You have been pondering the purchase of an iPhone for some time , but the considerable amount necessary for the purchase of the famous Apple smartphone is always holding you back. Recently, however, you are hearing more and more about refurbished products, that is, used and refurbished devices that allow significant savings during the purchase phase without almost any sacrifice on the quality of the product you get.
For this reason, you would like to learn how to distinguish a new iPhone from a refurbished one and be able to fully assess the condition of a refurbished model should you decide to buy one. Also, you may finally be able to avoid scams by shopping online, thus avoiding buying a refurbished product instead of a new one.
If that’s the way it is, let me help you out. In fact, in this tutorial of mine, I will show you how to understand if an iPhone is refurbished by explaining all the checks to be carried out. By doing so you will also be able to choose the best refurbished iPhone that might be right for you. Happy reading and good luck for everything!
Index
- How to tell if an iPhone is refurbished
- Check the sales package
- Check the model number
- Check the condition of the battery
- Check the remaining guarantee
How to tell if an iPhone is refurbished
Are you about to buy a new iPhone but are not really 100% convinced that it is a really new product? Don’t worry: in the next few paragraphs I will show you how to understand if an iPhone is refurbished , in order to avoid possible scams (in this regard, I recommend that you buy iPhones only from reputable refurbished iPhone sites ).
Note: if you do not have the possibility to carry out some verifications in person, perhaps because you are contracting with an online seller, send a message to the latter asking to send you the data necessary to conduct your “investigations”, and have the proofs sent. photographs of the various checks that you cannot carry out in first person.
Check the sales package
The first thing to do when you have any doubts about the iPhone you are about to buy (or that you have just bought, even if certain checks should be made before finalizing the order) is to check the sales package . It seems perhaps a bit trivial advice, but instead it is already an important first signal to evaluate.
You should know that refurbished products, including iPhones, are sold in a completely new package, different from the original one. Usually this shows the logo of the site from which the product is purchased or, sometimes, it is a simple anonymous box. Furthermore, inside you will not find any official manual or stickers with the Apple logo, while the accessories, if included in the package, are not the original ones.
If you have purchased a new iPhone or intend to buy one, however, you should know that the sales package shows the Apple logo and the iPhone brand on the box, in addition to the image on the top that depicts the type of product you purchased. By opening the package, you will also find all the official manuals and even the official Apple stickers, as well as the accessories included with that particular model (remember that the most recent “iPhone by” models are sold without a charger).
Check the model number
Another piece of advice I give you is to check the model number of the iPhone . You probably don’t know, but when an iPhone is refurbished, often even by Apple itself, the model number visible in the smartphone settings changes.
To be able to carry out this verification, all you have to do is take the iPhone in question and open the Settings app , usually recognizable by the icon of a gear . From the various items present, then tap on the General item and then on the Info item : in the screen that is proposed to you you must check the model number that is indicated by the system (for example MTAN2LL / A).
If the first letter of the model number is “M” or “P” it means that the iPhone is completely original and has not been modified, so it may actually be a new model. If the first letter of the model number is “N” , it means that the device was refurbished directly by Apple (more likely it is a replacement model of one you had previously), so it is not a new model , but which still uses all the original components. Finally, if the first letter of the model number is “F” , it probably means that the iPhone has been refurbished by a third party.
Sometimes, however, it may happen that the iPhone that is refurbished by third-party suppliers still shows the original model number, but perhaps some internal components have been replaced, such as the battery. How do you say? Do you want to know if it is possible to verify that the battery is original? Of course, all you have to do is keep reading the next chapter.
Check the condition of the battery
The third check that you must always carry out if you are wondering how to know if an iPhone is regenerated is to check the battery status . You must know that Apple makes available on iOS a very convenient way to check the health of the battery and at the same time this system is also able to check if the battery used in the iPhone is original or not.
To do this, take the iPhone in question and open the Settings app , recognizable by the icon of a gear . Among the various items present, tap on the Battery item and then on Battery status : in this screen, in the case of a non-original battery, you will notice a warning on the screen that informs you that a third-party battery has been used and the item Maximum capacity , which gives an overview of the state of life of the battery is completely deactivated and is no longer accessible. In this case you can be sure that your iPhone has been refurbished.
If, on the other hand, you do not notice any warnings and the item Maximum capacity is visible, complete with a percentage of battery life, it means that that iPhone uses completely original components. If the iPhone you have purchased is new, the maximum capacity indicated must be 100% , otherwise it is not a new product, but it could be a used or refurbished product (even by Apple itself) to which it is not the battery was replaced.
In case you have purchased a refurbished iPhone make sure that the battery does not have a percentage lower than 80% , because in this case the maximum performance of the smartphone would be reduced by the system and it would be necessary to replace it. In general it would be better if the refurbished product does not have a battery with less than 90% capacity. More info here .
Check the remaining guarantee
The last check to be made, whether it is a refurbished or new iPhone, is to check the residual warranty of the product. Apple, in fact, provides a convenient website where, by entering the serial number of the device, you can check the remaining warranty. In this way it is possible to check whether it is a new model (the warranty begins when the iPhone is activated for the first time) or a refurbished one.
To carry out this verification, you must go to the website linked above and enter the product serial number : if you do not find it, all you have to do is open the Settings app and tap on the General item first and then on Info . More info here .
Now that you have recovered the serial number of your iPhone, enter it in the appropriate box on the Apple website and then also enter the verification code you see on the screen: to continue click on the Continue button . In a few seconds the system will load all the information relating to your product, so you can immediately check if it is a refurbished iPhone, which usually has the warranty already activated or even expired in the case of older models, or a completely new product.
