Replacing your old phone doesn’t have to burn a hole in your wallet. If you know what to look for, there are many ways to buy phones on the cheap, whether you’re going for a new model or a used one. Here are some tips that can help you save money on your next phone purchase.
1 – Make a list of priorities
There is no point in paying for features and specs you’re not going to use. Before you start looking for a new phone, take a moment to consider what’s wrong with your current one and what you’d like your next phone to do for you.
Good questions to ask include: do you need a large screen? Do you need better cameras? Does the new phone need more internal storage? These are all factors that can have a significant impact on a phone’s price. It is a good idea to figure out early on what you can and can’t live without.
2 – Shop online
With rare exceptions, buying phones online is usually cheaper than getting them from a local store, especially if you do your research and make use of one of the many phone price comparison tools available online.
The only option that may be cheaper than buying online is getting it as part of a phone plan with a trade-in offer. However, those plans will often only give you access to expensive models. If you’re fine with a mid-tier option, you may be better off selling your old phone and getting a new one online.
There are plenty of companies that will buy and refurbish old phones out there; trade-ins aren’t the only way to get value out of your old device.
3 – Buy it used
It may seem backward to trade an old phone for another old one, but there are many types of used phones. You can often find barely-used phones for sale at 80 or 70% of their current price just a few months after the phone was launched.
There are plenty of people out there who sell their phones every six months or every year so they can always have the newest model. These users will usually protect their phones with a case and an anti-shock screen protector like the ones found on this website to make sure the handheld will retain its resale value.
4 – Buy last year’s model
The period of rapid development for phones is arguably over. Unless you’re looking for a device that folds, phones haven’t changed that much in the last 2-3 years. And many devices that were launched 2-3 years ago are still being sold and supported to this day; only they are sold at a fraction of their original price.
If you want to snatch a brand-new flagship phone for the price of a budget model, then the best place to look is in lists of the best phones of 2 years ago. Often, those devices won’t even be available in stores anymore, and they are probably no longer being manufactured or advertised. But they are still for sale online and remain brand new in their original box.
