How to check a used iPhone before purchasing: a 17-point checklist

I often find myself on Avito looking for goodies at low prices. Yes, I haven’t leveled up my luck yet, so I wasn’t as lucky as our editor-in-chief was recently. But a couple of times we managed to profitably exchange smartphones.

It is important to understand that any platform with advertisements is a field of action for various scammers and, in general, unscrupulous people. It’s easy to run into an unpleasant surprise here.

Therefore, any equipment must be inspected in detail before purchasing. I bought an iPhone several times - I’ll tell you how to check them.

The easiest. Is he untied

A smartphone can pass any test with flying colors, but if the seller finds it difficult to disable “Find iPhone” - goodbye, nothing will work.

For those who are not in the know: this tightly ties the iPhone to the owner of the Apple ID, and, in fact, gives him the keys to control the device. For example, he can remotely lock your newly purchased iPhone and demand money to unlock it. He will know where you are. That's another pleasure.

The required item is hidden in the settings, in the “iCloud” section, but it is much easier to type “Find iPhone” there in the search.

Equipment

After external inspection of the packaging, it is necessary to proceed to control of the packaging. It should include the original EarPods, accompanying documentation, charger and cord. When purchasing a used iPhone SE, the package often includes AirPods headphones, which are typical for the original iPhone 11.

Checking the contents

How to check iPhone by IMEI

IMEI is a unique international identifier for mobile equipment. This 15-digit number must match within the same set. We check:

• IMEI on the back of the case
• IMEI in “Settings - General - About this device”
• IMEI on request *#06#
• IMEI on the SIM card tray (not relevant for iPhone SE and “fives”)
• IMEI on the box (if available)

The box is the last thing we care about. If everything matches except for it, it’s okay, the seller just brought the device in non-original packaging. Another question: why didn’t he warn you about this? This is another reason to double-check everything.

Obvious fake iPhone SE

Obvious fakes of iPhone SE reveal themselves even upon superficial inspection. There are fake models with an external television antenna, a removable back cover or a slot for memory cards. These attributes are not inherent in Apple products, so they immediately catch your eye.

A classic problem with Chinese cheap replicas is the correct spelling of the name of the smartphone. Spelling errors can be both on the box and on the phone itself.

Spelling error in the remark

How to check iPhone on Apple website

There, in “Settings - General - About this device” the serial number is written. It can be used too. Go to the Apple website and check the status of the device.

This is how you can understand that this is not Frankenstein with the body of a conventional 6s and the filling of a six. The page will show the device model, the expiration date of the limited warranty and information about the date of purchase.

Packaging inspection

The original iPhone SE, counterfeits of which have flooded the market, is still easy to identify by its packaging. For all Apple branded products, the box is made of high-quality cardboard. Any defects in its structure are unacceptable.

It is important to examine all the labels on the packaging. They should be easy to read. All characters in the original are arranged exactly in a line and are made in the same type of font. Checking for spelling errors and printing defects is an important way to distinguish an original iPhone SE from a fake.

No locked iPhones

Nowadays such devices are becoming less and less common, but suddenly you are a retro lover in pursuit of an iPhone 3G. There is a possibility of running into a locked smartphone. These iPhones were purchased overseas on a contract basis. Such tubes can cause a lot of inconvenience, for which, moreover, you have to pay.

Here are a few signs by which you can understand whether a smartphone is locked or not.

1. There is a substrate chip in the SIM tray.
2. The device is not updated to the highest possible OS.
3. In Settings - General - There is an operator about this device that is different from the one in the status bar.
4. After a reboot, the device takes a long time to catch the network or requires a call to a specific number.

Such smartphones cannot be updated without the necessary manipulations; I see no reason to pay for them.

Identifying a model by appearance

But how can you find out the iPhone model without information on the article number, serial number, or access to iTunes? True fans are able to recognize phones without problems, and in this section we will describe the differences that will allow you to determine by appearance whether a smartphone belongs to a particular line of iPhones.

iPhone 8

Starting in 2014, when the sixth iPhone was released, and until 2022 with its eighth model, Apple did not change the design of the front panel. Therefore, checking the iPhone series by the front is useless and you will have to turn the phone over. The back panel is made of tempered glass. The camera is slightly larger than that of the 7, and the side is not as thick and noticeable. Codes in the “Model” line: A1863, A1905. The smartphone was produced in gold, silver, and space gray colors.

iPhone 8 Plus

Increased size of the smartphone with a 5.5-inch screen. The back cover is made of glass. The phone features a dual-camera setup with a thinner bezel than the 7 Plus. Standard colors: gold, silver, space grey. Articles A1864, A1897.

iPhone 7

It is very similar to the eighth model, but differs in the material of the back cover - it is made of aluminum. The camera “window” is slightly smaller, and the side is thicker. Marked with codes A1660, A1778, A1779. Starting with this line, there is no headphone jack on the bottom edge.

iPhone 7 Plus

The phone has a 5.5-inch screen, dual camera, and aluminum back panel. Smartphone codes A1661, A1784, A1785. The color scheme corresponds to the “younger brother”. There is no headphone jack next to the charging connector.

iPhone SE

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There is an “SE” icon on the back cover, and the smartphone itself is smaller than the sixth and seventh iPhones, as it has a 4-inch diagonal. The earpiece cutout on the front panel is thicker, and the “pupil” of the front camera is above it, and not on the left, like on the iPhone 6 and 7. The power button is on top, and the volume control keys on the left side of the smartphone are round. In addition to the standard colors inherited from the fifth and sixth models, it was produced in “rose gold” design. Model numbers: A1723, A1662, A1724. There is a 3.5 mm audio jack on the bottom edge.

iPhone 6s

Here, too, the main differences are at the rear. The camera is noticeably smaller than the next iPhones. Under it, as well as at the bottom of the smartphone, there are strips of antennas that divide the cover into three zones. The letter “S” is engraved between the phone brand and the information line. In addition, there is an audio jack at the bottom, which was removed in subsequent versions. The power key is located on the right side. Revision numbers A1633, A1688, A1700.

iPhone 6s Plus

Its distinctive features and body colors are similar to the “simple” version, but the size is much larger due to the enlarged 5.5-inch screen. Codes that indicate that the smartphone belongs to the 6s Plus: A1634, A1687, A1699.

iPhone 6, 6 Plus

All differences from earlier and later models are identical to those described for smartphones released in 2015 (6s and 6s Plus). Well, the phones differ from them in the absence of the letter “S” on the back cover. Code designations for a simple six: A1549, A1586, A1589. For 6 plus: A1522, A1524, A1593.

iPhone 5s

This device can only be confused with the iPhone SE. The difference in appearance is limited only by the absence of a corresponding engraving in the form of the “SE” symbols on the rear panel and in the color version - there is no rose gold color here. Well, the numbers on the back of the smartphone are, of course, different. For 5s these are A1453, A1457, A1518, A1528, A1530, A1533.

iPhone 5c

This smartphone is difficult to confuse with other iPhones. The plastic body with bright colors is unlike any other Apple phone. Nicknamed a “point-and-shoot” among its owners, the smartphone was available in white, blue, pink, green and yellow. Marked with the following designations for “Model”: A1456, A1507, A1516, A1529, A1532.

iPhone 5

It is distinguished by an aluminum body and a concave Home button with a square in the middle. The colors are only black and white, and the model codes are A1428, A1429, A1442.

iPhone 4, 4s

These smartphones are slightly thicker and smaller than the fifth iPhone. But the main feature is the old long charging connector on the bottom edge of the device. The smartphones came in two classic Apple colors - black and white. The phones practically do not differ from each other, but there is still one sign - the 4s has antenna strips located on the top and bottom of the side edges of the phone, while the simple four have only three of these strips, with one of them on the top end of the phone. Articles for 4s: A1431, A1387. For iPhone 4: A1349, A1332.

Swimmer or not?

Buying recessed smartphones is extremely dangerous. You don't know how they dried it after falling into the water. Perhaps the iPhone was in the hands of adequate service providers, or maybe it was simply put in the rice. At the same time, the oxidation of the components is still ongoing, and the smartphone will “move its horses” at any minute.

It’s a pity that this only pops up after opening the device. However, one marker is visible from the outside.

• For iPhone 5 and later: Open the SIM card tray and look inside.
• For other iPhones: look at the 30-pin connector and the headphone port.

Here you can see what a triggered marker will look like in a specific iPhone model. If there are no red dots in the designated areas, then everything is in order, the iPhone did not flood on this side. More precisely, only a service center can clarify the situation.

Checking originality by internal filling

When purchasing a used broken iPhone SE, you have the opportunity to look inside the smartphone. When trying to slip in a 5S model, it can be easily identified by the inscriptions on the motherboard. The layout of the internal elements is also slightly different. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct a thorough inspection, paying attention to detail.

Inspecting the insides of an iPhone

Classic. Battery status

It is clear that when buying a smartphone second-hand, you will have to endure all the problems of a worn-out battery. But the wear and tear of a one- to two-year-old battery is insignificant.

Typically, an iPhone will last up to 500 charge cycles, at a minimum. In this case, the loss of battery capacity is not felt. Don’t think about it, the device continues to work after that, it’s just that the time “without a socket” is reduced.

The number of full charge cycles can be checked using the free coconutBattery utility. If you are too lazy to take your laptop with you, you should discuss with the seller in advance the possibility of installing the appropriate utility on your iPhone. Here, Battery Life, for example.

Plus, in the latest iOS, it became possible to see the percentage of battery wear in the settings. Saves time.

Website imei24.com

The user can find out the model of his iPhone online by visiting one of the sites offering the relevant services; Perhaps the best option for today is a free and reliable resource - imei24.com. To obtain information using it, you will need:

• Select iPhone IMEI check from the top drop-down menu.

• Enter the identification number, or IMEI, of your device in the only editable field on the new page (where to find it was described above) and click on the Check button.

• Having passed "protection from robots".

• The user will receive information about the model of their iPhone in the Model pivot table row.

Tip: data from all rows of the table can be freely copied, and by clicking on the Phone Details button, the owner can learn a little more about the parameters of his phone.

Studying the screen

The display is just a storehouse of weak points. What you need to pay attention to.

Press the screen in different places with little force. There should be nothing crunching, creaking or loosening here. Otherwise, the smartphone was dropped or opened.

The illumination should be uniform. Open an image with a white background and a black one and notice the glow around the edges. There should be no obvious spots or too bright areas. If there are no such images, open any application with a suitable background. Well, or take a photo, for example.

There should be no yellow spots on the screen. Those that appear after the smartphone overheats. The fact is that under the influence of temperature, the glue between the touchscreen and the display changes color. Similar jambs appear if the device is constantly squeezed, for example, kept in the back pocket of jeans and sat on hard surfaces.

We use the same set of pictures to check for stripes and dead pixels.

Inspection of iPhone SE smartphone

No matter how perfect the replica is, not a single clone can recreate the level of the Apple brand. Therefore, it is recommended to pay attention to external details. First of all, you should check:

• lack of hieroglyphs;
• the presence of the iPhone SE inscription on the back cover;
• lack of a built-in memory card, removable back cover and protruding antenna.

Please note that the original iPhone SE comes in a limited variety of colors. Therefore, there are no models on sale, for example, green or dark brown. If the seller offers any shade different from the officially declared one, then it is definitely a fake.

Color options for the original iPhone SE

Very often, under the iPhone SE model, they sell 5S with a replaced back cover. Since such a phone is assembled from different components, they may differ in color. Therefore, it is recommended to compare the shade of the case with the volume, power buttons and SIM card tray.

All sensors must work

Few people want to discover a couple of dead zones on the display after some time. So check everything at once.

The easiest way is to go to the menu, turn on the icon arrangement mode (hold one of them for a long time) and drag it across the screen. It should move evenly, smoothly, not stop, and not twitch.

Open the keyboard, click all the keys. Pull down the shades of notifications and Control Center in both portrait and landscape modes. Everything should work.

Don't forget to check Touch ID. Ideally, stick your finger in there and unlock the device a couple of times, but you can also watch the owner of the smartphone.

Final table of differences

Despite all attempts by scammers to pass off an Android smartphone or iPhone 5S as the original SE, there are a number of criteria that allow them to expose the counterfeiters. The main differences between a branded phone and its replicas are presented in the table below.

Table - How to distinguish the original iPhone SE

Necessarily. Test call

Don't miss this moment: you need to insert your SIM card and make a test call to a friend's number. This kills two birds with one stone; We check the operation of the speaker and the cellular communication module.

As a last resort, if you don’t have a SIM card at hand, you can dial 112, listen to the answering robot, and then reset without waiting for the connection. Better than nothing.

How to find IMEI and serial number via computer

Additional verification can be done using a computer. In the case of a Mac, no additional software is required, but on a Windows PC you will need to install iTunes.

In the case of a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15 installed, the connected iPhone will appear in the Finder side menu; in older versions of macOS you will have to launch iTunes.

After selecting the device, you will see its serial number and IMEI.

Need to go online

At this stage, your own SIM card with the Internet will also come in handy. It is enough to go to any page to understand that the smartphone works in LTE networks.

It’s also worth finding a Wi-Fi point nearby, or distributing one yourself. Nobody needs problems with wireless Internet.

It would be a good idea to go to Maps and determine the current location of the smartphone to make sure that everything is in order with GPS.

What to do if the device is not at hand

The serial number and IMEI of your iPhone can always be found on the service page for managing your Apple ID account.

You will need to go through authorization and, with two-factor verification enabled, enter a confirmation code from any of the linked gadgets.

In the list of devices that are connected to the Apple ID, select the one you need and you will see the data you are looking for.

Don't forget the buttons

Dumbly click each button. Nothing should crunch, dangle or sink. The silent mode rocker should vibrate, just like the Home button on the new iPhones. By the way, do not try to press this button on the iPhone 7 and 8 - it will not move a millimeter.

Don’t give in to persuasion; a broken Home button is almost impossible to fix. After replacing the part, you will be left without Touch ID.

Determining your iPhone model using iTunes

Almost all iPhone owners use iTunes. It is designed to exchange files between a mobile device and a computer. After all, as you know, it’s not so easy to connect an iPhone to a PC to transfer a song or video.

If none of the previous methods of determining the model worked for you, you can use iTunes. For this:

1. Download the program from the official apple.com website to your computer.
2. Sign in with your Apple ID.
3. Connect your iPhone to your computer via cable.
4. Open iTunes.
5. Select Browse.

The iPhone name will be indicated at the top of the screen. This is a 100% way to determine the exact model, which excludes the connection of Chinese counterfeits.

iTunes does not work on all computers. For correct operation, you need MacOS or Windows version 7 and higher.

Checking the camera and microphone

Make sure there is no debris or condensation in the camera eye. Check the flash, take a couple of photos and videos. There should be no artifacts in the frames. Don't forget to play back the video you shot with sound - this is how the rear microphone is checked.

It is also easy to check the microphone in the standard Voice Recorder application. Leave a couple of recordings and listen to them. There should be no extraneous noise.

Is it possible to distinguish an original from a copy by its packaging?

You should carefully study the delivery package if the mobile device is sold in its original box. So iPhones are sold complete with headphones, a charging cable and an adapter. Besides this, in a separate compartment of the box there is all the documentation and a paper clip for removing the SIM card slot. All accessories must be packaged separately in transparent film and neatly folded.

You can even distinguish an original from a copy by the quality of the accessories. For example, the original cable is very soft and elastic, it has the inscription “Designed by Apple in California” on it, and the connectors themselves have a smooth surface and neat rounded contacts.

To the heap: sensors and accelerometer

iPhone can determine its location in space thanks to its accelerometer. Open Notes and rotate your smartphone, check how changing landscape mode to portrait mode works.

You can also go to the new Measure app (or the old Compass) and turn on Level. Check how the accelerometer works in different planes.

Don't forget other sensors. How to check them?

• Turn on auto brightness and place your palm near the front camera - the screen should become dim.
• Call someone and put your palm in front of the same camera - the screen should go dark.

Website sndeep.info

Another great web resource that allows you to determine your iPhone model by serial number or IMEI. This is done simply:

• The iPhone owner follows the link - sndeep.info and switches to the Apple tab in the main window.

• Enter the IMEI or serial number of your iPhone in the text field and click on the “Check” button.

• The information will appear on a new page - without the user having to overcome the “robot protection”.

Important: moving a little down the page, the owner of the phone will find a lot more interesting and useful information about the device - as in the previous case, it can be copied and pasted into text documents.

Device price

First of all, the low price of the iPhone should alert you, even if it is sold second-hand. A price that is too attractive may be the first sign of a fake. You need to understand that no one will sell the original iPhone for mere pennies. For example, let’s say you bought an iPhone for $600 or more, will you sell it several times cheaper? Here the answer is clear, no one will sell a mobile phone to their detriment, everyone looks at the average price on trading platforms and proceeds from this information.

When buying a used smartphone, you should ask the seller why he is selling the mobile phone. It is also worth clarifying how long it was used, what breakdowns and complaints there were or are. You should definitely ask for documents and look at the phone for defects. It is important not to be shy about asking questions and spending time checking your cell phone. This will help save nerves and money.

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Tatiana

I follow news on the mobile services market. Always up to date with the latest events

Go to AppStore

It is very easy to check the originality of the iPhone through the App Store application. Even the coolest Chinese iPhone cannot access this application, the user will be transferred to Google Play, this is a special application for devices running on Android OS. These two apps look different.

It is worth considering that Google Play does not have many applications that are available for Apple devices. You should try to find applications such as Keynote, iMovie, Pages, Numbers. If they are not in the app store, then we are talking about a fake smartphone.