Valve has recently added the Steam Deck OLED to its certified refurbished lineup, providing gamers a more affordable option. If you’ve been eyeing the OLED version, now might be the perfect time since you can grab a refurbished model at a significant discount, slashing off about 20% compared to their brand-new versions.
The refurbished roster includes the 1TB OLED and the 512GB Steam Deck OLED models. For the 1TB version, you’re looking at a price tag of $519, while the 512GB version is currently going for $439. To put that into perspective, purchasing a brand new 1TB OLED would set you back $649, and a new 512GB would be $549. This means the refurbished 1TB model comes with a $120 discount, and the 512GB version is $110 cheaper than buying new. Interestingly, you can even score the refurbished 1TB OLED for $30 less than a brand-new 512GB model.
When comparing options, the only version that beats the price of a refurbished OLED is the 256GB LCD model, which isn’t from the latest generation and retails for $399. Valve offers certified refurbished LCD versions too, though they’re sold out across all three models—the 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB variants. New 512GB and 64GB LCD models aren’t available for purchase anymore either.
What’s exciting about the Steam Deck OLED is that it’s more than just a minor upgrade. The switch to an OLED display makes a huge difference, featuring a larger 7.4-inch screen, 90Hz refresh rate, HDR support, and 400 nits of brightness, hitting up to 1000 nits in HDR mode. In contrast, the older LCD model had a 7-inch screen with no HDR support and maxed out at a 60Hz refresh rate with 400 nits of brightness.
There are some notable improvements inside as well. The battery now packs a 50Whr capacity, an upgrade from the former 40Whr unit. Depending on the game, Valve suggests this could give you anywhere from 3 to 12 hours of playtime, compared to the 2-8 hours for the LCD version. Memory has been given a boost, upgrading from 5500MT/s LPDDR5 RAM to more rapid 6400 MT/s LPDDR5, and the AMD APU has moved to a more efficient 6nm process node from the previous 7nm.
For those considering a refurbished Steam Deck OLED, it’s worth noting they’re available only in select regions like Canada, the EU, the UK, and the US. These units come with the same one-year warranty as the new ones, although your local regulations might extend this warranty period.
