Panic price? Buying an iPhone right now is a terrible idea

Because it is so large and its supply chain depends so much on Chinese factories, Apple is almost particularly vulnerable to the effects of the 125% price of President Trump on goods from this nation. For all Tim Cook's attempts to reconcile the new regime, this development is very bad news for Apple Park, which will be prepared for difficult times to come.

Thanks to these samples (here is a detailed ventilation of how they affect Apple), the experts have hypothesized that the price of an iPhone could increase up to 43%, taking the entry -level model from $ 799 to $ 1,142 and a maximum iPhone 16 pro -end at $ 2,300. This is enough to induce panic and many regular customers rush or plan to rush to buy a new iPhone before price hikes are being put in place … but we think it is a terrible idea. Here is why.

1. Buying too early is waste (money and electronics)

There is a reason why most of us do not buy a new iPhone on an annual basis: separate from more than $ 1,000 each year (before taking into account in one case, a data plan, subscriptions, new applications and IAPS, and repairs if you are not damn sacred), is simply too expensive. Most people upgrade their smartphone every two or three years, and many hold a handset longer than that. For all discussions on planned obsolescence, Apple built phones that happily last three years or more without hitch.

So let's move on to the way an iPhone of panic purchase will now affect this cycle. The question is: when do you plan to upgrade? Soon? In September? Next year? If it's only a few weeks, then certainly make the decision as soon as possible. (Although this is a strange period of the year to get an iPhone, as I will discuss it below.)

But if you plan to wait for the new models to be released in September, a panic purchase can now save you a few dollars, but you have just thrown five months of perfectly good iPhone performance in order to buy a combined that will be a less advanced generation than if you had waited. This will last a year less before noticing performance difficulties, so this only act of purchase of panic means that all future upgrades will have to occur a year earlier. Given the cost of an iPhone, you have probably wasted as much money as you are likely to save.

In addition, regular smartphones upgrades are not only bad for your pocket. They are also terrible for the environment. You will therefore add unnecessary electronic waste to the mixture.

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

2. The situation could and will likely change

I am not a political commentator and I absolutely do not want to enter the rights and wrongs of President Trump's plan. But if there is an adjective that we can apply to the way things have gone so far, it is unpredictable.

At the beginning, Trump threatened to apply prices to more than 180 countries, of which at least one has no human inhabitants. Then, almost all of these countries have taken a price break (except China), even if the president had already insisted that this would not happen. At one point, he said that the idea of ​​individual exemptions was not being studied, but later he said that it was.

The point that I emphasize is that it seems to be a large part: the cliffs and the big gestures intended to obtain a negotiation advantage. These movements are apparently not measured in the long term with a detailed schedule. Things are likely to change with zero notice. Things can get worse, or Apple can get an exemption. Anyway, it would be reckless to make a high cost purchase, because it seems to be a good idea today.

3. The iPhone 17 is not far away

We are more than half of the life cycle of the iPhone 16; The iPhone 17 will be here in September. Less people tend to buy new iPhones between the end of spring and summer, as it is worth waiting for the new models to be announced, how much you will have access to more recent equipment with better features, and the new models you plan will have a price drop.

In addition, there are a lot of unknowns. We do not know if prices will increase. We do not know how the iPhone 17 air will integrate into the range. We don't even know if the iPhone 17 will be a particularly exciting update. A purchase of panic would eliminate all the pleasure of waiting.

Eugen Wegmann

4. There are cheaper phones in which you can choose

It is time for a few hard truths: Apple is not the only manufacturer of smartphones in the world. At igamesnews, we believe that the iPhone is the best option, but it would be absurd to claim that the Android market has nothing to offer, whether it is lower prices, more adventurous features and design choices, or a more customizable operating system. Discover this multiplatform complicity of the best smartphones of our colleagues from Tech Advisor for an overview of what exists.

Many of these Android manufacturers will face the same problems as Apple at the moment, but not all. If things become really bad and the price balloons of the iPhone at insane levels (which, I think, is unlikely), there will certainly be alternatives which are more affordable without suffering too much on the quality forehead.

There is also the iPhone 16th. We do not yet know how Apple plans to update its latest “budgetary” handset in 2026. If the prices affect the price of the flagship range of the iPhone 17 and impact sales, Apple could use its “E” line as a means of bringing buyers back into the fold. Again, wait.

5. You might need this money for other things

I don't want to get all pessimists or anything. But you may want to save your money for essential elements in the new economy. We all want a new shiny iPhone, but your current model is probably very good. So you can spend money on something else, such as a leather jacket, a hunting rifle and a car with tips everywhere.