TIPS FOR BUYING A FAIRLY USED SMARTPHONE

It's quite an exciting and wonderful experience to buy a new phone, but buying a used device isn't all rosy because it can be a lot of complications with the device.

In this new age of technological advancement, there are a wide range of smart devices with great specifications and great specs that come with great price tags that leave most people going for fairly used devices that are usually cheaper

ADVANTAGE OF BUYING A USED PHONE:

Cost Price: Used phones are cheaper than new ones because they have been "used" by previous owners who decide to sell them for many reasons. Some are selling their phones because they are old, others because they have another, some are selling money for something else while others are selling because the phone has some (significant or insignificant) faults.

DISADVANTAGES OF BUYING A USED PHONE:

• Durability: how long the phone will last before it breaks down, will serve for a long time, or in a few weeks or months, it will stop working. Old devices are not as durable as new ones because many hands, different applications, and numerous tasks were performed before they were sold.

• Battery life And performance: the older the phone becomes, the weaker the battery life becomes and the slower the performance..

• Credibility: In particular when buying a used phone from untrusted stores, some sellers may not be credible. Some of these devices may be stolen, damaged software, rooted, hardware problems, or not working.
• Continuity: as new devices arrive on the market, their producers usually discontinue old ones. Buying a discontinued phone means you won't get the company's support for hardware and software, no customer support, no software upgrade. If anything happens to the phone, you'd be stuck with the stress of fixing it in untrusted service centers that could cause more damage to your device.

• Look: Classy and chick-like old phones might not look like a new one, scratches, cracks and dirt might all over it, and they're usually a sore eye.

THINGS TO NOTE WHEN BUYING A USED PHONE 

When you buy a used phone, we advise you to visit trusted online stores such as Ebay and Jumai, these are a few of the many trusted stores out there that could give you a refund policy if you are not satisfied with the product.

We advise you to take the following steps before paying for the phone in situations where you buy from a seller you met online from places like (Facebook, Twitter OLX, JIJI and other buying and selling forums).

1. Check for the actual device specification you want to purchase before meeting with the buyer, this would give you an advantage if the phone sold to you is a refurbished or cloned device.
2. Make inquiries about the seller and try to get from their previous customers as much information as you can about him / her.
3. Make arrangements to meet in a public place that is secured. Do not meet at awkward times like very early in the morning or late in the evening, your meeting point should be at wide daylight and at a convenient location that can be easily found and has lots of people around.
4. Do not be in a hurry to conclude the deal when you meet the buyer, take your time and get to know them better, go through the phone and check if they meet the one posted online (from the official website of the device).
5. Also try to operate the phone in order to test its performance for at least 20 minutes, perform the following tasks:

• Test the camera and make sure the flashlight works as clearly, sharply and excellent as stated.
• Test speakers by playing a song or video, raise it to its maximum sound, and listen to crackling noise (if any, you're dealing with a broken speaker phone).
• Test the speed and performance of your phone by running multiple apps and playing a game if installed. Check for warmth and lagging as well.
• Battery life testing by noticing the percentage of the battery before and after use.
• Test whether accessories such as earpiece port and charging ports work properly (I suggest you go with a power bank).
• Test the sim slots, memory card slots and make sure they work, don't just use your sim card and media card, try yours on the device as some device may be sim selective.
• Check the IMEI by dialing* #06 #and check the credibility of the numbers. By visiting this site, you can confirm the authenticity of any IMEI CLICK HERE and they will provide you with full information about the IMEI or if the phone's Pack is available, the IMEI is usually printed on the Pack and is at least15-digit long.
• Test if they use the sound recorder to buy the mouth piece and say random words and then play it back. Make sure you're audible and in the play back you can hear yourself properly as well.
• Test the mobile network by turning it on and visiting a web page, and also make sure that you call to test its Radio receivers with the phone.

If all these tests are passed, pay for the device, then you're good to go.

Buying a used phone might be cheaper, but it won't give you the maximum experience as the new one would, if you can't afford a phone because of the price, there are better alternatives that give the same performance and are cheaper, but if you insist on getting a phone used, make sure that it meets all the above requirements and also be careful not to be scammed, don't pay before delivery

If you're not good at tech and gadgets, make sure you take a more experienced telephone buddy with you to help you perform the tests.