To determine a phone if it’s a second hand or not can be a tough job.
For Android phones, dial ##786# or *#*#786#*#* and scroll down the RTN screen to Reconditioned status. Here are only two possible status entries:
Yes – Your phone is a refurbished model (this will only appear if it is has been refurbished by the manufacturer).
No – Congratulations, your phone is not a refurbished model. Instead, it is factory new.
For Iphone, you can decipher the device model prefix to determine the original status of an iPhone (and probably an iPad too) device. The process would be this:
Open the “Settings” app on the iPhone
Go to “General” and then go to “About”
Look for “Model” and then read the model identifier next to that text, it will look something like “MN572LL/A”, the first character will let you know if the device is new, refurbished, replacement, or personalized:
M – Brand new device, meaning the device was purchased new
F – Refurbished device, meaning the device has been through refurbishing process
N – Replacement device, meaning the original device was replaced by this model likely due to a service request
P – Personalized device with engraving, meaning the device was customized with an engraving on purchase