Buying a new phone isn’t always as easy as it sounds. With so many devices spanning across multiple manufacturers, carriers, and sizes, navigating today’s phone market can be tough for those who aren’t tech savvy. Sometimes you just need a good place to start. That’s where Swappa’s Phone Finder comes in.
The Phone Finder is a handy tool that helps you find a phone that meets your specific needs and budget. It’s perfect for people buying phones for their children, parents, or anyone in need of a quick replacement and need help figuring out what to look for. Here’s how it works.
Choose your wireless provider
Of course, the most important part of when shopping around for a used phone is making sure it’s compatible with your wireless provider. It’s the first option you’ll find in the Phone Finder, allowing you to choose between Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and more, allowing you to only show devices that will operate on your specific carrier.
Don’t see your carrier listed? Then consider shopping for an unlocked device. These are devices that aren’t locked down to a single carrier and work on one or more networks (sometimes all of them), although you should check which wireless bands the phone supports and see if they’re compatible with your wireless provider. For a more detailed explanation on unlocked phones, check out the post below.
Read more: What it means to buy an unlocked phone
Pick your size preference
For most people, the form factor of a device is their second main factor in their decision making process. A phone with a display that’s too small may be hard to read, too big and it may be uncomfortable to use. Everyone has a preference.
That’s why we allow you to target the general size of the phones you may be looking for. This is usually measured by screen size and generally speaking, lower-end, entry-level devices tend to have smaller displays. The obvious exception to this being the iPhone which features a 4.7-inch model all the way up to the most recent iPhone 8.
Unfortunately, things get a little tricky as aspect ratios for Android devices have dramatically changed in recent years, making a 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 around the same physical size as the 4.7-inch iPhone 8 — only the Galaxy has a much larger display area. Something to keep in mind when shopping for devices with 18:9 aspect ratios.
Set your budget
This is pretty self-explanatory. Chances are you have a good, general ballpark of how much you’re looking to invest into a used phone. It’s good to have a budget and nothing will take your money further than buying a used phone on Swappa.
You use this option to cap how much you’re willing to spend. Just keep in mind that more recent smartphones will be in the $200-600 range, whereas newer devices — like those released in the past few months — will likely be $600 up. The more recent the device, the more likely it will hold up over time.
Pick your favorite manufacturer
Here you’ll be able to pick your desired manufacturer. We’ve listed the most popular brands for you — from Apple, to Samsung and the like — with everything else falling into the “other” category.
Unsure or don’t have a particular preference at all? Just tick all the little boxes and you can sift through the results later.
Your results
At this point in the Phone Finder you will have narrowed down the list to devices that support your carrier, the overall size you prefer, and from the manufacturers you care about most.
Using all the list criteria specific to your needs, all you have to do now is sift through the results, compare the prices, and hardware features. Because once you’ve narrowed down your options to a handful of devices, you’ll be in a much better position to find the perfect phone for you.
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The Swappa marketplace is the easiest — and safest — way to find the best deals on a used iPhone or Android phone. In fact, you don’t even have to worry about paying for shipping, it’s all included right there in the listing price. And because Swappa purchases are protected by PayPal, you get exactly what you paid for, or you get a refund. It’s that simple.
We hope our Phone Finder tool was helpful in matching you with a phone tailored to your needs. If you know someone shopping for a newish phone, feel free to share this post with them. If you’d like to check out the Phone Finder for yourself, just hit the link below to get started.
