You can now get an iPhone 7 for half the price of an iPhone X, and it's a total steal (AAPL)

Apple started selling refurbished units of the iPhone 7 on February 1.
The iPhone 7 is still a great iPhone, even if the newer iPhone 8 and iPhone X are already out there.
They offer a nice little discount from brand new iPhone 7 models — as much as $80 cheaper.
Refurbished models come in like-new condition with a new battery and accessories.

Looking for a great deal on a great phone? Good news: Apple recently made refurbished models of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus available to buy from its Refurbished Mac Store starting at $500.

Even if it's over a year old, the iPhone 7 – which starts at $550 for a brand new model – is still a great iPhone, and it still offers the premium Apple iPhone experience in almost every respect.

In short, you'd have a hard time telling the iPhone 7 apart from the newer iPhone 8, which starts at $700 for a 64GB model.

The iPhone 8 has slightly better performance, a slightly better camera, wireless charging, and it supports fast charging (if you buy extra accessories), but you'd have to ask yourself if those slight improvements and extra features warrant the extra $150 for a brand new iPhone 8.

Really, you'd be doing yourself a favor if you bought the iPhone 7 refurbished, straight from Apple. A regular refurbished iPhone 7 costs $500 for the 32GB version, and $590 for the 128GB. And a refurbished iPhone 7 Plus, which sports a larger screen, costs $600 for the 32GB model, and $690 for the 128GB version. That's a $50-80 discount from the price of a brand new iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, depending on the model you choose.

It's easy to balk at the words "refurbished" — the word might make you think that it could have some kind of dent, ding, or other aesthetic flaw left over from its previous owner. Or maybe it'll wear down faster because it's already been used. But that won't be the case.

All refurbished iPhones come in a clean white box, and the phone itself gets a new battery and outer shell, all new accessories, and the same one-year warranty you get from buying a brand new device. Apple also tests and certifies the refurbished devices before they're put up for sale on the Refurbished Mac Store.

I haven't personally bought a refurbished iPhone from Apple, yet. Still, if my extremely positive experience of buying a refurbished MacBook Pro is anything to go by, I'd absolutely recommend buying a refurbished iPhone.

When I bought my refurbished 2016 MacBook Pro, it felt like I was buying a brand new computer. There was no sign of wear and tear to be seen. It came in a different white box than the one that a new unit would usually come in, but it was packaged and wrapped like a brand new product.

And, perhaps most importantly, it didn't feel like I was buying it used or refurbished. It felt like I bought it from Apple, not from a stranger. Of course, I did buy it from Apple, but it created an invisible buffer between me and the previous owner. I still have to remind myself that I bought my laptop refurbished, and not brand new.