How We Check Every Device

Every device is tested on a bench before it is listed. The list below is the actual check sheet, not a summary of one. The date it was passed and the initials of the person who signed it are printed on each product page.

Step 1 — Intake and identity

A device that fails this stage never reaches the bench. It is returned to the seller or sent to a registered e-waste recycler.

  1. IMEI read from the dialer with *#06# and matched against the SIM tray and the rear label.
  2. IMEI recorded and printed on your invoice, so you can run it against the Government CEIR database yourself at ceir.gov.in, or by SMS KYM to 14422.
  3. Model, storage and RAM confirmed on the system information screen — never from the box, which can be swapped.
  4. Activation lock cleared: iCloud removed on Apple, Factory Reset Protection removed on Android. We will not list a device that can be remotely locked by a previous owner.
  5. Carrier lock status checked and the supported network bands recorded.
  6. Liquid damage indicator inspected. A triggered indicator is an automatic rejection.

Step 2 — Power and charging

  1. Charging port checked for a loose fit, lint and corrosion.
  2. Charges at the phone’s rated speed, not just slowly.
  3. No abnormal heat while charging.
  4. Full wired charge to 100% with no thermal cut-out.
  5. Wireless charging tested where the model supports it.

Step 3 — Display

  1. Dead and stuck pixel sweep on full red, green, blue, white and black fields.
  2. Burn-in check on a uniform grey field. Any visible retention is a rejection.
  3. Maximum brightness measured against the model’s rated figure.
  4. Touch response across the entire panel, edges included.
  5. Multi-touch, ten-point where the panel supports it.
  6. Panel origin identified and recorded: original manufacturer, OEM-grade replacement, or aftermarket. This is printed on the listing.
  7. Ambient light and rotation sensors.

Step 4 — Cameras and audio

  1. Every rear lens: focus, exposure, and no dust trapped inside the element.
  2. Front camera, including portrait and depth where fitted.
  3. Flash and torch.
  4. Video recorded and played back with audio.
  5. Earpiece.
  6. Loudspeaker at full volume, listened to for rattle.
  7. Every microphone, verified on a recorded live call.

Step 5 — Connectivity and sensors

  1. Wi-Fi association and throughput on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz.
  2. Bluetooth pairing and sustained audio streaming.
  3. Cellular attach on a live SIM, in every slot, plus eSIM where fitted.
  4. GPS lock, outdoors.
  5. NFC where fitted.
  6. Charging port data transfer, and the headphone jack where fitted.
  7. Fingerprint sensor: enrolled and unlocked five times in a row.
  8. Face unlock or Face ID, including the dot projector on Apple devices.
  9. Proximity sensor, tested during a call.
  10. Accelerometer and gyroscope.
  11. Compass and barometer where fitted.

Step 6 — Physical condition and handover

  1. Frame checked for straightness against a flat edge. A bent frame is a rejection.
  2. Glass inspected front and back at 30cm and again at 15cm under direct light. This is what sets the grade.
  3. Button travel on power, volume and the mute switch.
  4. SIM tray fit and gasket seating.
  5. Secure wipe to factory settings, a clean-boot test, and a photographed condition record kept on file against the IMEI.

Laptops and desktops

Steps 1 and 6 apply unchanged — serial number instead of IMEI, BIOS and firmware passwords confirmed removed, and a secure wipe. The bench tests differ:

  • Storage: SMART data read in full. Reallocated sectors, pending sectors and NVMe percentage-used are recorded. Any drive past 10% wear indicator is replaced, and the listing says so.
  • Memory: a full memtest pass, not a boot check.
  • Thermals: 30 minutes of sustained CPU and GPU load with clock speeds logged, so a machine that throttles hard is caught before it is listed.
  • Battery (laptops): design capacity versus full-charge capacity and cycle count, from the manufacturer’s own report.
  • Keyboard: every key registered individually. Trackpad gestures, all of them.
  • Ports: every USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet, card reader and audio jack, each with a device attached.
  • Hinge and chassis: opened and closed through the full range, checked for play and for cracked mount points.
  • Display: the same pixel, backlight-bleed and brightness sweep as a phone.
  • Operating system: we state whether Windows is activated and how. A machine sold without a licence is listed as “no OS licence included”, with the price reflecting it.

What we never list

  • Cracked glass, front or back
  • Visible screen burn-in
  • A non-functional Face ID or fingerprint sensor
  • A triggered liquid-damage indicator
  • An iCloud- or FRP-locked device
  • A bent frame

These are absolute. A unit that fails any one of them is not repaired into the catalogue — it leaves the business.

Who does the work

Testing, grading and the condition record are done by us, in Lucknow. Physical repair is not. GradeGuard does not run a repair bench: parts replacement and warranty service are carried out by the supplier who refurbished the unit, or by an independent service partner we appoint. We do not open your device ourselves. What we own is the test result, the grade, and the outcome of any claim — see the Warranty Policy for how a claim actually runs.

Next: how the four grades are defined.