Buying Guide
Check battery health before buying a used phone
5 min read
The battery is the component that degrades most with use, and the hidden cost buyers overlook most often when shopping second-hand.
Batteries degrade by charge cycles, not purely by age. Two phones of identical age can have very different battery health depending on how the previous owner used them.
Benchmarks worth holding to
- Acceptable battery health
- 80% or above
- Negotiate the price
- below 80%
- Average cycles per year
- ~350
for everyday use
to cover a replacement
typical user
What to ask the seller for
- A screenshot of battery health from the settings menu
- Whether the battery was replaced, and whether at an authorised centre
- A live charging test — it should charge normally without unusual heat