How to inspect a used phone before you pay

Do this at the meeting, in your hands, with the phone powered on. A listing photo is not an inspection. Mobile Market does not inspect devices for you.

Identity of the phone

• Open Settings and read the IMEI. On many Androids: About phone. On iPhone: General → About.
• Dial *#06# and compare. Open the SIM tray and compare the printed IMEI if present.
• Mismatch is a walk-away signal.

Body and screen

• Look across the screen at an angle for burn-in, green tint, or hairline cracks under a glass replacement.
• Press every edge of the display. Dead spots and “ghost touch” show up here.
• Check camera glass, flash, and whether the frame is bent (a drop that cameras cannot hide).

Functions

• Make a test call on both SIMs if the seller claims dual SIM.
• Face ID / fingerprint, loudspeaker, earpiece, microphone, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, charging with your own cable.
• Open the cameras — selfie and rear, including ultrawide if advertised.

PTA status

Send the IMEI you read from the phone by SMS to 8484, or check it on PTA's DIRBS site, before you pay. A non-PTA phone may not work on Pakistani networks. How to check PTA status.

Battery

On an iPhone, open Settings → Battery → Battery Health on the device itself. Read the battery health guide for what the number means and the warning iPhones show for a non-genuine battery.

Accounts

The phone should be signed out of iCloud / Google. An activation lock after you pay is a classic trap. Do not accept “I’ll remove it tonight”.

Sources

• PTA DIRBS: device verification
• Apple Support: iPhone battery and performance (published 1 June 2026)