0330 123 4609
Menu
Buying a new phone isn’t always easy, and having all the right information is important before spending your 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 that have rendered your phone’s use.
But 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, what other times throughout the year could present good opportunities to save money on a new phone purchase?
In this article:
Saving 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?
Can You Save Money on a New Phone With Pre-order Offers?
What are pre-order offers, and how can this benefit the buying process for your next phone?
How To Save Money on a Phone Before The New 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 does not offer discounts on their products, so it would be unrealistic to expect a price reduction on the latest iPhone or Apple product.
It can be a different story with older generation models. Remember that retailers and networks start offering deals well before Black Friday, so look around a week before. Don’t forget about Cyber Monday, when prices are cut even further online.
However, Which? found that 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.
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, remember to close your account before getting charged.
Many people don't realise that most of the best deals come during the week after Christmas and often last well into January. Networks offer many great deals on mid-range and high-end phones. Once Boxing Day is over, prices on new phones generally become lower. So, if you keep putting off buying yourself a new smartphone until after Christmas, you can 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:
A wide range of tools are available to simplify the process of comparing prices on new phones and calculating potential savings. Tools like Price Runner, PriceSpy, and CamelCamelCamel track item prices and are usually good at identifying real discounts. With such tools, you can see how the price has fluctuated over a period of time and set an alert to notify you when a phone you’re after changes in price.
The best time to buy an iPhone is August-September, just before the new model launches. With Android phones, the rule of thumb is to wait about 3-4 months after launch to snap up a bargain. It's essential to set a budget and do your research to help you decide before buying a new phone - never impulse buy.
Always check refurbished phones if you’re hunting for a specific model. This way, 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.
The buzz around foldable smartphones is growing, but one question remains on everyone’s lips - will there be an iPhone flip phone?
We've conducted a survey to find out how Brits are using their smartphones in 2024.
Our mobile phone acts as a way of payment, communication and even the thing that makes sure we’re up on time in the morning. So when this fails us, everything becomes very limited which is why we’ve put together a list of mobile phones with the best battery life in 2024.
