Top-of-the-line smartphones can set you back a pretty penny these days. If you want the latest and greatest technology then you can very easily find yourself shelling out in excess of £1,000 for flagship models.
Smartphones generally have a much swifter release cycle than cameras, meaning that top-line models usually only stay current for around 12 months. The good news is that if you’re prepared to wait and pick up last year’s model (or even the year before that), then you’ll often get a much better deal, without too much of a compromise on hardware specifications and features.
Going down the refurbished or secondhand route (see boxout, right) can save you even more money. In fact on occasion, you’ll even be able to find this year’s top-line options already available to buy this way, saving you a tidy sum if you’re prepared to shop around.
Another bonus of buying second-hand is that it keeps tech in use, rather than sitting lingering in a drawer, or worse, ending up in landfill. Considering that stats show 1.43 billion smartphones were sold worldwide in 2021, keeping older models in circulation can only be a good thing. To that end, you might find that you have some models at home that you can trade in for cash to put towards another model (or something else entirely – such as a new lens or accessory for your main camera).
