Refurbished iPhone 7: how to avoid getting scammed by the seller?

You were sold an iPhone in a sealed box and the seller assures you that it is new. Before you start working with your new Apple smartphone, you need to activate it. The activation procedure involves connecting a smartphone with an inserted SIM card to Apple activation servers. To do this, you just need to connect to Wi-Fi or use cellular data.

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And only after the iPhone owner receives confirmation of activation will he be able to use his device.

Thus, if, when turning on the smartphone for the first time, the user immediately goes to the home screen, bypassing the welcome, activation and settings screens, then it has already been used. At the same time, if after turning on the iPhone for the first time a welcome screen appears, this will not mean that the gadget has not been used. The fact is that a screen with the word “Hello” in different languages ​​of the world appears every time you reset your iPhone to factory settings or after restoring iOS on your computer. In other words, even unpacking the sealed box and the welcome screen appearing when you turn on the purchased iPhone does not guarantee that the smartphone is new.

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How are iPhones restored?

Future “Refs” are purchased in large retail stores. Select only devices with faulty parts that need to be replaced. These devices are sent to a licensed service, where they undergo diagnostics. If the phone is completely “killed”, then it will not be allowed to be restored. But, as a rule, such copies are rarely found in chain stores.

If the iPhone has been discharged and charged more than 200 times in total, then its battery must be changed. If there are areas on the screen with highlights or poor color rendering, then it will be replaced.

To have no doubt about the authenticity of the device, you can order it on the official Apple website. If you want to first see the phone in person and hold it in your hands, then preference should be given to offline stores. In such cases, it is important to be able to distinguish a refurbished iPhone from a new one.

Where can I buy a refurbished device?

An officially refurbished iPhone 7 that has been refurbished by Apple can be purchased in almost all electronics stores. Phones restored by folk craftsmen, or seller refurbished devices in other words, can be bought almost anywhere: second hand, in online stores, at unofficial points of sale. However, in any case, such an acquisition can be very risky.

Main features of a refurbished iPhone

When buying a used iPhone, the question arises: how to distinguish an iPhone refurbished by the manufacturer from the original?

To find out, you can use an interesting trick, which we will discuss below. It uses the device model ID to determine whether your iPhone is new, refurbished, replaced, or even personalized with engraving. This information may be especially useful to buyers of used equipment.

Feature 1 box

First, if you buy a new iPhone, the seller should ship it in its original box. There is a picture of it on the package, and you can find out what type of device is in front of you.

If we are talking about officially restored iPhones, then these devices are delivered in boxes that do not have an image of the gadget itself. As a rule, the packaging is white, and only the device model is indicated on it.

Pay attention to the sticker on the smartphone box.

Before the model name, pay attention to the abbreviation “REF” (which means “refreshed” or “restored” or “like new”). If such a designation is present, your smartphone has been restored.

For Ref, the box will be simply white, without pictures and with the inscription “Apple Certified Pre-Owned”. Only this check will be enough if you purchase a smartphone from official dealers. Unscrupulous private companies may package refurbished iPhones in boxes from new devices. To avoid falling for this trick, you need to check your phone for several more points.

Check list

Checking the display for originality

The displays on the iPhone X, Xs, Xs Max are original (these are the ones from the factory), original with a re-glued touch glass, and non-original.

Checking the display with a picture

Open this image from the iPhone you are purchasing

.

On the original display you should see a faint Webkit logo. It will be slightly darker than the background. If you don't see anything, the display is not original.

The picture, in short, contains certain color tones that only original displays can show.

You should see what is below in the picture.

Testing the display with True tone

Go to Settings → Display & Brightness and see if there is a True Tone mode switch.

If it is not there, the display is not original.

If the switch is there, but does not turn on, perhaps the screen was re-glued and the display EEPROM was not flashed, we wrote about this here.

Checking the display brightness

Go to Settings → Display & Brightness and set the brightness to maximum.

In some Chinese displays it is impossible to set the maximum brightness, the brightness slider will go to ~94% and will not allow you to move the brightness further to the maximum

Another test of the display with brightness is to reduce the brightness to minimum. On the original display, you will still see what the screen shows, but the Chinese screen will go completely dark and it will be impossible to distinguish what the screen shows.

Checking colors

On the original display the colors are rich and bright, on the non-original display the colors will be different, we don’t know how to explain this, they are just different. To understand the difference you need to compare it with the original iPhone display. The colors on the Chinese display are more acidic, and the background itself is blue. This method only works if you have something to compare with or have a trained eye.

How to understand that the touch glass has been changed?

Look at the display from a certain angle, play with the angle of the light.

What you should see there is that the iPhone display itself, without glass, looks like a film. After replacing the glass, the display looks like a crooked film; you should see convex and concave areas.

It is especially visible near the “notch” of the display, where the front camera is located. In the factory display you can see a very neat fold of the display under the “notch”; it is uniform and always the same on all iPhones.

If the glass is re-glued, then convexities and concavities can be not only near the “bangs”, but also in the center or on any other side. You should see some semblance of waves. It will be clearly noticeable that the display is curved under the glass. This indicates that the glass was replaced, and not carefully.

I repeat once again - we look not at the glass, but deep into the glass, at what is under the glass.

Pay attention to the plastic frame of the display - there should be no traces of glue, gaps or other bad things.

How to check the functionality of the display sensor?

Click and hold on any icon until they begin to “quiver.” Hold the icon with your finger and slide your finger across the entire screen, as shown in the picture.

The icon should follow your finger and not come off. Do not go beyond the edges of the display; move your finger as close to the edge of the screen as possible.

If the icon “jumped” in some place, do the test again and pay attention to exactly the place where the icon lost its finger.

If there is a break in this place, there are problems with the sensor, such a phone should not be considered for purchase.

Checking the 3D Touch function

Press harder than usual on the camera icon, a menu with quick functions should appear.

Checking the rear camera

Launch the “Camera” application, switch to the rear camera, make sure that close and distant objects are in the lens. Click on a close object and you should see the camera focus on it, with the background blurring slightly. Do the same with distant objects. Point the camera at a white background and look carefully - there should be no black spots or dots, the image should be clean and free of foreign inclusions. Especially test the “Portrait” mode; the image in this mode should not shake or flicker. We come across a lot of cases when the phone has been dropped heavily and problems like this are observed with the camera in “Portrait” mode.

Checking the front selfie stone

Launch the “Camera” application, switch to the front camera, make sure that close and distant objects are in the lens. Click on a close object, such as a face, you should see that the camera is focused on the face, the image should not be blurred. Point the camera at a white background and look carefully - there should be no black spots or dots, the image should be clean and free of foreign inclusions.

Flash check

Swipe down from the top right corner. A menu with items will appear, find the flash icon and click. The flash should light up.

Checking all microphones

It is best to check microphones through video recording, this is exactly what we do, this allows us to identify any problems with the microphones. Turn on the Camera app, then swipe to video recordings and start recording. Alternately say “One, two, three” into each microphone. The location of the microphones is shown in the picture below. You should hear clear audio from each of the three microphones. There should be no sound like a trumpet.

Checking the vibration switch

Above the volume buttons there is a vibration mode switch rocker. Switch it several times, you should feel the vibration triggering. If vibration does not work, go to Settings → Sounds, haptics and make sure that the switch for “Vibrate During → During Calls” is turned on.

Testing the sound buttons

Press each of the buttons several times; an indicator for increasing or decreasing the volume should appear on the screen.

Checking the speaker level

Open any video on Youtube, try changing the sound using the volume buttons, the sound should be clear, and the speakers should not hum or rattle. The sound should come from two speakers: one at the bottom and the other near the front camera, also known as the voice speaker. There is only one speaker at the bottom, not two, and it is on the right; the other holes on the left are for the microphone. Also make a test call, the sound from the speaker should be loud enough, if you can barely hear it, you need to clean the speaker grill, this is an easy procedure, we do it in 7 minutes, the cost is 500 rubles, the phone does not disassemble.

Checking the proximity sensor

This sensor is responsible for turning off the display when you bring it to your face during a call. Make a test call to a friend without putting the call into speakerphone mode, tightly cover the top of the screen with your hand, where the front camera is located, the screen should turn off. Removing your hand, the screen should turn on, repeat the operation several times.

Checking the charging connector

Insert the charging connector into the iPhone, the cable should go in with a certain click, tightly and clearly. If you feel that the cable sticks in like clay, the connector needs cleaning or is damaged. Carefully inspect the connector under good lighting. Do not clean with metal objects, such as paper clips; use a toothpick.

Wi-Fi check

Go to Settings → Wi-Fi . Try connecting to a known network and surfing the Internet. Compare the signal quantity and quality of detected Wi-Fi networks with another phone.

Checking Bluetooth

Go to Settings → Bluetooth .
Turn on Bluetooth and try to detect any devices nearby. If the iPhone finds the devices, then the Bluetooth module is working. Be sure to compare the device search result with another phone. iPhone should not be discoverable via Bluetooth by other devices.

Face ID verification

This is the most important check and we will dwell on it in more detail. A lot of phones are sold with non-working Face ID and at very reasonable prices. Face ID is a feature that is very difficult to repair, so people prefer to sell such phones for a little less than the normal price.

Be sure to check Face ID before purchasing, otherwise it will be too late!

Go to Settings → Face ID & Passcode . Set up Face ID by following your phone's prompts. The procedure is long, as a last resort, ask sellers to demonstrate how face unlock works if his face is added to Face ID.

Disable Apple ID before purchasing

Ask the seller to disable his Apple ID and completely erase the iPhone. Only after this the iPhone is ready for sale. Never buy an iPhone with someone else's Apple ID!

Check by imei

At the production stage, each iPhone is assigned a unique identifier - IMEI, which is programmatically entered into the phone, printed on its box, and also registered on the case.

When authenticating an iPhone, make sure the IMEI matches both in the menu and on the back. An inappropriate indicator should indicate to you that either the device has been counterfeited, which the seller did not mention, for example, the case has been replaced, or this is not an iPhone at all.

apple company website

In addition to the IMEI, each Apple gadget has its own unique serial number, which can be used to verify its authenticity on the official Apple website.

On the Apple website you can check your phone by its serial number.

You will recognize it in the same section as the model number. To do this, open your iPhone's settings and go to the General section.

If you entered these numbers on the website and the message “Activate your device” appears on the screen, then the phone is new. When activation is completed, three items are displayed on the screen, opposite which there should be a check mark.

Select "About this device." The Serial Number column will contain a combination of letters and numbers that we will need later.

Go to the Apple website and check your device. In the window that opens, enter the serial number, enter the code from the figure below and run the test by clicking the “Continue” button.

The device under test will appear on the screen. If it is inactive, this will be reported.

In our case, we are talking about an already registered gadget, for which the expiration date of the additional warranty is indicated. If the “Technical support...” item is not marked with a checkmark, but with an exclamation mark, then the iPhone is not new and was activated more than three months ago. Technical support can be used within three months from the date of activation.

If there is an exclamation mark next to the line “Right to service...”, it means that the phone was activated more than one year ago and the warranty has expired.

If, as a result of checking in this way, you see a completely different device or the site does not identify the gadget by this number, then this is a Chinese non-original smartphone.

Check iPhone using barcode:

Enter 13 digit barcode:

Why does Apple even restore iPhone?

Products sold on Apple's online refurbished store are used smartphones that have been returned to Apple by customers who encountered a defect, such as a faulty SSD on a Retina MacBook Pro or dead pixels on an iPhone display. These may also be products that customers choose to recycle through Apple's recycling program, or products that are returned.

Apple repairs these products and replaces any faulty parts before putting them back on sale. Refurbished products are only available on the Apple website and are not offered in retail stores.

Manufacturer repairs are usually preferred as they guarantee a higher standard, although they are harder to find.

Refurbished phones are usually rated by retailers. Trading Standards tells us that these grades are not independently established so quality may vary, but they are generally determined as follows:

• Grade A – Appears new or has only very minor signs of handling or wear.
• Grade B - May have scratches, chips or other minor cosmetic damage.
• Grade C – will show signs of wear; Expect the product to look used.

Have you bought a refurbished iPhone?

Not really

What does "recovery" mean?

Many users do not understand what a “refurbished” device is. Did he fall into the water and was restored? Or did the firmware crash, or did the camera not work, and it was restored? Or perhaps the phone fell from a great height and broke?

In fact, it is a refurbished phone, which means it was once a used phone, but was handed over under warranty as part of a program called trade-in. In this case, the repair is carried out at Apple factories, where the smartphone is carefully reassembled, all components are checked, low-quality parts are replaced, the firmware is completely changed, and after repair, numerous tests are carried out. Once the phone has been checked and is working properly, it is packed back into a box with all the accessories and sent back to store shelves.

In this case, you need to understand that repairs are carried out only by Apple, and not by any third-party services. Therefore, only original equipment and high-quality components are used.

The case and glass must be changed so that the phone is like new, because after use, it most likely already has scratches, even minor ones.

Refurbished devices also have a 1-year warranty, in principle, like new smartphones, so there are no differences in this regard.

Features of the models

Each iPhone smartphone model has its own differences that you need to pay attention to when choosing a device.

iPhone XS and XR

Models such as XS and XR are not sold refurbished in the Russian Federation. They can only be found from private individuals who did the repairs themselves. If you are offered to purchase a refurbished iPhone XS or XR, check that all identification numbers match.

iPhone X

In official stores you can buy a refurbished iPhone X. The price for this model is 15% lower. The “like new” iPhone X box will not have a picture of the phone; the packaging is pure white, with an inscription on the front. In appearance, such a smartphone will not differ from a completely new one. There is no information on the restoration of the model on the device itself.

The iPhone 8 featured a powerful processor and a good camera.

The refurbished iPhone 8 is not a very popular model. Let us remember that the model was morally outdated even at the presentation. Apple, when releasing the eight, rushed and showed the future iPhone X. But still, fans of “Apple products” bought these smartphones, and some of them ended up being restored at the factory.

By the way, today this phone is still at its best in terms of hardware. The Apple A11 Bionic processor is especially good in them, which outperforms the Android Snapdragon 845.

The photos on it are better than those of Android flagships. Refurbished iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus also come with a one-year warranty and new accessories. The box also does not have a picture; we remind you that the letters RFB on the label in front of the device name indicate that the model is restored.

But due to the rapid release of the tenth model, buyers began to return this device en masse under warranty. Therefore, refurbished models are publicly available from official resellers. On the packaging of such phones they put o.

iPhone 7

Refurbished iPhone 7 and 7Plus are popular on the Russian market; the discount on such a device reaches 15% and this is a fairly favorable price. In addition, this model was popular at one time and it is precisely these phones that are now often handed over by owners under the trade-in program. This means that they are the ones who most often end up in the factory. So sellers are very tempted to sell a refurbished iPhone 7 at the price of a new one.

To avoid falling for this bait, look carefully at the box. There will be no image of the phone on it; the white box is a sign of the RFB model. Check your phone's IMEI on one of the verification sites. For example imeidata.net. This number can be seen on the label on the device packaging, as well as when connecting iTunes (of course, this is unlikely to be done in the store).

Camera

Modules from iPhone 5s

One of the most secretive Chinese spare parts. If you do not have a 100% original iPhone of the same model, you may not notice the difference with a “fake” camera.

General signs that your iPhone has a cheap Chinese camera : it is very yellow, the picture is a little cloudy and dark, and in the sun, instead of glare, black spots appear. The photos themselves turn out blurry even in good daylight.

It is not necessary to have all these signs; “Chineseness” comes in different forms. Also, cloudy photos can be a result of dust getting under the camera module or simply stains on the lens.

How much does it cost to replace the camera with the original: 1890 rubles. with guarantee

Differences between a refurbished phone and a fake one

If you buy Ref, it is important not to fall for a fake. To do this, immediately check the IMEI, model number and serial number. Even for a restored model, the data on the website will be leaked. If the data does not pass verification, then it is a fake.

You can distinguish a non-original one by its appearance. On the original iPhone 7, the touchpad vibrates. Fake models have mechanical keys. The device body should not crack when pressed.

Another simple check is to search for applications. Find any game or application that is not on Google Play. If the application is not found, then yours is not original.

Often on fakes there are slots for memory cards. There will never be slots like this on iPhones. Be sure to pay attention to this.

Companies engaged in unofficial iPhone restoration are a great danger. Such companies exist not only in China, but also in Russia. In workshops, an old broken iPhone is assembled into a device that is passed off as a reissue or a new one.

To save money, these repair shops buy phones that are recessed or have non-functioning components. Then they are completely disassembled, re-soldered, and non-functional parts are replaced with cheap, low-quality analogues. A “brand new” smartphone is packaged in a box similar to the original. Stickers with IMEI and serial code are glued on top. And such devices are sold mainly online.

Battery

Chinese batteries for iPhone as they are delivered to Russia.
Almost every iPhone purchased more than 3 years ago has already had its battery replaced. Their service life is 2 years, after which problems begin.

There is no way to determine visually and without disassembling the case whether the battery has been replaced or not. But you have a secret weapon.

It's called CoconutBattery for macOS. You can download the application here. Next are your steps:

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac

2. Launch CoconutBattery and open the iOS tab

3. See the real battery history in this iPhone.

If the device was purchased recently, then it will have very few charge cycles, and the actual capacity (lower green bar) will be between 90-100 percent.

But if you bought a used iPhone, and the application shows up to 100 charge-discharge cycles, the battery was replaced 100%. The same is true in the opposite situation: a new iPhone cannot lose more than 10% of its factory capacity, and the cycles should also not be more than 5.

Replacing the battery with an original one: from 1900 rubles. with guarantee

How to avoid getting a refurbished iPhone

Unfortunately, unscrupulous sellers have begun to take advantage of the market and interest in cheaper “refurbished” products. There are dozens of similar stories online where hundreds, if not thousands, of people have been duped into wanting to buy a phone, computer or tablet at an extremely attractive price, much less than what we have to pull out of our wallets in the traditional smartphone market.

Unfortunately, devices from Asian suppliers that are ordered by Russian intermediaries and delivered to the customer are rarely repaired at the factory. Most often this is simply used equipment, with non-original cases with replaced wear parts (displays, batteries, speakers, connectors), repackaged in boxes. At first glance, they really look like new ones bought in a store. Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, it turns out that the parts being replaced are often not original, and that these replacements are of very poor quality. Conclusion - buy equipment on the official Apple website or in trusted stores.

And you are not immune from it

By now, such stories have happened, if not to each of us, then to some friend. The profit from this method is too popular.

The only way to be 100% sure that your iPhone parts are original? Buy it from an official reseller or directly from Apple.

In all other cases, the degree of danger increases .

The biggest risks - and problems - are for those who take iPhones from any unofficial channels. There is simply scope for deception; it flourishes as a separate business.

Any conscientious buyer of a used iPhone carefully and thoughtfully checks the device , leaving nothing to chance. Even if the phone is bought in a store, sealed and not activated, you can run into a reassembly from Chinese, low-quality spare parts.

How to distinguish a refurbished iPhone from one repaired at a service center

In addition to factory-refurbished iPhones, there is iPhone seller refurbishing. When buying such a gadget, you take a risk, since it is not known who exactly repaired the smartphone.

Most often, “seller restoration” is carried out by companies that are actively buying smartphones, promising a new one with discounts. Then a new one is assembled from three old iPhones. This can be done even in a regular service center; another question is that they will not give any further guarantee here, nor will they bear any responsibility for the result. Post-repair tests are not going as well as we would like.

How to distinguish a factory-restored iPhone from a refurbished one:

• Check the model numbers in the phone settings, on the box and in iTunes;
• Check in iTunes to see if your smartphone is already registered. You can “reset” the entire history by serial number only on the iPhone; it is always sold unactivated, just like a regular new smartphone;
• To see when the smartphone sold to you was first activated, you need to enter its IMEI number on the website. It will be written here when the smartphone was activated (or not), what rights it has to warranty and service;
• Examine the model. Only in factory conditions can the bolts be tightened absolutely tightly, securing the lower part of the body; the “handicraft” work will be revealed by loosely fitting caps.

How do sellers deceive their buyers?

Many small sellers make money from customers by selling them not refurbished iPhones, but simply “dead” phones that had spare parts replaced at dubious service centers located somewhere in Russia. And it’s good if Moscow centers have worked on restoring the phone, but they often come across them from the outback... In any case, this is already a fake, and not a smartphone restored at factories, but simply repaired in Russia.

In stores, refurbished Apple smartphones are much cheaper than refurbished ones, which is why sellers are trying to make money from inexperienced users who decided to buy an iPhone slightly lower than the official price.

If the seller says that the iPhone has been restored, but the price is too low, refuse such an offer. Apple sets official prices for such devices, and the purchase price cannot be lower than the official one, and not a single store will operate at a loss, this is nonsense!

Is it worth buying

Refurbished devices are used, defective or damaged products that the customer returns during the warranty period to the manufacturer or an authorized service center where they are refurbished for resale. The purpose of the update is to bring the device to such a state that it is fully functional, at the level of a completely new product. However, it may show minor signs of use, such as scratches on parts of the case.

It happens that the equipment is completely intact on the outside. This is because some consumers return their devices within a few days of purchase. Thanks to this, you may find a practically new, fully functional product, but this happens quite rarely.

iPhone repair is beneficial for both manufacturers and consumers. The manufacturer, instead of disposing of returned or faulty equipment, renews and sells it, thereby incurring less losses. On the other hand, a consumer who buys “almost new” equipment can save a lot of money. The lower price of the product is mainly due to the fact that the device has already been unboxed and/or used and cannot be considered new.

Restoring returns the device to working condition. The service life of such a product and its ease of use depend primarily on who was responsible for the update process. It is recommended to purchase this type of device from reputable companies, preferably from the manufacturer Apple itself, avoiding Chinese companies that often use non-original parts in the repair or restoration process.

On the official Apple website you can buy such products with a one-year warranty. The company guarantees that after the regeneration process the product will be as good as new and 15% cheaper. The refurbished device has the battery and external housing components replaced. Apple ships the hardware with accessories, cables, and the original operating system.

If you select a device refurbished on such a platform, please review the warranty terms for the offer you select. It should be remembered that regardless of whether the product is sold new or refurbished, as long as the buyer is a consumer, regardless of the condition of the device, he has consumer rights (including the right of return, two-year warranty).

Advantages of equipment repaired by the manufacturer:

• Lower purchase price compared to a new device;
• It has been refurbished to quality standards;
• Manufacturer's warranty;
• Only original spare parts used for repairs.

Bottom line

If you have 1-1.5 thousand dollars, it is better to buy a certified and original iPhone. Buying a new smartphone has many advantages - ideal communication quality, all working functions, no problems with service repairs. The original warranty period is 2 years.

During the first 14 days from the date of purchase, a cell phone you don’t like can be returned to the store. If your iPhone breaks during the warranty period, Apple's service center will repair it free of charge. In case of serious damage, an exchange is possible.

If you don’t have enough money to buy the original, you can buy an iPhone refurbished by Apple. Externally, it is indistinguishable from a new device. But the price of a refurbished smartphone is much lower (about $500). However, it is not known how the refresh will behave during operation. Buying a refurbished iPhone is a lottery. After all, during operation, faults left over from the old smartphone may appear. However, in most cases, refurbished Apple phones work fine.

Myths about refurbished iPhones

Are you still afraid of Refs and think that buying them is dangerous? We have collected several popular misconceptions about these devices and are ready to refute them.

• Do “refs” often break? – Manufacturers claim that all refurbished iPhones undergo manual testing rather than machine testing. This means that the risk of manufacturing defects is almost eliminated. Apple devices rarely break down, so you can get by with a refurbished phone for several years. If you come across a Chinese fake, and not a device re-released from the factory, it will break within a few months.

• “Refs” do not cost much less than new devices? – Apple equipment is expensive, so even a 5% discount is already a large amount. And for refurbished phones the price is reduced by 15%.
• The only advantage of a refurbished iPhone is its price? – No, from the official reseller you will also receive a one-year warranty. If the smartphone breaks, it will be repaired or replaced.

Touch ID

Chinese. Works as a button, does not work as a sensor.

He simply has to work. There are no “buts”, factory defects, stories about a mythical failure after a firmware update. If you were told them when you bought the device, I sympathize.

A non-working Touch ID indicates one of three things, and they are not mutually exclusive:

1. The phone fell and broke, and so did the sensor. Replaced.

2. The phone sank, the button stopped working. Replaced.

3. The phone was repaired and the Touch ID cable was broken (very easily). Not replaced.

The trick is that Touch ID cannot be taken and replaced so that it continues to work. Each such sensor is tied to the processor and motherboard. If it breaks, then the situation can only be corrected by completely replacing both the motherboard and the sensor - and this costs as much as half an iPhone.

So never buy a device without a working Touch ID. And if you bought it, then know that you were deceived.

How much does it cost to replace Touch ID with the original: you can replace it, but the sensor itself will not work. Price is negotiable.

Prices for refurbished iPhone

Prices for refurbished iPhones are lower than for new models. This is the main advantage of such smartphones. Often phones are returned to the factory that have not even been used. In some cases, due to operational problems, buyers return iPhones under warranty. All defective parts are replaced and the gadget is brought to the state of a new device.

You can save a lot and buy a phone in perfect condition if you contact official dealers. Buying refurbished iPhones from private individuals is a dubious idea. They may try to sell you a counterfeit device or a device without warranty that was not restored at an official service center.

You can buy a refurbished iPhone here

Average prices for the market:

Buttons

These are Chinese.
It is almost indistinguishable from the original, if only from the inside and with extensive repair experience. All buttons in all iPhones, starting with the iPhone 5s, completely match the color of the case . They should not be lighter or darker, unless they have completely faded over time. A different shade indicates the installation of either “left” buttons or a “left” housing.

Important: all modern iPhones, especially iPhones 5-6, have “play” in the lock button and often in the Mute mode switch. This is a design feature that doesn't mean anything.

By the way, there are a lot of defects on the iPhone 5 with the lock button and its cable, beware. Just know that in your device, purchased second-hand, this cable has already been replaced.

Replacing iPhone buttons with original ones: from RUB 1,900. with guarantee