On the eve of the release of the iPhone 17, this iPhone model that was launched seven years ago suddenly became extremely popular and its price soared.

In the blink of an eye, it's already August, and the annual "Spring Festival Gala of the tech circle" - the press conference for Apple's new iPhone - is just around the corner.

To be honest, in recent years, iPhone upgrades have basically been routine, mainly involving CPU and peripheral configuration updates and the introduction of an exclusive color for that year. There have been few revolutionary innovations. As a result, the iPhone is often criticized by netizens for lacking innovation, and Apple itself may also have this feeling.

However, the rumors about the iPhone 17 series this year are quite interesting. It is said that in addition to the base models and the high - end Pro series, there will also be a lightweight iPhone 17 Air, rumored to be less than 6mm thick.

Moreover, the entire iPhone 17 series is expected to feature a brand - new design. If that's true, I'm quite interested. After all, the current iPhone design has been used by Apple for many years, and people are really getting tired of it. So, I've been searching online for various rumors about the iPhone 17 series recently.

Do you think I'm going to talk about the iPhone 17? Wrong!

While the iPhone 17 is definitely worth looking forward to, when I was searching for information about it, I accidentally discovered another even more surprising piece of news: the iPhone XS, which was released by Apple 7 years ago, has now become a hot commodity in the second - hand market!

This sounds quite absurd. You know, when the iPhone XS was first released, it didn't create much of a stir. It was even criticized by many for lacking innovation, which has been a common issue with iPhones in recent years.

Who would have thought that such an iPhone would attract so much attention in the second - hand market seven years later? I found that on Xianyu, the iPhone XS generally sells for over 600 yuan, and those in good condition can even fetch more than 900 yuan!

You know, this is a "vintage" device released 7 years ago. With the release of the new iOS 26, Apple has officially classified the iPhone XS as an "obsolete product". However, this "obsolete product" is still very popular among many young people.

After some thought, I realized that this seemingly absurd situation actually reflects some problems in today's sub - thousand - yuan smartphone market.

Don't be fooled by the intense competition in the smartphone market. Flagship phones are getting cheaper, mid - range phones are becoming more powerful, and high - end technologies are constantly being introduced to more affordable models. You can even buy a decent phone for just over 1000 yuan.

However, if you limit your budget to less than 1000 yuan, you'll find a completely different situation: there are very few phone options, the configurations are poor, and there are significant cut - backs in all aspects. In short, it's hard to make a purchase.

I checked on JD.com. Among mainstream Android phones priced under 1000 yuan, most are marketed with large batteries and long battery life as selling points. However, their core components, such as the CPU and screen, are generally of low - end quality.

For example, a certain brand's Z10X, priced at around 950 yuan, is equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 CPU and an LCD screen with thick bezels, which greatly affects the visual experience.

As for the camera, only one unnamed 50 - megapixel wide - angle main camera is really usable. The actual photo - taking effect is quite ordinary, and there are no telephoto or ultra - wide - angle lenses.

Other Android phones in a similar price range are in a similar situation. Some even use a worse Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 series CPU, and most have only 8GB of running memory.

With 8GB of memory and a low - end CPU, this configuration for an Android phone can be described as a disastrous combination. You can hardly expect a good user experience, and it's almost inevitable that the phone will become sluggish after a period of use.

In summary, Android phones priced under 1000 yuan have significant cut - backs in core hardware, lack overall quality, and offer a much - reduced user experience.

When I look back at the second - hand iPhone XS, it seems extremely appealing! The top - of - the - line A12 CPU at that time, although not considered high - end today, is still quite capable. It can handle daily use with ease and even play a few rounds of Honor of Kings. The screen is also a top - of - the - line OLED screen that supports P3 wide color gamut, True Tone display, and Face ID.

In terms of imaging, the iPhone XS, released 7 years ago, has a crushing advantage over Android phones in the sub - thousand - yuan price range: a 12 - megapixel wide - angle (ƒ/1.8 aperture) and telephoto (ƒ/2.4 aperture) lens, supporting 2x optical zoom, 10x digital zoom, dual OIS optical image stabilization, intelligent HDR, and adjustable depth - of - field function, and capable of shooting 4K 60P video.

With this set of configurations and a second - hand price of less than 1000 yuan, after this comparison, I also think the iPhone XS is a better choice.

Not to mention that the iPhone XS has an IP68 - rated dust and water resistance level and a top - notch quality that Android phones under 1000 yuan lack, such as a metal frame, a high - strength glass cover, and ultra - narrow screen bezels. These are all features that sub - thousand - yuan Android phones don't have.

After all, Apple has always positioned its iPhones as flagship devices, and in some aspects, low - cost Android phones can't compete. Moreover, the iPhone XS has the ace in the hole - iOS.

The iOS system is indeed smooth and stable, at least much better than those low - end Android phones. Although the iPhone XS can't be upgraded to the latest iOS 26, using the previous versions of iOS isn't a problem, and it won't be too sluggish.

Of course, I'm not saying that Android phones are inferior to iPhones. The essence of this issue is: if you have a budget of less than 1000 yuan, will you choose a current low - end Android phone or a 7 - year - old flagship iPhone? After the above comparison, the iPhone XS seems to have an all - around advantage in both hardware and software.

So, can we just blindly choose the iPhone XS? Not necessarily.

I think this issue needs to be considered from multiple aspects. First of all, since the iPhone XS was released 7 years ago, it's not easy to find a second - hand one in good condition with all functions working properly on second - hand platforms. Many iPhone XS devices for sale on Xianyu have various problems or hidden defects, such as a malfunctioning Face ID, low battery health, a failed IP68 water - resistance rating, and severe screen burn - in. These are all potential pitfalls when buying a second - hand iPhone XS.

Secondly, I don't recommend buying the 64GB iPhone XS because 64GB of storage is simply too small for most people today. Moreover, the market is flooded with assembled, capacity - expanded, supervised, and locked iPhone XS devices from various countries and regions. These pitfalls are getting bigger and bigger, and for ordinary users, the cost of identifying and using these devices is too high.

So, although the second - hand iPhone XS seems to have a high cost - performance ratio, you have to pay a lot of hidden costs in terms of time and energy to really use it comfortably.

I don't recommend most people to buy a second - hand iPhone XS. Unless your budget is really limited, you can have a good user experience by buying an Android phone in the 1500 - yuan price range. There's really no need to go through all the trouble with this "vintage" iPhone XS. Maybe the museum is its best destination.

Of course, if you still have an iPhone XS on hand, besides continuing to use it, KejiHu also supports second - hand phone recycling. We offer convenience, reliability, and fair prices. Your phone is worth exactly what it's worth, and we'll never cheat you. Friends in need can contact us with confidence.

This article is from the WeChat public account "KejiHu" (ID: kejihutv), author: Guozi. It is published by 36Kr with permission.