The answer to this, as you can imagine, is very subjective and depends on your needs and what you prefer. I would always advise spending a little more to get a better upgrade promise and resale value, while some of my colleagues believe you can’t go wrong with good photo performance and others value water resistance and durability or processing power.

But there’s one truth we can all agree on: you really should never buy an Android flagship at full price. It’s a waste of money.

I’ve been covering the smartphone industry since 2008, and I’ve seen a lot of changes in that time. But one fact has remained consistent over all those years: phone prices fall pretty quickly, especially for Android phones. (For some mystical reason, this doesn’t necessarily apply to iPhones.) An Android phone that launches for $1,000 today will likely be discounted to $800 or $700 in a few months. There’s no more reliable truth in the Android ecosystem than that. And even if you still see it at full price on the manufacturer’s website, look around at Amazon, Best Buy, and other local retailers and vendors; it’s bound to be discounted somewhere.

Another practice has also become widespread: pre-order discounts and bonuses. Almost every high-end Android phone now comes with a pre-order offer that reduces part of the price and/or gives you free accessories and/or gives a trade-in bonus if you send in your older smartphone. This makes buying a coveted phone sometimes much more advantageous than waiting a few months for a discount.

So if you want to buy a new Android smartphone, here is my personal advice:

• If you’re a tech enthusiast and know exactly what you want, grab the pre-order offer as soon as the phone is announced. You’ll likely get several decent discounts and bonuses that add up.
• If you want to upgrade but can’t decide between a few recently released smartphones, take your time. Keep an eye on the prices of your favorite phones and only grab them if the price is at least 20-30% off the original list price. You should never pay more, especially not a few months after the release.
• If your current smartphone breaks and you need a new one immediately, first check the price of your ideal replacement phone. If it’s on full price everywhere (or only slightly discounted), it might be wiser to grab a cheap smartphone at a discount as a stopgap and wait for the successor to your preferred phone to buy during the pre-order period.

I realize the last piece of advice is a bit counterproductive, but personally, this is how I would do it. If my own Pixel 8 Pro or my husband’s Pixel 7 Pro just stopped working (and assuming it was out of warranty), I’d look for a heavily discounted or even used Pixel 8a, 7a, or 8 and snag one. Then I’d pre-order the Pixel 9 Pro as soon as it’s announced and either trade in my temporary budget Pixel or sell it as a used device. The financial loss should be minimal, and that would be a much better use of my money than immediately buying another Android flagship at full price.

And yes, I know this example is a bit silly because the Pixel 9 Pro is imminent and the wait is insignificant, but I would still do it if the wait for the next best Android flagship was several months. Today’s budget and mid-range phones are extremely powerful, have excellent cameras, and a spec sheet that is satisfactory for most users.

So there you have it. If a new Android phone costs $1,000, never pay $1,000 for it. That’s like throwing $200 out the window right now.