What To Look Out For Before Buying A Refurbished Phone

Do you feel that your old smartphone has started indicating signs that it is not functioning correctly? Has the battery begun to die early? Or does it show degraded performance with a sluggish experience? If any of this is your problem, it’s the right time to think about buying a new smartphone.

But let’s face it, buying a new smartphone is something that not everyone can afford, especially during this pandemic. Smartphones have become more of a necessity than a luxury. And with all-time high smartphone prices, increased taxes, and rising USD prices, not everyone can afford to upgrade or buy a new mid-range or high-end flagship smartphone.

Here’s how you can do an intelligent upgrade to a refurbished smartphone by buying at a lot lower price than the actual box price of the smartphone. Let’s discuss what these are and what all checks need to be made before buying a refurbished smartphone.

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What is a Refurbished Phone?

Owning your favorite smartphone has never been easy, now with the introduction of certified refurbished smartphones. These smartphones are thoroughly checked through a series of quality checks, and they do come with a warranty. This way, one can own any smartphone at a much lesser price.

With new smartphones being introduced every week, and smartphone that you buy becomes outdated in a matter of weeks. So switching to a new smartphone frequently can be an expensive affair. And whenever you are looking for an upgrade, the best deal is to buy a refurbished smartphone that costs much less than the actual price of the device. All-in-all, refurbished phones are an all-in-one solution for all such kinds of problems and are best suited to your budget.

As there are several reasons why customers return their mobile phones, be it the customer’s fault or the product’s, these phones get repaired and refurbished for sale again. In addition, some of the devices are the ones that consumers trade in while upgrading to a new smartphone.

These refurbished phones then go through various checks such as meticulous examination, stringent quality checks, repairing (if needed), and other authorized procedures before reselling these phones. All in all, these devices are in perfect working condition, and they do come with a warranty. So there is nothing to worry about.

Also read: Smartphone reviews

Points to Know before buying a refurbished phone

There are numerous things to keep in mind while buying these phones as a consumer, one need to be sure of the quality and reliability of the device before buying a refurbished smartphone. Here are a few things that a user must keep in mind while opting to buy a refurbished phone.

1. Choose Grade A Refurbished Mobile Phones

Refurbished Mobile phones undergo various testing and investigation procedure so as to identify their quality depending on the physical condition. These tests are basically conducted to know the limit of wear and tear on the body of the device, the hardware condition, and the overall software responsiveness of the mobile phone.

In accordance with their condition, they are categorized into 3 grades, which means Grade A phones are almost like brand new phones with minor scratches, Grade B which have been used for some time and have some scratches, Grade C which have so many scratches and also some dents but they work perfectly fine. Basically, the grading is done on the basis of physical appearance.

If you look forward to Grade A phones, note that they are expensive and are perfect for someone who is looking to buy an almost brand-new phone at a much cheaper price.

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2. Buying Phone from Trustworthy Source

Buying mobile phones from trusted sources is always preferred as, let’s face it, these refurbished devices are aged and have been used for some time. And anything can go bad with these devices, so a trusted seller will always do mandatory quality checks before selling the device to customers. Plus, these trusted sellers do provide a warranty, which makes the buying process hastle free.

Pro Tip: You just need to buy a phone from a trustworthy website like Cashify, which is quite well-known in the industry they offer smartphones that have gone through stringent quality checks, and they also provide a warranty for these refurbished devices. A trusted store can make all the difference, and one can buy Excellent quality (PhonePro Refurbished Superb quality) smartphones at almost half the price of the new device.

3. Return Policy of Refurbished Mobile Phones

When you buy a refurbished phone from an online store or an offline store, make sure the store offers a return policy and no questions asked refund policy. These are essential as a refurbished smartphone has aged well and could start showing issues after using it for a couple of days.

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4. Receive Maximum Value for the price paid

If you are buying a refurbished smartphone from an online store then there are times when there are a few deals going on the website, which can even sweeten the deal.

Along with deals, there is a number of additional freebies, such as earphones, a battery charger, a USB cable, a protective case, a screen guard, and much more. Make sure to grab these.

Read More: Things to know about buying a used or refurbished phones

Precautions and Checks before buying

1. Be aware of Stolen Mobile phones

You need to stay away from stolen phones as they may put you in trouble. To protect yourself from all such troubles, always ask for a soft or hard copy of the original invoice of purchase with all complete information regarding the Name of the buyer, date and time of purchase, store name, and other warranty-related information.

Also, make sure to get the original box and accessories for the refurbished smartphone you buy. In case the box is not available, make sure to get an invoice with the IMEI number for the refurbished mobile. And the last check is to verify the IMEI of the device; the invoice, and the box should be the same. To check the IMEI number on the device, dial *#06#.

Also Read: 9 things to do with your new Android phone.

2. Be aware of Fake Phones

You need to be aware of Fake phones offered to you. For this, you need to check the phone’s model number by going through the settings of the phone and need to examine the hardware information that they are the same as that listed by the manufacturer and the other information written on the backside of the phone. You can download CPU-Z app for Android from the Google Play store to list out all the hardware information about the device.

To be sure of everything, always buy a refurbished smartphone that comes with the original invoice for authenticity.

Also Read: 10 Ways Smartphones Can Save You Time and Money

3. Implement Service Code Test

Nowadays, all smartphones feature service codes to permit the user to unlock and have access to specific advanced menus by dialing service codes.

You can use service codes such as ##4636## to display information about Phone, Battery, and Usage statistics. Using these diagnostics tests, you can determine the hardware authenticity of the device.

4. Have an eye on Network Locks

You need to find out if a refurbished phone will function with your SIM card before you purchase it. It is true that there are methods to get around the lock, but we would advise against doing so. Ensure that the device you purchase is compatible with Indian mobile networks by making sure it is certified and promoted as such.

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Click here if you’re looking to sell old phone online, or want to recycle old phone, and Cashify will help you get the process completed right at your doorstep.