Big screens used to be the most expensive checkbox in the iPhone configurator, the Plus and Pro Max variants commanding hefty premiums for their extra glass. The used market repeals that tax. Large-screen iPhones depreciate from higher launch prices, so their second-hand discounts are the deepest in absolute dollars, and yesterday’s premium canvas becomes today’s sensible buy. For readers, watchers, workers and anyone whose eyes vote for more pixels: this is your market.
The numbers that change the conversation
Top large-screen used iPhones on eBay right now
Live Australian listings of Plus and Pro Max models, refreshed automatically.
Listings update automatically and open in a new tab.
Why second-hand is not “second best”
Screen size is the spec you feel every waking minute of phone use, and it never degrades, a 6.7-inch panel is 6.7 inches forever. The used market’s large-screen shelf holds two families: the Plus models (big screen, big battery, sensible price) and the Pro Max models (the same canvas plus ProMotion, telephoto cameras and flagship everything). Both inherit the size-tax discount; the Pro Max adds the flagship depreciation on top.
The big models also carry the ranges’ best battery life, physics gifts the largest bodies the largest cells, and that endurance advantage survives into used ownership provided the health percentage checks out. For video, reading, maps, split-screen-style multitasking and ageing eyes, the large used iPhone is simply more phone per dollar than any other corner of the market.
The size premium is a new-phone tax. Used, the biggest screens carry the biggest discounts, physics and depreciation finally agreeing.
The savings are real
Large models launch at the top of the price list and land 20-60% lower used, the deepest absolute-dollar discounts in the iPhone market. A used Plus frequently undercuts a new standard model while out-screening and out-lasting it; a used Pro Max delivers the complete flagship experience at mid-tier money. The premium you skip funded someone else’s launch-day queue.
New vs used, side by side
| Brand new | Used / refurbished | |
|---|---|---|
| Size premium | Hefty, big models top the price list | Largely dissolved by depreciation |
| The screen itself | 6.7-6.9″ OLED | Identical, panels don’t shrink or fade in normal life |
| Battery life | Range-leading | Range-leading at verified health, the % check matters |
| Repair stakes | Bigger glass costs more to replace, inspect it harder | |
| Warranty | Apple standard | Seller warranty + ACL from business sellers |
The five-minute checklist before you pay
- Screen inspection at full brightness: the panel is the product, solid white and solid grey screens reveal cracks, dead pixels, burn-in and pressure marks. Demand those photos.
- Battery health 85%+: the endurance advantage is the point; a tired cell in a big phone wastes the size.
- Plus or Pro Max, decided consciously: same canvas, the Pro Max premium buys ProMotion, telephoto and stainless/titanium builds. Screen-first buyers save with the Plus.
- Hand and pocket reality: big phones are a lifestyle, if possible, hold one before committing remotely.
- The universal checks: IMEI clean, Activation Lock off, unlocked, warranty stated.
- Case budget: more glass, more consequence, a proper case is non-optional insurance on large models.
You have more protection than you think
Screen condition claims are descriptions the Australian Consumer Law enforces: a “flawless display” that arrives with burn-in or a pressure mark is misdescribed goods from any business seller, and on large models, where screen replacement is the priciest repair in the range, that remedy protects real money. Verify the panel the day it arrives, keep the listing screenshots, and pay on-platform so eBay’s buyer protection backs the whole transaction.
Ready to find yours?
Compare Plus and Pro Max generations across both marketplaces, the size is constant, so shop the ladder for cameras, battery health and price.
Red flags to walk away from
- No full-brightness screen photos on a purchase that is mostly screen.
- “Tiny mark, barely visible”, on 6.7 inches of OLED, you will find it daily.
- Battery health hidden on models famous for battery life.
- Pro Max prices on Plus hardware, know which model the listing actually shows.
- Off-platform payment invitations.
Frequently asked questions
Plus or Pro Max used, which is the better buy? Screen and battery at the best price: Plus. The full flagship kit, ProMotion, telephoto, premium build: Pro Max, at a premium that used pricing makes far more reasonable than new.
Do big OLED screens burn in? Rarely in normal varied use; static-content histories (see ex-demo units) deserve the solid-colour screen test. It is a check, not a fear.
Is a large iPhone too big for daily life? Personal, millions have switched and never returned; some hands prefer compact. The used market’s virtue: trying the size costs a fraction of the new experiment.
Does the big battery advantage survive second-hand? Yes, proportionally, a Pro Max at 88% health still out-lasts smaller models at the same health. The percentage check preserves the advantage.
The bottom line
Large-screen used iPhones are where depreciation works hardest for the buyer: the range’s biggest displays, best batteries and steepest launch prices, discounted 20-60% into sensible territory. Inspect the panel like it is the product, it is, verify the battery, choose Plus or Pro Max deliberately, and case it from day one. More screen, more phone, markedly less money.
This article may contain affiliate links; see our Affiliate Disclosure.