Refreshed Smartphones: Für Umwelt & Portemonnaie

Buy a second-hand mobile: good for the environment and for the wallet

With its reuse initiative, Swisscom is making a valuable contribution to the circular economy. Under this initiative, it is already possible to donate an old mobile or have the value of your old smartphone credited towards a new device. Now, Swisscom is also introducing the sale of second-hand, ‘refreshed’ smartphones.

Swisscom is the first telecommunications provider in Switzerland to sell pre-used, refurbished smartphones. The used device undergoes a professional clean, the software is updated and all data is deleted, making the smartphone like new again.

Swisscom has commissioned a specialist company for this: Recommerce Swiss* has been refurbishing smartphones for more than 10 years. The company guarantees that all devices are fully functional and unlocked. It also provides a 12-month warranty and 14-day money back guarantee.

How to get your hands on a refreshed smartphone

The refurbished smartphones are the 64GB iPhone X, the 256GB iPhone X and the 64GB iPhone 6s. All are available in the colour Space Gray.

The phones can be purchased from Swisscom’s online shop and are labelled ‘refreshed’. The purchasing process is the same as for a new phone. Once you have selected your refreshed model, you can choose whether to take out a subscription and if you want to pay in instalments.

By purchasing a refreshed smartphone, you are also doing your bit for the environment: after all, every smartphone sold saves 40 kg of raw materials and 30 kg of CO2. And it’s also good news for your wallet as a refreshed smartphone costs much less than a new model.

So why not check out Swisscom’s new range of refreshed models today and let the Community know your thoughts. Questions are of course always welcome in the comments below.

Learn more about Swisscom’s sustainability projects.

*Recommerce is a registered trademark of RS (Recommerce Solutions) Switzerland

Show original language (German)
Illustration of a man with a laptop
9 months later

The question I’m asking myself is why absolutely buy a smart phone just to make calls and send text messages?

Knowing that you can find slightly stupid phones that are perfectly capable of these services (and often more):

--> provided they are at least 4G / LTE

Finally, there’s another way of combining an intelligent mobile phone with sustainable development: www.fairphone.com/fr

Show original language (French)
 changed by merinos
8 months later
4 months later

For the moment I use an Empora. The monthly cost of a smartphone is too high. I don’t use my mobile phone much, just to receive calls and texts and send text messages. But in everyday life, the smartphone is becoming almost indispensable for other reasons.

Show original language (Italian)
  • merinos has responded to this post.
    4 days later

    @MiriamF

    Good evening.

    Can you please tell me if you can also buy tablets in addition to refreshed smartphones?

    Thank you for your attention, I thank you in advance and cordially greet you.

    Show original language (Italian)
    6 months later

    👍

    This post is in English

    There are also other companies in Switzerland that offer refurbished devices at a cheaper price with a 12 month guarantee.

    Of course, the whole thing with outdated devices is a good start in today’s throwaway society.

    Show original language (German)

    Installationen, Netzwerk, Internet, Computertechnik, OS Windows, Apple und Linux.

    5 months later

    I think it’s very good and I’ve known this for quite a long time!

    But then what about the guaranteed updates? 🤔 Would love to receive an answer regarding this….

    Show original language (German)

    @Vatruse

    Here you have to distinguish which time has expired. There is a point in time when the manufacturer no longer brings out new releases for a device x, but the relevant point in time when security patches are no longer delivered may not be until many years later. Here’s an example:

    The iPhone 5s was released in 2013 (iOS 7.0)

    The last iOS for this device was in 2018 (iOS 12.0)

    Last week Apple released a security update for this device (iOS 12.5.7)

    In terms of security, you are still up-to-date even with a device that is almost 10 years old.

    In principle, the investment protection for Apple devices is much higher than for other manufacturers. In the meantime, various manufacturers of Android devices have increased their support times. However, this only applies to devices of the latest generation, i.e. not retroactively.

    Show original language (German)

    @hed

    Thank you very much for this great, clear and good explanation!!! I was able to learn something new!!!

    I haven’t been here long, but I didn’t expect such a positive answer and I appreciate it even more, thank you 👌

    Show original language (German)
    a month later

    Your offer to not simply dispose of older cell phones but to recondition them deserves a good rating. In this way we protect the environment and valuable raw materials.

    Show original language (German)
    • hed likes that.
    21 days later
    a month later
    3 months later

    In May 2022, I bought a refurbished iPhone 7 because I wanted the same model as the one that had just died. However, this refurbished device has never been efficient in terms of battery. From the start, the recharge did not last. Currently, I often have to recharge it twice in the same day. It’s tiring. For the rest it works very well. Because of this battery problem, I will not buy a refurbished device, even if the price is attractive. I am very disappointed.

    Show original language (French)

    @Stadiobu85 Hello

    _**-"In May 2022, I bought a refurbished iPhone 7 because I wanted the same model as the one that had just given up the ghost. However, this refurbished device has never performed well in terms of battery . From the start, the recharge did not hold.

    As you noticed, why didn’t you run the warranty?

    Doremi

    Show original language (French)

    ..@doremi: because at the beginning, knowing that a refurbished device has a battery guaranteed at a little more than 80% of its original capacity but not 100%, I thought that it was normal that it is not more efficient. It then gradually decreased in capacity and now it’s horror. You should know that the warranty only lasts 6 months and that 6 months goes by quickly.
    in any case I know full well that I would have been told that this was normal for a reconditioned device….and you have to go to the shop or return the device and I didn’t have another one. So here it is…

    Show original language (French)