What to check when buying secondhand phones

Lady owned? 99% smooth? Rarely used?. Do they sound familiar? If yes, then you might just be one of the thousands of Filipinos who buys Secondhand Phones from the different buy and sell channels available to us such as Tipidcp and OLX (to name a few). Look, we’d like to save you some time when you’re buying a phone you got a deal on so here’s some quick tips on some items to spot in order.

1. Battery

Check the battery!

When you get a hold of the phone turned on, immediately check the battery percentage and the current time. This is to check the status of the battery as you go through the testing. A good rule of thumb for a good battery is when it only drops only 1% every  3 to 5 minutes while you use/test it. This is expected as the phone uses more battery while being used. If it jumps and drops more than 1% of the time, chances are that battery could just be waiting to die and unless it is removable/replaceable, you may want to return the phone back and decline the deal. For android phone,  you ca n always go to Settings > Battery to check the battery percentage if it doesn’t show.Don’t forget the to try Charging the phone and also re-testing the power button.

2. Aesthetics

Say no to Shattered/Cracked phones

Once you’ve made sure that the phone turns on, you may want to check for dents, scratches on corners, back and front of the phone plus the buttons (volume, power, home).I tend to be be alright with the phone getting a few scratches but not any deep dent that can cause the materials of the phone to potentially fall apart.

3. The Screen

What good are secondhand phones if the touchscreen is broken? Once you’re done with the aesthetics of the phone and you’re still pleased with the way it looks, it’s time to investigate the screen. Ideally the first thing to spot is for light bleed or any issues with the screen color/pixels. You can try viewing pictures to make sure that there are no discrepancies in the colors and no pixel is deal/stuck on the entire screen. Check that the edges of the screen doesn’t also show unequal brightness(A.K.Alight bleed) compared to the center.

For the touch response, feel free to enable Show Touches setting from the developer settings which will show you if the screen is recognizing the touch when you press it, then you go and slide your finger on the screen until you’ve touched it entirely to make it recognizes your input.To enable, go to  Settings > Developer Options > Show Touches. If this does not show up, you can go to Settings > About Phone > Tap the “Build Number” about 5 to 8 times and the menu should now be available. While you’re at it, check the Apps installed as well make sure the basic works fine.

4. Call, Text

Call and Text

It’s not a phone if it can’t call or text. Insert your sim on the secondhand phone and try a test call to check both the caller/recipient’s and please make sure there is no issue with the mic and call speaker. Once good, try texting to make sure everything is all set.

5. Multimedia/Sensors.

Check if the following is working: Front and back Cameras +Flash: Take photos and a sample video then check the sound quality as well. The 3.5 headset Jack and speakers: plug your favorite earphones and test a music file then test it while using the speakers as well. Try enabling auto-rotation as well to make sure the phone’s sensor correctly recognizes when it’s being tilted. If available, try the auto brightness adjust as well to make sure that the light sensor works. Check for LED indicators, Fingerprint functionality as well if your phone has one.

Once done. . .

Go ahead and check back the battery % and get a feel if it lost too of it much during the time of testing. Again, simply follow the rule of thumb on item number 1 and you should be good to go. And don’t forget to check back on the included items on the deal and make sure thy’re provided to you. And that’s about it. you should be good from here.

That’s it!

Thanks for reading! I hope this will help you on your next hunt for a deal on scoring great secondhand phones on a deal. If you think there’s anything we missed, make sure to let us know on the comment section below. We’ll keep you posted for any updates. As always, feel free to check our homepage at www.olanap.com for more interesting stories,tips and reviews! Ciao!