Getting started

Quick start: grade a phone

Grade one used phone to UGP v1.0, step by step: identity, function, battery, locks, data, cosmetic inspection, parts, kit and the claim.

This walk-through grades one used phone. It summarises the specification; each step links to the section that governs it.

1. Identify the device and check it is not lost or stolen

Record the make, model, model number, storage, colour, region and IMEI or serial number. Then run a lost/stolen (blacklist) check against a database covering the device's market: Device Check Canada in Canada, or a GSMA Device Check–based service elsewhere. Record the source and the date.

Without a check, the grader or seller can instead declare that the device is not reported lost or stolen, and answers for that declaration; the record says blacklist: {status: "clear", basis: "declared"}, and the declaration is disclosed with the grade. With neither a check nor a declaration, the status is Not graded. §9.3

A device reported lost or stolen, counterfeit, recalled as unsafe, or whose software and hardware IMEIs differ is PROHIBITED. Stop here; it gets no grade.

2. Test every function

Test the key functions: power on and off, display, touch, SIM detection, calls with earpiece and microphone, and charging. Then the secondary functions: speakers, every camera and the flash, Face ID / Touch ID / fingerprint, buttons and switches, sensors, vibration, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, and wireless charging and the headset jack where fitted. §16.1

Record each fault with its code from the fault lexicon. No faults gives functional status FF. Any fault means status Repair (or Parts), not a grade. §7.4

3. Read the battery

Take the battery health from the operating system or a diagnostic tool, and record it as measured. Without a reading, the grader can declare "≥ 80%" and answers for that declaration. §8.3

Battery	Result
90% or more, measured	Gradable, and eligible for Premium
80–89% measured, or declared ≥ 80%	Gradable
Below 80%	Status Repair
No reading and no declaration	Status Not graded

§8.2

4. Check locks and the carrier lock

A grade needs the device clear of Activation Lock / Find My, Google FRP, manufacturer accounts, MDM or enrolment, and financing holds. Any of these, or not knowing, gives status ENCUMBERED. §9.1

A carrier (operator) lock does not stop a grade, but it is disclosed wherever the grade is shown, naming the carrier. §9.2

5. Wipe the data

Sanitise to NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 2 and IEEE 2883, and record the method, tool and revision. On a phone with hardware encryption, a factory reset counts when the phone reaches its first-run setup screen with every account and activation state cleared. A device not sanitised, or of unknown state, is UNSANITIZED. §10.1

6. Inspect the cosmetic condition

Use the viewing conditions of the inspection protocol: cool-white light of at least 500 lumens, normal or corrected vision, the device held about 45 cm (18 in) away, about 4 seconds per surface and 6 seconds on the display, the display tilted to 45° to find cracks, and magnification only to confirm a defect's size. §5.4

Figure 1 · Phone surface zones (front · back)AADisplay + camera lensesAFront housingBBack, sides, buttonsCConnectors

Count defects per zone: AA the display and camera lenses, A the front housing, B the back, sides, buttons and ports area, C the connectors. Size each scratch from S1 (seen only at an angle) to S4 (a fingernail catches and stops), and record dents (DN), chips (CH) and wear (X). §5.2

Any crack, missing external part or triggered liquid-damage indicator means status Repair. Otherwise the counts place the device in the best grade whose column it fits:

ProvisionalMax count per zone, forSource: §5.5 tolerance table

AADisplay + camera lenses
S1 ≤ 4S2 ≤ 1
AFront housing
S2 ≤ 5
BBack, sides, buttons
S2 ≤ 10DN1 ≤ 2CH1 ≤ 1
CConnectors
S2 ≤ 3

Exceeds any zone? It drops to Good.

Zone	A · Like New	B · Very Good	C · Good	D · Acceptable
AAdisplay + lenses	S1 ≤ 2	S1 ≤ 4 · S2 ≤ 1	S1 ≤ 6 · S2 ≤ 3	S2 any · S3 ≤ 3 · no S4
Afront housing	S1 ≤ 3 · S2 ≤ 1	S2 ≤ 5	S2 ≤ 5 · S3 ≤ 1 · CH1 ≤ 1	S3 ≤ 6 · S4 ≤ 2 · CH2 permitted
Bback / sides	S1 ≤ 5 · S2 ≤ 2 · DN1 ≤ 1	S2 ≤ 10 · DN1 ≤ 2 · CH1 ≤ 1	S2 any · S3 ≤ 3 · DN2 ≤ 2 · CH1 ≤ 2 · X minor	S1–S3 any · S4 ≤ 4 · DN3 if fit and seal are unaffected · X permitted
Cconnectors	S2 ≤ 3	S2 ≤ 3	any; contacts undamaged	any; contacts work

Provisional

The A–D counts are provisional in this public comment draft. Records carry tolerance_table: "phone-1.0-provisional", and raw defects are stored so grades can be recomputed. §5.5

7. Record parts and kit

Record each tracked part (battery, display, rear cameras, front camera, logic board) as genuine, non-genuine, used-genuine, unknown or not checkable. Non-genuine parts are allowed in grades A–D and are disclosed by name. §10.2

Record the kit: full, partial (list what is missing) or unit only. The kit is disclosed and never changes the grade. §10.4

8. Derive the status, grade and core code

Apply the status rules in order; the first that matches wins. A device that matches none is READY and gets exactly one grade from its cosmetic value. §11.1

For a phone with light body marks, a declared battery, unverified parts and no box, the core code is U1UGP version · UGP version 1 §18.2-PHNDevice class · Phone §16-CBCosmetic · Within the Very Good tolerance §5.3-FFFunctional · Fully functional §7.3-B80DBattery · 80% health or more, declared §8-LCAccount and management locks · Clear §9.1-RUCarrier lock · Unlocked §9.2-DWData · Sanitised, declared §10.1-PUParts · Parts not verified §10.2-KHKit · Unit only, no box or accessories §10.4: Very Good, battery declared ≥ 80%, parts not verified, unit only. §12.5

Paste any code into the decoder to check it.

9. Make the claim

State the version, the conformance level and the verification tier wherever the grade is sold:

Graded to UGP v1.0 · UGP-Full · V0 Declared

A letter or a name alone, without the version, is not a conformant claim. §13.3