The iPhone you’ve been waiting for is almost here. Apple unveiled the iPhone 13 on Tuesday, confirming most of the rumors that preceded the event. That included the preorder and release dates. The four iPhone 13 models are available for preorder on Friday, September 17th. The phones will ship to your door on September 24th if you place your order as early as possible. Some models might sell out soon, which could lead to shipping delays. Even if that were the case, you could visit a retail Apple store on the release date to buy your chosen version. That said, we’ll explain everything you need to know about iPhone 13 preorders below.
iPhone 13 preorder details
The iPhone 13 preorder process shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point. Things are similar to previous iPhone preorders. You can get the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max online via Apple.com, carriers, and other retailers.
What changed this year is that Apple made it even easier to lock in your preorders early. You had time until Thursday at 9:00 PM PT / 12:00 AM ET to prepare your iPhone 13 preorders. Add everything to the cart so that you can press that buy button on Friday morning, knowing that you’ve chosen the model, color, and capacity you want.
If you haven’t gone through the preorder registration process, you’ll have to figure out everything as you go along. Apple will open preorders at 5:00 AM PT / 8:00 AM ET on Friday. Again, you might want to hurry and ensure that the desired combination is available.
Prices start at $729 for the iPhone 13 mini, $829 for the iPhone 13, $999 for the iPhone 13, and $1,099 for the iPhone 13 Pro. As a reminder, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini prices do not include the $30 carrier discount that you can take advantage of, depending on how you choose to buy your iPhone. Check out prices for all storage options at this link.
Discounts and deals
One of the great things about the iPhone 13 series is that Apple kept last year’s pricing structure for all models. And it did it while doubling the storage for the cheapest iPhone 13 models. As a result, all iPhone 13 models ship with at least 128GB of storage onboard.
Even if you buy an unlocked iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 mini without taking advantage of any carrier or trade-in offers, you still get a better deal than last year.
But if you’re willing to trade in your old handset, then you’re entitled to extra savings. Apple said in a press release on Thursday that “customers can save up to $1,000 on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max with trade-in directly from the Apple Store online or at an Apple Store when they activate it with select US carriers.” This deal will let you upgrade your iPhone model, or the base storage, without paying too much money outright.
Apple’s trade-in prices might not be the best, but Apple does offer a seamless trade-in process. Carriers selling the iPhone 13 series will have their trade-in offers. They’ll also promote other iPhone 13 deals that might help you score better prices. If you need more carrier-specific iPhone 13 preorder information, check out this link.
Should you preorder the iPhone 13 or go for something else?
The iPhone 13 phones are the newest iPhones in Apple’s inventory. But Apple’s iPhone lineup contains plenty of exciting devices that are even more affordable. You can still buy the iPhone 11 from Apple, with prices starting at $499. The iPhone 12 starts at $629 ($599 after carrier offers) — this iPhone price cheat sheet should help you decide.
If you’re thinking about upgrading from an old model, you should know what the iPhone 13 has to offer. Jumping from iPhones two years old or even older to the newest device makes plenty of sense. But upgrading from iPhone 12 to iPhone 13 might not be for everybody.
If you’re not desperately trying to score an iPhone 13 on the preorder day, you have plenty of time to think things over. Not to mention that the first iPhone 13 reviews will come out before the release date. They should answer any lingering questions you might have about the new handsets.
