The 4G version of iPhone 12 is a "must-have" for consumers, and it is also Apple's "firefighter"

In the past, if Apple wanted to sell well, it always had to rely on some "metaphysical" factors, such as mysterious system optimization, "prestige", face, etc. But now is different. Under the impact of domestic Android smartphones, the iPhone's "halo" is gone. If it wants to sell well, it can only rely on price cuts.

For example, the iPhone XR, which appeared as a "cheap full-screen iPhone", although the starting price of 6,499 yuan is indeed not low, it is indeed more affordable than the iPhone X and iPhone XS, so its sales at the time were also better than the iPhone XS series released at the same time.

The iPhone 11 series released in the fall of 2019 further lowered the starting price (starting at 5,499 yuan). Although the phone itself still has some minor problems, with its extremely attractive price, the iPhone 11 has successfully become the best-selling mobile phone product in the first half of 2020.

This shows that the path of "cheap version of iPhone" is right. According to IT Times, Apple plans to "repeat the old trick" and add a "cheap version of iPhone" to the iPhone 12 series product line to be released in the second half of the year.

It should be noted that it is not a "replica phone" like the iPhone SE series, but a pure iPhone 12 derivative. In terms of price, the "cheap version of iPhone 12" is expected to start at US$549 (less than RMB 4,000), which is lower than the starting price of any full-screen iPhone currently known.

The price sounds good? Don’t be too happy yet. If you intend to buy the “cheap version of iPhone 12”, you must first accept its biggest shortcoming - it does not support 5G.

Fortunately, the only thing that has been “reduced” is 5G?

In fact, we have heard that Apple will launch the 4G version of iPhone 12, but now there is more detailed information, such as confirmation from the foundry and a more specific price, etc. However, the current information about the 4G version of iPhone 12 is still not enough. According to convention, Apple's mid- and low-end products will definitely be castrated to a certain extent, just like the iPhone XR to the iPhone XS series and the iPhone 11 to the iPhone 11 Pro series.

In addition to not supporting 5G, what else is worth our attention in the 4G version of iPhone 12?

The most important issue is still the signal.

Most consumers should not have too much "resistance" to only supporting 4G networks. After all, current iPhones only support 4G networks, and it seems that iPhone users do not have too strong demand for 5G. However, the problem with iPhones is not whether they support 5G, but whether the signal is improved. So far, all full-screen iPhones use Intel basebands, and the antenna design is also relatively poor, so the signal performance is not satisfactory.

For us, the biggest expectation for iPhone 12 is to replace Intel baseband and redesign the antenna to improve the network performance of the phone. Intel has withdrawn from the competition for 5G baseband, so the 5G version of iPhone 12 will inevitably switch to Qualcomm baseband, at least the baseband performance is on the same starting line as Android flagships or even one step ahead (it is said that iPhone 12 will be the first to launch X60 5G baseband), but it is not clear whether the 4G version of iPhone 12 will use Qualcomm baseband.

It is worth mentioning that the iPhone SE (second generation) released this spring still uses Intel's baseband, and it is not too outstanding in signal tests, which inevitably makes people worry about the signal performance of the 4G version of the iPhone 12.

In addition, according to Apple's shrewd "knife skills", the 4G version of iPhone 12 may have other aspects of castration. For example, the high refresh rate screen, the multi-camera imaging system, and even invisible aspects such as frequency band support and memory size. The 4G version of iPhone 12 that only supports 4G and has a lower price may be "cut".

Is the 4G iPhone 12 more worth buying than the 5G iPhone?

Despite all the uncertainties, the 4G version of iPhone 12 is still one of the most worthwhile products to buy this year or even before the release of the new iPhone next year. The main reason is that "5G is still not very useful at present."

In the Chinese market, although 5G mobile phones have blossomed everywhere, including Xiaolei, tens of millions of people have used 5G mobile phones and 5G networks, but in the entire mobile ecosystem, 5G users are still a niche group. Will the hundreds of millions of other smartphone users not be able to survive without 5G mobile phones and 5G networks? It seems not.

Ironically, in order to save power, Xiao Lei manually sets the network to 4G mode most of the time. Not only does he not feel any impact in his daily life, but because the power consumption of the phone has improved a lot, his "battery anxiety" has been alleviated to a certain extent.

The situation abroad is even more interesting. As we all know, only the Chinese market has completed the construction of 5G networks relatively quickly, while in most parts of Europe and the United States, 5G network construction is still in the "planning" stage. However, the importance of the Chinese market can only rank third in Apple's global strategy. The main battlefield is North America, and the secondary battlefield is Europe. The penetration rate of 5G is lower, and consumers are naturally not very willing to buy 5G iPhones. Therefore, it is inevitable that Apple will launch an iPhone that supports 4G. Even in the short and medium term, the 4G iPhone will still be Apple's main sales force.

When will the 5G iPhone become the first choice for most people? I'm afraid it will have to wait until the emergence of "5G killer apps". The so-called "5G killer apps" refer to applications that can only provide a better experience based on 5G networks. However, most of the main applications currently do not require 5G networks to provide an excellent experience, so consumers' demand and dependence on 5G are naturally not high.

But the iPhone 12 is still the iPhone 12. Regardless of how much the hardware has been improved, it is still Apple's latest phone, equipped with the latest technology. According to the theory of "buy new, not old" for digital products, the product should be more attractive than the iPhone 11 or earlier models. More importantly, the 4G version of the iPhone 12 is only as expensive as the iPhone 11 or even lower. In this way, Xiao Lei can't find a reason to "not recommend" it.

Unless Apple is cruel enough to downgrade the 4G version of the iPhone 12 to the level of the iPhone SE, considering various factors such as cost-effectiveness, it will definitely be one of the most worthwhile smartphones to buy this year.

4G iPhone 12 to be the "firefighter"

Putting aside the aspect of "pleasing consumers", the 4G version of iPhone 12 is particularly important in this year's global environment. In fact, we have said in previous articles that due to the impact of the global epidemic, some of Apple's new products may be delayed, and the 5G version of iPhone 12 is the first to be affected due to many reasons such as process and supply chain.

If Apple bets everything on 5G, it is very likely that it will be "annihilated" due to supply chain and production yield issues. If the release of the entire iPhone 12 series is postponed to 2021, it will be a disaster for Apple's market strategy.

Relatively speaking, the 4G version of the iPhone 12 is not that difficult to produce (4G network is already a very mature technology). This is an "insurance" for Apple: if the release of the 5G version of the iPhone has to be postponed, the 4G version of the new iPhone can be sold first to save part of the market.

In addition to what we said before, 4G mobile phones are still the mainstream worldwide, so Apple will not have to worry about lack of audience for its new iPhone based on 4G network.

Another meaning is the market layout that has been talked about for a long time. Since the launch of iPhone SE, we are sure that Apple will use low-priced new products to occupy the market, rather than relying on price cuts on old phones as before. Especially in the Chinese market, consumers are very welcome to low-priced iPhones. If Apple can launch a new iPhone priced between 4,500 yuan and 5,000 yuan, it will most likely be able to gain a firm foothold in the mid-to-high-end mobile phone market and go one step further on the hot sales of iPhone 11.

It is an indisputable fact that the spread of the global epidemic has led to an economic recession. It is still unknown whether ordinary consumers are willing to spend nearly 10,000 yuan to buy a mobile phone. Under the influence of these uncertain factors, the affordable 4G version of the iPhone has a sense of "testing the waters". Even a strong company like Apple can only "play it safe" and dare not take risks.

All in all, the launch of the 4G version of iPhone 12 is a "happy ending", but if you still want to buy a "new iPhone without regrets" in one go, then you should take a look at the iPhone 12 Pro series that supports 5G.