When buying a smartphone, sometimes budget can be a stumbling block – be it an iPhone or an Android. One can’t always buy the latest smartphone in town but at the same time, you wouldn’t want to end up with just any device. For this reason, there’s an option to buy a used or a refurbished smartphone which most times come as a great alternative to many.

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However, apart from the looks i.e. scratches and dents, there are a lot of things one should look for before buying a used smartphone. Below are three things you should look out for.

Be Sure the Hardware Is Functional

The first and most important check one should perform on any used smartphone is its hardware quality. You wouldn’t want to end up with a device with a faulty camera or dead pixel(s) on the screen. So, it is recommended to thoroughly check the device before purchasing so as to avoid future hassles.

Check the IMEI Info to Find the Phone’s Authenticity

After you are done with the first step, the next check that must be performed is to check if the device has been stolen or blacklisted. The best way to do this is by checking out the device’s IMEI number and cross-checking it on an online database. To check for the IMEI number, dial *#06# on the smartphone and once you have the number, open the IMEI Checker homepage to do a cross-check by simply typing in the IMEI number of the device. If the device has been reported stolen, the service will provide the blacklist status as either blocked or blacklisted.

Check Activation Lock

This is very necessary because if a reset has been done forcefully, you will not be able to use it on your personal ID. To check for the activation lock status on an iPhone, open the iCloud web page and type in the IMEI number to perform the check. If Find My iPhone has been enabled on that IMEI number, it will show up and thus, ask the seller to turn it off before buying the phone.

Although there is no direct way to know if an Android smartphone has the activation lock enabled, however, you can switch on the phone and try configuring it under your Google ID. If the phone prompts that the reset wasn’t done the right way and that the old ID is required before you can configure it, it simply means that the activation lock is on.

How helpful were these mandatory checks? Let us know in the comments.

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