For a long time after my wife replaced her phone, I had no urge to change mine. She had lost her previous one and picked up a vivo S18e; I watched her use it without feeling envious. That lasted until just before Spring Festival, when her brother came home on holiday with a new phone for their mother. Even then, I still didn’t think much about it.
Then my wife saw the phone—or more accurately, the secondhand Xiaomi 13 Pro 128GB her brother had bought for their mother. It was listed as 99% new, showed no obvious issues, and felt good in use. My wife promptly swapped phones with her mother and kept showing it to me. I looked too: the specs were decent, and it cost nearly 2,000 yuan less than a new unit. That was a genuinely good deal, and slowly I started thinking about getting one myself.
At first I planned to buy a secondhand Android flagship. I looked at several flagship models. My logic was that an older flagship is a better buy than a new midrange phone; either go for a used flagship or buy new. Why Android? I thought an iPhone would be inconvenient. Some work software can’t be downloaded, and other things are just more troublesome. Android seemed easier. That was my initial idea, but it didn’t last long.
The platform her brother recommended was Zhaoliangji. Many of his colleagues had bought phones there, and the devices they received seemed genuine, which is why he used it for the Xiaomi. That recommendation became my reason for choosing the same platform, even though every platform has negative reviews.
I spent two days choosing. On the second day I was still browsing before dawn. After thinking it over overnight, I settled on the 13 Pro Max. It fit the price range my wife had given me and looked like good value on Zhaoliangji. After some back-and-forth comparison, I chose a 90%-new Sierra Blue 128GB unit.
Waiting was rough. After ordering, I checked the order several times a day. I placed it on February 14; the first estimate said it would arrive February 18, the first day back at work. The address was my home, so I figured I’d have to go back in the evening to pick it up. A few days later the estimate changed to February 19. Fine—it was Spring Festival, so I understood.
On the ninth day of the first lunar month I went to work. Early in the morning SF Express called and said there was a package for me. I felt a sudden rush of excitement. A colleague who hadn’t arrived yet was due at the office around noon, and his route from home passed mine, so he could bring it. Even so, the one-hour wait felt long.
When the box was finally in my hands I was still nervous. I kept wondering what condition the phone would really be in; the secondhand Apple market can be very murky. I opened it with that feeling and went through the inspection steps I could remember. Overall, the phone was fine. At least to my eyes it looked good, and every indicator matched the report I’d seen when buying it.
The old saying that secondhand phones are risky is true, and people have been burned before. It may be even more complicated now, but inspection technology has improved and buyers know more than they used to. If you find the right seller, it can still work out.
Now that the 13 Pro Max is here, my old XR feels much smaller in hand, and I suddenly don’t like it anymore. Zhaoliangji offers trade-in, and the XR was valued at over 1,000 yuan, but I didn’t trade it in. I thought it could still serve as a backup.
The unboxing didn’t disappoint. For now, at least, I’m in a good mood and have no complaints.