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The total-cost test
Write the true total— upfront + monthly × months, every month of the term.
Price the benchmark— the same phone bought outright + the cheapest good SIM over the same period.
Compare— smaller number wins; 'free' gifts count only at honest resale value.
Diary the end date— the after-term months, paying handset money on a paid-off phone, are the dearest in mobile.
Upfront vs monthly
Retailers slide cost between the deposit and the monthly — a tiny upfront usually hides a fatter monthly, and vice versa. Two adverts for the same phone can both claim 'cheapest'; only totals compare honestly.
Pro tip: Trade-ins: always take a second quote — the maker's programme and an independent recycler — and wipe/unlink the old phone before posting.
iPhone timing
| September | New iPhones launch — and the OUTGOING model drops within weeks: the reliable sweet spot |
| Black Friday / January | Richer airtime bundles more than hardware cuts — run the total-cost test |
| Storage | Photos swell; the step up often outlasts the phone |
| eSIM-only models | Travel best with the dual-SIM pairing from the eSIM guide |
Samsung timing
| Galaxy S (flagship) | Early-year launches; last year's S falls fast |
| Fold & Flip | Mid-to-late-year; previous foldables soften right after |
| A-series | Refreshes year-round; judge on totals, not events |
| Trade-in | Samsung's own programme is historically aggressive at launch windows — still take the second quote |
Delivery, upfront & returns
| Next-day | Real when the exact model is in stock AND you order before the cut-off (mid-afternoon at most big retailers) |
| Click & collect | Often same-day when a nearby branch holds stock |
| Returns window | Distance-selling rules give online orders a cooling-off period (commonly 14 days) — use it as a genuine signal-and-battery stress test |
| Pre-orders | Follow launch schedules, not courier promises |