Valve has recently expanded its certified refurbished program to include the Steam Deck OLED, allowing gamers to snag this top-tier handheld at a significantly reduced price. Picking up a refurbished OLED model from Valve means you’ll save a decent 20% compared to buying a brand-new unit.
Currently, the refurbished 1TB and 512GB OLED models are eligible for this program. If you go for the 1TB model, you’ll only pay $519, while the 512GB version will set you back $439. To put these savings into perspective, the new 1TB is priced at $649 and the 512GB at $549, which translates to a tidy $120 and $110 discount respectively. Valve’s clever pricing strategy even means you can get the 1TB OLED model refurbished for $30 less than a brand-new 512GB OLED version.
If you’re considering alternatives, only the older (technical predecessor) 256GB LCD variant of the Steam Deck is cheaper when bought new at $399. Although Valve offers refurbished LCD Steam Decks as well, all models—the 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB—are currently out of stock. New purchases of the 512GB and 64GB LCD models are no longer an option.
While on the surface, the Steam Deck OLED might not seem like a major upgrade, it’s packed with notable enhancements. The switch from an LCD to an OLED display is just the beginning. It sports an improved 90Hz refresh rate and boasts a 7.4-inch screen featuring HDR support, 400 nits of brightness, and an impressive peak brightness of 1000 nits when in HDR mode. In contrast, the older LCD version had a 7-inch display maxing out at 60Hz and 400 nits with no HDR support.
Internally, Valve upgraded the battery from 40Whr to a more robust 50Whr unit, promising between 3 to 12 hours of gameplay, depending on how demanding the game is. This compares to the 2 to 8 hours you could expect from the older LCD model. The OLED model also benefits from faster RAM, moving from 5500MT/s LPDDR5 to 6400 MT/s LPDDR5, alongside a more efficient AMD APU that shifts from a 7nm to a 6nm process node.
These refurbished Steam Deck OLEDs are available in select regions, including Canada, the EU, the UK, and the US. Each unit comes with a one-year warranty, similar to new models, and this warranty period may vary depending on your country.
