The UAE calendar for selling a phone
A used phone's price moves with the launch calendar, not the shopping one. Here is how the UAE's big dates — launches, White Friday, DSF, Ramadan — line up against it.
The UAE has a busy shopping calendar, and it is easy to assume a used phone follows it. It does not. What moves a used phone's price is the launch calendar — when the next model is announced — and the shopping calendar only decides when buying the new one is cheapest. Put the two side by side and the order to do things in falls out.
The launch calendar: what moves your phone's price
- September — iPhone. Apple announces its new iPhones in September. The moment it does, every older model steps down a year, and used prices follow over the weeks after. If you are selling an iPhone, August beats October.
- Early in the year — Samsung Galaxy S. Samsung's flagship S series usually launches in the first months of the year; the previous S model steps down with it.
- Summer — Samsung foldables. The Galaxy Z Fold and Flip usually arrive in the summer, with the same effect on the previous foldables.
- Through the year — everyone else. Google, Xiaomi, OnePlus and the rest launch on their own schedules. The rule is the same: sell before the successor is announced, not after.
More on how age and launches move a price.
The shopping calendar: when the new phone is cheapest
- White Friday in November, with discounts across the big electronics retailers.
- Dubai Shopping Festival, from December into January.
- Ramadan and Eid offers, which move with the lunar calendar.
- Back to school in late August, when laptops and tablets are promoted.
These cut the price of a new phone. They do nothing for the one you are selling.
Putting the two together
Sell first, then buy. Selling the old phone just before a sale puts the money in your hand when the discount is there, rather than holding an older phone through a launch while you wait. And because a quote here is free, without an account, you can check the current price as often as you like before you decide. Prices are updated as the market moves, so the number is the one on the day you check; once you book, it is the number you are paid.
One thing timing cannot fix
Condition moves the price far more than a few weeks do. A phone that has been kept in a case with a protector will do better in any month than a cracked one sold at the perfect moment.
Get a price for your device
A price in about a minute, free doorstep pickup in a two-hour slot, and paid — cash or bank transfer — before our agent leaves.
Questions people ask
- When is the best time to sell an iPhone in the UAE?
- Before Apple's September announcement. Once a new model is announced, the one before it becomes last year's model, and used prices follow.
- Should I wait for White Friday or DSF to sell?
- No — those sales cut the price of new phones. They are a good time to buy, and selling your old phone just before you buy gives you the money to do it.
- Will my quote change if I wait?
- It can. Prices are updated as the market moves, and each sell page shows when they last changed. Once you book, the price you booked at is the one you are paid.