There are particular instances of the yr when shopping for a brand new iPhone is a foul thought, and there are particular instances of the yr when you will get a cut price on a brand new handset. The trick is realizing when you should purchase a brand new iPhone. Fortunately we’re right here to assist.
On this article, we reply your entire questions on when it is best to and shouldn’t purchase a brand new iPhone – together with recommendation on when Apple is more likely to low cost the value of older iPhone handsets.
Searching for to purchase a brand new iPhone proper now? Apple launched a set of recent iPhones in September 2025 together with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Professional and 17 Professional Max, and the iPhone Air. Apple continues to promote the iPhone 16e, which arrived in March 2025, and the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, which arrived in September 2024. Any of those telephones can be buy, though some greater than different. For assist deciding which mannequin to purchase learn our Finest iPhone comparability.
Additionally on this article:
Ought to I purchase an outdated iPhone?
When is the worst time to purchase a brand new iPhone?
When does Apple replace the iPhone?
When do iPhone costs drop?
When does the iPhone go on sale?
When a brand new iPhone is launched Apple tends to cut back costs of the earlier era. So, when the iPhone 17 launched Apple decreased the value of the iPhone 16. That is the one time when Apple drops costs on the iPhone.
That is extra pertinent within the U.Okay. the place buyers should buy an iPhone off contract and unlocked. In case you are hoping to reap the benefits of some good reductions on a brand new iPhone, it is best to look forward to an Amazon Prime Day sale (in July, October and typically in March), however we do see iPhone offers all yr spherical within the U.Okay. One other good time to purchase an iPhone is in the course of the Black Friday gross sales in November. See our spherical up of the Finest Black Friday iPhone offers.
Within the U.S. the place the iPhone is most often purchased on contract the very best instances to change to a brand new iPhone can be when sure gross sales occasions are going down, reminiscent of Black Friday, when lots of the networks will sweeten their contract offers with further options.
Ought to I purchase an iPhone 17?
Worth When Reviewed:
From $799
Finest Costs At present:
Is now time to purchase? Sure.
With a bigger display screen, twice as a lot storage, a peek brightness of three,000 on the ProMotion and At all times-On display screen, and eight extra hours of battery life, that is already shaping as much as be a a lot better iPhone than the iPhone 16.
There’s additionally the brand new 18MP Centre Stage entrance digital camera and two 48MP rear cameras. The iPhone 16 is an effective allrounder iPhone and we advocate shopping for one, until you might be determined for a telephoto lens.
Learn our full
Apple iPhone 17 assessment
Ought to I purchase an iPhone 17 Professional?
Worth When Reviewed:
$1,099 (256GB) | $1,299 (512GB) | $1,499 (1TB) | $1,999 (2TB)
Finest Costs At present:
$1099
Is now time to purchase? Sure.
All of the late 2025 iPhones supply 3,000 nits max, Professional Movement and At all times On, so that is now not a motive to purchase the Professional iPhone fashions, now the principle differentiator is admittedly simply the extra digital camera on the rear as a result of even the iPhone Air options the A19 Professional chip.
The iPhone 17 Professional is the one to purchase if you’re into superior images and video. Additionally it is the telephone to decide on in the event you contemplate your self an influence consumer, knowledgeable creator, or if you’re a gamer.
Learn our full
Apple iPhone 17 Professional assessment
Ought to I purchase an iPhone 17 Professional Max?
Worth When Reviewed:
$1,199 (256GB) | $1,399 (512GB) | $1,599 (1TB) | $1,999 (2TB)
Finest Costs At present:
$1199
Is now time to purchase? Sure.
The Professional Max is basically the identical telephone because the iPhone 17 Professional, however with a bigger show and higher battery life (37 hours). If these are options that you just want, together with further digital camera lens, that is the mannequin to purchase.
Learn our full
Apple iPhone 17 Professional Max assessment
Ought to I purchase an iPhone Air?
Worth When Reviewed:
$999 (256GB) | $1,199 (512GB) | $1,399 (1TB)
Finest Costs At present:
$999
Is now time to purchase? Sure.
The iPhone Air is for early-adopters who prioritize being on the leading edge. It’s additionally for individuals who need an ultra-thin design.
There are trade-offs although, reminiscent of decreased battery life and a single rear digital camera, however this can be a telephone with wow issue and bragging rights.
Learn our full
Apple iPhone Air (2025) assessment
Ought to I purchase an iPhone 16e?
Worth When Reviewed:
From $599
Finest Costs At present:
$599
Is now time to purchase? Sure. However anticipate a brand new mannequin in spring 2026.
The iPhone 16e launched in February 2025 and introduced the Apple Intelligence options and a quicker processor to the price range finish of the iPhone lineup. It’s the most affordable strategy to get a future proof iPhone so we advocate it.
We anticipate that Apple will launch the iPhone 17e in spring 2026, however we don’t anticipate far more than a chip replace, and the modifications to the entrance dealing with digital camera seen on the 2025 iPhones. For those who see deal on the iPhone 16e it’s price taking benefit.
Learn our full
Apple iPhone 16e assessment
Ought to I purchase an iPhone 16 Plus?
Worth When Reviewed:
$899
Finest Costs At present:
Is now time to purchase? Sure.
If you would like a bigger iPhone and the iPhone 17 Professional Max is just too costly for you then the iPhone 16 Plus is the best choice. Apple hasn’t launched an iPhone 17 Plus, so there is no such thing as a longer an reasonably priced possibility for individuals who need, or want, a much bigger iPhone.
Ought to I purchase an iPhone 16?
Worth When Reviewed:
NOW $699 for 128GB (WAS: $799/128GB, $899/256GB, $1,099/512GB)
Finest Costs At present:
Is now time to purchase? No.
We might keep away from the iPhone 16 as a result of it actually doesn’t supply good worth for cash when in comparison with the iPhone 17, which provides twice as a lot storage in addition to all the opposite further options of the 2025 vary.
Learn our full
Apple iPhone 16 assessment
Ought to I purchase an outdated iPhone?
What in the event you see an older iPhone mannequin on sale? When Apple introduces the brand new vary of iPhone every September it tends to maintain a number of the earlier yr’s fashions on sale, however not all of them. Every September we see Apple discontinue the earlier Professional fashions of the iPhone.
In 2025 Apple discontinued the iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max. It additionally stopped promoting the 512GB fashions of the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. These are all good choices must you see them on sale at a bargain, simply be sure you examine them to the present era and be clear about what you might be lacking out on.
Ought to I purchase an iPhone 16 Professional or iPhone 16 Professional Max?
Is now time to purchase? Sure.
In case you are fortunate sufficient to seek out one on sale at value we advocate shopping for it.
Ought to I purchase a iPhone 15 Professional or iPhone 15 Professional Max?
Is now time to purchase? Possibly.
For those who discover one on sale at value we advocate shopping for it, nevertheless it must be a extremely whole lot and we don’t look forward to finding a brand new mannequin now.
Ought to I purchase a iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus?
Is now time to purchase? No.
We might advise in opposition to shopping for the iPhone 15 or 15 Plus as a result of they don’t assist the Apple Intelligence options.
When is the worst time to purchase a brand new iPhone?
It’s simpler to say when the worst time to purchase a brand new iPhone is. That’s for sure within the months main as much as September. So don’t purchase a brand new iPhone in August, until you need to be kicking your self a month later when the value of that mannequin drops and a brand new mannequin arrives.
The one motive to purchase an iPhone within the run-up to an Apple Occasion is whether it is more likely to be discontinued. Apple tends to discontinue the Professional and Professional Max fashions of the earlier era when it introduces the subsequent era, so if you wish to purchase a kind of fashions you might need to purchase one when you nonetheless can. Nonetheless, we’d recommend that it could be smart to attend for the next-gen model which is more likely to current you with extra in your cash. Or reap the benefits of reductions as distributors unload outdated inventory after the brand new fashions arrive.
The very best time to purchase an iPhone isn’t essentially when a brand new mannequin launches both – until you’re determined to have the very newest {hardware}. You may be comfortable to attend a month or two after the launch and look forward to provide to meet up with demand, and for any issues with the brand new telephones to be recognized and (hopefully) mounted. The opposite benefit of shopping for across the October/November timeframe is that’s when buying occasions, like Black Friday, happen, however as we mentioned above, we don’t are likely to see the most recent iPhone fashions discounted a lot, or in any respect, at these occasions.
We’d say that it’s superb to purchase a brand new iPhone at any time inside 9 months of it launching, however if you’re hoping to avoid wasting cash in your buy we’d advocate ready just a few months after the launch.
When does Apple replace the iPhone?
Chris Martin / Foundry
Realizing when the most recent iPhones got here out ought to assist when making a judgment on whether or not there can be an replace quickly.
See when is the subsequent Apple occasion to seek out out if an Apple occasion is imminent.
Apple normally updates the iPhone vary at an Apple Occasion in September though typically it can maintain an Spring Apple Occasion – though typically it simply declares the information by way of press launch, because it did the launch of the iPhone 16e in February 2025. The iPhone 17e is anticipated to be launched in spring 2026.
When do iPhone costs drop?
We all know primarily based on previous expertise that Apple could be very unlikely to drop the value of an iPhone within the first yr of gross sales.
Nonetheless, Apple does normally cut back the value of the earlier yr’s iPhone when it introduces the brand new mannequin – so anticipate Apple to low cost its older handsets in September.
How a lot do costs drop when a brand new iPhone comes out?
Foundry
When Apple introduces new iPhones it normally retains the costs the identical because the earlier era, a minimum of within the U.S. (elsewhere there will be forex fluctuations to take account of).
In 2024 Apple decreased the value of the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus by $100/£100 in September 2024 when the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have been launched.
The value of the iPhone 16 additionally dropped in 2025 with the arrival of the iPhone 17, however crucially this time the iPhone 17 has twice as a lot storage on the entry-level, so at solely $100/£100 much less however with half the storage the iPhone 16 actually doesn’t appear to be deal.
Will there be Black Friday iPhone reductions?
The earliest you might anticipate to get a reduction on the most recent iPhones is round Black Friday on the finish of November, so that you may be planning to carry out till then. Nonetheless, the offers we are likely to see, if any, are normally for older handsets so if you’re hoping for a reduced iPhone 17 or iPhone 17 Professional you’ll in all probability be dissatisfied. See our round-up of Finest Black Friday iPhone offers for extra.
Nor must you anticipate to get a reduction in an Apple Black Friday sale. Apple’s Black Friday sale normally solely takes the type of vouchers with choose product purchases, quite than a reduction, and it’s unlikely that the most recent iPhone would qualify as in earlier yr’s new iPhones haven’t been included.
Word that whereas buying occasions like Black Friday will get all the eye, that’s not the one time you will get reductions on Apple merchandise: we see reductions on a regular basis. One other occasion the place we see good iPhone offers is Prime Day, which occurs in July and October yearly. So check out the iPhone offers for Amazon Prime Day sale to see what you would possibly have the ability to save.
In our expertise, we don’t are likely to see reductions on the most recent handset till the spring–and these are all the time from third-party resellers, by no means from Apple. In truth, we don’t are likely to see the iPhone discounted within the U.S. fairly often, a lot of the reductions we see are within the U.Okay. the place unlocked iPhones are sometimes offered off-contract at low cost.
Conclusion: When is the very best time to purchase a brand new iPhone?
The worst time to purchase is normally between July or August, primarily as a result of with new iPhones on the horizon the value of the older handsets are more likely to drop very quickly.
If you would like the most recent iPhones then the very best offers don’t have a tendency to come back earlier than the spring and summer season months. In case you are comfortable to purchase an older iPhone then you’ll in all probability see respectable offers round Prime Day and Black Friday – however offers occur all yr spherical.
We hope this text has proved useful in reaching an knowledgeable shopping for choice. Do not forget that good costs will be discovered all yr spherical, if a retailer is feeling beneficiant and you already know the place to look: learn our information to the very best iPhone offers for extra on that.
Questioning how lengthy Apple helps iPhones for? Learn How lengthy do iPhones final.
