Best Refurbished iPhone for Photography in 2026

Apple's cameras hit a genuine inflection point with the iPhone 13 Pro. Anything from that generation onward can shoot professional-grade stills and cinematic-mode video. Here's the shortlist for photographers shopping refurbished.

Best overall value: iPhone 13 Pro (~£420 refurb)

• Triple 12MP rear system (wide, ultrawide, 3x telephoto)
• ProRAW and ProRes video
• Sensor-shift OIS on the main lens
• Cinematic Mode with rack focus

For 90% of shooters, this is the buy. You get the whole Pro camera experience for less than half the price of a new iPhone 15 Pro.

Best low-light: iPhone 14 Pro (~£560 refurb)

The 48MP quad-pixel sensor is a real leap over the 13 Pro. Night mode is dramatically cleaner, and the 2x optical crop from the main sensor is a genuine "extra lens" in your pocket. Worth the extra £140 if you shoot indoors, at concerts, or after sunset.

Best budget: iPhone 12 (~£240 refurb)

Still outstanding for daylight photography. You lose the telephoto and ProRAW, but the main sensor holds its own for social media, family photos, and travel. The best refurb bargain on the market right now.

What to look for when buying refurb for photos

• Camera glass: inspect the lens cover under a torch. Any hairline crack degrades image quality.
• OIS test: shoot a 3-second handheld exposure in a dim room. Sharp? OIS is healthy.
• True Tone display: essential for judging photo colour accurately in the field.
• Storage: 128GB minimum, 256GB if you shoot ProRAW or 4K video.

Refurbished is arguably the smart way to buy a camera phone — depreciation has already done the hard work for you.