Apple's selling refurbished HomePods at a discount

News
By Olivia Tambini
published

Basically good as new

If you love the Apple HomePod but not its $349 price tag, you'll be pleased to know that you can now get your hands on a refurbished model through the Apple website with $50 off.

Now selling for $299 on the refurbished section of the store, the pre-owned HomePod is available in space gray or white to US customers, with a limited quantity available to purchase. 

Apple's Certified Refurbished products have been used and returned to the store, after which they are put through a "rigorous refurbishment process" to ensure they meet the company's "high standards".

The HomePod is Apple's first smart speaker, and offers fantastic audio quality combined with the smarts of Apple's voice assistant Siri - although, when we reviewed the speaker, we found that Siri just doesn't quite measure up to the likes of Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant.

Are there any risks?

If you're planning on buying one of the refurbished HomePods, you may be wondering whether it will work and look the same as a brand new model. 

Apple says that each refurbished product is put through full functionality testing, thoroughly cleaned, and put through a detailed inspection, which means you shouldn't be able to tell the difference between a new and refurbished model. 

One downside to buying refurbished Apple products is that they come with the standard one-year warranty that you get with new products. Many companies that resell repaired stock will offer an extended warranty just in case there is anything wrong with the product as a result of the refurbishment process. Worth thinking about if you're buying a big ticket item.

Furthermore, $50 isn't exactly a huge discount on the HomePod, considering the retail price is nearly $350 - particularly as you're essentially buying second hand. Still, if you have a budget of $300 for your next smart speaker, this discounted price may be just what you were looking for. Alternatively, you might prefer to hold fire until Black Friday, in case the price of new devices comes down even further.

Via MacRumors

Olivia Tambini
Olivia Tambini

Olivia was previously TechRadar's Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she's a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She's previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.