How to check an IMEI against the Government database, what battery health figures actually mean, how to tell an original panel from an aftermarket one, and which used models are worth the money this year. Written so you can use them against any seller, including us.
A used Moto G is easy to judge, because the facts that decide the deal are public. Here is the security-support date to look up, the panel and charging-port checks that matter on this line, and the point where a G stops being the right buy.
No brand in India publishes one battery replacement price. Here is what Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, vivo and OnePlus actually put on their India sites, what labour and tax add at the counter, and the point where a whole used phone costs less than the repair.
A torch, a SIM ejector pin and ten minutes. Where the liquid indicator sits on iPhone and on Android phones, what corrosion looks like at the ports, the speaker and mic tests that expose it, and why a phone that works today can still fail next month.
The Galaxy A series is the easiest Android in India to get serviced, and one of the easiest to overpay for. Which A-series traits actually matter second-hand, how to spot burn-in and a swapped display in ten minutes, and where the value sits today.
Four refurbished phones on the GradeGuard shelf cost under Rs 15,000 right now, from Rs 5,975 to Rs 12,239. Here is what each one does well, what it gives up, and why Rs 15,000 buys less new than it did a year ago.
Only one big brand prints a screen price you can read at home; the rest make you ask, and two Apple chains quote different amounts for the same model. The verified numbers, and the sum to do before you pay for a phone with a cracked screen.
Apple stopped selling the iPhone 13 two years ago, and it is still on Apple's own list of phones that run iOS 27. What the phone still does well, what wears out on it, what a fair price looks like this week, and the checks to run before you pay.
A lost phone can be blocked on every Indian network for free, through the government CEIR portal. Here is the exact process, the documents you need, and how to unblock it if the phone comes back.
Less separates them than the number suggests. Three things decide it — software runway, 6GB of RAM, and low light — and a fourth comparison nobody makes is often the better buy.
Rule 32(5) lets a used-goods dealer pay GST on the margin rather than the full price. What that means for your invoice, and four red flags that say the seller is not compliant.