Buying second-hand: how to check a used phone before paying

A used phone is the best value in consumer tech — or a box of regret. The difference is a ten-minute inspection most buyers skip.

Start with identity: dial *#06# and match the IMEI on screen to the bill and the box, then run it through the government's stolen-device registry. A seller who resists this check has answered your real question.

Test the expensive failures: battery health in settings, every camera lens, the charging port with YOUR cable, speaker and mic on a real call, and a minute of screen at full brightness looking for burn-in and dead touch zones.

Insist on the original bill, factory-reset the phone IN FRONT of the seller, and sign out of their accounts before money moves. An activation-locked phone is a paperweight with a nice screen.