switching to refurbished unlocked iphone

You can buy a refurbished, unlocked, iPhone and bring use it but do keep in mind the model and how long Apple will support that device with updates. Watching for a sign up offer with a newer iPhone to sweeten the deal is how I went and I am glad I did. Sure that assumes you intend to stay with T-Mobile for at least 24 months with service to have that phone free and clear but that is still not a bad deal. I had to get my entire clan with newer phones so I had to go all in for 5 phones when I signed on with T-Mobile. I traded in my iPhone 10 at the time and got a new iPhone 12 Pro plus two more iPhones and two Android phones. My out of pocket was actually only for the iPhone 12 Pro that I wanted so the deals T-Mobile offers are a good way to go at times. 

Sure it is nice to have the phone bought and paid for but do keep in mind the support from Apple for updates. If an older refurbished phone only has 2 years of updates maybe a newer model is a better path to take. Just a bit to consider as you make your decision. If you are a long time Android user and have not used an iPhone it is a little learning curve but not bad. For years I had Android phones for my work phone but when I went with my own phone I cut over to the Apple phone. It was a little foreign to me at first but not for long. Now I prefer the iPhone hands down. 

My sister had an iPhone 11 and she did not like it. She finally gave up and traded it in on an iPhone 12. I think she is happier with it now. She was always having little issues with the iPhone 11 she had but I don’t know how much of that was maybe user related. It was always something.