The short answer: the best time to buy ACs is the off-season (roughly November to February), a TV during a big sale when the model you want shows a real drop, and a phone when you need it — because in 2026 the old trick of "wait for the next launch and the old model gets cheaper" stopped working reliably. Sale timing still matters, but price trends this year have been pushed by things no sale can undo: a global memory-chip shortage, a weaker rupee and new energy-label rules.
Below is what has changed, what still holds, and how to check whether today's price is actually a good one before you pay.
The quick calendar
| Product | Usually better time | Usually worse time | 2026 twist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air conditioner | Nov–Feb (off-season), big online sales | April–June peak summer | New BEE star table from 1 January 2026 raised prices of new 5-star stock |
| Smart TV | Big festive and Republic Day sales | Right after a price hike | GST cut to 18% helped; memory costs pushed some prices back up |
| Smartphone | Sales, and the weeks after a model's launch rush fades | Right before a rumoured hike | Prices rose through 2026; older iPhones got costlier, not cheaper |
These are tendencies, not promises. A specific model can buck the pattern, which is why checking that model's own price history matters more than the calendar.
Air conditioners: buy when nobody else is
Demand for ACs peaks in summer, and so do installation queues. MySmartPrice's AC timing guide points to the colder months, the festive sales and January–February (when new season stock arrives) as the better windows, with the caveat that winter can mean fewer models in stock.
The 2026 detail most buyers miss is the energy label. From 1 January 2026 the Bureau of Energy Efficiency's tougher star table took effect, and Business Today reported that a 5-star AC under the 2025 table would rate as a 4-star under the new one. Manufacturers quoted in that report expected new stock to cost roughly 5–10% more.
What that means for you now:
- Check the label year, not just the stars. A "5-star" listing for a 2025-table model is not the same efficiency as a 2026-table 5-star. Our deal pages often show the model year in the name (for example "2026 model"), and the label on the product page shows the year.
- An older-label unit at a big discount can still be a fair buy if the price gap covers the slightly higher running cost. If you run the AC many hours a day, the newer label is usually worth paying a little more for.
- GST is already lower. ACs moved from 28% to 18% GST from 22 September 2025 (ClearTax), so that saving is already in today's prices — don't wait for it.
Browse current air conditioner deals, and read our explainer on BIS, ISI and BEE star labels before you compare models.
Smart TVs: sales help, but check the base price
TVs larger than 32 inches also moved from 28% to 18% GST on 22 September 2025 (ClearTax). That was a genuine, permanent drop.
Then memory prices intervened. In December 2025, TV makers told PTI that prices could rise around 3–4% from January, with one maker saying up to 7–10%, citing memory chips and a rupee above 90 to the dollar (Siasat, via PTI). By Q2 2026, Counterpoint Research reported India's TV market had shrunk 8.2% year on year as price hikes weighed on demand.
So for TVs:
- The big sale windows still matter — Republic Day sales in January (Amazon's started on 16 January and Flipkart's on 17 January in 2026, per MyMobileIndia), and the festive sales (Flipkart's Big Billion Days 2026 started on 9 October, per NewsBytes).
- Separate the unconditional price from bank offers. A "₹5,000 off" that needs one bank's credit card is not a price drop for everyone. Our post on bank offers vs exchange offers shows how to work out your real saving.
- Compare against the model's recent price, not the MRP. MRP is a reference figure, not what the TV usually sells for.
See today's smart TV deals or our shortlist of 43-inch QLED TVs around ₹30,000.
Phones: the "wait for the next launch" rule broke in 2026
For years, the safe advice was: wait for the new model, and last year's phone gets cheaper. In 2026 that often didn't happen.
- Prices rose across the market. Business Standard, citing TechArc, reported that the average smartphone price index rose 7.9% between January and May 2026, with 79 models getting costlier and only 18 getting cheaper. The biggest rises were in phones under ₹20,000.
- Budget phones were hit hardest. Digit, reporting Counterpoint Research data, said phone prices rose about 16% in the first half of 2026, with phones under ₹10,000 up about 32% on average — and memory prices are not expected to fall before 2028.
- Even older iPhones went up. After the iPhone 18 Pro launch in September 2026, Beebom reported that Apple raised the iPhone 17 256 GB price in India from ₹82,900 to ₹99,900.
What still works:
- Buy in a sale if one is close, but judge the deal by the unconditional price.
- Don't wait months for a drop that may not come, especially under ₹20,000. If your current phone is failing, buy the right model at a fair price now.
- Check software support before you buy — a phone that gets updates for longer is better value even at a slightly higher price. Our guide on checking phone update years explains how.
- Premium phones are the exception. The TechArc data showed phones above ₹50,000 got slightly cheaper on average in early 2026, so deep discounts on high-end models can still appear.
Browse current smartphone deals or read our smartphone buying guide.
How to tell if today's price is good
The calendar gets you into the right month. The model's own price tells you whether to buy today. Before you pay:
- Open the product's price history on our price tracker where we have one, and compare today's verified price with the lower prices it has shown recently. Our history only covers the days we have checked it, so treat it as a guide, not a complete record.
- Ignore "% off MRP". The real question is how far the price is below what it has recently sold for. Our post on checking whether a sale price is real walks through this.
- Count only offers you can use. Exclude bank cards you don't hold and exchange values for a phone you're not trading in.
- Check the exact variant. The same name can hide different RAM, storage, tonnage or star-label years.
- Watch the price with an alert if you're not in a hurry, instead of guessing.
The bottom line
- AC: buy now or by February rather than in April–May, and check the star-label year.
- TV: use the big sales, but judge the deal on the unconditional price against recent prices.
- Phone: sales still help, but 2026 prices have been rising — don't hold off for months expecting a drop.
Frequently asked questions
Is winter really the best time to buy an AC in India?
Usually it is a good time, because demand is low and installation is quicker. Choice can be narrower, so if you want a specific model, compare its current price with its recent price history before deciding.
Did the GST cut make ACs and TVs cheaper?
Yes. GST on air conditioners and on TVs larger than 32 inches fell from 28% to 18% from 22 September 2025. Some of that saving was later offset by memory and currency-driven price rises, especially on TVs.
Should I wait for a new phone launch to buy the older model?
Not by default in 2026. Several older models, including the iPhone 17, became costlier after newer launches this year. Check the model's price history and buy when the price is fair for you.
What is the difference between a 2025 and a 2026 five-star AC?
The BEE star table was tightened from 1 January 2026, so a unit rated 5-star under the 2025 table would rate about one star lower under the new one. Check the label year on the product page.
Are sale prices always lower than normal-week prices?
No. Some sale "discounts" are only against MRP or depend on specific bank cards. Compare the unconditional price with the product's recent prices to see if it is a real drop.
