In this category the camera has one job above all others: prove it works.
The shot that sells
Video of it powering on, reaching the home screen or the desktop, with the settings page showing the model and storage. Thirty seconds, no editing.
The shot that prevents the dispute
The screen on, at an angle, on a white background and then a black one. Dead pixels show on white; burn-in and uneven backlight show on grey and black. One frame each.
The list
- Boot video
- Screen on, white and black test frames
- Front, back and all four edges
- Ports and buttons, close
- Any dent, scuff or crack
- Battery health screen, where the device reports it
- Everything included, laid out — charger, cable, box, case
Light
Soft and off-axis. Glass fronts mirror the room, so shoot with the light behind you and slightly to one side, and watch for your own reflection — it is in almost every phone listing ever made.
A screen photographs best at a slightly lower brightness than you would use normally.
The sentence that goes with the photographs
That it has been signed out of all accounts, removed from your account, and factory reset. Photographs cannot show that, and it is the thing that most often goes wrong. Selling electronics.
What goes wrong
Using the manufacturer's product image, photographing a screen that is off, and shooting a cracked back in shadow. Intellectual property.
Questions people ask
How do I show a scratch on glass?
Angle the light across it with the screen off. It appears instantly.
Should I show the serial number?
Photograph it for your own records. Think carefully before publishing it.
What if it does not switch on?
Then it is untested or for parts, in the title, and the photographs should show that honestly.
More: describing condition, common mistakes.