Getting the iPhone 17 via JD Trade-In: Great Bare-Hand Feel

I bought the 16 Pro in May 2025 for 5469 CNY. Recently it started lagging, and I found out the 128GB storage was almost full (only a few GB left). I had to delete some apps and move photos to Quark cloud storage. The lag improved, but the core storage issue remained.

I happened to see on Xiaohongshu that JD was running another Apple trade-in promotion, so I decided to upgrade. While the phone is still relatively new and worth more, I traded up to the 17.

Here I’ll document my process and experience.

Purchase Motivation

1. My 16 Pro only had 128G storage, which was too small.

That’s the only reason for upgrading. Nothing else to complain about - I’m a long-time Apple user, and iPhone has always been stable and well-balanced. No reason to switch brands.

Trade-In Plan

Having decided to go from 16 to 17, there were multiple 17 models to choose from (17, 17 Air, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max) - Tim Cook’s product segmentation is still masterful. But considering the upgrade cost and not wanting to pay too much extra, the decision was simple. After 10 minutes of thought, I chose the base 17 model with 256G storage, which is enough for me.

The upgrade cost breakdown looks reasonable - I only paid 450 CNY extra. JD essentially provided both government subsidy + trade-in bonus, which I think is pretty good.

Tip: The government subsidy has a yearly quota. For example, my 16 Pro used the 2025 phone subsidy, and this trade-in uses the 2026 quota - they don’t conflict.

Trade-In Method

I personally chose the one-time home visit option, mainly for convenience. AiHuiShou (the recycling service) calls to schedule a home visit. If the old phone passes inspection, you sign and hand it over, then receive the new phone. If there are issues during inspection, they might try to lower the price. In my case there was no price reduction. Personally, I think if they try to negotiate, you can simply refuse the deal. Considering the cost of a home visit, maybe AiHuiShou would just let it go.

Data Clearing

AiHuiShou will wipe your phone data on the spot. It’s recommended to back up beforehand — you can use a MacBook for backup and then sync directly to the new phone. Alternatively, you can pay a deposit and mail the phone to AiHuiShou later. I had mine wiped on the spot to ensure privacy.

Accessories

After getting the phone, I needed accessories. I still only got 2 items:

1. SHANMO tempered glass screen protector, from JD, 23 CNY
2. Huaqiangbei iPhone MagSafe case, from PDD, 45 CNY

After trying them out, I found that the old 16 Pro screen protector and case actually fit perfectly - they’re compatible. If you don’t want to spend money, just use your old accessories.

Current Experience

Pros

1. The build quality is excellent. While the base 17 doesn’t look dramatically different, the material quality feels better, and the back has a very comfortable hand feel.
2. The front camera has a noticeably visible improvement, going from 12 megapixels to 18 megapixels.

Cons

The annoying button layout still hasn’t been fixed. Let me copy my complaint from last time:

1. Both the left-side mute button and volume buttons are buttons, causing me to frequently accidentally press them when pressing blindly. I think this design is a failure and suspect the iPhone team’s testing wasn’t thorough enough.
2. The camera button on the right side, I admit, is convenient when taking photos, but without it there wouldn’t be much of a problem, so isn’t it quite redundant? Simplicity no longer exists, making the physical buttons feel very bloated. The overall design aesthetics of the iPhone is at least far worse than the iPhone 4 era. The Cook era always feels like the aesthetics have deteriorated significantly, let alone surpassing previous designs.

Upgrading Doesn’t Always Mean Better?

There are actually quite a few differences between the Pro and base models that you might not notice. You get what you pay for. Of course, if your usage is fairly basic, the base model is fine - you save money after all. But it’s good to know these differences so you don’t assume everything is an upgrade.

What About My Old iPhone 12 and 14 Base Models?

After trading the 16 for the 17, I still have 2 other phones. I calculated the trade-in costs - one would need 3000+ CNY extra, the other 4000+ CNY. On second thought, I’ll pass for now. If I really wanted to trade them in, getting an iPad mini cellular version could be an option.

My Apple Ecosystem

From 2025 to now, I’ve upgraded several Apple devices. Periodically refreshing the lineup is nice - one of Apple’s biggest draws is the ecosystem.

Final Thoughts

1. JD’s trade-in program is decent. If you’re looking to upgrade, it’s a good deal worth taking advantage of. Compared to selling through recycling services or on Xianyu (second-hand market), it saves you the time and hassle.
2. Complaints aside, Apple products consistently have high sales for good reason. I’ve always thought they’re solid. Of course, the perpetually delayed AI (partly not Apple’s fault) deserves criticism - it borders on false advertising.
3. The base iPhone 17 is already quite generous - 256GB storage starting point, high refresh rate, front camera upgrade, etc. Even without trade-in discounts, it’s a solid device. Though if you’re used to Android’s big batteries, there’s still room for complaints.

In short, I hope Apple AI comes to the China market soon.