The industry of mobile phone It is one of the most dynamic thanks to its continuous evolution, in which its main manufacturers do not stop innovating to sell millions of terminals year after year. Therefore, a large terminal market is generated iOS and Android second-hand through which we can get fairly new mobile phones in good condition at cheaper prices. This does not prevent many dishonest sellers from trying to pass off a refurbished smartphone as new, selling it at its standard price and getting a higher profit margin. Therefore, we offer you the definitive guide to identify refurbished mobile phones and that they do not scam us when buying a supposed new smartphone.
How to identify a refurbished mobile
There are several methods to know if a mobile phone is refurbished or new; We invite you to check the following features to recognize a used smartphone who want to sell you as new.
Observe the external appearance
With the facilities of 3D printing, manufacturers of fake terminals have it increasingly easier to make copies with hardly any differences from authentic mobile phones; However, since the materials used to the design finishes They can reveal a fake mobile phone from an authentic one.
On the other hand, authentic reconditioned terminals, although they may present a perfect condition as if it were a new mobile, may show small signs of their used condition, such as a possible wear to the case, screen or buttons. And the fact is that many of these refurbished mobile phones are terminals returned by a buyer and that the brand leaves as new to sell them again; but there can always be small errors.
Check IMEI code
All mobile terminals are put on sale with a associated and unique IMEI code which reveals technical information of the terminal. If we have questions about our recently purchased terminal, we can always type the code *#06# and the phone will return its IMEI number to us. If we enter said code on the web Analysis of IMEI numbers or on the page Apple official website In the case of iOS, we can check if the code is authentic and corresponds to our new smartphone, such as the model name, the country of manufacture or the assembly date, among other information. A false IMEI will return incorrect data. Likewise, in many cases we can also find said code in the terminal box or in the terminal itself, on a label inside the battery.
Model code in iOS
Apple brand terminals offer another type of information that will allow us to identify whether a specific smartphone is new or second-hand. To do this, go to Settings – General – Information. Through this menu we can check various data from our iOS terminal, among which is a code Model. This code is preceded by a letter that can be M, F, Q either N. Below we show you the meaning of each of them:
- M: identifies a new terminal.
- F: identifies a terminal refurbished by Apple.
- P: identifies a custom terminal.
- N: identifies a replacement terminal.
Does it include all its accessories?
If we buy a new terminal with its sealed box, it must always carry all its accessories inside, if specified by its manufacturer, accessories such as the charger, a USB cable, an instruction manual, etc. On the contrary, if we buy a supposedly new mobile terminal and we see that some of its accessories are missing, a bad sign. The same goes for your box, which should present a perfect condition and without apparent manipulations of its articulable parts; If in this sense we see signs of manipulation, we can begin to suspect.
Go to sellers with guarantees
All of these situations tend to occur more in online mobile shopping than in purchases in physical stores, although everything is possible. In any case, try to go to sellers with the maximum guarantees, especially on online sales portals, where users often leave their experiences with said sellers for the safety of others. Always look for the sellers with best opinions and ratings of users.
