Do you wait for discounts before buying a new phone?

The price tag depend on the specifications tucked into a smartphone, which can reflect what the manufacturer believes is a high-end price tag for a high-end device. Some phones are priced at hover below $1,000 up to this point, but word has it that Apple will break that barrier later this year, and one can only hope that other manufacturers won’t follow that company’s path if that does indeed come to fruition.

I’m holding out hope. But of course we’ve seen companies follow along with Apple’s plans for a variety of different things, from features to leaving out certain hardware elements (like the 3.5mm headphone jack). So if Apple can “get away with” selling a $1,000 (or more) smartphone, well, why can’t they, right?

Again, hope! Hopefully we won’t see a future iPhone cost that much, and, even if it does, hopefully other companies will stick to how things are priced now.

Even at under a grand, smartphones can still cost a pretty penny. It’s one of the reasons companies like OnePlus, or Huawei, and others, have stood out so much as of late, because they pack in some powerful specifications into their smartphones, but don’t try to gouge the wallet at the same time. Getting a worthwhile smartphone doesn’t necessarily have to break the bank anymore, which is a good thing.

But sometimes you want to fork over more, or feel the need to, just for the brand name, or whatever else it might be. Samsung, LG, Apple, and others aren’t afraid to price their phones as they see fit, for a variety of reasons, and while monthly installments might make those price tags easier to accept, it can still be pretty daunting.

Recently, T-Mobile launched a pretty substantial discount on three 2016 flagship phones: the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, as well as the LG-branded V20. It’s not a secret that each of these companies are gearing up to launch new flagship phones this year, so the timing of the discount makes sense.

That being said, the discount itself is certainly worthwhile. The handsets can be purchased for only $360, which, in the case of the Galaxy S7 edge, means that’s a $419 discount. That’s not something to ignore if you’re looking for a new phone, and don’t mind getting a phone that’s basically a year old.

These types of discounts happen from time to time, and T-Mobile is certainly no stranger to them. In most cases, though, they’re usually attached to switcher promotions: So if you switch to a new carrier, and sign up with them, you can probably get a discount on a new phone — even if that is simply tied to you trading in your old phone to get something new.

I saw a comment on that story, about the discounted phones, that basically read, “Why do I get these phones at launch?” It made me laugh, but I also understand where they are coming from. At $419 cheaper, maybe holding onto your old phone for a bit longer is worth it? Yeah, you won’t get the newest phone, but, you’re still getting a flagship phone at a remarkable discount.

So, I’m curious: How many of you out there wait for discounts like this to pop up before you agree to get a new phone? Do you prefer to pick up a discounted phone over getting something brand new? Or are you an early adopter through-and-through? Let me know!