Buying a new smartphone could be very expensive but there are some ways on how you can buy a smartphone at a cheaper price.

The latest devices may come with a hefty price tag. If you are one of those who want to purchase the latest mobile phone but are on a tight budget, you will benefit on some of the tips we gathered here to score some discounts in buying your new communication device.

In the last few months, carriers have begun offering smartphones, including iPhones, under no-contract plans. That means you'll pay more for the phone and less each month.

Check out the tips below in how to avail discounts in buying a smartphone.

  1. Upgrade offers by mobile companies - Consumers may take advantage of the upgrade offers of some smartphone companies. Apple have this promo when it is releasing a new device. Recently, Samsung offered upgrade discount up to $300 to consumers who wished to to switch to the new Samsung Galaxy S3.
  2. Smartphone Trade-ins - Consumers may go to websites like eBay, Gazelle and NextWorth and have your smartphone quoted. Gazelle and NextWorth buy devices like smartphones and refurbish the gadgets and sell them online in eBay or Amazon. Gazelle's price for an AT&T 16GB iPhone 4S was $277, while NextWorth, another used smartphone buyer, offered $263 for the same model.
  3. Change carriers - Some carriers or networks offer lower prices. Consumers may want to check first all of the networks and compare the packages to know what plan suits them best.
  4. Clearance prices - If you are not much of a tech junkie and has no affinity to the latest version of smartphone but still want to own high quality device, you may buy the previous model during clearance sales. This often happens when the company will be releasing its successor.

For example, US networks started dropping down the prices of previous models of iPhone last week. Sprint and Best Buy offered $50 discount on the purchases of iPhone 4 and 4S. Moreover, Apple Stores started matching the discounts offered by networks.