Why Now Isn’t a Good Time to Buy an IPhone
Summer is a great time for a beach holiday, but not the best time to buy an iPhone, especially a top-end model. Traditionally, Apple releases new models in mid-September. If the situation continues, the iPhone 17 series will go on sale this fall, and Apple’s pricing policy will change, making older devices cheaper.
So, if you can, hang on to your cracked-screen phone for a little while longer, and then you can either buy a new model or pay less for the old one. And if you need to buy an iPhone this summer and don’t care how good of a phone you need, one model is a relatively safe buy.
September is New Apple Products (Usually)
While the date of Apple’s next major iPhone event has yet to be announced, it’s expected that Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 on Tuesday, September 9 or Wednesday, September 10, with it going on sale about a week later. This is part of an annual trend: the iPhone 16 series (iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max) was released on September 20, 2024, the 15 series on September 22, 2023, the iPhone 14 series on September 16, 2022, and so on.
Some years, Apple makes its own adjustments. The iPhone 12 was announced in October 2020 and went on sale soon after (though COVID is likely to blame), and the iPhone X didn’t hit stores until November 2017, despite being announced in September . But mid-September is a likely date for the next-generation iPhone announcement.
How iPhone Prices Will Likely Change After the iPhone 17 Release
If you want the newest phone, it’s definitely worth holding off until September — you don’t want to buy Apple’s top model and then use the best phone for a couple of months. But if you’re like me and don’t mind a cheaper, but not the best, model, it’s probably best to wait until Apple’s announcement in September.
When Apple officially unveils a new model, prices for older phones tend to drop immediately after the announcement. It’s impossible to predict how much older iPhone prices will drop after a new one is announced, but last year when Apple announced the iPhone 16, the price of the iPhone 15 dropped by $100, and the trend of older models dropping in price over the past few generations has been consistent.
While it’s impossible to say for sure, it’s reasonable to expect the iPhone 17-series to be more expensive than the iPhone 16-series were when they launched. It’s been five years since Apple raised the prices of its phones, and the company has never gone more than six years without raising the price of a standard model. How much the price will increase is anyone’s guess. Apple raised the prices of the iPhone 7, 8, and XR in $50 increments over two years starting in 2017. But in 2020, it raised the price of the iPhone 12 by $130 all at once.
Next, you should consider the rates.
How will tariffs affect the price of the next iPhone?
The short answer is: no one knows. President Trump has said that Apple will face a 25 percent tariff on iPhones made outside the U.S., which will almost certainly raise the price of the product for consumers. However, President Trump has said a lot, including that smartphones will be exempt from the tariff , so it is impossible to know whether the tariffs will raise the price of the iPhone or by how much.
The Only Apple Phone That’s Probably Safe to Buy Right Now
If you can’t wait and want an affordable iPhone right now, your best bet is the iPhone 16e. Apple’s budget SE series of smartphones have been released irregularly. The first one came out in 2016, the second one in 2020, and the third one in 2022. The iPhone 16e came out in February of this year, so the $599 price tag will likely stay the same for a while, and it’s a great phone for the price .