The iPhone 16 Plus is the quiet achiever of Apple’s range: the big 6.7-inch screen and the class-leading battery life of the expensive models, without the Pro-tier price. Refurbished, that equation gets even better. If your priorities are a large display, a battery that sails through a full day, and years of updates, rather than telephoto lenses and titanium, a refurbished 16 Plus may be the smartest iPhone buy in Australia right now.
The numbers that change the conversation
Top refurbished iPhone 16 Plus listings on eBay right now
These Australian listings refresh automatically, so the prices below reflect today’s market, not last month’s.
Listings update automatically and open in a new tab.
Why second-hand is not “second best”
The 16 Plus never got the spotlight, big-screen buyers with deep pockets went Pro Max, and value hunters went standard 16. That middle-child status is a gift on the refurb market: demand is softer, so prices settle lower relative to what the phone actually delivers. And what it delivers is substantial, the same A18 chip as the standard 16, a huge OLED display, Apple Intelligence support, USB-C, and battery life that embarrasses phones twice as flashy.
Refurbished stock is mostly trade-ins and returns, individually tested and graded. On a model this recent, “refurbished” rarely means “repaired”, it usually means “checked over and repriced”.
Nobody queued overnight for the 16 Plus, which is exactly why the refurbished price is so reasonable.
The savings are real
Expect 20-60% under the new price depending on grade, storage and battery health. Because the Plus started cheaper than the Pro Max, the absolute dollars saved are smaller, but the percentage saving frequently lands at the generous end, and the phone you get keeps the two features most people actually notice daily: screen size and battery endurance.
New vs used, side by side
| Brand new | Used / refurbished | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Full retail | Typically 20-60% less |
| Screen & battery life | 6.7″ OLED, all-day battery | Identical hardware |
| Battery health | 100% | Check stated minimum; 85%+ is comfortable |
| Warranty | Apple standard | Refurbisher warranty + ACL from business sellers |
| Environmental cost | New manufacture | Device kept in service |
The five-minute checklist before you pay
- Battery health: the Plus’s headline feature is endurance, insist on a stated health figure (85%+ ideally) so you actually get it.
- Activation Lock and Apple ID: must be fully signed out; verify before handing over money.
- IMEI check: confirm clean status, not lost, stolen or carrier-blocked.
- Network unlock: confirm it works with Australian carriers, especially on ex-overseas stock.
- Screen condition: a 6.7-inch display is the costliest repair on this phone; inspect photos of the actual unit for cracks or deep scratches.
- Charging port and speakers: quick tests on arrival, USB-C connection, both speaker grilles, microphone in a voice memo.
You have more protection than you think
Business sellers in Australia, including refurbishers on eBay, are bound by the Australian Consumer Law. The phone must be of acceptable quality and match its listing, and if it fails prematurely you are entitled to a repair, replacement or refund. That protection exists on top of any warranty the refurbisher offers, and it is the reason a business-seller refurb usually beats a marginally cheaper private sale.
Ready to find yours?
Compare live stock on both marketplaces before deciding, same-grade pricing varies more than most buyers expect.
Red flags to walk away from
- No battery health figure on a phone whose selling point is battery life.
- “Refurbished” with zero mention of testing, grading or warranty.
- Heavy discounts paired with stock photos and a newly created seller account.
- Requests to settle payment off-platform.
- Ambiguity about storage size or whether the phone is network-locked.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 16 Plus still a current phone? Effectively yes, same chip family as the standard 16, Apple Intelligence support, and years of iOS updates remaining. It is recent hardware at a discount, not old stock.
16 Plus or 16 Pro refurbished, which should I pick? Choose the Plus for screen size and battery at the lowest price; choose the Pro for the telephoto camera and ProMotion display. For most non-photographers, the Plus is the value pick.
What battery health is acceptable? 85% or better keeps the Plus’s famous endurance intact. Lower is negotiable, but price in a battery replacement.
Does a refurb come with a charger? Usually a generic USB-C cable at most. Budget for a quality charger if you do not own one, the saving covers it many times over.
The bottom line
The refurbished iPhone 16 Plus is what value looks like in the Apple ecosystem: the two features people use every hour of every day, a big screen and a big battery, at a price the flagship crowd overlooks. Verify battery health, IMEI and Activation Lock, buy from a business seller with a real warranty, and enjoy the phone the market forgot to overprice.
This article may contain affiliate links; see our Affiliate Disclosure.