The functioning of electronic goods cannot be predicted beforehand. A good may work well for years on end without requiring servicing or it might start acting up within a few months of buying it. Phones are no different. Cell phones from well-known brands can start malfunctioning despite being handled carefully. Therefore, you should inspect the new handset that you want to buy.

• Before going to a store or clicking on “add to cart” in an online shopping facility, you should do all possible research on the cell phone that you want to buy. You can ask around or post a question to a well-known techie for answers. You can also compare among models on online websites to find the one that offers the most number of features at the lowest prices.

  

• Once you have decided which model to buy, you can start looking for it at your located authorised dealer.

• When you inspect new smart phones, you should bear certain things in mind:

1. Feel around the phone to note dents or grazed paints. If the dealer breaks open the seal of the box to show you a phone, then you can be sure that it is a perfectly new model. However, it won’t hurt you to inspect a little.
2. Open up the back cover of the phone. Check the battery slot and if you are considering dual sim phones, then check for the slot and their functionality.
3. You should also test the touchscreen or keypad (depending on the type of phone you want to buy) and check whether it functions well.
4. Make a call from the cell phone. Depending on the feedback of the call, you can judge whether you should buy this phone. Look for whirring sounds, or cross connections to other phone lines or cracking of voices etc. Ask the person whom you have called to give you a feedback on whether s/he could hear clearly enough.
5. Test the charger of the cell phone by plugging it to a socket. You should also check the headphones of the cell phone.
6. Once you have done a proper check of the physical faculties of the phone, you should check the warranty papers. Without the warranty papers, you will not be able to get your cell phone serviced if there is any problem.
7. After buying the phone, you should check the phone’s battery. Once you go back home, plug in the charger and recharge the battery on your phone. Recharge the phone for a long as the phone doesn’t signal you to switch off the charger. After you have charged the phone fully, record for how long the charge lasts.

By following these pointers, you will be able to buy a decent phone from an authorised dealer. However, sometimes problems crop up once you have begun using the phone full-fledged. Hence, you should keep the receipt and warranty card handy to get your phone fixed, in case any of these problems crop up.