How to save £180 on the Sony Xperia Z3, by Axl Rose???

We love the Sony Xperia Z3, but its £549 RRP means it’s almost as expensive as an Apple phone. If you’re patient, you can get Sony’s smartest smartphone for a lot less cash.

We know you want it, but if you wait you'll save a fortune. / © ANDROIDPIT

When it comes to smartphone buying advice, there’s no better authority than Axl Rose: if you want a Sony Xperia Z3 for less cash, “aaaaaaaaaall you neeeeed is a liddul pay-shaaaaance”. It may be £549 today, but it won’t stay that expensive forever.
To see what’s likely to happen, compare the current prices for the (almost identical but a few months older) Xperia Z2. For example in the UK, the most affordable Z3 contract is £99.99 up front and £30.50 a month, or £831 in total; go for the Z2 and there’s no up-front cost and the same contract is £4 per month cheaper, bringing the total down to £636.
What about SIM-free? We’ve found stacks of sellers offering the Z2 for £380, but the Z3 is currently going for £529. Don’t expect that to change dramatically overnight.

The right time

It's only a few months old, but the Xperia Z2 price has plummeted. / © ANDROIDPIT

So when is the best time to buy a phone? As we discovered with the Samsung Galaxy Note, prices tend to stay high in the aftermath of a launch and for the first few months afterwards, but once the hype subsides and any shortages have been addressed competition kicks in and prices start to fall.
Sony hardware tends to hold its prices better than most, but just four months after its launch the Xperia Z2 is available with £180 off the RRP. That’s partly due to the launch of the Z3, of course, but we’d still expect the Z3 to fall in price roughly three to four months from now - not least because after Christmas, sales of smartphones plummet.
What do you think? Is it better to get a new phone fast, or to hang on and save cash?