Chinese Digital Electronics Phrases — 手机, 电脑, and 配件 for Tech Shopping

A phone is 手机 (shǒu jī), a computer is 电脑 (diàn nǎo), and a tablet is 平板电脑 (píng bǎn diàn nǎo), usually shortened to 平板 (píng bǎn). A laptop is 笔记本电脑 (bǐ jì běn diàn nǎo), often called 笔记本 (bǐ jì běn), and a desktop is 台式机 (tái shì jī).

To ask to see a device, say 我想看看这款手机 (wǒ xiǎng kàn kan zhè kuǎn shǒu jī) — I would like to look at this phone. Ask 有样机吗 (yǒu yàng jī ma) — do you have a demo unit? To compare models, say 这款和那款有什么区别 (zhè kuǎn hé nà kuǎn yǒu shén me qū bié) — what is the difference between this one and that one?

Popular brands: 华为 (huá wéi) Huawei, 小米 (xiǎo mǐ) Xiaomi, 苹果 (píng guǒ) Apple, and 三星 (sān xīng) Samsung. OPPO and vivo keep their Latin names. Ask whether a device is 国产 (guó chǎn) domestic or 进口 (jìn kǒu) imported.

Specifications are 配置 (pèi zhì), and performance is 性能 (xìng néng). Key terms: 内存 (nèi cún) memory or RAM, 存储 (cún chǔ) storage, 处理器 (chǔ lǐ qì) processor, 芯片 (xīn piàn) chip, 电池 (diàn chí) battery, and 屏幕 (píng mù) screen.

To ask about memory and storage, say 这个手机运行内存多大 (zhè ge shǒu jī yùn xíng nèi cún duō dà) — how much RAM does this phone have? and 机身存储是多少 (jī shēn cún chǔ shì duō shao) — what is the internal storage? Ask 电池能用多久 (diàn chí néng yòng duō jiǔ) — how long does the battery last?

Camera and display words: 摄像头 (shè xiàng tóu) camera, 像素 (xiàng sù) pixels, 分辨率 (fēn biàn lǜ) resolution, and 刷新率 (shuā xīn lǜ) refresh rate. To ask about the camera, say 摄像头像素是多少 (shè xiàng tóu xiàng sù shì duō shao) — how many megapixels is the camera?

Ask the price with 多少钱 (duō shao qián), and ask for a discount with 有优惠吗 (yǒu yōu huì ma) or 能便宜一点吗 (néng pián yi yī diǎn ma). A warranty is 保修 (bǎo xiū): ask 保修期多久 (bǎo xiū qī duō jiǔ) — how long is the warranty?

Ask for an invoice with 请给我开发票 (qǐng gěi wǒ kāi fā piào) — please give me an invoice. Payment options: 分期付款 (fēn qī fù kuǎn) installment payment and 以旧换新 (yǐ jiù huàn xīn) trade-in. Ask 可以分期吗 (kě yǐ fēn qī ma) — can I pay in installments?

Be aware of 国行 (guó háng) official mainland version versus 水货 (shuǐ huò) grey-market imports. The official version has proper warranty and support, while grey-market goods may not. Ask 这是国行吗 (zhè shì guó háng ma) — is this the official mainland version?

A repair is 维修 (wéi xiū), and to repair a phone is 修手机 (xiū shǒu jī). Common problems: 屏幕碎了 (píng mù suì le) the screen is cracked, 进水了 (jìn shuǐ le) water got in, and 电池不耐用 (diàn chí bù nài yòng) the battery does not last.

To request a repair, say 我想修手机 (wǒ xiǎng xiū shǒu jī) — I want to repair my phone. Specific fixes: 换屏 (huàn píng) replace the screen and 换电池 (huàn diàn chí) replace the battery. Ask 维修要多久 (wéi xiū yào duō jiǔ) — how long does the repair take? and 修好要多少钱 (xiū hǎo yào duō shao qián) — how much to fix it?

Screen protection: 贴膜 (tiē mó) apply a screen protector, 钢化膜 (gāng huà mó) tempered glass, and 手机壳 (shǒu jī ké) phone case. Ask 帮我贴个膜 (bāng wǒ tiē ge mó) — help me apply a screen protector.

Accessories are 配件 (pèi jiàn): 充电器 (chōng diàn qì) charger, 数据线 (shù jù xiàn) charging cable, 充电宝 (chōng diàn bǎo) power bank, 耳机 (ěr jī) earphones, and 蓝牙 (lán yá) Bluetooth. Ask 有充电宝吗 (yǒu chōng diàn bǎo ma) — do you have a power bank?

A carrier is 运营商 (yùn yíng shāng): 中国移动 (zhōng guó yí dòng) China Mobile, 中国联通 (zhōng guó lián tōng) China Unicom, and 中国电信 (zhōng guó diàn xìn) China Telecom. To get a SIM card, say 我想办张电话卡 (wǒ xiǎng bàn zhāng diàn huà kǎ) — I want to get a SIM card. Bring your passport, because SIM cards require 实名制 (shí míng zhì) real-name registration.

A plan is 套餐 (tào cān), data is 流量 (liú liàng), and call credit is 话费 (huà fèi). Ask 有什么套餐 (yǒu shén me tào cān) — what plans do you have? and 流量够用吗 (liú liàng gòu yòng ma) — is the data enough? To top up, say 我要充值 (wǒ yào chōng zhí) — I want to top up.