There are better offers: the iPhone 8 at Aldi is not worth it

Starting tomorrow, Aldi will sell the iPhone 8 for 369 or 379 euros. The price is good, but there are cheaper deals. And for a little more money, you get a much better Apple device that pays off in the long run.

If you are looking for a cheap iPhone that is not too old, you may be thinking of going to Aldi tomorrow. Because the discounter then sells an iPhone 8 with 64 gigabytes (GB) of storage for 369 euros (north) or 379 euros (south). The price is not bad. But if you take a closer look at the offer and look for comparable bargains on the Internet, you can see that the device is even cheaper. There is also an iPhone that offers much better value for money and is not much more expensive.

Retreaded okay

First you have to take into account that Aldi offers "reassembled" devices. This means that the iPhones are not new, but completely overhauled. This is basically not a problem. Because the discounter states that the device was "completely disassembled, every component checked for functionality, defective parts replaced and finally reassembled". The iPhones are also cleaned and disinfected.

Ultimately, the smartphones offered should look almost like new, because Aldi guarantees that they "have no discoloration on the LCD display, no gaps, no signs of damage from liquids and only minimal scratches up to a maximum length of 0.5 millimeters". And very important: there is a two-year guarantee.

Basically, you can't go wrong if you add the iPhone 8 to Aldi in the shopping cart. But if you don't need a new smartphone on the spot, it is worth taking a look at the Internet, because there you will find the retreaded iPhone 8 a little cheaper. Rebuy, for example, offers the device "like new" from 365 euros, in "very good" condition you pay 340 euros – each plus 4 euros shipping costs. And the seller even gives a 36 month guarantee.

If you are satisfied with a one-year guarantee and accept used parts for replaced components, Amazon Renewed is even better. The iPhone 8 with 64 GB storage currently costs 298 euros including shipping.

iPhone SE 2 is the best choice

If you don't have to turn every euro twice, you'd better spend a little more and buy a much better device. The iPhone SE 2 launched in the spring with the same storage capacity costs just around 100 euros more than the Aldi range. Although it looks exactly like the 8 model, it is equipped with Apple's latest chip, more RAM and a much better camera. And you can be confident that Apple will provide updates for the device for four to five years, while the iPhone 8 will probably not be able to cope with a new operating system in two years.