I wouldn’t buy a phone released in 2026, and neither should you

We don’t realize how big a factor price is when buying a new smartphone until it gets out of hand, and that’s exactly what’s happening these days, with phone prices rising so quickly that they are becoming borderline unaffordable, even though hardware improvements remain nearly flat. It feels like getting handed the short end of the stick — you are paying more for essentially the same internals. So why not actually get a device from last year and save some cash?

Previous-gen handsets are becoming increasingly lucrative and wiser options, amidst all the price hikes happening left, right, and center. I personally wouldn’t buy a phone released this year, just because of how much more sense their predecessors make.