Buying a used smartphone is not such a bad idea.
Gone are the days of revolutionary advances in smartphone performance and features. Today's smartphones are certainly the best ever, but they are no different in quality from models a year or two years ago.
It turns out that buying a used smartphone is not such a bad idea. Used flagship iPhones and Samsung Galaxy can be bought for 10-20 thousand rubles cheaper than the latest models, which are not much superior.
But there are some pitfalls to be aware of when buying a used smartphone. Let's talk about three of them.
Check if the smartphone has been in contact with water. Excessive moisture can damage the device, and damage may not appear immediately. There's a way to test this: check out the tiny humidity indicator built into almost every smartphone.
On phones with removable batteries, this indicator is usually a small white spot behind the battery or next to the SIM card slot, sometimes with a picture on it. If the phone has ever been in contact with water, the indicator changes color, usually to red. And it stays that way even after it dries.
In phones that do not have removable batteries, including the iPhone and most recent Samsung models, the LED is often found in the SIM tray opening. To find out for sure, search Yandex for the name of your phone and the phrase "humidity indicator".
Make sure the phone is not stolen. Modern smartphones are equipped with anti-theft features that can cause problems for those who buy a device with their hands, especially if the seller is an individual and not a trusted company.
On the iPhone, this feature is called Activation Lock. It allows the user to "lock" the phone if it is lost or stolen. Android smartphone users also have a theft prevention tool. It's called Android Device Manager and allows users to find, lock, or wipe data on a lost phone.
Make sure these tools are disabled on the machine you are about to purchase. This can be done by going to any site to check imei. You will need to enter this unique number for each smartphone and check it for theft. You can see imei in settings or by typing *#06# (not for all models).
It will also not be superfluous to make sure that the used smartphone is not linked to the old user account, and that all passwords have been reset.
Network Compatibility
This item applies to phones brought from other countries. For example, in the US, providers often tie phones to their networks in order to retain users in exchange for discounts. Such smartphones cannot be used with all mobile operators.
In addition, the phone can only be designed for CDMA networks, instead of GSM, used in our country. To check, pay attention to the specification of the smartphone.
We recommend that you carry out the checks described in this article and other checks when inspecting a purchase “live”. If you are going to buy a smartphone online, it would be wise to choose a seller with a high rating or a return option.
