Best Time Of Year To Buy A Cell Phone
Below are some general timelines that should help you get a better idea of what gets released when, and when you can commonly expect to get discounts. Keep in mind that it's possible these dates will change, and sales can happen randomly throughout the year.
best time of year to buy a cell phone
However, due to a combination of both CES and the Super Bowl, January is a great time to find big discounts on the previous year's TVs. Sometimes prices are even better than what you'd find during the holidays.
There are some exceptions. Apple, of course, beats to its own drum. It usually announces new laptops in the spring, and phones in the autumn. It also has a strong history of having its products available right as they're announced while almost never discounting its gear. Also, for the most part, it alternates years with big and little changes. So last year was the iPhone X, this year will be the iPhone X "S" or something. Next year will be a more radically different "11" (or something, maybe the "XI" or "Elevensies").
Samsung and Google are generally following Apple's "not in January" approach with their smartphones, but at different times of the year. Samsung historically announces at the Mobile World Congress in February. Google does it at its own event in October. In both cases the phones are available shortly thereafter.
Other products are more random. If they're not announced at CES, or the other big trade show IFA in September (less common), they might get announced any time during the year. Because it's more random, it's less worth worrying about. The big companies tend to follow a pretty predictable pattern. A pattern you can see here:
This year is already shaping up to be a little different, though. For instance, Samsung announced its Galaxy S21 lineup on January 14; that usually doesn't happen until February. And the phones will be officially released on January 29.
Additionally, the phones are being released earlier this year than the S20 devices were in 2020, so there's a slight possibility we could see discounts appear a month earlier, in April or June. However, November will still likely be a strong time for deals.
But when is the best time to buy a cell phone from Samsung's latest Galaxy Note lineup? If you're hoping for an excellent deal on the yet-to-be-released Galaxy Note21 or Galaxy Note21 Ultra, we still encourage you to check for deals around Black Friday. If you don't see any great offers then, know that we should see more notable discounts in December.
The Google Pixel 4a was released on August 20, 2020, and had a starting price of $349. Despite the already-affordable price, we still saw modest discounts on unlocked models. For instance, in December it dropped to $319, but you could save more over time by opting for a carrier-locked version. Verizon offered the phone for $5 per month for 24 months, which equates to $120.
Samsung released its Galaxy Z Flip in February 2020, and we didn't see the first price drop on it until July. The phone had a starting price of $1,380, but the discount dropped it to $600 when users opted for a 30-month installment plan. That's still the only deal we've seen for the Galaxy Z Flip, which now costs from $1,299.99. However, now that it's been out for close to a year, we'll hopefully see more discounts.
The other deal, which is more common, gets you a bunch of free goodies and sometimes even gift certificates along with your purchase. However, keep in mind that these deals are usually reserved for the more popular and expensive phones out there.
I'm that 5G guy. I've actually been here for every "G." I've reviewed well over a thousand products during 18 years working full-time at PCMag.com, including every generation of the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S. I also write a weekly newsletter, Fully Mobilized, where I obsess about phones and networks.
Although buying an unlocked phone may not save you money at checkout, it can be a better value in the long run. Unlocked phones give you the freedom to shop around and move between carriers for the best deal when needed. You can also resell an unlocked phone at any time if you want to upgrade.
Sure, you can spend a few hundred dollars on a brand-new midrange phone, but you also might be able to score one of last year's flagship models, which likely offers better specs and performance, for the same midrange price. When new phones are released, older models are usually discounted, and carriers frequently offer the same, or similar, promotions on these phones as they do on the new versions.
Look for guaranteed trade-in promotions from carriers or manufacturers and compare them with prices at Best Buy and Gazelle. Dedicated trade-in sites aren't quite as seamless as swapping your old phone out to the same store where you're picking up your new one, but they often pay more money. Just be sure to give an accurate assessment of the quality of your phone for the best estimate. Samsung, in particular, is good about accepting trade-ins, especially old iPhones and Pixels.
Even the most expensive phone is basically just a fancy brick if it doesn't have service. There are a lot of options out there beyond AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, and they can save you a lot of money. Once you find the right phone, head over to our story on the best cheap phone plans to find the right cost-effective service for you.
If you ask yourself when the best time is to buy a new cell phone, know that the answer is in the question itself: time. Timing plays a role in supply and demand, especially on fast-moving goods like cell phones that influence our reason to buy because of popular trends, desired features, access to the internet, how we rely on them for communication, etc.
Discounts, sometimes even higher, are available right after the new phone is released. If you wait too long, though, stores may run out of stock. From $1,000 behemoths to a $200 budget smartphone, all phones will decrease in price over time.
They are, nevertheless, things for which consumers feel justified in paying a premium for the latest and best. So, while depreciation will take a bit longer, demand will fall by the time a next-generation model is released (or even looming just over the horizon), resulting in cheaper pricing.
Mobile phone plans may cost upwards of $1000, especially for flagship devices. Nevertheless, many have seen price cuts of up to $500 in previous years and cheap handsets with prices as low as $100 in some cases.
OnePlus phones are best purchased either Black Friday or December. OnePlus provided a $200 discount on the OnePlus 9 Pro during Black Friday in the United States last year. Similar offers were offered in other countries, including the United Kingdom, where customers could save money on the entire OnePlus 9 lineup.
Here is a month-by-month guide for the best times to buy a variety of goods. Also included for each month are one or more freebie days, on which you may find establishments giving out complimentary items such as coffee, ice cream, cookies and more.
The post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping bonanzas of Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the absolute best times of year to buy almost anything, especially TVs, computers, and small and large household appliances.
You'll find all of this week's best cell phone deals neatly rounded up and compared right here on this page. We've included everything from the latest Apple flagships to humble entry-level Android devices - and, plenty of choices in the middle so all the bases are covered. Looking for a new plan? Want a discounted unlocked device? You'll also find cell phone deals that cover all carrier types here so you can easily compare and find the right promotion for your specific needs.
Generally speaking, you'll find cell phone deals coming in two forms - first as an outright sale on an unlocked device, and secondly as part of a carrier-plan tie-in. The latter can be a bit tricky, involving new cell phone plans and also trade-ins on old devices, but the savings can be absolutely huge if you're eligible. We've also included a third alternative option - cell phone deals from prepaid carriers. These smaller carriers don't tend to offer huge savings on a device, but you'll generally be scoring a much cheaper cell phone plan so it's worth considering the switch for sure.
Which type of cell phone deal should you go for? Well, that will depend on your personal needs. If you're looking for the latest flagship device and an unlimited plan to pair it up with then you'll be well served by Verizon or AT&T's latest promotions. If you're looking for maximum flexibility or long-term savings, then it's generally better to consider either buying a device unlocked and then going with a prepaid carrier, or buying a prepaid device directly from that carrier.
Note, all of the devices featured on our list have been personally reviewed by the staff here at TechRadar. They're all fantastic picks in their own right and you won't find any sub-par choices included. If you'd like to find out which is best for you we'd recommend checking our updated guide to the best phones for 2023.
iPhone 14 Series: up to $1,000 off with trade, plus free iPad and Apple Watch at Verizon (opens in new tab)One of the best cell phone deals we've ever seen is back again this week at Verizon, with the chance to bundle in a free Apple Watch SE and 9th gen iPad with most iPhones. This stacks on top of the usual trade-in rebates of up to $1,000 that you'll find on the latest iPhone 14 series for some exceptional value. While you'll still need a pricey unlimited data plan here to be eligible for this promotion, the freebies alone are worth over $500 so it's well worth considering this one. See this same deal on the iPhone 14 Pro (opens in new tab) and iPhone 14 Pro Max (opens in new tab). 041b061a72