Grade B covers used smartphones and tablets with visible scratches and minor frame dents but no cracked screens. The device must be 100 percent functional, with battery health typically above 80 percent on iPhones and equivalent on Android.
Grade B is the bulk-volume tier for secondary-market retail. Most carrier trade-in programmes and refurbisher pipelines produce more Grade B stock than any other tier. Pricing typically runs 12-25 percent below Grade A for the same model and configuration.
The cosmetic threshold between Grade A and Grade B is the most negotiated boundary in wholesale electronics. Some suppliers split the difference with a “Grade A-” or “Grade A/B mix” tier, useful in pricing but a frequent source of post-shipment disputes if not pre-defined in writing.
Buyers reselling to budget retail channels, export markets (Latin America, Africa, South-East Asia), and specialised refurbishers buy Grade B in volume. Most insurance pools and trade-in returns ultimately route through this tier.
What does Grade B mean on a phone specifically? On a handset, Grade B means the device looks used but stays retail-presentable: visible scratches on the screen and frame, minor dents or edge wear, and no glass cracks, while every function works to 100 percent. Following the site grading rubric, iPhone battery health at Grade B is typically 80 percent or above, and battery is graded on its own line rather than folded into the cosmetic grade. It is the tier most secondary-market retail actually sells, which is why it moves in the highest volume.
| Grade | Cosmetic condition | Function | iPhone battery health | Typical price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade A | Micro-scratches only, no chips or dents | 100 percent | Above 85 percent | Reference price |
| Grade B | Visible scratches, minor dents, no cracks | 100 percent | Above 80 percent | Moderate discount to A |
| Grade C | Heavy wear, chips, dents, no cracks | 100 percent unless declared | Above 75 percent | Steep discount, repair-channel pricing |
Relative to Grade A, Grade B trades at a clear but moderate discount for the same model and configuration, and it sits a full step above Grade C, which is a repair-channel tier. For the working rubric behind each boundary and the price spreads that follow, see the wholesale grading guide.