Don’t Buy A New Samsung Phone Until The Galaxy S10 Comes Out


If you made it through the holiday season without buying a new Android smartphone, you’re probably itching for an upgrade. However, it would be wise to wait until after the Samsung Galaxy S10 comes out – even if you have no intention of buying one.

Samsung has all but confirmed that its next flagship phone will be unveiled at Samsung Unpacked on 20 February. We already know a decent amount about the S10 thanks to a mix of official announcements and promising leaks.

The top tier model will purportedly boast a 6.7-inch display, fifth-generation 5G network connectivity and as many as six cameras. It will also come with a prohibitive price tag – with some estimates topping out at the $2500 mark.

[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/01/first-look-real-life-images-of-samsung-galaxy-s10/” thumb=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/01/Samsung-phone.jpg” title=”First Look: Check Out These Real-Life Samsung Galaxy S10 Images” excerpt=”Over the past few weeks there have been numerous leaks that purport to show what the Samsung Galaxy S10 will look like. However, most of these have been digital renders or advertising mockups of uncertain origin.

Today’s leaked photos are different. They reveal what appears to be a working production model of the Galaxy S10 running Samsung’s One UI operating system. And it looks pretty fantastic.”]

For many people, that’s way too expensive to justify. If you share this principle, you should still hold off on buying another phone until the Galaxy S10 comes out. Here’s why.

In a few weeks’ time, early S10 adopters will be looking to unload their existing handsets on online auction sites. This means there will soon be a glut of used Android phones on the market, with supply exceeding demand.

Average prices should subsequently begin to drop – just like they did when the Galaxy S9 supplanted the S8, and the S8 replaced the S7. We therefore advise keeping a close eye on eBay, Amazon and Gumtree throughout the month of March.

Don’t like buying second-hand? A similar trend is likely to take place in the retail sector as merchants clear out existing stock to make way for the new model. Similarly, many telcos will begin to offer cheaper payment plans and bonuses on last-gen Samsung models.

Indeed, this price drop has already started to take place. Here are the best plans currently available for the 64GB Samsung Galaxy S9:

Here’s the current standout deal which is from Optus: a Galaxy S9 or S9+ with 30GB of data for $59 and $69, respectively.


For context, when it launched last year the general ballpark of plan prices for a base 64GB model was around $100. You can expect plan prices to keep going down in the months ahead.

So even if you have no interest in the Samsung Galaxy S10, you’re better off waiting until after it launches. Then buy a new phone.

Additional reporting by Jacob Kleinman.


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