What is Yahoo! News Carrier's "Certified Second-hand iPhone"? Summary of how to buy au / UQ / SoftBank

The model sold several years ago has been redeveloped and sold cheaply. Image is iPhone XR

On January 19, SoftBank started "SoftBank Certified" to resell used iPhones certified by its own standards. In addition, au / UQ mobile has been operating a similar system since 2020 under the name "au Certified". [Image] You can buy the "iPhone XS", which cost more than 100,000 yen at the time of its release, at a reasonable price. I will explain. When changing models to new smartphones that reuse terminals that have returned to carriers due to trade-in etc., the discount system that presupposes that the smartphones that have been used so far will be traded in has become widespread, and since it was sold There are a certain number of terminals that will return to their carriers in a few years. Traditionally, used handsets collected by carriers under the trade-in system are often wholesaled to vendors in bulk, and carriers themselves have rarely sold them directly to domestic consumers. It can be said that this is a new option that has emerged as cheap terminals are required due to changes in the market environment. Unlike a general second-hand iPhone, what is being done before it is ready for resale is not so different from a general second-hand shop. It is explained that it will be sold after inspection by a specialist, complete data erasure, cleaning of the exterior, etc. The first difference from a general used iPhone is that the battery condition is guaranteed. In general second-hand stores, parts such as batteries and screens that are normal but whose performance may deteriorate if used for a long time are often not covered by the warranty. In au Certified and SoftBank Certified, the standard of "battery capacity 80% or more" is included in the inspection items, and terminals that are "still usable" are selected based on stricter standards, so it is easy to get out of hand with confidence in terms of quality. Let's go. Another difference in security is that there is no need to worry about network usage restrictions. As stated in the notes of SoftBank Certified, "There will be no restrictions on network usage due to unpaid installment balances of old users," there is no concern about becoming the so-called "red rom." It is only the carrier who is the original seller that can eliminate these small risks. Furthermore, in the case of au Certified, you can subscribe to "Failure Loss Support" as well as a new one. This kind of warranty service, which allows you to get an equivalent product immediately with a phone call and a few thousand yen when it is broken or lost, has a high subscription rate since the feature phone era and has already become commonplace. There are also many users. There are some warranty services that you can subscribe to with used smartphones and cheap smartphones, but most of them are not covered by loss or theft. It is encouraging to be able to receive full carrier-based service even though it is a used terminal that can be obtained at a low price. Precautions when buying a carrier-certified second-hand product Although there is a sense of security when buying from a carrier, it is a good way to purchase an iPhone while keeping costs down because it is a used terminal, but it is not only a merit. Here are some things to keep in mind when buying a carrier-certified second-hand item. First of all, I'm worried that I can't choose by looking at things. There is also a reason that it is sold only online, but in the case of second-hand stores, there are many stores that have individually taken images so that you can check the actual condition online. With au Certified and SoftBank Certified, the condition such as scratches is not known until the product is received, and each person feels the "minor scratches" and "thin scratches" that are being guided, so unexpected results may occur. And while the reason for actively choosing a carrier-certified second-hand product is probably cheap, I also want to consider whether it can be bought really cheaply. In some cases, it may be better to buy a new model of the current model, such as the price plan you plan to contract and how long you plan to use it. Specific examples will be introduced individually in the latter half. Different from Apple's "Certified Refurbished Products" If you're a little familiar with it, you've probably seen and heard of "Certified Refurbished Products" as a way to buy Apple products cheaply. The words sound similar, but be aware that the "certified second-hand iPhones" from mobile carriers are completely different. To briefly mention Apple's certified refurbished products, they basically returned to the manufacturer in a short period of time, such as those whose purchase was canceled for some reason, and in the case of iOS devices, the battery and exterior are also new. Since it is a rule to be replaced, it is as close to new as possible. As an aside, iPhone certified and refurbished products are not sold in Japan, including Macs, iPads, and Apple Watches. As explained so far, the certified second-hand goods of the carrier are second-hand goods to the last, and it does not feel like a value-for-money item at the outlet. It is also clearly stated that a device with scratches may arrive, so please be aware in advance. Prices of certified second-hand goods The models and prices handled by au Certified and SoftBank Certified at the time of writing are as shown in the table below. Since au Certified is handled by different models under the au / UQ mobile brand, they are listed respectively. SoftBank Certified Discounts SoftBank Certified used iPhones have a discount only when purchased through MNP. The MNP price of each model is as follows. iPhone 8 (64GB): 480 yen iPhone X (64GB): 9,600 yen iPhone XS (256GB): 19,680 yen iPhone XR (128GB): 9,600 yen Because the model and capacity lineup are different, a simple comparison with au Certified of UQ mobile It's hard to do, but the large-capacity models of the iPhone XS and XR are reasonably priced. However, it should be noted that the large-capacity plan "Unlimited Sharpness" must be selected for purchase at the MNP price. If you do not consider the family discount and the set discount with fixed lines, the plan is 7,238 yen / month. There is a high possibility that it will not match users who want to raise it cheaply with certified second-hand products because it is only necessary to use it at the minimum, so you may choose the Mini Fit Plan + from 3,278 yen / month without taking the Web discount. Since the terminal price before discount is also set cheaply, there is no loss even if you do not forcibly choose a large capacity plan. In addition, the "Web Discount" applied at the time of MNP contract is not limited to SoftBank Certifed models, but is a discount that can be received even for new products. If there is no problem in choosing a large capacity plan, choose a new iPhone 11 or iPhone SE (2nd generation) and use "New Value Support" and Web Discount on the assumption that it will be returned in 2 years. There is also an option. In this case, since it will be a flow to make 48 installments and settle in the 24th time, half of the Web discount will be discarded, but for reference, if you try to calculate the actual contribution, 22,320 for iPhone 11 (64GB) Yen, iPhone SE (2nd generation / 64GB) will be 18,000 yen. The burden is not so different from that of certified second-hand goods, so please consider it as well.

Sho Hosoda