The Apple iPhone is one of the most influential pieces of technology ever. Since its first model in 2007, Apple has released a new iPhone almost every year. While the features of each new model largely change each year, Apple always provides a faster processor and other quality-of-life updates. An iPhone is no cheap purchase, with the base model starting at $799. For most users, this is a purchase you need to plan for, and any discount is a major help.
Luckily, you can save on the best iPhone models if you purchase at the right time. There are some periods throughout the year when we recommend not buying an iPhone, mainly since a new model is on the horizon. This means you will likely not see any discounts. If you are searching for the best time to buy an iPhone, check out our guide below to plan out your purchase and save some money in 2024.
Best Times to Buy an iPhone
Right at Release
Surprisingly, the best time to buy an iPhone might be at release. Since many phone providers offer substantial trade-in discounts, often the cheapest you can get a new iPhone is in the few weeks following its release. This is largely due to the amount of trade-in deals, where you can trade in your current phone for a massive discount on the latest iPhone.
To find the best trade-in deals, you should pay close attention to emails from your current provider and adverts online. Many providers like AT&T and T-Mobile run countless ads detailing their deals for new iPhones, so pay close attention right around the weeks leading up to and following an iPhone launch. It's important to keep in mind that some of these offers will be dependent on whether or not you currently own a newer iPhone to trade in, but many providers do offer deals without any stipulations.
Additionally, there are also many deals for the older iPhone models around the release of new iPhones. This year, you can expect to save on iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro in September just before and after the iPhone 16 will probably be releasing. The day new iPhone models drop, Apple will drop the price of older models permanently. Since Apple usually reduces inventory of these units, you can usually get a great deal at this time at other retailers.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Like all technology, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are excellent events to purchase a new iPhone. Since they occur just weeks after the release of a new iPhone, discounts are usually still active. You can expect to see the same great discounts and even new ones at retailers and phone providers.
The Black Friday and Cyber Monday long weekend also provides one of the best opportunities to purchase discounted iPhones online. Anything from new models to refurbished models are almost always available on sale, so you can save a good amount of money by holding off until these sales events.
Holiday Weekends
Historically, Apple has offered some substantial discounts on iPhones for both Mother's Day and Father's Day. With these holidays quickly approaching, now is the time to pay close attention to the promotions for these weekends. Retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart will likely promote deals in the coming weeks via social media and email newsletters. You can find a list of what upcoming sales will offer on each retailer's website.
Additionally, other holiday weekends throughout the year are solid options. Columbus Day, for example, is right in the time period after a standard iPhone release. You can usually score a great discount from a phone provider here. On the other hand, early year holidays like President's Day are also good picks, as new iPhone models are still over six months away.
However, not all holidays are good for iPhone deals. The same cannot be said for holiday weekends in the summer. As we outlined above, the middle of summer is the worst time to buy an iPhone, so do not expect to see any deals during Independence Day sales or other August sales. Though Amazon's Prime Day in July could be an exception to that rule.
iPhone 16 is Set to Release in Fall 2024
As usual, Apple plans to release a new iPhone in 2024. This will most like be called the iPhone 16, which will arrive with multiple models as all prior iPhones have. We expect to see a standard iPhone 16, larger iPhone 16 Plus, an iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Based on previous releases, Apple will likely release the new iPhone models sometime in September.
The best time to buy these new iPhones and older models like iPhone 15 will be in September and during the weeks following launch. As we head into summer, unless you are in desperate need of a new iPhone, we recommend waiting for the iPhone 16 models to release. This will be the best period all year to get a cheap iPhone, so there is no question at all if you are getting the best deal.
Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium. His favorite series include Xeno and Final Fantasy.
