Apple is now selling refurbished models of the iPhone XR for $499

Announced back in 2018 and starting at $749, the iPhone XR borrowed design principles from Apple's higher-end offerings while coming in at a lower price point. According to Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of product marketing, the iPhone XR was the "best-selling iPhone each and every day that it’s been on sale.”

Now, as spotted by MacRumours, just under two years after its initial launch, Apple started selling unlocked, refurbished iPhone XR handsets on its official website. The lowest price is $499 for a Black or Yellow refurbished iPhone XR with 64 GB of storage, saving you $100. At a higher price of $539, Coral, White, Yellow, Black variants of the handsets are also available, saving you $110. For $639, you can the highest available storage at 256 GB, and this will save you $120, though it is only available in Black color, unlike the rest of the options.

As noted before, these handsets are unlocked so you can put in a SIM card of your preferred carrier right out of the box. Apple claims that all refurbished iPhone models are repackaged in a new box with new accessories and manuals. They also come with a new battery and are thoroughly inspected, tested, and cleaned.

At $499, the refurbished 64GB iPhone XR is just $100 over the newly launched iPhone SE. Though the latter boasts faster performance and a better camera, the former has a bigger display and a larger battery. It will be interesting to see how this affects the decisions of any customers looking to upgrade their older iPhones.