While purchasing a used phone you not only save a lot of money, but you also get a great device and have a possibility to avoid committing to a two-year contract. But at the same time such purchase you need to be very careful about what you are buying. So here are some hints that will help you identify a good or a bad device and make the right decision.
Visible Defects and Water Damage
Rule #1 is to look at the device in front of you. Inspect visually every smallest detail of it and then open everything that can be opened, do not be shy about taking out the battery and seller’s SIM card, if present check the phone for any water damage signs. If you view smartphone prices in the market you will see that some cost ridiculously little money, which means that there is something wrong with them. So pay attention to the price to when you meet with a seller and be very suspicious if it is too low.
Battery
It would be perfective you if you could check the battery’s life. Unfortunately, in most cases, it is impossible to do, so at this point, you will have to trust the seller. In terms of packaging arrangement it is highly advised to purchase phones only with original batteries and in case you see a replacement one, always ask a question about the reason it was changed.
SIM Card and Its Additions
When the basic visual inspection is done it is time to get to the functional part of the device. Turn it off, insert your SIM card and SD card, if you have one, to check if the slots work correctly. Then turn the phone on and look at how fast and if it does at all find the network. Then turn on the Internet to verify that this function works too. Pay attention to the SD card and whether the phone ‘sees’ it.
Locked or Unlocked
One of the worst nightmares of buyers is to buy a locked smartphone while thinking of the unlocked one. This is why you need to make the SIM card check described above, to make sure that the phone works with your card of a different network. In case the phone you see is locked, there will be a pop-up notification with the line ‘wrong SIM’.
In case you are purchasing a CDMA phone, your only chance to check whether the phone is locked to any carrier is to take it to a network store or try to activate your number on it.
Audio System
And the final part of our tricks and hints is to verify the functionality of the phone’s audio system. For example, we will take BlackBerry Curve. First of all when making a call listen to the interlocutor very attentively and make sure that you both hear each other well. Then verify the loudness of the phone by listening to music without headphones first, setting up the alarm, and not answering the incoming call. After that take the headphones and make sure that the jack works well.