Best Time To Buy a New Android Phone

This article will dive into the pros and cons of buying phones at launch and whether you should wait before splurging.

Pros of Buying Phones at Launch

Buying phones at launch has its advantages. You stay ahead of the masses in technology and get to experience the best of the best. Let’s explain.

Staying Ahead of the Masses

One of the key advantages of buying that new shiny Android device at launch is it helps you stay ahead of the curve. New Android phones normally feature incremental updates, but you can sometimes stumble across a monumental upgrade, whether it’s in terms of a design overhaul, a better set of internal components, or new capabilities.

For instance, Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra debuted with the company’s 108MP camera with 100x zooming capabilities. It wasn’t just a first for Samsung, but it was also a first in the smartphone industry. Its successor, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, was also the first Galaxy S series phone to support its stylus pen, dubbed S Pen.

Another good example is Google’s 2021 Pixel 6 series phones, the first devices with the company’s custom Google Tensor chip with incredible Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) capabilities. And what can rival buying a new Android phone at launch in a radically new and eye-catching form factor like the impressive Galaxy Z Flip at launch?

New Phones Are Often Better Than Existing Ones

If you buy a phone at launch, no doubt you will have a chance to get your hands on something better than what is currently available. Sure, sometimes the improvements are minimal, but overall, newer phones tend to be better than the previous ones.

New Android phones tend to sport refreshed designs and better internals that potentially unlock new capabilities. Going back to our Pixel 6 example, the duo changed a lot of things from their predecessors, the Pixel 5 series. Google leveraged its custom Tensor chip which gave the new devices a breath of fresh air.

Google took all the key areas a notch higher, including the display, build, battery capacity, storage, memory, and camera. Check out our Pixel 6 vs. Pixel 5 comparison for more details.

Cons of Buying Phones at Launch

With all the pros out of the way, you’re probably thinking, and what about the downsides? Well, here are the disadvantages of buying new Android phones at launch.

Some Devices Ship With Bugs and Flaws

When you buy a new device, you expect it to work flawlessly without issues. But that’s not always the case. New Android phones, at times, ship with flaws and bugs that you may not know about until you have hands-on experience.

Buying a device immediately after launch means reviewers have not yet used the devices enough to offer their insights on what you should expect.

Reading through reviews and watching videos will help you know what you’re getting yourself into. For example, It’s hard to tell whether a device will have terrible battery life. Since you can’t rely on the numbers provided by manufacturers, your only bet is with reviews.

Case in point, the Galaxy S20 Ultra, Samsung’s top flagship phone of 2020, shipped with a serious autofocus bug. While Samsung fixed the bug after a few months via a software update, the South Korean tech giant had previously said the bug was unfixable.

A more recent example of this is Google’s Pixel 6 series. The device has frustrated a good number of users online, and even one of YouTube’s top smartphone reviewers, Marques Brownlee (MKBHD), wasn’t an exception.

As an early adopter, at that particular point in time, you can’t tell whether the company will fix the bugs in the future or not. You’re simply at the mercy of a smartphone maker to eventually figure things out.

Expensive Prices

One of the obvious reasons for avoiding buying any phone at launch is the price. At launch, you’ll be forced to pay the full price of the device. But if history is anything to go by, prices drop as time passes by. A few months down the line, we’ve seen some companies slash prices to try and increase their sales numbers.

Buying some time may therefore guarantee you a good deal. You can save even more if you decide to get a used smartphone in mint condition. Even an open box version that has barely been used can potentially save you a few hundred dollars relative to buying new.

Being an Early Adopter Has Its Risks

As much as It’s exciting to be up to date with technological trends, early adoption does come with its risks. You don’t know if the device is built to last for the long haul or if it will break a few months down the road. Although such cases can be few, they can happen as they did in the past. It’s not something new.

A more recent example is Samsung’s first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, which had a folding panel that could easily break. And it could be worse. Remember Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 fiasco? Although its exploding battery wasn’t a widespread issue, waiting before spending your hard-earned cash means you’re more certain of what to expect.

Should You Buy Immediately or Wait?

With all the pros and cons out of the way, what should you do? Buy a device immediately after launch or wait? Long story short, you should definitely wait. There are more downsides to buying a phone immediately at launch compared to waiting.

Waiting translates to getting the device at a slightly discounted price, especially considering the overall uptrend in the price of smartphones. It also means you forget about all the risks that come with being an early adopter. Before you buy a new smartphone, we recommend reading or watching its reviews so you’re fully aware of what you’re signing up for.