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Buying a new phone isn’t always easy, so being smart and doing your research can save you a lot of money. The best time to buy a new phone is when it is clear you genuinely need an upgrade. This could be because of external wear and tear or because your phone no longer receives software updates which can ultimately affect how your phone works. With this in mind, when is the best time of year to grab the best deal and save money on a new phone? While Black Friday or Boxing Day sales are obvious, there are other times throughout the year where you can get a better deal.
In this article:
How To Save Money On A New Phone During Seasonal Sales
It's no secret that you can find a good deal during seasonal sales, but how can you ensure you wait long enough to save even more cash?
Will Pre-ordering A New Phone Work Out Cheaper
What are pre-order offers, and how can this benefit the buying process for your next phone?
How To Save Money On A New Phone Before The Latest Model Launches
Find out how to get a significant discount during a new phone launch.
How To Ensure You Find a Good Deal
So, what are the best practices to save money when buying a new phone?
We often think that finding the best price on a new phone is pure luck, but knowing when to get lucky and find a good deal requires more than just stars aligning. For instance, Black Friday, Boxing Day, and post-Christmas sales are known for retailers lowering prices on electronics. However, it is important to beware of false discounts, as not all deals are as great as they may seem.
We all expect phones and electronics to cost peanuts during Black Friday, but deals on the latest models are usually non-existent. Retailers sweeten the deal with SIM plan offers to lure you in, but the phone cost is rarely discounted. Apple typically do not offer discounts on their products, so it would be unrealistic to expect a price reduction on the latest iPhone or Apple product. Although, bear in mind that you may be able to get a good deal on an older generation model instead! Remember that retailers and networks start offering deals well before Black Friday even during summertime, so look around ahead of time. Don’t forget about Cyber Monday, when prices are cut even further online once Black Friday is over.
We found that 86% of products were the same price or cheaper outside of the sales period.
However, you should still do your research, because genuine discounts are often few and far between. Some retailers even offer misleading discounts that can confuse customers and push them to buy products, making them believe they are cheaper. This makes it even more worthwhile to compare prices to get the best deal and avoid spending more than you need to.
According to Which?, Amazon Prime members get access to the best deals on phone brands such as Samsung, Google Pixel, and other electronics. Even if you don’t have a Prime account, you may still be able to save some money through these deals. You can sign up in the first week of July or even the day before Prime Day, shop all the deals, and take advantage of any pre-sales and their benefits. Once your free trial is over, just remember to close your account before getting charged!
Relevant reading:
Read on why we think that upgrading to a brand-new phone no longer makes sense. 3 MIN READ
Buying a Brand-New Phone Doesn't Make Sense Anymore and Here's Why
Many people don't realise that most of the best deals come during the week after Christmas and often last well into January, with networks offering great deals on mid-range and high-end phones. So, if you keep putting off buying yourself a new phone until after Christmas, you’ll still be able to save money.
It is important to ensure that if you want to get a good deal on a new phone, you shouldn’t buy it the day it's released; this is certainly the case with Android phones. While it may initially seem gratifying to be among the first to have the latest Samsung, it often results in higher costs than waiting a few months. Also, early flagships are known for having software issues that typically require a few months of fine-tuning. However, if you're determined to get the latest phone at launch, your best bet is to compare pre-order offers. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that according to a YouGov survey, only about one-tenth of Britons said the latest model is vital when choosing a handset, and they prioritise value for money over other qualities.
Some network providers offer flat discounts to those who pre-order to ensure more interest and sales. Manufacturers tend to bundle up the new phone with gifts, accessories, or a few months of free subscriptions.
If you don’t mind getting a soon-to-be-previous-generation model, then the best time to buy a phone is about a month before the latest model comes out, as retailers aim to get rid of the old stock, offering significant discounts.
You can get a previous iPhone model with a £50-100 discount from Apple as they prepare for the launch of their next flagship and bag a decent trade-in deal for the phone you’ve got. However, each manufacturer releases their new models at a different time of year, and the best discount may change:
📱Apple usually launches new iPhone models in September, so the prices of older models tend to drop to clear their inventory. This means that you can get the older model for a much lower price than usual if you avoid purchasing between June and August and hold up until September.
📱Samsung usually releases its flagship phones in the first quarter of the year, but retailers often offer discounts on them around August.
📱Google Pixel phones are known for going on sale before the new release and three months after. Waiting a few months after the Google product launch in autumn will save you a lot.
If you're looking to upgrade your phone, then the best time to buy an iPhone is August-September, just before the new model launches and 3-4 months after launch for an Android device. It's also worth checking out refurbished phones if you’re hunting for a specific model because this means you can save even more money on your next phone. Another great way to save money when buying a new phone is to sell your old phone, find out how much your phone is worth, and offset the costs. There are also a wide range of tools, such as Price Runner, that will allow you to see how prices have fluctuated over time and will notify you when a phone you’re after changes in price which is a great way to identify real discounts.
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