Or is Black Friday just too tempting?
With Black Friday sales just around the corner — if not active already — right now might be the best time to buy a new smartphone. From budget devices to high-end flagships and foldables, everything’s about to be sold for hundreds of dollars less than their usual prices, like some kind of consumer reward for being patient. That said, if you like to live on the cutting edge, it’s a tough choice. We’re just about to see all sorts of new devices hit the market in just a few months that could shake up your smartphone plans.
Over the last two weeks, we’ve seen new processors from MediaTek and Qualcomm, both intending to power flagship phones throughout the next year. MediaTek’s Dimensity 9200 continues to chase after the high-end market, complete with a focus on improved networking, AI-based skills, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing in gaming. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, however, is destined to grab much of the US market, with phones from OnePlus already announced and, presumably, Samsung’s Galaxy S23 not too far behind.
As tempting as this new hardware might be, right now is a great time to pick up a new smartphone. Google’s entire 2022 Pixel lineup is on sale, bringing prices as low as $300 for the Pixel 6a. Excellent deals from Samsung make it easy to consider grabbing a year-old phone for hundreds of dollars less than usual, and that’s to say nothing about the offerings from upper-mid-range prices from OnePlus and Motorola.
Of course, there’s an even cheaper option than buying on sale: keeping your current phone. Whether you just bought a new device a few months ago or you’re happy with your current years-old device, there’s no reason to make specific plans to buy gadgets you don’t need.
So, do you plan on buying a new smartphone next year? Or would you rather take advantage of those sweet, sweet Black Friday deals? Even better, maybe you’d rather leave your tech alone — after all, no one lives on the cutting edge for longer than a few months at a time.
