Second Hand Mobile Phones, What to Look Out For

Smartphones are funny little things; one second a certain one will have the media all gooey eyed and bubbling over specifications, and the next it’ll be second best to a 30 day newer handset. It’s fair to say then that consumers want the best of the best when it comes to smartphones and want to have all of the latest features, however a lot of slightly older generation second hand mobile phones are capable of doing almost what the newer generation can.

Examples of smartphone’s that apply to the above category include the iPhone 4, which can run iOS 5 just fine as seen in the iPhone 4S, and even Siri can be ported over to the iPhone 4 if you know how. A used iPhone, then, may be better for you price wise than the newer model which looks exactly the same anyway. Other examples of capable mobile phones include Android smartphone’s. Last years smartphone’s with single-core, 1GHz processors (not the dual-core we know so well now) can run system heavy tasks and apps almost as well as the latest handset. An example of a very capable smartphone with a single-core processor is the HTC Desire S.

Of course, going for a used smartphone has its quarrels. First of all, you know straight away that the handset has been played around on by somebody else and possibly even chucked down the stairs a few times. This for a lot of people is enough of a turning point to skip second hand mobiles, however generally when up for sale people are very honest regarding how they have been kept and the condition they are in. Tell-tale signs of a smartphone being dropped heavily on to a hard surface include corner damage (scratches, abrasions) and also hairline cracks in the corner of cases if plastic.

More and more commonly, a lot of people are switching from Blackberry devices to the iPhone and Android offerings. This is down to a few reasons, however that isn’t to say that Blackberry handsets aren’t neat little devices. Particularly, Blackberry handsets are excellent for IM with thanks to the tactile devices having hardware keyboards, and what’s more, the e-mail client for BB is utterly brilliant. Finding a used Blackberry then is pretty easy too, however as above you should take note of the condition of the handset before a dedicated purchase.

Overall, you can pick up some real bargains online regarding second hand mobiles, and I know a number of people who have picked up Motorola Droid’s and Sony Ericsson Vivaz’s at phenomenal prices. As always, read reviews before you buy a handset to check out what features you will and won’t like, and hopefully you’ll get the perfect handset at the perfect price; also, you’ll be helping the planet out too.

This has been a sponsored post.