Screen Both What you look at every day. It carries the most weight and caps the overall grade. | Open-box condition, effectively unused. No wear of any kind, even up close. | Used, but no signs of wear from an arm's length away. | A few fine marks you'll catch up close at an angle. Still invisible while you use it. | Light scratches you can see during normal use. The display itself still looks perfect. | Deep scratches, chips, dings, or a minor pressure mark / dark spot on the display. Everything still works. | Cracked, dead pixels, burn-in, or dead touch spots. We can't ship it. |
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Case / Body Both The frame, sides, corners, and back — everything outside the screen. | Flawless. No scratches, nicks, dents, or discoloration anywhere. | A few light scratches at most. No nicks, dents, or deep marks. | Light scratches and maybe a small nick or two. No dents. | Clear wear. Scratches, nicks, and/or a dent or two. Color may have faded slightly. | Heavy wear all over, but still solid and fully usable. | Bent frame, cracked back glass, or water damage. We can't ship it. |
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Battery Both The letter tracks the health % — and A+ also requires 20 charge cycles or fewer. Listings always show both the letter and the exact number. | 98% or higher. 20 cycles or less. Holds a charge like the day it shipped. | 90%+. Strong all-day battery. | 85–89%. Solid for a full day of normal use. | 80–84%. Still gets you through the day, just to the charger a little sooner. | Under 80%. Works, but we tell buyers a replacement is recommended. | Swelling, a service warning, or any hardware fault. We can't ship it. |
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Ports / Charging Both Charging port, wireless charging, SIM tray, headphone jack — tested with a known-good cable. | Every port like new. Charges fast the moment you plug in, wireless on the first try. | A trace of lint or wear inside, nothing you'd notice. Charges at full speed. | A little wear inside. Charges reliably with any standard cable. | Takes a careful plug-in, then charges at full speed. | Charges only slowly, or wireless doesn't work, or the SIM tray is bent (still seats). | Won't charge, cuts in and out, or a port is broken. We can't ship it. |
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Cameras Both Every lens tested — front and rear on phones, the webcam on laptops. | Every lens flawless. Sharp instant focus, full-strength flash. | A speck of dust you'd only spot on a white-wall test. Invisible in real photos. | A little scuffing on the lens cover at an angle. Photos look fine. | Visible scratches on the lens cover that can add a slight haze in backlit shots. | Heavy lens scratches with visible haze, or one extra lens not pulling its weight. | Cracked lens, dead camera, or focus that won't work. We can't ship it. |
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Biometrics Both Face ID / Touch ID, set up fresh and unlocked 10+ times across angles and lighting. | Sets up clean and unlocks instantly, every single time. | Sets up clean and unlocks reliably at normal speed. | Reliable day to day. Once in a while it needs a second look or touch. | Works most of the time. Sometimes takes a second try. | Works, but noticeably slower or pickier. We note it on the listing. | Doesn't work, or it's disabled in hardware. We can't ship it. |
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Speakers + Mic Both Checked with a real phone call, loud playback, and a voice-memo recording. | Crystal clear at any volume. No distortion even maxed out. | Clear at every volume. Just a touch of distortion on bass-heavy tracks at max. | Clear in normal use. Some distortion at max volume on certain content. | A little scratchy or thin at high volume. | Tinny even at moderate volume, or one backup mic sounds muffled. We note it. | A dead speaker, dead mics, or call audio that fails. We can't ship it. |
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Buttons Phones Power, volume, and the mute / Action button. | Every button feels new. Crisp click, full press, no rattle. | All work great. One might feel a hair less crisp. | All work reliably. A little softer than new, but never a missed press. | One button is stiff or needs a firmer press, but always works. | One button is hit-or-miss, or the mute switch is loose. We note the workaround. | A button that doesn't work, is stuck, or is broken. |
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Keyboard Laptops Every key pressed individually, and the backlight checked across all zones. | Every key feels new. Crisp click, full travel, no rattle. | Every key works. One or two feel a touch less crisp. | Every key works reliably. A little shine on the most-used keys. | Visible wear on the keycaps. One backlight zone a bit dim. | One key needs a firmer press but always works, or the backlight is noticeably uneven. | A dead, stuck, or missing key, or liquid damage. We can't ship it. |
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Trackpad Laptops Surface checked for wear, click tested 10×, multi-finger gestures verified. | Flawless surface. Crisp, even click. Every gesture responds. | A trace of scuffing you'd only see at an angle. Click stays crisp. | Light surface wear that doesn't affect use. Click is reliable everywhere. | Visible scuffs. Click feels a little different edge-to-center. | Heavy wear, a mushy or uneven click, or the occasional missed gesture. | Broken click, cracked surface, or gestures that fail. We can't ship it. |
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Interior case / body Laptops Palm rest, deck, hinge interior, and the inner bezel around the screen. | Flawless inside. No palm-rest wear, no discoloration. | A micro-mark or two. No darkening on the palm rest. | Light palm-rest wear from normal use. A minor mark here or there. | Visible palm-rest darkening and marks across the deck. | Heavy palm-rest wear, dents in the deck, or scuffing around the hinge. | Liquid-damage marks, corrosion, or structural damage. We can't ship it. |
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