ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A 104% tariff on Chinese imports, could increase the price of an iPhone by $200-$300. 

People are rushing to stores to buy a new phone before any price increases. But a new iPhone may not be necessary. The one you have may be all you need.

The reasons people upgrade are typically because they want a better camera, or a longer lasting battery, or the old one just doesn’t work as fast as it did.

You can replace the battery for about $100. It’s free if you have Apple Care+ and it holds less than 80% of its original battery life.

Should tariffs remain, you might want to keep the phone you have now for longer than you normally do. You can extend the life of the battery by not overcharging it. If you charge the phone while you sleep, turn on “optimized battery charging.” 

The phone will charge to about 80% while you sleep, and charges fully just before you wake up.

Phone’s with a lot of apps, photos, and music work harder. Free games and social media apps are notorious for forcing the phone to use its processor and memory even when you’re not using the apps. 

If your phone is close to running out of storage space, the system will slow down because it has less room for temporary files. If you’ve got plenty of storage, you can get a battery replacement, and live with the camera you have now, your phone is good for as long as it can update to the latest operating systems.

If you have an iPhone 10 or earlier, you can find some deals now or wait until the next one comes out this fall. No one knows how much they will cost, but if tariffs remain in place, it will cost more.