Even though Black Friday ended over a week ago, we're still in the midst of the holiday shopping season. Although it's easy to buy into the pressure to get all of your gifts before the final hours of Cyber Monday, the truth is that both deals — and gift-buying opportunities, by extension — continue throughout most of the month of December. Case in point: I purchased two new phones this week as gifts for some of the people in my life, one of which was after the biggest deals wrapped up. What I learned wasn't that Black Friday is the best or worst period to buy new hardware — it's that buying a phone as a gift sucks, period.
I purchased two iPhones over the past week — I know, don't sue me, it's their personal preference. One came from Apple, one direct from Verizon, and in both cases, the experiences are less than enjoyable. I'm sure most readers won't be surprised about the latter (who likes buying from carriers?), but when it comes to buying direct from a manufacturer, I really expected better. But whether you're shopping for a Pixel 8 Pro, a Galaxy S23, or, yes, an iPhone, trying to gift one to someone special in your life is a real headache. Let me explain.
Does anyone at Samsung or Apple own a calendar?
At first, buying from a manufacturer seems like a pleasant-enough experience. You don't need access to someone's phone number or carrier information; you just throw your device of choice in your cart and move on. And, as a bonus, Apple actually ran a (minor) deal this year, slashing $75 off the iPhone 14 I purchased in the form of a gift card. I don't know what I'll be using this gift card on — maybe an iPad mini in a few months, who knows — but still, it's a nice, rare discount from the company.
Unfortunately, things go downhill pretty quick once it's time to pay for your phone. First off, iPhones have a $30 markup on unlocked models, a fee you can often make disappear by activating at checkout. This is primarily, though not exclusively, an iPhone problem, though Samsung did something similar with the Galaxy S23 FE earlier this year when compared to the carrier-sold variants. But okay, it's an expensive gadget — what's $30 more?
This is extremely dumb.
Well, unfortunately, we've all become reliant on trade-in offers to bring the price of new smartphones closer to Earth, and Apple is no exception to this rule. Here's the problem: while you'll find no shortage of extended return policies at places like Amazon and Best Buy, trade-ins don't get the same attention. Apple requires you to send in your old phone within 14 days of receiving the empty box — I literally received mine while working on this article.
You don't need to check the date to know Christmas is more than two weeks out, so anyone who bought new hardware for a loved one during Black Friday will be stuck between a rock and a hard place. Either you'll have to spring the surprise early, leaving your loved one with less to do on the holiday itself, or you'll need to swallow the full price tag. (And yes, I'm aware that not everyone will be able to trade in someone else's phone without permission. In both of my cases, that's not a problem.)
Lest you think this is an iPhone-exclusive problem, let's swing back to Samsung. According to its FAQ, the company's policy gives you 15 days. One more than Apple, sure, but not enough to get you to Christmas morning. Google is, thankfully, better than its competitors, holding its estimated trade-in value for at least 30 days. Considering we're now into December, you could theoretically buy someone a Pixel 8 and still have time to complete a trade-in in the New Year.
Personally, I opted to give the gift early. My partner's birthday is next week, and the iPhone acted as a gift for both occasions. That won't be an option for everyone though, and I feel for those stressing out about how to walk the line between early gifts and saving a few hundred dollars on the final cost of a new device.
The carriers make for a perfect Grinch
As I mentioned, though, I bought one other iPhone — this one through Verizon. Broadly speaking, this is a little less of a nightmare. Assuming you have the ability to upgrade someone's line, going this route can save some headaches. You have over a month to turn in your old smartphone, for example, meaning this gift really can be placed under the tree without any concerns over not getting the best deal possible. And, bonus, all three carriers tend to offer better trade-in deals than if you purchase directly, making for a much more accessible gift.
Even better, Verizon allows you to select the upgrade as a gift, meaning the recipient in question won't receive text alerts about the package or prompts to upgrade their device, despite their phone number being attached to it.
Verizon's trade-in period accounts for the possibility that gifts require time.
But if you've bought through a carrier before, you know headaches are coming. First off, Verizon would only let me get my maximum trade-in deal by purchasing through my monthly bill. Whether or not I chose monthly payments or a lump sum, I was getting my savings as bill credits every month — and, in the case of the latter, that meant Verizon was effectively paying me back every month, interest free.
Whatever. It's an expected hurdle, and this ain't my first rodeo. The same goes for Verizon forcing me to upgrade the attached plan to something newer; thankfully, an option locked at the same price existed.
Wow, what great deals for Apple fans. I can't wait to not take advantage of them on my existing lines.
But, of course, you quickly realize that the best plans aren't reserved for you — they're kept for people switching from other networks. It doesn't matter if you've been a Verizon customer for decades; your loyalty earns you nothing. And when you finally do pull the trigger, your next bill is slapped with a $35 activation fee, just to really rub it in. Congrats on buying a new smartphone — it's been a miserable experience.
A holiday-ruining humbug to an otherwise great idea
I can't be the only one jumping through this process. We've seen some surprisingly good smartphone deals this holiday season, and I know plenty of our readers are willing to jump whenever they spot a good price. But, frankly, after purchasing two new smartphones for loved ones in a row, I'm not sure I'll ever want to follow through with this process again.
On paper, upgrading the phones of your friends and family for Christmas is a great idea, pairing your knowledge of the industry with a shiny new version of the thing they use the most everyday. In practice, though, the modern smartphone market is built for you to buy for yourself. And until that changes, it's going to inspire more headaches than it's probably worth.
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Buying a smartphone as a gift is an annoying, frustrating experience - Android Police
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