From Android to a Bargain iPhone: My 2,500 Yuan Budget iPhone’s Amazing Performance
From Android to a Bargain iPhone: My 2,500 Yuan Budget iPhone’s Amazing Performance
https://eu.36kr.com/en/p/3828602653630472
Publish Date: 2026-05-28 08:23:00
Source Domain: eu.36kr.com
From a business perspective, the iPhone Air is definitely not a successful product, but it is very popular among geek players. At least in the editorial department of Lei Technology (ID: leitech), almost everyone has an iPhone Air.
They like this phone mainly because it is an extremely thin and light model, which can bring some freshness in today’s era of serious smartphone homogenization. Of course, the iPhone Air has obvious shortcomings, so they basically use it as a backup phone.
In recent years, my main phone has always been an Android device. I suddenly had the idea of buying an iPhone as a backup phone. However, my budget is limited, and the iPhone Air, which costs more than 5,000 yuan, is a bit expensive. After much thought, I finally bought the “affordable alternative” to the iPhone Air – the iPhone 16e.
(Image source: Shot by Lei Technology)
There is no doubt that the iPhone 16e is a cheap iPhone with no new features in terms of configuration and appearance design. However, after using it for a month, I can still clearly feel the advantages of this phone. Next, I will share my usage experience during this period.
Why did I choose the 16e as a backup phone?
My requirements for an Apple backup phone are not very complicated. The core factors are price and performance. First, I need to control the budget within 3,000 yuan. Spending five or six thousand yuan on a backup phone is still too luxurious for me. Second, although the performance doesn’t need to be very strong, it should at least ensure smooth daily use without lag.
With a budget of 3,000 yuan, I have to say goodbye to the iPhone 17 series. Even the cheapest iPhone 17e, the domestic version, costs 3,999 yuan even with the 10 billion subsidy and national subsidy. At this price, it’s better to add some money to buy the iPhone 17.
(Image source: Taobao)
Of course, if I buy a locked US version of the iPhone 17e, I can get it at this price. However, the locked physical version has too many usage…
