There are certain times of the year when buying a new iPhone is a bad idea, and there are certain times of the year when you can get a bargain on a new handset. The trick is knowing when you should buy a new iPhone. Luckily we are here to help.

In this article, we answer all of your questions about when you should and shouldn’t buy a new iPhone – including advice on when Apple is likely to discount the price of older iPhone handsets.

Looking for to buy a new iPhone right now? Apple introduced a set of new iPhones in September 2025 including the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, and the iPhone Air. Apple continues to sell the iPhone 16e, which arrived in March 2025, and the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, which arrived in September 2024. Any of these phones would be a good purchase, although some more than other. For help deciding which model to buy read our Best iPhone comparison.

Also in this article:
Should I buy an old iPhone?
When is the worst time to buy a new iPhone?
When does Apple update the iPhone?
When do iPhone prices drop?

When does the iPhone go on sale?

When a new iPhone is launched Apple tends to reduce prices of the previous generation. So, when the iPhone 17 launched Apple reduced the price of the iPhone 16. This is the only time when Apple drops prices on the iPhone.

This is more pertinent in the U.K. where shoppers can buy an iPhone off contract and unlocked. If you are hoping to take advantage of some good discounts on a new iPhone, you should wait for an Amazon Prime Day sale (in July, October and sometimes in March), but we do see iPhone deals all year round in the U.K. Another good time to buy an iPhone is during the Black Friday sales in November. See our round up of the Best Black Friday iPhone deals.

In the U.S. where the iPhone is most frequently bought on contract the best times to switch to a new iPhone will be when certain sales events are taking place, such as Black Friday, when many of the networks will sweeten their contract deals with extra features.

Should I buy an iPhone 17?

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Is now a good time to buy? Yes.

With a larger screen, twice as much storage, a peek brightness of 3,000 on the ProMotion and Always-On screen, and 8 more hours of battery life, this is already shaping up to be a much better iPhone than the iPhone 16.

There’s also the new 18MP Centre Stage front camera and two 48MP rear cameras. The iPhone 16 is a good allrounder iPhone and we recommend buying one, unless you are desperate for a telephoto lens.

Read our full

Apple iPhone 17 review

Should I buy an iPhone 17 Pro?

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