Let's put everything on the shelves. This guide will save you a lot of money.
Let's tackle the issue today how to buy a used iPhone and make sure that you are not deceived and not bred for money. A detailed guide for everyone.
What to bring
The arsenal of an ordinary buyer who goes to the place of a potential transaction looks like this:
- laptop (preferably with iTunes installed);
- external battery;
- smartphone with a stable internet connection;
- headphones;
- a working SIM card of a format that is compatible with the iPhone;
a paperclip to open the SIM tray.
Such a gentleman's set will help make sure that the device is working.
How not to buy an iPhone 6 for the price of 6s
The problem of adjacent models.
No, this is not stupidity. A lot of "newbies" buying their first iPhone are confused about the models. Instead of the iPhone 5s, they are given a “five”, and the victim overpays 10-20 thousand rubles.
Visual inspection
iPhone 6 or 6s. We look at the presence of the letter S - this is your main landmark.
iPhone 5 or 5s. Everything is a little more complicated here, because before the release of the iPhone 6, Apple released several versions of the same smartphone, and the 5 and 5s look very similar.
iPhone 5s models: A1456, A1507, A1516, A1529, A1532;
iPhone 5 models: A1428, A1429, A1442.
Pay attention to the shape of the camera flash:
The iPhone 5s has a double oval shape (TrueTone), the iPhone 5 has a round single one.
On the Home key:
The iPhone 5s has a TouchID sensor and lacks the characteristic white square.
iPhone 4 and 4s. We carefully study the model number indicated in the form of a five-digit code: A1332 or A1349.
iPhone 4 models: A1349, A1332.
iPhone 4s models: A1431, A1387, A1387.
Antenna Placement:
The iPhone 4s has it on the left and right sides at the top, while the 4S has it near the headphone jack.
Check out a detailed description of the appearance of the iPhone of different generations at Apple official website. This will help to determine “by eye” which model is in front of you and not fall for the bait of a scammer.
Checking the serial number and IMEI will save you from a “self-assembly” smartphone that has undergone the procedure for replacing the case from a new donor model to an old one.
Serial number verification
The seller with the box always inspires more confidence. But even here there are nuances.
open and pay attention to two points: Serial number And IMEI.
We take the box, which the seller proudly shows us, and check the serial number and IMEI.
If the numbers don't match A: The box is not from your device. If the seller kept silent about this in advance, it makes sense to check the iPhone more carefully, or refuse to buy if the presence of the box is critical.
For the future, selling a device with a box is easier, so never throw it away.
If the numbers match: moving on.
Now we take the branded iClip and open the tray with the SIM card. Turn it over and check the numbers.
Note: iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus, and 6s Plus models may not have a SIM card tray number.
If the numbers don't match: It can be a "self-assembly" device, or a Refurbrished model. In the first case, it is extremely difficult to understand what is inside the device. Secondly, the device was bought clearly below the market price, and Apple itself worked on troubleshooting.
You will find prices for devices from the Refubrished category.
Found a substrate-lining in the form of a diagram? This is Gevey-SIM and we will talk about it below.
If the numbers match: advice and love - moving on.
Look at the IMEI engraved on the back of the smartphone and compare it to the box, SIM tray and settings menu as well.
Now let's use the services to check IMEI and learn a little more about the smartphone. Three sites will help you with this: iphoneimei.info , imei.info And www.chipmunk.nl. To calm the soul, check for three at once.
By specifying the IMEI number, you will receive complete information about the device, from technical specifications, model number, case color, and up to the release date.
Remember, the information provided by the seller must be true. Otherwise, indiscreet questions arise.
Locheny, not locheny and what does it mean
Friendly advice - always buy Neverlock. Saving $100-$150 turns into a headache later on. It is difficult to sell such a device, it is a pity to throw it away, it will become impossible to use it over time.
How to understand that the iPhone is broken? There are a number of signs:
- The substrate circuit is installed in the SIM card tray. This Gevey SIM, which allows you to bypass the binding to a specific operator.
The thing is very demanding on the iOS version and requires constant updates in case of firmware upgrades (costs around $ 10-30).
- The iPhone supports the latest firmware version (iOS 9 at the time of writing), but the seller strongly opposes the update. You can find out if your device supports the latest version of iOS at Apple official website(scroll to the bottom of the page).
- open Settings - General - About this device. Pay attention to paragraph Operator.
This place should be the name of the operator whose SIM card is currently installed in the iPhone. If only Beeline and MTS operate in the country, then the inscription Verizon or Carrier automatically means that the device is locked.
- You can also understand that the device is locked during the reboot. Ask the owner to restart the smartphone and pay attention to how long he catches the network, whether you need to call a number to activate it.
Hardware and "does everything work"
If the iPhone has successfully passed all the previous stages of verification, you can exhale temporarily - in front of you unpatched, non-self-assembled device with exact model.
It's time for a total inspection and verification of the hardware of the device. And there is where to roam.
Frame. Scuffs, dents and roughness are not critical, but damage to the areas where the antenna module lies can cause poor communication. Dents or chips indicate that the iPhone has been dropped and its further trouble-free operation cannot be guaranteed.
screws. On the edge where the 30-pin or Lightning port is located, there are two star screws. Please note that they are of the correct shape without damage and scratches.
Otherwise, the smartphone was opened.
Hardware keys. Pay special attention to this item. Replacing broken keys is not cheap.
- Lock/Mute Lever. Whether it turns on / off freely, whether it dangles. Switching on / off must be accompanied by a vibration response.
Shake the smartphone in your hand - a loose Mute switch indicates its possible imminent death. Feel free to turn it on and off several times.
Home key. Press the Home key several times. Open a dozen applications and immediately minimize them one by one. It should react from the first pressing and, in no case, not stick.
Touch ID sensor(if there is). Ask to adjust the scanner to your finger and check its reaction. Whether he reads the print with lightning speed or refuses to work at all.
Volume keys. Make sure that pressing is accompanied by a characteristic elastic click, and the volume control scale immediately appears on the screen.
Power key. Lock your phone several times. Hold down the Power button and turn off your iPhone completely, then turn it back on. React? It means everything is OK.
Camera. Visually inspect the camera eye. Is there dust, condensation or debris inside (especially the iPhone 5/5s models were guilty of this). Take some pictures.
The color temperature of the photographs must correspond to reality: blue or yellow indicates damage to the sensor.
Screen. First of all, inspect the screen for dead pixels - black dots or dots with a "rainbow color" regardless of the displayed image. Turn off and on your smartphone. At the time of switching on, look at the screen (preferably in a dark room or covering it with your palms). Pay attention to the uniformity of the backlight.
open Settings - Display & Brightness and change the brightness from minimum to maximum level and vice versa. Does the brightness change at all stages?
Try confident, but not strong pressing around the entire perimeter of the screen to determine an extraneous crunch or creak. The presence of such may indicate that the screen was changed.
Sensor. Tap on one of the icons and hold until you enter edit mode (the icons will start to shake). Slowly and smoothly move around the entire perimeter of the screen, observing the smoothness of movement. Jitter at certain points or refusal to move (jumps, jerks) indicate that the sensor may be damaged.
Open the keyboard in any of the applications and check each key - this will help determine if there are "dead zones" on the screen sensor.
Geolocation. Launch the application Cards and find your current location. Turn on GPS in the menu beforehand Settings - Privacy - Location Services.
Battery. Turn on the display of the battery status in percent by opening the menu Settings - Battery - Charge percentage(on older firmware: Settings - General - Statistics - Charge percentage).
Remember the percentage value and launch the camera app. Shoot for 1.5-2 minutes. A discharge of 2-5% indicates the normal state of the battery. If in a few minutes the battery has sat down by 10 percent or more, immediately after the purchase you will have to replace the battery.
Dial a friend or acquaintance and talk for a few minutes. Pay attention to the audibility (in both directions), the quality of the connection, change the volume of the speaker, turn on the speakerphone.
Headphone port. Connect the headphones and make sure that when turning the plug there is no extraneous noise and crackling; both channels play (left-right), the plug does not fall out of the port. The main thing is to make sure that your headphones themselves are working.
Check the behavior of the device at maximum volume, for which remove the restriction from the paragraph: Settings - Music - Volume Limit.
speaker. Listen to the sound of the speaker. Does he wheeze, does not distort the sound (a sign drowned man- more on that below). For an objective assessment, use the built-in ringtones that have the right balance.
Please note that all iPhones only have ONE SPEAKER. Therefore, the second grille on the case, inherent in the iPhone 3g, 3gs, 4, 4s, 5 and 5s models, only acts as a diffuser. There is no dynamics.
WiFi and Bluetooth. Once again for beginners: iPhone Bluetooth DOES NOT transfer files to other smartphones. This is fine. Connect a wireless speaker or headset to check the functionality of the module.
Connect to any available Wi-Fi hotspot (you can create a hotspot from your smartphone by switching it to Modem Mode) and check if the internet is working.
iTunes connection, charging. Connect your smartphone to your laptop and make sure iTunes has detected your iPhone. This is another confirmation that you have an original device in front of you. Whether the charging process has started and in general, whether the smartphone responds to connecting to an external battery or laptop.
Drowned or not?
Almost every buyer is afraid of this. A seemingly perfect iPhone may have a sad “water past”. In other words, a drowner. The worst thing is that if the potential seller managed to dry it quickly, then the device will work for several more months. And then…
Let's not talk about sad things. Apple's official website has a whole section dedicated to the so-called "red markers".
These are miniature strips that allow you to determine whether the device has been in direct contact with water. Any ingress of moisture is not covered under warranty. All information about such red marks is there.
Before giving money
Necessarily ask the owner to disable the feature Find iPhone and perform a hard reset of the device in front of you. Then set up your iPhone Like New and make sure that there are no traces of the previous Apple ID account left in the settings.
To do this, check the following menu items: Settings - iCloud And Settings - iTunes Store and Apple Store. In both cases, the account name fields must be empty.
You can also check the binding on the iCloud service. Open site
