By 2026, Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro series, with prices commencing at 9999 yuan.

The Max models from the preceding few generations had starting prices of just 8999 yuan. Take the iPhone 15 Pro Max, for instance; it was initially priced at 8999 yuan but saw discounts soon after its launch. By waiting for the Double 11 shopping festival, one could snag it for approximately 8500 yuan.

Nevertheless, even at 8500 yuan, the iPhone remains considerably pricier than domestic flagship models from the same era, which typically cost between 5,000 and 6,000 yuan, whereas Apple's offerings hover around the eight or nine thousand yuan mark.

However, don't jump to the conclusion that opting for an expensive Apple phone puts you at a disadvantage. Over several years of use, the outcome may not be as straightforward.

Recently, I sold my three-year-old iPhone 15 Pro Max, the 256GB variant, for 5000 yuan. I had purchased it for 8500 yuan during the Double 11 sale three years prior. Over three years, I incurred a loss of 3500 yuan, averaging roughly 1200 yuan per year or 100 yuan per month.

Based on this calculation, the three-year resale value retention rate stands at approximately 59%.

Now, let's consider the scenario if I had opted for a domestic flagship phone priced between 5000 and 6000 yuan back then. I examined several domestic flagship models that were sold for 6000 yuan at the time. To avoid any accusations of bias against domestic brands, I won't specify the brands and models.

Domestic flagship phones that were sold for 6000 yuan three years ago can now be resold for around 2000 yuan. Naturally, some higher-quality models might fetch around 2500 yuan. Based on this, the loss might be comparable, hovering around 3500-4000 yuan.

However, when it comes to resale value retention, the difference is stark. The three-year resale value retention rate for these domestic models is only around 35-40%, significantly lower than Apple's approximately 60%, marking a 20 percentage point disparity.

More crucially, over the past three years, you've been enjoying the premium experience of an Apple phone. While the user experience differs from that of a domestic phone, the actual monetary loss after three years is similar. So, when you weigh all factors, which phone is truly the better purchase?

This, I believe, is why Apple continues to enjoy immense popularity in China. For instance, despite the price hike, the iPhone 18 Pro series is expected to outsell the combined sales of five domestic flagship models. The total sales of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro series are projected to surpass those of Huawei, Xiaomi, Honor, OPPO, and VIVO's flagship models combined.

This is because, although Apple's starting price is indeed steep, when considering the device's longevity and second-hand resale value, the actual cost over a few years of use may be lower than that of domestic phones.

I'm not here to sing Apple's praises or disparage domestic phones; this is simply the objective reality.