iPhone 7/Plus Purchasing used iPhone 7

[Morenj89]

Hello, I’m needing a little help with purchasing a used iPhone 7. My wife’s galaxy broke and she’s wanting to join the Apple world. I’ve been with Apple for years and have an XR. She’s okay with going for a used phone before we lock into a new 1k plus iPhone. We’ve decided on the 7 128 gb. But purchasing used is stressful.

Questions:
1. How do I ensure the phone will work on Verizon? I know some of these phones say unlocked but came from T-Mobile or sprint etc. I thought if they came from another carrier they won’t work with Verizon?

2. What is a good way to verify the phone is not stolen?

3. what are good ways to test the phone if if reset from factory? I’m guessing you can’t look into the“about” section or check battery Heath.

4. What are good tests to run and things to inspect before purchase?

 

[LovingTeddy]

Go to Apple website and see if iPhone 7 is in their clearing out sections. This would be your best bet.

If you can find a store carries refurbished iPhone, you should check out. Because you can test them and these refurbished phone are generally safe and legal.

There are some stores within lets you test out the phone before you purchase.

Generally, I would enable assistive touch, and drag this little circle around the display. If at any point, you loss the circle, then maybe the phone has touch problems. I would also check if speakers, earpiece and microphone works by using build in voice recorder.

That is probably what I would do

 

[Puppuccino]

As above, check the refurbished section or go for an iPhone 8 as that’s the oldest model they sell new but is now quite affordable now new flagships are out.

 

[valinda]

Where are you buying your phone from? I have Verizon. The only place I have bought used phones is from Swappa. 3 of them, but I’ve only bought Verizon and sim free models.

 

[now i see it]

DONT BUY A USED IPHONE 7.
They're time bombs. It's the most unreliable iPhone apple has ever made. A better choice is a 6S or of course a 8

 

[Morenj89]

Is a 6S that much better? I hated my 6. Wasn’t an S. And I was looking on FB Marketplace and refurbished local stores.

 

[willmtaylor]

DONT BUY A USED IPHONE 7.
They're time bombs. It's the most unreliable iPhone apple has ever made. A better choice is a 6S or of course a 8

Weird bc it’s my daily driver with no issues (and this also true for many others).

 

[now i see it]

with no issues

yet

 

[44267547]

DONT BUY A USED IPHONE 7.
They're time bombs. It's the most unreliable iPhone apple has ever made. A better choice is a 6S or of course a 8

^ In regards to the post I’m quoting here, this member specifically had an issue with their iPhone 7 at an Apple store, [where there was a big dispute over a defect versus something with an Apple repair ‘gone wrong’, where the OP left with a broken 7 that the OP wanted to blame Apple for a ‘defect’ if I recall correctly ].

I can tell you personally, the iPhone 7 was my favorite iPhone of all time, zero issues, if it wasn’t for a trade-in, then I would’ve kept it even longer. We all have our own anecdotal feedback, but I thought it was one of Apples best iPhones over the course of the 6/6s/7/8.

 

[newellj]

1. Where - if Apple doesn't have refurbs (which you can trust 100%, and are 100% backed by Apple), look on Swappa.com. Swappa has very strict standards and is very buyer-friendly if the phone is not as advertised.

2. Phone - I think "most unreliable" is a big overstatement, but I went through four or five of them when I bought it when it was launched due to bad modems, and the reason I replaced (after roughly 27 months) was because the modem died completely. Take that for what it's worth. One takeaway would be that the fact that it's still operating well today doesn't mean it couldn't die tomorrow.

 

[willmtaylor]

yet

Pretty sure that’s a textbook example of what’s called a fallacy of ignorance. Actually, normalcy bias is probably more apt now that I think about it.
Regardless, you’re obviously jaded and it’s tainting your wits.

 

[ray6088]

DONT BUY A USED IPHONE 7.
They're time bombs. It's the most unreliable iPhone apple has ever made. A better choice is a 6S or of course a 8

It is true. 2 of my iPhone 7 had audio issues, can't talk on the phone unless using bluetooth. Avoid iPhone 7 if you likely to drop your phone or leaving tight jeans pocket.

 

[Minorite]

Having a second "No service" issue during a year Not a problem if you have Apple Store nearby (free replacement program), but get ready to look for a repair shop if you don't have it.

 

[steelhauler34]

Verizon sells verified used/refurbished ones on ebay. You are buying directly from them. I just found them. Think they were like 270 to 350 depending on capacity and condition. That was 7+ phones I am sure regular 7 is even cheaper.
From research and a thread I posted on here for Verizon you need model A1660 7 and model A1661 7+ and to make sure it isnt locked to sprint. An unlocked a1661 or 1660 is what you need and me as well

 

[rdy0329]

Chipset-wise, the A10 is set to follow the footsteps of A7 in terms of longevity, a testament to that is the base-iPad 2019 still using A10 w/ 3GB of RAM.

iPhone 7 Plus users have been enjoying performance overhead since launch and tbh, it’s just starting to break a sweat.

In terms of quality control, the 7 has known issues with regards to audio:
My 7 Plus‘ mic stopped working (garbled noise) almost a year in, Apple confirmed and replaced the unit.
My Sister’s 7 also had an issue with one of the stereo speaker going out (Tip: enable Mono Audio If you have this problem and don’t want to have it fixed).
The known issues might have passed Apple’s QC testing as most problems only shows up later in the life of the phone.

Build quality is one of the best of the iPhones, it’s also one of the aluminium build iPhones that I rocked without a case and held up pretty well before being replaced.

Also: iPhone 7 and 7 Plus is still being sold in developing nations. I suggest getting the 7 Plus For RAM Battery Life and sharper display.