run the latest version of iOS 15 as smoothly as the iPhone 13, but they can still use most of the same new features.

There is a good environmental argument for a well-maintained phone. By giving the device a second chance, a small number of users will not need a brand new electronic device and all the resources required to do so. However, by making the device last as long as possible, one can feel that one is helping to protect the environment as well.

The disadvantage is that users do not always receive the same after-sales care as with new equipment. Walmart, for example, only offers a 30-day warranty on the updated iPhone 12 Pro, meaning that any problems you find after a month of ownership must be resolved by you alone.

Additionally, most stores do not guarantee that it will look as good as it did fresh out of the box. Amazon, for example, promises only that when you hold a refurbished iPhone at arm's length, you will not see any exterior scratches. This means that minor scratches and scuffs could be a bit more noticeable under normal use. That's something you don't have to worry about with a phone that has stripped itself of its own plastic.

Thus, there are reasons to buy an updated iPhone and reasons to avoid it. Hopefully, with this new knowledge, you will be able to make more informed buying decisions as you browse this week's Black Friday deals.