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iPhone 13 is finally here! But don't buy it...yet.

Benjamin E. Timmermann

Apple only recently revealed their latest iPhone 13 and although many might be itching to get their hands on the latest model, it might actually be smarter to set your sight on the earlier models. We have gathered the data to analyse how much you can save by not buying the latest iPone straight away.

Time for a new (old) iPhone?

Recently Apple presented a new series of products, among the products to be revealed was the new iPhone 13. And although many are excited for the new model, we have found that not jumping the gun and buying the latest phone straight away could mean a significant price reduction after as little as one year after release. We have gathered the data to determine the price difference between a newly released iPhone versus the price one, two and three years later.

If you don’t need to have the latest gadgets and are able to wait, you can quite often save a lot of money by doing so. - Christine Gouldthorp, Consumer Expert at PriceRunner

Worth the wait?

We have compared the initial release cost of the three latest generations before the iPhone 13 to determine if it might be worth holding off on buying the latest model or if the difference is minimal and you should strike right away. For the sake of consistency we have compared all models with a 256GB storage.

iPhone 12 - Released October 23rd, 2020
The iPhone 12 launched at a price of £949 the lowest price today is about £695. Which is a 27% decrease almost a year after release.
iPhone 12 mini - Released November 13th, 2020
The iPhone 12 mini launched at a price of £849 the lowest price today is about £583. Which is a 31% decrease almost a year after release.
iPhone 12 Pro - Released October 23rd, 2020
The iPhone 12 Pro launched at a price of £1099 the lowest price today is about £858. Which is a 22% decrease almost a year after release.
iPhone 11 - Released September 20th, 2019
The iPhone 11 launched at a price of £879 the lowest price today is about £579. Which is a 34% decrease two years after release.
iPhone 11 Pro - Released September 20th, 2019
The iPhone 11 Pro launched at a price of £1199 the lowest price today is about £539. Which is a 55% decrease two years after release.
iPhone XS - Released September 21st, 2018
The iPhone XS launched at a price of £1149 the lowest price today is about £549. Which is a 52% decrease three years after release.
iPhone XR - Released October 26th, 2018
The iPhone XR launched at a price of £969 the lowest price today is about £609. Which is a 37% decrease three years after release.

Conclusively iPhone models do see a drop in price already within the first year of being released, so waiting a year might not be a bad idea, especially if you're not in a rush to get a new phone. Of course comparing specs and whether an upgrade is "worth it" or not is also important, it's easy to get swept away by the new product hype, but wait a bit and you can save some money.

Not sure which model is best suited for you, or simply interested in comparing different brands and models? Then take a look at our big test of 80 mobile phones to help you find the right one.