When to Buy an iPhone? Wait Until September for the Best Time

If you’re considering buying a new iPhone, August is probably not the best month.

Based on past history, Apple will likely introduce new phones in September that come with faster chips and better cameras than its current phones. And also based on precedent, the company will probably cut prices on older phones, giving price-conscious shoppers a chance to save money from what they would otherwise pay.

The advice comes as Apple reportedly plans to premiere three iPhone 11s in September. They’re slated to include faster processors and in at least, some models, a triple-lens camera array for taking better photographs.

If Apple follows its September pattern, it would be the sixth straight year that Apple introduces phones in September. Although the company is known to try to keep secrets, its rollout scheduled for new phones is fairly predictable.

Since 2012, Apple has debuted new iPhone every September. Occasionally, the company also introduces models in other months: the iPhone SE in March 2016, iPhone X in Nov. 2017, and last year’s iPhone XR in October.

Consumers who are currently considering buying the latest iPhone are therefore caught in a gray zone. This year’s phones— iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max—are the most recent phones, but within a few weeks, they’re likely to be supplanted by newer models.

Potentially, people who don’t care about owning recent models can save some money by waiting. After unveiling its new phones, some of which cost $1,000 or more, Apple usually discounts its older ones.

Last year, after showing off its new iPhones in September, Apple cut prices of its iPhone 7 by $100 to a starting price of $449. The price of Apple’s iPhone 8 model was slashed by $100 to a starting price of $599.

In 2017, when unveiling the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, Apple also cut prices of its older models. It reduced iPhone 7 by $100 to a starting price of $549.

And it was the same story in 2016, when Apple discounted its iPhone 6S models by $100 to a starting price of $449.

Apple hasn’t revealed its plans this year about any new iPhones, of course. And just because the company has done something in the past doesn’t mean it will in the future.

But chances are that more powerful iPhones are coming next month. Meanwhile, shoppers who feel that older models are good enough may consider waiting.

Either way, August isn’t the ideal month for buying an iPhone.