>>11528850
It's based on the Western V3 release with a bit of Keitai elements software-wise, so on that front it's an upgrade since it includes a decent chunk of content from there, but the overall quality hardware-wise is a little worse. A common complaint is that while the better software makes the UI navigation and loads a lot quicker, it also drains battery life much faster so you'll likely only get about a month's worth from a fresh battery vs. the originals lasting many months, and the screens also scratch easier than the originals, so the plastic's probably built worse. I wouldn't recommend getting a Wave 1 shell at all, since screen contrast and battery issues are more common on those.
It's a much fairer asking price than resellers selling their old Connections (unless you get lucky scouring eBay), but YMMV on whether it's worth paying a bit more for a used original Connection if the battery life and build quality matters, or just buying the rerelease. Personally, I'm quite fond of the Keitai elements they incorporated into the rerelease so I ended up preferring it to the original V3.

>>11528842
I'm kind of surprised at people getting bad-cares accidentally now that growths are so fast and discipline CMs are gone.