Should You Get An iPhone 5c … Or An iPhone 5 For $200 Less?

Right now, Apple’s iPhone 5c is the phone of choice for many looking to get an affordable handset, but you might want to wait before picking up an iPhone 5c. You could just as well get an iPhone 5 for an even lower price.

The thing about getting a device like an iPhone is that the low price you pay up front is more than paid for over the course of your phone contract. Sure, you can get an iPhone at Walmart for just $29 up front, but that’s on a two-year contract.

That makes your best bet, whether you’re buying an iPhone 5c or any other device, to buy “unsubsidized” or off-contract. That means the phone is yours. No early termination fees, just an iPhone 5c or whatever you bought, all yours.

But the iPhone 5c is essentially an iPhone 5 repackaged in a plastic casing. Sure, the iPhone 5c is available in a wider array of colors, but why go with plastic when you could grab up an iPhone 5 for less than you’d pay for an iPhone 5c.

And how might that happen?

Turns out Apple has its own Factory Outlet eBay Store. That store offers certified pre-owned, factory unlocked GSM iPhone 5 units. These are iPhones that have been refurbished by Apple, so the quality you’ve come to expect from Apple’s line of best-selling iPhones is assured. They even come with a one-year warranty, burn-in testing, a new package with manual and charger, and a quality inspection from Apple.

You’d essentially be getting a new iPhone 5. The iPhone 5c is a solid handset, sure, and you can get tons of cool cases for it, but at the end of the day it’s still plastic. Why go plastic with the iPhone 5c when you could pick up the premium-build iPhone 5 for even less.

Certified pre-owned iPhones from Apple are going on eBay starting at $449 for a 16GB model, $479 for a 32GB model, or $499 for a 64GB model. It’s more up front, yes, but trust us, it’s worth it.

[Lead image via DigitalTrends.]