Every year the new model arrives and last year's version gets cheaper, or at least it should. Whether the older one is the smarter buy comes down to three questions you can answer in ten minutes: how big is the real price gap, what did the new model actually change, and how many years of support are left.
The Review NYU is not affiliated with New York University.
We do not currently earn a commission from any link on this page. If links ever become affiliate links, we will label them clearly.
Short answer. Buy last year's model when three things are true: it costs at least 20 to 25 percent less than the new one at the same storage, the new model's changes do not touch how you use the device, and it still has at least three to four years of promised software updates left. Buy the newest model when the upgrade fixes something you care about (battery, camera, a missing feature), when the price gap is small or zero after deals, or when you keep devices for five years or more, because support windows count from launch, not from the day you buy. In 2026, rising memory prices also mean older models do not always get cheaper, so check today's price rather than assuming.
This is a general buying guide, not a product test. The rules come from how update policies, launch cycles and pricing actually work, and every specific example below was checked on a maker's own page or a named publication on 9 November 2026. We use phones and games consoles as examples because they have the clearest yearly cycles and published support policies, but the same checklist works for laptops, tablets, headphones, TVs and robot vacuums.
The sections below explain each step and the traps to watch for.
The headline price of the new model is rarely what you pay, and the old model is not always discounted. Two things to watch for:
Also watch storage tiers. The Verge reported that the Pixel 11 starts at 256GB, dropping the 128GB base model, so "the new one costs $100 more" can really mean "the new one starts with twice the storage". Compare like for like.
The usual rule is that prices fall after launch. In 2026 that rule weakened, because memory and storage costs rose sharply across the industry. Valve, for example, priced its new Steam Machine at $1,049 and said the original pricing was "no longer viable" because of component costs, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz and Ars Technica. Older consoles have also become more expensive: Xbox.com listed the Xbox Series X, a console that launched in 2020, at $799.99 for the 1TB disc model on 9 November 2026. If you have been waiting for an older model to drop in price, check whether it has gone up instead. Our Steam Machine analysis covers this in more detail.
Yearly updates often change less than the launch event suggests. A useful exercise is to put the old and new models side by side and mark each change as "affects me", "might affect me" or "does not affect me".
| Spec | Pixel 10 | Pixel 11 | Real-world impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear cameras | 48MP main, 13MP ultra wide, 10.8MP 5x telephoto | Same sensors | Small; zoom software extended |
| Maximum zoom | Up to 20x | Up to 30x | Small; both are digital crops beyond 5x |
| Wireless charging | Up to 15W | Up to 25W | Noticeable if you charge wirelessly |
| Battery capacity | 4,970mAh | 4,985mAh | Negligible on paper; check independent battery tests |
| Weight | 204 g | 197 g | Minor |
| Launch price | $799 | $899 (256GB base) | New model starts with more storage |
On paper this is a modest update, and for many people the deciding factors will be price and support, not the spec sheet. Two cautions: a near-identical battery capacity can still produce different battery life if the chip is more efficient, so check a lab test rather than the mAh figure; and new software features are sometimes limited to the new model. Our guide on how to read a spec sheet without getting fooled explains which numbers to trust.
Upgrades that usually do matter: a noticeably better battery in independent tests, a new camera lens (not just new processing), more storage at the same price, a brighter or better screen confirmed by a lab, and a longer written support commitment.
For phones, tablets and anything connected, software support is the most overlooked factor. Security updates protect you from known vulnerabilities, and when they end the device becomes riskier to use for banking or work.
The key point: support windows usually count from the model's launch, not from the day you buy. Google, for example, states "7 years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates" on its Pixel 11 Pro spec page. A phone bought a year after launch has, at most, six of those years left; one bought two years after launch has five. Samsung likewise counts its Galaxy S26 update commitment from the series' global launch, as covered in our iPhone 18 Pro vs Galaxy S26 Ultra comparison. Apple does not publish a fixed number of years on its iPhone pages, so for iPhones you have to judge from past behavior rather than a written promise.
A simple rule: if you keep devices for four years or more, make sure the model you buy has at least that much written support left on the day you buy it.
Buying a few weeks before a new model launches is the worst timing for the old model's value and the best timing for discounts on it. In 2026 the pattern looked like this:
Past patterns are not guarantees, and we have not verified any 2027 launch dates. If a new model is due within about two months and you are not in a hurry, waiting usually gives you either the new model or a cheaper old one.
Either way, buy from a store with a clear return window and use it. Our guide on how to test a product during the return window gives a day-by-day checklist.
Often, if three things are true: it costs at least 20 to 25 percent less than the new model at the same storage, the new model's changes do not matter to you, and it still has at least three to four years of written software support left.
Usually not. Policies such as Google's seven years of updates count from the model's launch, so a phone bought a year after launch has about one year less support left.
No. On 9 November 2026 Google's Pixel 10 configuration page listed $899 for 256GB, the same as the Pixel 11's 256GB launch price reported by The Verge. Rising memory costs in 2026 also pushed some prices up rather than down, so compare today's prices at several stores.
As a rule of thumb, under about 15 percent the new model is usually better value, and over about 25 percent the older model deserves a serious look, provided it still has enough support left.
Shortly after the new model launches, when stores clear old stock. In 2026 Samsung launched its Galaxy S series in February and March, Google its Pixels in August and Apple its iPhones in September.
Changes confirmed by independent tests that affect your daily use: noticeably better battery life, a genuinely new camera lens, more storage at the same price, a better screen, or a longer written support commitment.