5 explanation why shopping for the newest flagship shouldn’t be all the time a good suggestion

That model new flagship telephone you could have your eyes on positive does look interesting, doesn’t it? It’s typically touted as the most effective on provide, that includes the quickest chipset, cameras that may carry out miracles in all lighting circumstances, and a design that turns heads. However don’t let your feelings run the present.

Take a step again, calm down, and actually think about whether or not you want it earlier than you attain in your pockets. Likelihood is, shopping for the newest flagship may be a mistake. Listed below are 5 explanation why.

The times when each new flagship smartphone represented a monumental leap over its predecessor are largely behind us. The newest Galaxies and iPhones, whereas polished, are sometimes solely marginally higher than earlier fashions when it comes to uncooked specs and options. Positive, there are numerous enhancements highlighted on paper, however you seemingly received’t discover a barely quicker chipset when merely scrolling by way of your Instagram feed or looking the net. Battery life isn’t typically significantly better both, and for many customers, it’s arduous to tell apart between a photograph snapped with this yr’s mannequin versus final yr’s.

It’s not nearly inner specs and options, although. Design, too, doesn’t appear to alter all that a lot yr over yr. A brand new colour right here and there, maybe a barely redesigned digital camera module, and that’s typically the extent of it. Whereas firms might innovate extra on this space, most choose to play it secure, choosing iterative refinements relatively than revolutionary overhauls.

So, if you happen to personal final yr’s flagship and are considering an improve to absolutely the newest mannequin, I’d argue it’s typically not value it. Except you’re a real energy person who completely wants to remain on the bleeding fringe of know-how always, you’re higher off sticking with what you could have. And if you happen to’re at the moment utilizing an older telephone, shopping for final yr’s flagship is usually the smarter choice. You get 90% of the newest mannequin’s capabilities for lots much less cash.

I’ve already touched on how shopping for final yr’s flagship can prevent cash, however even that may be overkill for some. The most important mistake I see individuals make is shopping for “an excessive amount of telephone.” Simply because one thing is marketed as “the most effective” doesn’t routinely imply it’s the most effective for you. It is best to all the time make a purchase order choice based mostly in your real wants, not solely on what’s the most well liked and strongest gadget available on the market.

The reality is that mid-range telephones today are greater than succesful sufficient for the common person. When family and friends ask me for suggestions on which telephone to purchase, I normally recommend one thing just like the Google Pixel 9a or a Samsung Galaxy A56. Each provide loads of energy for on a regular basis duties, nice cameras, lengthy software program help, and a lovely design. You received’t expertise any lag when doing basic items like looking the net, checking social media, utilizing generative AI instruments like ChatGPT, or watching movies. Taking part in essentially the most graphically demanding video games or operating complicated on-device AI could also be extra of a problem, however that’s not one thing everybody cares about.

Due to this fact, all the time purchase what you want. For those who want a automobile to get to the grocery retailer twice per week and to the physician sometimes, you wouldn’t purchase the newest $100,000 luxurious BMW. Whereas it will definitely get the job completed, it’s a colossal waste of cash. Equally, if you happen to’re a mean smartphone person who doesn’t play demanding video games, isn’t knowledgeable photographer or digital camera nerd, and depends totally on cloud storage relatively than needing huge quantities of on-device storage, don’t seize the 1TB Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely simply because it’s essentially the most premium choice accessible. A succesful mid-ranger will completely deal with all of your wants with out breaking the financial institution.

A high-end telephone inevitably comes with a high-end price ticket. And that’s earlier than you account for the important equipment like a case, display screen protector, and probably even a charger that you just’ll seemingly purchase with it. I’ve already highlighted how choosing final yr’s mannequin or a mid-ranger can prevent cash upfront. However along with that preliminary outlay, you even have to think about the resale worth, particularly if you happen to plan on promoting or buying and selling it in for a more recent mannequin down the road. For those who’re merely passing it right down to a youthful sibling, then this concern is much less urgent.

New telephones are likely to depreciate extra quickly than older ones. For those who’re shopping for a brand-new telephone at full retail value, its worth will drop significantly inside the first yr alone. Persons are typically unwilling to pay near the unique retail value for a used flagship, as most would relatively spend a bit extra for a brand-new system. What’s extra, telephones regularly go on sale a number of occasions per yr, additional driving down the worth of used fashions.

Older telephones, particularly once you handle to get a great deal on them, have a tendency to carry their worth significantly better. So, when the time involves promote, you’ll lose considerably much less cash than you’ll if you happen to purchased a brand new flagship and bought it after just a few years. It’s an analogous system to automobiles: once you drive a brand new one off the lot, its worth instantly drops considerably. However once you purchase a used automobile, the depreciation occurs at a a lot slower fee.

The size of software program help for smartphones is sort of spectacular today, though this does rely on the producer. Within the Android world, Google and Samsung are main the pack, typically providing as much as seven years of each OS and safety updates.

This extended help means your older telephone will nonetheless be up-to-date for years to return, making the argument for purchasing the newest one solely for its nice software program expertise much less compelling. Positive, there are sometimes new software program options launched solely on newer fashions, however a whole lot of occasions, these options are finally launched as a part of an replace to older, still-supported telephones. It doesn’t all the time occur for each single characteristic, nevertheless it’s fairly frequent for lots of the most impactful ones.

So, even if you happen to purchase final yr’s Galaxy S telephone as a substitute of absolutely the newest one, the core software program expertise can be, and can stay, kind of the identical for years to return — sans just a few area of interest options that typically aren’t vital sufficient to justify spending lots of of additional {dollars}.

When a brand new telephone is introduced, the corporate behind it typically makes it sound prefer it simply invented one thing magical. Nonetheless, as with virtually any brand-new product, potential points are all the time a risk. From display screen defects and overheating to varied software program bugs, the expertise of utilizing a brand-new telephone isn’t all the time as clean as we’d all like.

To mitigate this, it’s generally advisable to attend just a few months earlier than shopping for a brand new telephone. Keep watch over critiques and person studies that spotlight potential points with a particular system to see if the acquisition is really value it. However one other glorious purpose to think about an older mannequin is just that each one the small print are already accessible. The producer has seemingly already shipped out patches that fastened preliminary software program points and addressed any manufacturing glitches which may have induced {hardware} defects.

Due to this fact, you’re much less more likely to expertise widespread points with an older telephone mannequin than with a brand-new one — particularly if you happen to purchase it proper at launch.

Are there another explanation why you suppose shopping for the newest flagship shouldn’t be all the time a good suggestion? Let me know within the feedback — I’d love to listen to your ideas.