Apple iPhone 12 series buying guide: which one to choose/where to buy/how to deal with the old one

At the October press conference at 1:00 am on October 14, Apple officially launched the annual flagship iPhone 12 series.

The biggest change of the new iPhone 12 series is the rounded shape of the middle frame, the right-angle design similar to iPad Pro, and the introduction of the new iPhone 12 mini model for the first time. The compact model size is matched with the 5.4-inch OLED full screen. Apple calls it the world’s lightest, smallest and thinnest 5G mobile phone.

In addition, the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max have also upgraded the camera, adding a LiDAR sensor on the basis of three cameras, supporting higher optical zoom multiples, better smart HDR, and full lens Applicable new night scene mode.

If your wallet is ready to be opened to the iPhone 12 series, please refer to this “iPhone 12 Series Buying Guide” before buying the phone to learn more about the purchase information of these four models, and you may be able to “chop hands” When you can be more confident.

What are the differences between the four models?

Different from previous years, this year’s iPhone 12 series includes four models. Among them, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max are iteration models of last year’s iPhone 11 series, and iPhone 12 mini is a new model this year.

The most obvious difference between the four iPhone 12s is the screen size (body size). The smallest iPhone 12 mini is equipped with a 5.4-inch OLED full screen, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro use a 6.1-inch full screen, and the largest iPhone 12 Pro Max is equipped The 6.7-inch screen is the iPhone with the largest display area ever, and it is larger than the 6.5 inches of the iPhone XS Max and iPhone 11 Pro Max in the previous two years.

But if you choose from the screen size, iPhone 12 mini is obviously more suitable for some users who have small hands and prefer small-size phones , because the body size of this model is close to the iPhone 8 series. However, due to the full-screen design, it can accommodate a larger 5.4-inch screen and achieve the effect of “small body “big” screen”.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max is more suitable for users who are pursuing the “extremely large screen”. The iPhone XS Max and iPhone 11 Pro Max in the previous two years were equipped with a 6.5-inch screen, while this year’s iPhone 12 Pro Max has a screen size of 6.7 inches. The size of the whole machine is larger.

The differences in parameters and functions of the four iPhone 12s can be referred to the following figure:

Which version is more cost-effective to buy?

Although Apple’s pricing strategy changes and domestic e-commerce platform subsidies have made the country’s iPhone, which had a somewhat high price, become popular in the past two years, it still cannot stop some digital enthusiasts from pursuing more “affordable” non-national banks. The most representative versions are the Hong Kong version, the US version, and the Japanese version.

Among the three popular non-BOC versions, the most cost-effective version should be the Hong Kong version, because it can enjoy the domestic warranty policy on the basis of its price advantage .

Although the US and Japanese versions are also competitive in terms of price, due to warranty reasons, they may not be the mainstream version that most people choose. They are more suitable for people whose relatives and friends are abroad and can be brought back by human flesh.

Specific to the price comparison in each region, let’s look at the data we summarized below. It should be noted that the US and Japanese versions listed below are excluding tax.

▎iPhone 12 mini

* Pre-order time: 8:00 pm, November 6, Beijing time

* Sale time: November 13th, Beijing time

iPhone 12 mini 64GB

Mainland China: RMB 5499

Hong Kong, China: HKD 5,999丨Approximately RMB 5,200

United States: US$699丨Approximately RMB 4670

Japan: 74,800 yen丨about 4760 yuan

iPhone 12 mini 128GB

Mainland China: RMB 5999

Hong Kong, China: HKD 6,499丨Approximately RMB 5,630

United States: US$749丨Approximately RMB 5030

Japan: 79,800 yen丨about 5,080 yuan

iPhone 12 mini 256GB

Mainland China: RMB 6799

Hong Kong, China: HKD 7,299丨about RMB 6,330

United States: US$849丨about RMB 5700

Japan: 90,800 yen丨about 5780 yuan

▎iPhone 12

* Pre-order time: 8:00 pm, October 16, Beijing time (this Friday)

* Sale time: October 23, Beijing time (next Friday)

iPhone 12 64GB

Mainland China: RMB 6299

Hong Kong, China: HK$6799丨Approximately RMB 5990

United States: US$799丨about RMB 5370

Japan: 85,800 yen丨about 5460 yuan

iPhone 12 128GB

Mainland China: RMB 6799

Hong Kong, China: HKD 7,299丨about RMB 6,330;

United States: US$849丨approximately RMB 5700;

Japan: 90,800 yen丨about 5780 yuan

iPhone 12 256GB

Mainland China: RMB 7599

Hong Kong, China: HKD 8,099 丨 Approximately RMB 7020

United States: US$949丨Approximately RMB 6,380

Japan: 101800 yen丨about 6500 yuan

▎iPhone 12 Pro

* Pre-order time: 8:00 pm, October 16, Beijing time (this Friday)

* Sale time: October 23, Beijing time (next Friday)

iPhone 12 Pro 128GB

Mainland China: RMB 8499

Hong Kong, China: HK$8499丨about RMB7370

United States: US$999丨about RMB 6,700

Japan: 106,800 yen丨about 6,800 yuan

iPhone 12 Pro 256GB

Mainland China: RMB 9299

Hong Kong, China: HK$9,299丨about RMB 8060

United States: US$1,099丨Approximately RMB 7380

Japan: 117,800 yen丨about 7500 yuan

iPhone 12 Pro 512GB

Mainland China: RMB 11099

Hong Kong, China: HK$10,999丨Approximately RMB 9530

United States: US$1299丨Approximately RMB 8720

Japan: 139,800 yen丨about 8900 yuan

▎iPhone 12 Pro Max

* Pre-order time: November 6th, Beijing time

* Sale time: November 13th, Beijing time

iPhone 12 Pro Max 128GB

Mainland China: RMB 9299

Hong Kong, China: 9399 Hong Kong dollars丨about 8150 yuan

United States: US$1,099丨Approximately RMB 7380

Japan: 117,800 yen丨about 7500 yuan

iPhone 12 Pro Max 256GB

Mainland China: RMB 10099

Hong Kong, China: 10199 Hong Kong dollars丨about 8840 yuan;

United States: US$1,199丨about RMB 8050;

Japan: 128,800 yen丨about 8200 yuan

iPhone 12 Pro Max 512GB

Mainland China: RMB 11899

Hong Kong, China: 11,899 Hong Kong dollars丨about 10,300 yuan

United States: US$1399丨Approximately RMB 9400

Japan: 150,800 yen丨about 9600 yuan

In summary, the Bank of China iPhone 12 series is the best choice for the lowest purchase difficulty, including interest-free installment and complete after-sales service. But the price is not the most affordable option among the four regions. If you pursue a higher cost performance, you can expect subsequent domestic e-commerce subsidies.

As for the Hong Kong version, Japanese version and US version, the personal recommendation is probably the Hong Kong version, because the domestic warranty policy can cover this version (you may need to save the complete purchase invoice as a warranty certificate), but you may not be able to enjoy interest-free installment and other purchase benefits policy.

The old model discount strategy

Apple’s official website provides the “Apple Trade In Program”, which is an official “Trade In” campaign.

Through the “Apple Trade In Redemption Program”, you can send eligible devices to the Apple Store or mail them to get discounts, or you can use the discounted price as a purchase discount when buying a new device. Apple will The actual discount value is given by the condition, configuration and year of manufacture.

After the release of the iPhone 12 series, the iPhone 11 series launched last year was officially listed as a recyclable device by Apple. The highest discounted prices for the three models are as follows:

丨iPhone 11 Pro Max up to 5050 yuan discount

丨iPhone 11 Pro up to 4650 yuan discount

丨iPhone 11 up to 2700 yuan discount

The discount prices of other iPhone models are as follows

丨iPhone XS Max up to 3250 yuan discount

丨iPhone XS up to 2700 yuan discount

丨iPhone XR up to 2200 yuan discount

丨iPhone X up to 2100 yuan discount

丨iPhone 8 Plus up to 1650 yuan discount

丨iPhone 8 up to 1300 yuan discount

丨iPhone 7 Plus up to 1200 yuan discount

丨iPhone 7 up to 800 yuan discount

丨iPhone 6s Plus up to 600 yuan discount

丨iPhone 6s up to 450 yuan discount

Compared with other third-party recycling platforms or personal second-hand trading markets, the equipment valuation given by the “Apple Trade In Program” is not competitive. But the convenience and low threshold behind this service may be more important reasons.

Compared with other recycling platforms, the “Apple Trade In Program” is more convenient when recycling equipment. If you are performing services at Apple’s official offline retail store, you only need to hand the equipment to the staff in the store for a short inspection After that, the equipment valuation can be obtained on site.

In addition, the “Apple Trade In Redemption Program” has a lower recycling threshold. It not only supports devices sold in non-local regions, that is to say, if you are holding a non-national bank device, you can still enjoy this service (but the discounted price may not National Bank version is high).

So if you don’t like tossing, the “Apple Trade In Redemption Plan” may be a good choice for you to deal with the old one after upgrading the new one.