Purchase of used smartphones can be an economical alternative to expensive contracts, providing more savings over time. When considering this route, however, be sure to carefully inspect any phone for signs of wear such as scratches and dents before making your decision.
There are apps to help you accurately inspect a used phone for problems you can’t detect with the naked eye, like Zinny and Phone Check and Test. They allow you to run diagnostic tests for battery, storage space, camera performance, display resolution, audio playback and sensors to help identify potential issues on a used handset.
Visual Inspection
As you inspect a used phone, there are certain things you must keep an eye out for when inspecting it. First and foremost is looking out for scratches and dents from previous users who handled it roughly; also make sure the buttons and ports work as intended, ensure SIM and SD cards can be accessed easily, and ensure the charging port is free from water damage or debris; some phones include liquid contact indicators which turn white upon exposure to liquid before changing color; this way you know you’re getting what you want when shopping online or face-to-face meeting up with an owner in person or shopping online; these steps should all help make sure when purchasing used phones from sellers or websites alike when shopping used phones:
As part of your due diligence, the display and screen must be checked for cracks or dead pixels which could impede on your experience with the device. Also be wary of signs of wear including smudges or discolorations along the back or edges – these could indicate wear from regular usage and be deal breakers for many buyers.
Alternatively, Android market applications provide more comprehensive inspection services. Such apps as iDiagnosis, Phone Doctor Plus, Zinny and iSmartphone Test will run tests that examine various aspects of your phone such as touch screen responsiveness, camera quality, sensors performance audio memory functionality among many other factors.
Audio Inspection
No matter if you are meeting in person with the seller or ordering it online, it’s essential that you test its overall functionality. This includes conducting a visual inspection for scratches, dents and other indicators of wear that might provide insight into its previous owner’s treatment; and testing battery charging capabilities and sound functionality.
Utilizing the built-in camera app on a smartphone, take some pictures to check for blurry, pixelated or otherwise distorted images. Also ensure that there is no dust or other debris on the lens of your camera lens. Using your headphones jack to play back audio could also be useful to ensure optimal audio quality.
Phone Check and Test by Zinny provides a free Android diagnostic app that lets you run comprehensive diagnostic tests for your Android device, including battery health, wireless charging capabilities, memory usage, flash storage space usage, sensors display touch screen audio output. Once all tests have finished you can choose to display only those tests you find most important and select OK or Not OK as soon as the results have come back in; or run each one individually to be more thorough.
Battery Inspection
Battery capacity is an integral element of phone use. From playing mobile games and video capture, to playback of recordings from previous sessions. When buying used smartphones, a thorough examination can give you peace of mind that your purchase decision was the correct one. Begin with visual inspection to look for scratches, dents or signs of heavy use; evaluate display screen for dead pixels or discolorations and test touch sensitivity; also probe ports to make sure they can connect to other devices correctly as expected.
When inspecting a refurbished Android phone, look out for signs of water damage such as pinkish hues on negative strap and plates or milky white discolorations on translucent containers indicating lead hydrate which could short out between plates. Internal corrosion caused by moisture absorption can also be identified through brown spots on terminals and connections, providing another telltale sign.
Teledyne offers an industry-leading range of vision solutions to analyze batteries at industry-leading inspection speeds. Utilizing 1D, 2D, 3D, X-ray and thermal imaging capabilities these vision systems ensure quality throughout manufacturing processes while improving yields and decreasing waste.
Software Inspection
Examining a used smartphone’s screen and body for signs of damage is paramount to enjoying its full functionality. Scratches and dents reveal its previous owner’s treatment, potentially altering your experience of it. Be on the lookout for dead pixels or screen burn-in and ensure all areas of touchscreen respond as intended – otherwise your enjoyment might suffer drastically.
Checking buttons and ports to ensure they work as intended is also crucial to ensuring proper functioning. Press each button individually, making sure it responds without sticking or delays, then check for debris or water damage inside headphone or USB ports that could lead to further problems later.
Most smartphones contain a diagnostics tool to quickly test for common issues, while manufacturer apps may offer more extensive tests. For example, Samsung’s free Galaxy Members app features a monitor screen which displays details about your device like OS version, storage capacity and memory; tapping Phone Check or Sensors icon will bring up guided tests for battery performance, wireless charging capability, camera performance and other sensors on your phone.
Software inspection is a formal review that includes everyone involved in software design and code review process. Often conducted by moderators, software inspection may take place either physically or online and defects found during inspection are then fixed by authors before it’s reviewed again by moderators.
