Valve has recently rolled out its Steam Deck OLED models into the certified refurbished program, offering gamers an affordable alternative. These refurbished OLED versions come with a hefty discount, priced 20% lower than their brand-new counterparts.
If you’re eyeing the 1TB or 512GB OLED models, they’re now part of this discounted lineup. The refurbished 1TB model can be yours for just $519, while the 512GB option is priced at $439. When you stack this up against the price of a new unit — $649 for the 1TB and $549 for the 512GB — you’re looking at saving $120 and $110 respectively. In fact, with these prices, the refurbished 1TB OLED ends up being $30 less than a brand-new 512GB OLED model.
Interestingly, the only version that beats the refurbished OLED model in price terms is the 256GB LCD Steam Deck, which sells for $399. Valve has certified refurbished LCD variants too, but right now, the 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB models are all sold out. Plus, if you’re after a brand-new 512GB or 64GB LCD model, you’re out of luck as they’re no longer available.
It’s important to note that the Steam Deck OLED models provide much more than just a flashy new screen. The upgrade to OLED from LCD brings a significant enhancement, including a swanky 90Hz refresh rate on a 7.4-inch screen sporting HDR support with 400 nits of brightness and up to 1000 nits in HDR mode. This trumps the older 7-inch LCD version, which was limited to 60Hz brightness and lacked HDR support.
Digging deeper, there’s more than just surface upgrades. The battery has been enhanced from 40Whr to 50Whr, with Valve claiming anywhere from 3 to 12 hours of playtime, strongly influenced by what game you’re indulging in. Comparatively, the LCD version was touted to last between 2 to 8 hours. The RAM also got a boost with a jump from 5500MT/s LPDDR5 to 6400 MT/s LPDDR5, and the AMD APU has been refined from a 7nm to a 6nm process node.
For now, these refurbished Steam Deck OLEDs are available in select regions, including Canada, the EU, the UK, and the US. Even if you go the refurbished route, Valve covers you with a one-year warranty just like a brand-new purchase, although, depending on where you live, this warranty could actually be extended.
