There’s never a wrong time to buy a new phone, except when there is. When is the right time, and when is the wrong time?
Technology may well be changing all the time, but there are right and wrong times to buy products.
Everything has a different time, like TVs, which tend to get changed from the March to May period, and mean last year’s models can be found at runout or sale prices while the new models come in.
That can mean the months before a new product release are the worst time to buy, because the then-current models are getting ready to be retired and generally see a price after the new arrivals, while before sees you lumped with the same price only moments before the change.
It’s that way for a few different product categories, and phones are no exception.
In the months after a new iPhone model is released, the older model can generally be found for a lower price, just as it can for other smartphones from other companies.
And with the Apple iPhone replaced in September (at the time of writing), that means the month or two leading up to the new model being announced isn’t regarded by those in the know as necessarily the right time to buy an iPhone.
Unless you really, really, really need one (because you’ve broken it or had one stolen), it’s advisable to wait until the next model is announced if you’re only a few months away from the new release. With prices expected to drop at that time, that means if you’re in July, August, or September, it might be preferable to wait until the new model, rather than splurge on the old.
That will give you two options: buy the just replaced model for a lower price, or switch to the new model for what will likely be a similar (if not identical) price.