Who this phone is for
Families who genuinely need a smartphone for an external reason, and want a sensible second-hand option instead of a brand new iPhone 15.
The honest verdict
We list this because we will not pretend smartphones are never the right answer. If your family is going to land on a smartphone, a refurbished SE on a £6 SIM is the version we would buy. Back Market gives you a year's warranty and a thirty-day return.
What it does well
- Refurbished from £169 makes the financial event much smaller if lost
- Screen Time is the most useful parental control system we have used
- Apple supports older iPhones longer than any other manufacturer
Where it falls down
- It is still a smartphone, with all that implies socially and algorithmically
- Refurb stock varies week to week
The specs that matter
- Battery
- A day, with normal teenage use
- Weight
- 144 g
- Network
- Unlocked 4G/5G
- Camera
- 12 MP rear, 7 MP front
- Storage
- 64 to 256 GB
- What stands out
- Apple Screen Time, Family Sharing, Find My. The most well-developed parental controls on the market.
Where to buy
Buying through these buttons earns us a small commission at no cost to you. The order is not influenced by which programme pays better, but you can read the full disclosure.