YOUR tech and gadgets are often the most expensive purchases throughout the year and can instantly burn a hole in your wallet.
But there are special dates during the year it’s worth waiting for to save £100s on pricey upgrades for everything from iPhones to Sky renewals.
And we don’t just mean the obvious Black Friday period either.
Most companies follow some very regular patterns year-on-year based on special events and product launches.
As The Sun’s Assistant Technology and Science Editor I’m well-versed in the annual churn of gadgets – and see the same price cuts pretty much every 12 months.
It’s not a perfect science but a very strong prediction of when you can bag some serious bargains for those prepared to wait.
iPhone – September
Apple reveals brand new iPhone models every year in September.
Since the iPhone 5 in 2012, the company has done this almost consistently at the earlier end of September.
Whenever a new iPhone model is launched, the previous generation gets a decent price reduction of about £100.
So I recommend always holding off until the next launch to buy an iPhone – and never buying one in August just before as you’ll miss out on an easy saving.
Samsung – January
If you’re more into Android than iPhone, Samsung is the most popular brand to go for.
The South Korean tech giant has a lot more smartphone models out during the year but the main one is always the Galaxy S range in January.
So it’s well worth waiting until after the January launch.
Other Android handset makers may follow similar patterns, so do a bit of research about when they tend to unveil new goods and apply the same rule.
Ring – July / October
Ring is the world’s most popular video doorbell around the world.
It will most definitely appear in Black Friday deals but you can almost certainly expect even better discounts in July and October.
Why? Well, Amazon owns Ring and July / October is when the firm does its Prime Day offers.
This year you could save up to £70 during the Prime Days.
Fire Stick – July / October
The July and October opportunity for Ring also applies to Amazon’s other big name products.
This includes the Amazon Fire Stick and Alexa-enabled smart Echo speakers that are slashed in price during Prime Day.
Laptops – July / August
If you’re looking for a new laptop, the best time to buy one is in July or August.
Stores tend to put out some super savings over the summer tied to back to school.
Even Apple gives out rare discounts with free AirPods for certain purchases if you have access to someone in education.
Bonus discounts are also possible using a student card like UNiDAYS or an email address for a school, college or university.
PlayStation – May
PlayStation games do not come cheap but there is an annual event called Days of Play every player needs to wait for.
Consoles, game titles and PlayStation Plus subscriptions are usually discounted as part of the event.
Normally, it goes on for two weeks starting at the end of May until early June.
TV and Headphones – March
TVs and headphones are a popular fixture at the biggest tech show of the year, CES (Consumer Electronics Show) held in Las Vegas.
This is where many huge names show off their latest tech innovations.
Much like Apple and Samsung, after the new stuff is revealed last year’s products are reduced in price.
These don’t tend to hit shelves until a couple of months later, around March, so it’s worth waiting until then.
Sky – August
TV bill rises seem to come around all too quickly every year.
But if you’re looking for a new deal from Sky then early August is your best bet.
August is a big time for Sky because that’s when the Premier League season starts.
So they are likely to run bigger offers across all its TV offerings.
The same goes for NOW – previously known as NOW TV – the streaming-only equivalent of Sky if you don’t fancy being locked into a lengthy contract.
WAITING FOR BLACK FRIDAY?
Find your favourite brand’s Black Friday deals in our A-Z directory
Image credit: Alamy
