If Apple had its way, iPhones would be a strictly annual purchase: September comes, new models drop, everyone gets out their wallet. Instead, most customers upgrade their handset every two or three years, and plenty hang on longer than that. But eventually, whether because your handset starts to show its age or the new models become just too tempting, you’ll start to think about ditching the old phone and buying a new one.
Is that really the right decision? Here are three key factors you need to consider before splashing the cash on a new iPhone.
1. It’s (probably) the wrong time to buy
At the time of writing, it’s early June. The iPhone 17 will launch in three and a half months, at which point the rest of the range will get a price cut. Whichever model you’re looking at right now is likely to be around $100 cheaper in September, and you’ll have an entirely new set of phones to choose from on top of that.
So you should wait, right? Probably. But the question is more complicated than that. When new phones come out, demand shoots up, and that often means it’s difficult to even find a vendor with stock. It’s also very unlikely you’ll find a good deal within a month of the launch; worthwhile discounts start appearing later in the cycle.
That’s before we get into tariffs, and the possibility that Apple will raise prices at some point. Panic-buying is unwise for various reasons, but if you wanted to buy soon anyway, it’s worth keeping all potential factors in mind.
You can see it’s a tricky business, so we’ve got an in-depth article discussing the thorny question of when is the best time to buy an iPhone. But the short answer is that now is probably not the best timing.
2. Think you’ve chosen the right model? Think again
Open the iPhone comparison page on Apple’s website and the table will default to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, 16, and 16e, all released within the past 12 months. Those are the phones Apple wants you to buy. But you’ll often find better-value options from older generations.
The iPhone 15 Pro from 2023, for example, comes with a super-fast A17 Pro chip, supports Apple Intelligence, and has very few functional differences from the iPhone 16 Pro. Yet, assuming you can find stock at this point, it’ll cost you a whole lot less. And the iPhone 15, which starts from a very reasonable $699 and is still available from Apple’s store and elsewhere, is a superb all-rounder.
The key is to unplug the part of your brain that craves the new, and focus on what you need and what you can do without. If you’re determined to have Apple Intelligence, then the iPhone 15 won’t do, but if you can take it or leave it, then buying the iPhone 16e, which sacrifices much in order to be AI-ready, would be an extravagance. Decide on your priorities: battery life, processing power, camera, design, dimensions? Then focus your expenditure on those areas and look for savings elsewhere. Our iPhone buying guide has in-depth advice.
And finally, don’t ignore the substantial savings that can be made by buying refurbished or second-hand.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
3. Your iPhone isn’t aging, it just needs some TLC
Frustrated that your iPhone isn’t the slick speedster you remember from launch day? Smartphones do slow down as they age, but you might be surprised how long they can last without this becoming an issue. Try these tricks to rejuvenate your iPhone before you consign it to the landfill.
Check (and potentially replace) the battery: One of the most obvious signs of smartphone age is reduced battery performance, but this might be an illusion caused by changes in usage: charging less often than you used to, running more demanding apps, spending more time on the screen each day. Check your iPhone’s battery health for a scientific verdict; if that’s the problem, you can replace the battery for much less than the entire phone.
Update iOS regularly: Bugs and behavioral peculiarities get ironed out in smaller iOS updates, while more major ones may contain optimizations to make your handset run more smoothly. If you haven’t updated your iPhone in a while, do so now and see if it helps. Update your apps regularly, too.
Free up storage space: iPhones can slow down if they run out of available storage; if your device is almost full, it’s worth having a clear-out. You can manage this in Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
Monitor the temperature: This might sound odd, but iPhones run slower when they’re too hot or too cold. The weather could be the problem, not your phone’s age.
Turn off Low Power Mode: This mode is great for stretching battery life, but it does this by making some features run more slowly (or not at all). If the iPhone seems slow and this is activated, try turning it off.
Check if the iPhone is really the problem: Performance doesn’t just depend on your iPhone hardware, and if the bottleneck is elsewhere upgrading would be a waste of money. If internet performance is slow, check your Wi-Fi. If one app seems particularly slow, try running it on a friend’s device to see if the problem remains. You need to be absolutely certain that the iPhone is the problem.
Don’t make an expensive mistake
iPhones are seriously expensive, and it’s important to be sure that you’re going to get full value for your money. Do you need a new iPhone, or do you just want one? Your wallet (and the environment) won’t forgive you for upgrading before it’s really necessary.
If you’re sure, however, the only question remaining is where to get the lowest price. And for that, we’d recommend a visit to our best iPhone deals roundup. Happy shopping!