How to check your smartphone before buying: 10 simple steps

Sometimes, instead of a brand-new and high-quality smartphone, you buy not quite new and defective - what can you do to avoid this?

The problem with buying a smartphone can be several: for example, you may be trying to sell a not quite a new instance, and there is still a risk of running into a defective device. Below we have collected a few tips to help you buy exactly what you need - a new and serviceable smartphone.

0. We study smartphone reviews and reviews on forums

Before you begin to search for a marriage in a specific instance of a smartphone in the store, you need to find out what should be looked at first.

There are plenty of forums on the Web, where lists of possible defects (marriage) of various models are published lovingly by the users. Before going to the store for a smartphone, these lists should be carefully studied. And even on a piece of paper to rewrite - you never know, suddenly on the road you will forget something. Do not underestimate these sources of information. The people are not the first day enjoying what you are just going to buy. And managed to collect statistics on marriage. For example, a smartphone A may have problems with the camera, and a smartphone B - with the quality of fit panels and the work of the second "simka". Would you have guessed exactly these moments in the cabin, if you did not know about them in advance? Is not a fact!

As for reviews of smartphones, we recommend paying special attention to so-called boxing or review-unpacking. This is when a blogger on YouTube opens a sealed box, shows a completely new device in the film and demonstrates what is included in the package.

What is the fundamental difference between the review and unpacking of the smartphone from conventional text reviews? Journalists often get tested on second-hand machines, and even without a box and bundle. But unboxing implies a story about a completely new smartphone. Exactly the same as the one that you will be offered in the store. While viewing the unboxing, pay attention to the film: some models are glued only from the front, and some - also from the rear. On the video, it will be noticeable. And if in the store you try to sell the device without one of the films, you know: someone used it. Alas, it happens: sometimes smartphones of interest are "driven" by dishonest sellers, and sometimes they also try to sell the returned goods under the guise of a new one. And yes, the components of the bundle - adapters, headphones, cables and so on - they sometimes pocket.

Keep in mind: the smartphone X in the version for Russia may not have the same package as in the US version or, for example, China. So in the priority - the video of Russian authors.

1. We study the box with a smartphone and the condition of the films

Broken paper seals say only one thing: the box was opened. Why - the question is open. Maybe the consultant decided to look at the device, and maybe - and search for it. Why do you pay for a smartphone, which is kind of like new, but really not?

The same applies to films: if they are not, or they are glued crookedly and with bubbles - be aware that something is unclear. However, there are exceptions: on very cheap devices, the films are often pasted with crooked and bubbly. And it's not the sellers that are to blame, but the second-third-tier Chinese factories that do not follow the technological process.

Read also: Why is the iPhone X a failure of Apple?

2. We go into the log of calls, SMS and gallery

A story from life: a girl bought a smartphone in a Russian Internet store, received a parcel, turned on the device and ... saw in her memory a couple of SMS, a pack of self of some young man and a few more direct proofs of what the device was using. Yes, he was new in the film, but someone - apparently, just for the sake of sake, because the model was exotic - turned it in his hands. Some people will not pay attention to such trifles, but someone will be uncomfortable. Therefore, before buying it is worthwhile to see if there are any artifacts remaining from the uninvited "user" in memory.

3. Looking for scratches, dents, and chips on the smartphone

Sometimes such artifacts are left by all the same sellers, and sometimes the device comes with them from the factory. Identify scratches, chips, and dents should be just before buying. Because they are not considered to be a marriage: once you pay for the smartphone, they will turn into your personal problem. If a faulty screen, camera, battery and so on can later be recognized as a marriage and be repaired or replaced under warranty, scratches and other defects of the exterior, if you do not see them right away, will not excite anyone.

4. Check how the smartphone works

It is clear that it is worth taking a few pictures. In the store and, very desirable, also on the street. And then carefully examine them - so that there are no blurs in individual places, obvious spots, and so on.

But there is one more lifehack. By the usual picture of the street or the interior of the store you can appreciate the quality, but it is not always possible to discern the marriage - in fact, there will be a lot of details in the picture, bright colors and so on. So, take it with you or ask the seller to give you a plain white sheet.

The fact is that all sorts of spots (pinkish, yellowish, bluish) on the frames - a scourge of so many smartphone models. Such spots are clearly visible just on the photographs of homogeneous white objects. Sometimes this is a software problem, and then you will meet it in all instances. Here they decide: either take the smartphone and wait for the firmware updates or refuse to purchase.

And sometimes it's iron. This means that one unit can give such an unpleasant effect, and another - no. Therefore, after spotting spots on the white sheet, you should ask the consultant to bring another copy from the warehouse. Maybe luck.

5. Check the operation of the touchscreen smartphone

To test the touch screen, go to the menu and click on all application icons without exception. They are located almost on the whole area of the display. Clicking on them, you can identify the so-called blind spots - the place where, for some reason, the sensor responds to pressing badly or does not respond at all. The second option is to type the text on the keyboard. First in vertical mode, and then in horizontal. This way you will also cover almost the entire screen area.

Note that recently such a marriage is found in smartphones very rarely, and yet sometimes you can face it. Especially in ultra-budget smartphones.

6. Check the smartphone's display for broken pixels

There are several options. The first one is using screen scanning applications like DeadPixelTest. Everything is fine with them, but it's far from the fact that you will be able to put such an application on a device that has not yet been purchased. Sometimes the policy of shops forbids potential buyers to put their software on smartphones, and sometimes it's just not very convenient. For example, if the salon does not have Wi-Fi or if you do not want to enter your account into the smartphone or register a new one specifically for testing.

In this case, you should prepare for testing for broken pixels in advance. We take a microSD card at home and record a few monochrome pictures on it - red, black, gray, blue, white and so on. In the store we insert the USB flash drive into the smartphone's slot, we go to the gallery and carefully look for the pictures "alien" points. (At the same time, by the way, check if everything is in order with the slot and whether the device recognizes the microSD correctly.) However, this method is also not universal: there are models (for example, OnePlus 5 and all without exception the iPhone), which do not have flash slots, kart.

And yes, on a white and black background (most often on them) you can see not only broken pixels but also different bands - for example, yellowish or bluish. This is also a marriage. Below is a photo of such a strip, placed by the user on the official Meizu forum.

7. Check the build quality of the smartphone

On how to check the build quality of a smartphone, you can write a dissertation, and yet we will try to briefly highlight the most important points.

First: the glass covering the screen can be glued crookedly. In order to reveal this moment in time, the following should be done. First, simultaneously hold your fingers along the ribs - that is, in places where the side faces of the body close with the frontal. Fingers should not feel any bumps, no dents. Secondly, it's worth comparing the width of the slots around the screen. The slits at the joints must be perfectly even. If the width is different - with the assembly there are problems. Thirdly, it is worth putting the smartphone on a horizontal surface and looking at it from the ends. If there are any violations during assembly, you will most likely notice that the front panel is not level.

The second: squeaks, bolting, and backlash of panels of the case are inadmissible. Not even the largest Chinese factories by 2017 mastered the assembly technologies, which ensure the perfect fit of the parts. If something is dangling in the smartphone, it is most likely a marriage. Require another instance.

At the same time, quite often even in not the cheapest smartphones, the volume and on/off keys rattle slightly. This moment to perceive as a marriage is not worth it - rather, it's just such an unpleasant feature. Check whether this is so, you can ask for a second device for comparison.

And more: extraneous sounds (tapping) from the camera module - it's more normal than abnormal. These are the features of optical systems installed in smartphones.

8. Check the operation of the audio part

With the speaker everything is simple - launched preset melodies, and if they are played, then everything with the device is normal. Do not trust the built-in - carry a MicroSD card from your home with your favorite songs (provided that the flash drive supports). With headphones more difficult: individual manufacturers - the same company Xiaomi, for example - their smartphones "ears" do not complete, which makes verification during the purchase difficult. Therefore, either require headphones for a test from the seller or, better still, bring your own.

9. Check the communication

With cellular communication, everything is elementary: we put SIM card and call someone. But do not hang up right after you hear "allo" on that end of the wire. Talk a couple of minutes - so you check the microphone.

Also, pay attention to whether the screen goes blank when you bring the smartphone to your cheek. If it does not go off, the device has problems with the proximity sensor. This means that during the conversation you will press your cheek on various elements on the touchscreen. Pleasure then.

Mobile Internet check is more difficult - practice shows that the associated glitches have the character of floating, that is, in a number of models they appear from time to time. And it's not a fact that they depend on the smartphone. It may be that the problem is with the mobile operator.

For testing, Wi-Fi will have to connect to a wireless network - if it is, of course, available. Another option is to enable traffic distribution mode, if supported on a smartphone that you have with you. Important point: if nothing is loaded either in the browser or elsewhere, do not immediately consider the smartphone as defective. Check the date and time: sometimes due to long lying in the warehouse, they get lost, and in this case, most Internet services do not work. Set the current year and the correct time in the settings - after that, most likely, everything will fall into place.

10. Checking the battery

If the model has a removable battery, then it should have a white indicator. If there is no white, but there is red, then you should know - moisture got into the smartphone. And it can happen that he will not live long.

Also for the order should be at least a couple of minutes to put the smartphone on charging - to make sure, firstly, in the serviceability of the interface connector, and secondly - in the serviceability of the charger.

Bonus track: we test the smartphone with special applications and codes

On Google Play and the App Store, there are a huge number of applications for testing all smartphone systems. If the seller does not mind and the store has Wi-Fi - why not? Such applications will tell you everything about the screen, and about battery wear, and about the operation of sensors, and much more. For example, in the case of an Android smartphone, you can put Test Your Phone or Phone Doctor Plus. However, it's impossible to call such software really reliable. For example, we tried to test the flashlight using one of these applications, and it reported that there was no flashlight in the smartphone (see screenshot below). Although it exists and works.

There are also so-called service codes - they are individual for each manufacturer, and sometimes for different models of the same company. They also let you know about the smartphone a lot of interesting things, starting with problems in the system and ending with the general time of conversations. Lists of codes are easily searched on the Internet - just enter into the search engine the phrase "service codes for a smartphone such and such."

That's all. Nothing complicated. Enjoy the shopping!