Buying Tip: Labor Day for that new phone, still!
Or now, if it's a Pixel
Every year I advise people to wait until after Labor Day to buy a new iPhone or Google Pixel, as the new models always come out right around that time with new features the companies hope will make you drool. Why buy last year’s technology today, during the summer, when something cooler will probably be around the corner?
Because this year, you’ll have to pay dearly for the new goodies, which you’ll either care about, or wonder what the big deal is all about.
Apple will be thinking differently about how it sells you iPhones. This week, it announced hefty and greedy price increases for many Apple devices, most notably Mac computers and iPads, blaming them on the AI revolution. Memory prices have gone through the roof, and we’re all paying the price for companies snatching up so many chips.
Will the new iPhones in September have higher prices? They skipped the price boost this week, but in September, there’s no question they will cost more.
While Samsung’s top of the line 2026 Galaxy phones were already released in the spring; Google historically releases new models right around the same time as Apple, in September, and could be expected to follow Apple’s lead here. (Google has lowered the prices of certain Pixel 10 models already, to make room for the 11.)
Is your iPhone sluggish, have a cracked screen that would cost too much to fix and is just generally a bore? Is it time to upgrade and get access to some of those new AI features Apple announced in June? (They include a more responsive, chattier Siri app and enhanced photo editing tools.)
I happen to believe that Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro is the best iPhone that’s been released to date, and it would make a fantastic upgrade from the iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16.
But would I skip whatever cool stuff is coming to the iPhone 18 and buy a new iPhone 17 Pro now? That’s your call.
Also, know that accompanied by the new phones in September, Apple has historically lowered the price of the current base model by $100, making it sound like it’s worth your while to wait. But that’s a ruse. You won’t save on the money on the flagship model, which Apple swiftly pulls off the market, just the base model, which is missing in camera, battery and power goodness. Buying a used or refurbished model won’t save much money.)
The Pro models are the only ones worth considering, IMHO, as they have better camera, battery and more power. In the recent announcement about that new and improved Siri app, only the 17 Pro of the previous phones will be able to access it, as well as future editions. That shows you where Apple is coming from.
Strategies:
None of us know just how pricey those new iPhones will be, nor do we know if we’ll care about the new features. (Odds are we will. We always do.)
But say you want the upgrade and are ready to fork over $1,200 for the iPhone 17 Pro Max (instead of $1,400 or $1,500 for what I expect starting pricing to be for the similar 18.)
Apple notably didn’t raise prices on current iPhones with this week’s announcement, which suggests to me that they won’t announce hikes on its best selling product over the summer.
So if you need that new iPhone, buy it over the Labor Day weekend, listen to the announcement about the new 18, which will be a day or two after the holiday, and then decide whether the new features and pricing are worth the hefty upgrade.
If you’ve got to have it, take advantage of Apple’s 14-day return policy and ditch the new phone. (Or, if you’re a Costco member, but it in July or August, and know you’re covered by the liberal 90-day return offering.)
If you couldn’t care less, you bought yourself one great iPhone 17 Pro before Apple pulls it from shelves, and will save yourself some money.
Best Buy
On the other end of the spectrum, Google’s entry-level Pixel 10a phone makes a fine purchase for students or the person who says they only use the phone for calls, texts, e-mails and occasional photos. At $499, it’s the best bargain in wireless land, and this summer, to make room for the next line of Pixel phones, Google is offering the 10A for $424. I just bought one this week to add to my phone collection.
The costs to fix your old phone.
If you want to just spruce up your current phone without having to give Apple $1,000 or so, know that the company charges $99 for a new battery (if you don’t have Apple Care) and a new screen to replace your cracked one is $300 or so.
Meanwhile, what do we have to look forward to on next phones?
On the iPhone 18:
—Faster chip, longer lasting battery and overall speedier unit.
—Camera improvements, that could include more manual controls and tweaks to the Camera app in the Pro models. I’m hoping for a longer telephoto!
—If you have the iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16 and want to see what all the fuss is about the new Siri AI app that Apple hopes will answer your questions more often than ChatGPT, you’ll need the new phone.
Apple is also expected to launch it’s most expensive iPhone ever, a foldable phone that will copy what Samsung and Google have been offering with a tablet size screen that folds in half. It’s expected to start at $2,000 or more, which is what Google and Samsung initially charged for their foldable phones.
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold now sells for $1,399; Samsung Z Fold lists for just under $2,000. Both have been relative bombs, with teeny market share. Apple can be expected to bring the foldable concept mainstream, as it’s done many times before with concepts forged by others.
Those Mac Increases
Boo hiss Apple on these hefty price hikes. It’s hard to believe that the cost of components have gone so high that the company needs to squeeze an extra $300 from us for some models.
That new Mac Neo that turned heads in March with an opening price of $599 jumps to $699.
The MacBook Air, which had started at $999, jumps to $1,299. The Pro jumps from 1,699 to 1,999.
On the Mac computers, those are starting prices. Most people add extra memory and storage, to bring the prices way up. Max them out and you could easily pay more than $3,000 for the computers.
The two top Ipad Prods now sell for $749 and $1,199.
Side note: I bought the Neo for $699 (extra storage) earlier this year, but couldn’t live with the slower performance and only two slots for accessories, so I returned it to Costco and bought a MacBook Air as my new travel computer. I figured that for only $250 more (Costco has great deals!,) I’d get way better performance, a keyboard that lights up on the plane, and one extra slot to play with. As that computer now has a starting price of $1,299, this was my best return/purchase of all time! And readers, Costco is still offering the Air for $949.)
Happy shopping everyone!
Alaska Visitors: Beware T-Mobile
We just got home last night after two glorious weeks in the Last Frontier, except for one issue. T-Mobile, our phone carrier which we generally love, only gave us a week’s worth of mobile data. Halfway through the trip, the text message came in saying we used too much of it, and would be throttled down to 2G.
What that means, in plain English, is our phones were unusable for finding directions via Google Maps, looking up addresses and open/close times of restaurants, uploading photos and the like, unless we were in a Wifi zone.
I spent two hours on the phone with T-Mobile reps Friday complaining and asking to be upgraded immediately to an unlimited data plan, and it turns out, we already had it. What we didn’t have was unlimited roaming.
And T-Mobile, despite telling us how great its network is, doesn’t have any cell towers in the 49th state, so on my bill, it contends my data usage was “international” when it wasn’t really. It’s just they had to piggy back on partner Alaska towers. And take service away accordingly.
Most people, I’ve since learned, use AT&T in Alaska, because of its stronger network.
Moral: call ahead and ask your carrier how good their coverage is, or whether it exists at all, before the trip starts, if there’s any question about coverage.
Meanwhile, we’ll have the first of our Alaska Photowalks episodes all cued up for you on July 5th. I’m editing away as we speak.
On Photowalks Sunday: Lyon, France
One of the most over-used travel titles on YouTube are that “X Location is one of the most under-rated places.” Yet, this Sunday, we reach for the cliche ourselves with our episode about Lyon, France. Because this mini-Paris, known as the gastronomic capital of the country, truly doesn’t get the tourist love it should. As always, the episode was filmed on an iPhone.
See if you agree with me (and RuthtalksFood’s Ruth Stroud) about why you want to board that train from Paris and head to Lyon on your next France trip. The episode airs Sunday at 10 a.m. ET on Scripps News, followed by YouTube replay. Catch the snippet from the episode directly above.
Meanwhile, thanks as always for spending time with the newsletter. Good luck with your buying decisions—any questions, let me hear from you.
Jeff