I Bought A Second Hand Oppo Phone - Was it Worth The Money?

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Ten years ago if someone suggested buying a refurbished phone, I wouldn't have done it. But these days the quality has gone up and we live in such a disposable society that people don't have phones for that long before buying the next model. Companies like Phonebot here in Australia have excellent reputations and provide warrantees so there is nothing to lose. Thus, I had been thinking about ordering a refurbished phone for a while, especially as my environmentally conscious son had done the same for his last two phones AND his laptop and wouldn't do anything else.

I had been already thinking I simply don't need a 2021 model.. a 2020 one will be super, thanks! The reviews of 2020 are awesome enough. My Mum had got the new Samsung and loves it, but the cost was turning me off. My son's recommendation of the OPPO Find was good enough. I love it when someone else does the research! One of the only negative things about reviews of this phone was that it didn't have brand recognition. What the?? Now I don't know about you, but brand recognition isn't my thing. It's not going to make me a better person to have an iphone.

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The Oppo Find X2 Pro

I had heard of Phonebot before and liked they have a physical store in Melbourne, unlike Amazon who is impossible to deal with. They started in the spirit of upcycling to reduce the carbon footprint by prolonging the life of smartphones. You get excellent guarantees and there's nothing you'd be unhappy with as Australian consumer law protects you here. 30 day money hack guarantee and year long warrantee was good enough for me!

Phonebot had the Oppo Find X2 Pro for $600. Now considering they retail for $849 ish to 1000 bucks this was a pretty good savings. You can get a little cheaper but I chose to get a better quality refurb. They are graded by quality, so a cheaper refurb might be scratched, for example.

I'll leave CNET to introduce this phone:

Chinese phone-maker Oppo may not be on the mainstream radar in the US, but its new flagship should be. In an increasingly crowded field, the Oppo Find X2 Pro is one of the top Android phones of 2020. With a 6.7-inch display, a standout quad-camera setup, supremely fast charging, 5G capability, a 120Hz screen refresh rate and the most powerful Snapdragon processor available, the Find X2 Pro is a stellar handset that in many ways is easy to recommend, especially if you're willing to throw down serious cash for an Android phone that isn't made by Samsung.

At 512 GB this was going to be a lifesaver, considering I was having to constantly delete apps to add new ones on my A5.

And sure, I could have got much cheaper phone, but I use my phone alot, and I wanted to be able to easily blog with it too.

Whilst Australia Posts next day delivery is totally impossible because of COVID, I did get it in 4 days. It came in a neat box with a very good quality charger and charge lead which I was super impressed with.

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I've been dying for a phone with a good quality camera for absolutely ages, and this one quickly impressed. I love the wide angle option as per below. It also has a 60x zoom which is insane. You aren't going to get crisp detail at that distance but you would be able to confirm that yes, that is a seal over there on the rocks..

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The PRO function is also great. I could get some pretty decent sharpness on the water spray off the rocks at 1/8000 shutter speed!

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Again, from CNet:

The Find X2 Pro comes with three rear cameras: a massive 48-megapixel main shooter, a 48-megapixel ultrawide-angle camera and a 13-megapixel telephoto lens. On the front, you'll find a 32-megapixel selfie camera.

The rest of the phone is lovely. Although longer than what I'm used to with my Samsung A5, it feels nice and the rounded edges make for a lovely tactile scrolling experience. It's so fast and wonderful to use that I'm even typing this post on it, which I never do on a mobile!

But I guess I'm not really a mobile phone reviewer - you'll find far better details elsewhere on the internet if you are interested. What I did want to get across is that no matter what phone you are buying, buying refurbished can save you money AND be a better option for the environment.

Do you buy refurbished tech? What's your experience?

With Love,

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21 comments
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Looks and sounds good. I use Fairphone and have done for the last well nearly ten years. You can update yourself and they see very ethical!

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I really liked the look of the FAirphones! I don't know why I forgot about them this time around. Maybe I'll look into it for my next phone. They definitely don't market them as well as they should !! They need to be able to compete with the flagship Samsungs/Iphones for people to start noticing them. HOpefully I'll have this one for a long time - I hold onto my phones until they no longer work, rather than replacing them every year like some people. My last phone lasted me 5 years which isn't bad going really.

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Yep there great I am approaching five years with my latest. Going to buy the newly upgraded camera dreckly! They don't advertise much a shame but guess they just don't have the money the others do. They realise on good recommendations I guess, I keep on pushing 👌🏽

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I have been considering a Fairphone, but as I live in a rural area with no decent mobile signal, I can't justify the initial outlay to buy a new one.

How do they compare spec-wise with the bigger known brands? Is there much compromise on features and performance for the ethical soundness?

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No comprise I find and there getting better. Not sure about the 4 supposed to be top range. I have the 3 had it coming. up to five years. I will be buying a new camera in the new year. In terms of spec rather good not really tested to the full don't tend to be a massive phone buff. Great memory capacity though. The new cameras are up there with the best 👌🏽

They all come unlocked! I do know phone CoOp do contracts with them and are based on EE

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Thanks for the extra info. They are on my 2022 shopping list, if funds and need meet in the middle at the right time in the year.

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I bought a refurb monitor once, and it got me through the first few years when Bitcoin waqs new and you could mine on a home computer.

It's getting to the point with phones, where I buy them more for the camera than anything else. I don't think they sell Oppo here in the US, but I'm sure they must be available online and have heard good things about them. Hope you enjoy your phone! :)

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I'm really loving it.

I wonder why they don't sell them in the US - they are Chinese :P

Yes, I agree - the camera is important. though I also like the fast processor. My hubs and I timed each other opening an app - it was quite funny as mine loaded in less than a second and he was twiddling his thumbs waiting for his ahah!

I think int he old days we were more concerned about the quality of refurb, but now I think they're pretty good.

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I have never bought a refurbished phone (although I rarely use a phone) but I have been buying refurbished PCs for about 12 years now.

I don't have any major demands for bleeding edge performance from my PC, and they usually last about 3 years between changes.

And I probably save at least 75% on purchase costs each time I swap.

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Yeah it's a way more economical way to do things. Nice to see you here.. Merry Christmas to you and yours xx

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Hope all is going well on your side of the world.

All good wishes for 2022.

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Thankyou. Yes, we are okay. A hard year. We are planning to move to Tasmania. A little bit like Wales, but more isolated.

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Big confession? I've never actually had a brand new phone since I've been in Thailand. LOL. Refurbished tech is HUGE in Asia and it makes so much financial sense! My current Samsung Galaxy cost me $60 2 years ago and is almost due to be replaced. And yes, without question, the next phone will be preloved too.

Oppo is BIG here and yes, it's an outstanding phone. Definitely a better choice than an iphone. Which we have to send off to Singapore here for repairs, if there's ever an issue.

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(Edited)

It's just not common here sadly... I didn't know about it until my son said. Been trying to convince everyone I know it's a better option. Dad is SO adverse to second hand. Maybe it's a Virgo thing.

I had a Samsung A5 for years... The Oppo is next level!!?

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Didn’t know these were a thing, nice to know since my iphone 6s gifted by my sister after she upgraded is barely offering me half an hour of battery life when used continually. Will look into the refurbished market for a replacement when this buddy can’t keep me company any more.

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Bought a used Samsung S6 in 2018 ,.. still have this as my phone ,.. works fine for what it has to do and i almost always leave it at home . For pictures i take a camera with me .

I noticed the last 2 years how it became almost not possible to travel , or now even shop , without a smart phone . Like the governments forcing us to let the smartphone become a permanent part of us , to open doors to there given freedoms .
No , my next phone will be a Nokia 2100 . ;-)

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I bloody refuse to have a QR app on phone. I make them get out the pen and paper. They can never comprehend it. I tell them my phone won't fit more apps. I do it out of protest... Clearly my oppo has 512 GB 😁

But to be honest, I like having docs on my phone rather than carry around a filing cabinet with tickets, ID etc.

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He' i ain't got a birth certificate on me now ,.. ;-)

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