Cheap IPhones In 2020/2021 - What Models And Where To Buy Them

2023 Author: Gordon Kinson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-06-04 23:58

If you are not guided by the prices of the 2020 premium smartphone market, then they can look quite intimidating. iPhone 12 Pro in the minimum configuration, for example, will cost 100,000 rubles, and for the top-end iPhone 12 Pro Max you will have to pay 140,000. However, you can always find cheaper options for Apple smartphones.

What are the cheapest iPhones in 2020/2021

Up-to-date older iPhones still sold by Apple and official resellers

To be the owner of the flagship smartphone of the most premium line in the world is, of course, nice and status, but do you really need just such a gadget right now? After all, after the first peak of sales, its cost will gradually fall, and next fall Apple will show the next generation model, reducing prices for the current ones.

IPhone models that can still be bought relatively cheaply by brand new in Russia in 2020-2021:

iPhone 7
iPhone X
iPhone XR
iPhone XS
iPhone SE 2

Right now, Apple's official partners can buy an iPhone 7 four times cheaper than the iPhone 12 Pro of the year. Yes, the smartphone, although it has a retro design, but having tested it in practice, the language will not turn to call the gadget obsolete. Price - 27,000 rubles.

Another very popular option is the iPhone X. This is the first Apple smartphone to lose the Home button and get a gorgeous OLED display. This smartphone almost repeats the design of the iPhone 11 Pro (not counting the camera block on the back of the case), while equipped with a 64-bit Apple A11 processor, which allows you to run almost any modern application. You can buy iPhone X right now for less than 40 thousand rubles.

Finishing off the conversation about the smartphones that came off the assembly line, we can also mention the iPhone XR and iPhone XS, which are still available from official resellers. Interestingly, at the moment, both the iPhone XS and iPhone XR are sold at the same price - 47,000 rubles (detailed comparison).

Also, be sure to check out the 2020 iPhone SE 2 (detailed review). A device with the design of the iPhone 8, but with hardware like the iPhone 11 Pro is sold for 40,000 rubles.

How to buy a cheap iPhone so it doesn't end up being used or fake

Never buy an iPhone from an online store that is not an official Apple reseller. In such stores, not only gray ones are often sold (this is not so bad yet), but also used iPhones under the guise of new ones. iPhone should always be purchased from large networks or telecom operators, for example: Megafon, MTS, Beeline, Svyaznoy, M. Video, Citylink, etc.

Old models of original Apple smartphones, such as iPhone 7, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS and others at affordable prices can always be bought in Russia here and here.

Officially Refurbished iPhones (Like New, RFB, CPO, Ref,)

Another very popular way to save money when buying an iPhone is to purchase an officially refurbished device, which, in fact, does not differ from a new one. Such smartphones come to Apple manufacturing partners from service centers around the world, where problem components are replaced (not repaired), as well as the mandatory replacement of the screen and all accessories, regardless of their condition. Then the gadget is tested, removed from the used database, repackaged in special white boxes, marked as "Apple Certified Pre-Owned" and sold through official partners at a reduced price.

Sellers usually list refurbished iPhones next to their descriptions: "refurbished", "like new", CPO, or RFB.

Examples of the appearance of boxes of regular and officially refurbished iPhones

iPhone 6S:

Officially Refurbished iPhones (RFB, CPO, Ref, "Like New")

iPhone 7 Plus:

iPhone X:

The main problem when buying a refurbished iPhone is to distinguish "certified refubrished" from "inserted a used iPhone into a new case and put it in a new box." Naturally, official resellers do not have counterfeits, and handicraft production can be identified by the model number, which in the case of a real refurbished iPhone is marked accordingly and begins with the letter "F". We talked about this in detail here.

Where to Buy Real Official Refurbished iPhones

Official real refurbished iPhone 7, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS and other versions of Apple smartphones can be bought here (M. Video) and here (Messenger).

Demo iPhone, aka "Showcase iPhone"

Another type of smartphones that has a move on the domestic gray market, although such gadgets are not intended for sale at all (as there is a corresponding mark on the box).

How to distinguish an iPhone Demo from a regular one

Such smartphones Apple transfers to resellers not for offline trade, it is them that you can observe and touch at the stands in the electronics store. The main distinguishing feature of such a device is a special firmware that does not allow store guests to set a screen lock password and fingerprint, download or uninstall an application, etc.

Why is such a demo iPhone needed? In fact, its shortcomings are quite easy to fix through the usual flashing of the gadget through Recovery (detailed instructions), as a result of which you get a fully functional iPhone running the latest current version of iOS, which differs from the usual one by the presence of a number, and not a letter in the first position in the model identifier.

We talked more about the "showcase iPhone" here.

How to Identify iPhone (New, Refurbished or Demo)

So, the fastest and easiest way to identify a dubious iPhone and classify it as one type or another is to check the model ID, or rather the first character in it. To do this, go to the Settings → General → About this device menu and look at the "Model" column (if possible, we find the same number on the back of the package). There can be 5 options in total:

M - an ordinary "official" iPhone, which was purchased in a store or via the Internet from a certified seller (or from Apple itself);
N - iPhone issued under warranty instead of a defective one (no different from an ordinary one);
F - officially refurbished iPhone;
3 (or another number) - "showcase" demo iPhone.

Conclusion

If you adhere to simple precautions and do not hesitate to find out as much as possible about the origin of the smartphone before buying it, then it is very possible to save money on purchasing an iPhone. If we are talking about sellers with an unknown or frankly dubious reputation, then it would not be superfluous to first read our article "How to check if you bought a new iPhone?"