IT Services21.09.2018

Now is the time to buy a “2017” smartphone

New smartphones are everywhere lately.

Apple recently held is annual smartphone event, and unveiled the iPhone Xs and Xs Max, along with the iPhone Xr.

The Xs and Xs Max are the new flagships, while the Xr is the “more affordable” model – sacrificing elements like an OLED screen for an LCD display.

Samsung has also brought new smartphones to the market this year, including the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ earlier in 2018, and the Galaxy Note 9 in August.

Huawei unveiled its new P20 range, too, with the P20 and P20 Pro headlining the series.

As we cautioned earlier this month, this does not mean you can buy a new smartphone yet – as Huawei and Google still have to launch their latest phones.

Google is set to launch its new Pixel 3 and 3XL smartphones on 9 October, while Huawei is set to launch its Mate 20 smartphone on 16 October.

Buying a 2017 phone

What this does mean, however, is that “2017” flagship devices will go on sale in the coming months – or are already being offered at discounted prices.

Those looking for an extra-sweet deal can wait until Black Friday on 23 November, when retailers are set to offer a range of smartphones at great prices.

This is because as new smartphone stock comes in, users are naturally drawn to the latest devices.

A phone launched in 2017 – such as the Samsung Galaxy S8, Apple iPhone 8, or Huawei P10 – is therefore less attractive.

This is due to their lower-end performance and hardware relative to the new models, and the fact that showing off your new phone – which was launched a year-and-a-half ago – is not going to win you cool points.

If you can look past the “uncool” factor, though, you will be able to purchase a powerful smartphone for a good price.

The only potential issue is software support, which you must look into before you buy.

Apple is traditionally good at this, and iOS 12 – Apple’s latest operating system launched on 17 September 2018 – is supported all the way back to the iPhone 5s, a smartphone released in 2013.

Android is a different story, and old smartphones not receiving OS updates is common place.

Nokia, for example, which is part of Google’s Android One programme states it only offers “two years of OS upgrades” as a minimum.