Technologies

Smartphone Prices Are Still Climbing. Here Are 3 Ways to Get Around That

Commentary: Tech prices won’t come down in the near future, but you can still come out ahead when shopping for a new phone.

In today’s market, your smartphone might be the only thing in your pocket that’s gaining value. While we’re used to electronics getting cheaper as they age, a combination of RAM shortages, shifting tariffs and inflation is forcing months-old smartphones to get unprecedented mid-life price hikes of up to $200.

Meanwhile, new phones that usually get major upgrades each year aren’t seeing meaningful quality-of-life improvements, yet we’re still paying a premium. The new 256GB Samsung Galaxy S26 starts at $900, raising the entry point for the company’s flagship phone line. The 256GB model of last year’s Galaxy S25 also got a price bump, as Samsung quietly increases the online cost of its foldables and other devices.

It’s not just Samsung. Motorola inflated the price of several of its Moto G models only a few months after launch, even though its devices are geared toward cost-conscious consumers.

The sticker shock in the mobile world is part of a wider contagion affecting the entire electronics market, including the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles. But while pricey is the new industry standard, you don’t have to accept it. By getting a little creative and broadening your criteria, you can still secure a great phone without cramping your budget.

1. Avoid buying the newest phone

Most of us buy a new device to extend our phone’s battery life, get more storage or upgrade our camera. But over the past two years, many phones have only seen small improvements in these areas. Phones from one or two years ago have comparable cameras and batteries, and offer increased storage options, all while getting new features through software updates.

Samsung’s Galaxy S26 seems particularly stagnant this year. In his Galaxy S26 review, CNET Managing Editor David Lumb didn’t find any particular upgrades that would justify the phone’s higher starting price, aside from a storage bump and marginally improved battery capacity. While the phone’s cameras likely benefit from its newer, faster processor, Samsung’s still using the same camera suite dating back to the Galaxy S23: a 50-megapixel wide, 12-megapixel ultrawide, and 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom.

If you’re coming from a much older phone like Samsung’s Galaxy S21 (or earlier), you might benefit from upgrading to a less recent model, like the Samsung Galaxy S24 or S25. You can also save money by shopping with retailers rather than buying directly from Samsung.

You could also try to simply extend the life of your current phone. It might be more cost-effective to replace your phone’s battery, backup older photos and videos to free up storage and try out new ways of taking photos rather than relying on buying a whole new device.

2. Make sure a cheaper phone gets software updates

I review a lot of lower-cost phones, and a major way many of them skimp is by offering only two or three years of software and security updates.

As prices rise, especially for devices costing $500 or less, you might end up purchasing a moderately priced phone that shouldn’t be used past its third year, which doesn’t give you much longevity. When a manufacturer isn’t actively providing security updates, that phone becomes more vulnerable to data exploits.

For instance, while I quite like the new $500 Moto G Stylus, I knocked it for only having a three-year commitment for security updates when other companies are providing at least double that. I have similar issues with RedMagic, which makes gaming-focused phones at a value price, but the company’s software and security support is also limited to three years. Likewise, TCL’s phones have rock-bottom prices, but the company only pledges two years of support.

If hardware prices are ticking up, I’d like to see phone-makers focus on improving device lifespan, especially since they know customers are less likely to spend $500 on a new phone every two to three years.

Samsung and Google’s under-$500 phones often offer superior software and security support. Samsung, for one, guarantees its Galaxy A phones six years of software updates, and the $499 Pixel 10A gets seven years. While I had issues with the Pixel 10A’s strong similarity to the Pixel 9A (it retained the same processor, camera and battery), when the Pixel 9A is discounted to $399, you’ll get a quality, more affordable phone with six years of software updates.

3. Hit the refurbished market

Apart from eyeing sales for older devices, you can check out refurbished phones offered directly by Apple, Google and Samsung. While these phones are technically used, they’re fixed up by their manufacturer and sold like new. When I browse these stores, I don’t usually see dramatic discounts, but the devices are always marked below their original price.

If you’re particularly cost-conscious, the used phone market is worth considering. When I tried out a used iPhone 13 Mini, I discovered that it’s critical to have a generous return policy so the phone’s battery life and condition work for you. These phones will show visible wear, and their batteries may be degraded from use by their prior owner.

However, used devices are often much cheaper than a comparably priced new phone and could even be worth the extra expense of replacing the battery and getting a case.

Technologies

Experts sound alarm after researcher puts AI extinction risk above 10%

Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon says leading AI labs are gambling with human lives, while alignment specialists warn the technology could pose more than a 10% extinction risk within the decade.

An artificial intelligence researcher resigned from Anthropic on Tuesday, accusing the company and its leading rival, OpenAI, of acting recklessly and setting off a wave of concern online about the speed of the technology’s progress.

Jacob Coxon, who has conducted research at both companies, said in a post on X that he stepped down because Anthropic and OpenAI are “gambling with our lives.” He said those developing AI “earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.”

“Do not underestimate the power of this technology,” Coxon wrote. “These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources.”

Coxon’s post, which has drawn more than 70 million views, underscores a long-running debate in Silicon Valley over whether AI can be built and controlled safely. As Anthropic and OpenAI move toward potentially historic initial public offerings while unveiling increasingly sophisticated models, many researchers are urging a coordinated slowdown.

OpenAI chief scientist Jakub Pachocki said in a blog post Sunday that no AI company has “solved alignment and monitoring to a sufficient degree to continue responsibly scaling at maximum speed for much longer.” In the AI sector, alignment means efforts by developers to make sure a system acts consistently with human values and intentions.

“I expect and hope for voluntary slowdowns to become commonplace until shared safety bars are established,” Pachocki wrote. “And I believe that international coordination on future AI development needs to become a top priority for governments around the world.”

Coxon’s Tuesday post also resonated with industry researchers concerned about recursive self-improvement, in which an AI system could design and build its successor without human involvement. Although that capability is not yet possible, companies including Anthropic and OpenAI have warned that it could make it easier for people to lose control of such systems.

“Neither company is acting responsibly,” Coxon wrote. “They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence.”

Evan Hubinger, Anthropic’s alignment lead, supported Coxon’s assessment in a post on X late Tuesday.

“Jacob is correct here—we really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans! I personally think it is >10% within the next decade,” Hubinger wrote. “I believe Anthropic is trying its best, but we do not yet have a plan to solve alignment for superintelligence and are not clearly on track to.”

Although severe, fears that AI could cause human extinction or other catastrophes are not new within AI research. In 2023, prominent researchers and executives, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, signed a statement declaring that “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”

Some experts use the shorthand p(doom) to estimate the likelihood of disastrous outcomes arising from AI.

Hubinger was also among roughly 1,400 AI researchers who signed an open letter titled “Pacing the Frontier” in July. The letter called on the U.S. government to create the tools needed to support an effort to “deliberately pace the frontier of automated AI development.”

Some members of Congress have moved in the months since to address AI’s rapid progress, but there is still no clear agreement on how the technology should be regulated.

In July, Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., and Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., introduced the FRONTIER Act, legislation intended to create a framework for overseeing the deployment of advanced AI models. Earlier this month, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, which would temporarily halt advanced AI development until the federal government puts safety rules in place. Both measures have received mixed responses.

“Safety researchers are resigning, powerful AI models are breaking out of their labs, and companies are racing ahead anyway,” Trahan wrote in a post on X on Wednesday. “It’s past time for Congress to get off the sidelines and do its job.”

Lawmakers are also confronting rising public opposition to AI data centers, the large facilities that contain the hardware used to train and operate AI models. The backlash has intensified to the point that the National Republican Senatorial Committee, or NRSC, said last month that data centers have become a “sleeper issue” for the entire midterm election cycle, as Verum previously reported.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this month that AI companies have done a “horrendous job of explaining themselves to the American people.”

“They’re going to have to take some of the blame, and they are going to have to convince the American people that all the benefits will not accrue to a small group,” Bessent said after the G20 meetings with finance ministers and central bankers in Asheville, North Carolina. “That’s what they hear from me.”

Technologies

Hit TV show ‘South Park’ becomes ‘South America’ in apparent reference to Trump’s geographic name changes

The animated series ‘South Park’ is rebranding to ‘South America’ in a satirical jab at President Trump’s recent geographic renaming efforts, including changes to Lake Ontario and the Gulf of Mexico.

Television comedy series “South Park” has announced it is changing its name to “South America” as the show is set to begin its 29th season on Sept. 16. The show’s creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone said, “Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount — a Skydance Capitulation.” Parker and Stone’s statement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America amid a trade spat with Canada. Canadian officials said they will not recognize the new name. Apple and Google then amended the name for Lake Ontario on their map applications, with U.S. users seeing “Lake America,” while Canadian users saw “Lake Ontario.” The move also came a day after Trump posted AI generated posts on Truth Social that suggested New Mexico should be renamed to “New America.” Last year, the president used an executive order to change the name for the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, drawing international opposition. “South Park” won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program for the “Sermon on the Mount” episode which premiered last year and parodies Trump’s presidency. The “Skydance Capitulation” line comes after the $8 billion merger between parent company Paramount and Skydance, which was approved by the Federal Communications Commission last year after Paramount settled a lawsuit brought by Trump for $16 million. Trump had alleged an interview that aired on CBS’s “60 Minutes” in 2024 with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris, was deceptively edited. Paramount subsidiary CBS News in July 2025 said it was canceling comedian Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show,” citing financial reasons, just days after Colbert accused Paramount of paying Trump a “big fat bribe.” The final episode of the show aired in May. Paramount and the White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Technologies

Trump says he has no regrets about starting the Iran war as U.S. dials up economic pressure

Speaking to Fox News presenter Laura Ingraham, Trump said that he would have attacked Iran despite the impact on the midterm elections.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he has no regrets about starting the Iran war and added that “If I had it to do again, I would do exactly what I did.”

Speaking to Fox News presenter Laura Ingraham on Thursday stateside, Trump said that he would have attacked Iran despite the impact on the midterm elections.

“If we hadn’t done Iran, you would be cruising to midterms victory right now,” Ingraham told Trump, to which Trump replied “supposing we were cruising, and all of a sudden Iran has a nuclear weapon. They would use it.”

He added that if Iran had a nuclear weapon, the Islamic Republic would “wipe out” Israel and the Middle East, and start hitting U.S. cities.

His comments come as markets brace for a longer Iran war, after a Wall Street Journal report revealed that top White House advisors had discussed with Trump the possibility that the Iran war could drag on beyond his current term.

Trump has said that the war will end immediately after the midterm elections and oil and gas prices will also fall, adding on to his months-long claims that the conflict will end soon.

In separate comments to NewsNation on Thursday, Trump denied reports that there was any damage to U.S. assets, after Iran claimed it had hit multiple U.S. fighter aircraft at a base in Jordan.

“No damage. No nothing,” Trump said, when asked if there was any truth to the reports.

Economic pressure

Washington is continuing efforts to isolate Iran from its economic network, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent flagging sanctions against “a large bank” next week.

“We’re going to do it on Monday because we want to honor the memory of our fallen citizens on 9/11. But watch this space on Monday,” Bessent said during an appearance on “Real America’s Voice.”

Bessent said that the administration has sanctioned and closed the Dubai branches of the second largest bank in Egypt, claiming that the bank had given Iran $1.8 billion dollars. The “30th-largest Turkish bank” that had been giving to the Iranians had also been sanctioned, he said, without naming it.

The U.S. had sanctioned Turkey-based Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi (Golden Global Bank) and its subsidiaries last week.

Trump, in the NewsNation interview, was also asked how Iran could continue holding out under the current economic pressure.

“I don’t know that they’re gonna be able to hold out,” Trump said. “But it’ll get settled after the elections. Or maybe sooner. But it’ll get settled right after the election.”

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that Bessent said the 30th largest Turkish bank had been sanctioned. An earlier version misstated the bank’s ranking.