5 Tech Purchases You're Definitely Overpaying For
From phones to monitors to internet plans — here's where you're leaving money on the table.
Tech companies are very good at one thing: convincing you to pay more than you need to.
Bigger numbers sound better. More features seem smarter. Premium branding feels safer. But for most of these purchases, you're paying for things you'll never notice.
Here are five areas where people consistently overspend — and what to do instead.
1. Phones: Holding Too Long, Then Buying Too New
The overpay: Keeping your phone until it's worthless, then buying the latest flagship at launch.
The math: An iPhone loses ~35% of its value in year one, another ~20% in year two. Keeping a phone for 3+ years means:
- You trade in for almost nothing ($100-200)
- You feel "forced" to buy new because your phone is genuinely terrible
- You pay full flagship price ($1000+)
The smarter play:
- Trade in at 12-18 months when your phone still has 50-60% value
- Buy the "previous generation" flagship (often $200-300 cheaper)
- Net cost of ownership drops significantly
Example: Trading in a 1-year-old iPhone for $650 and buying last year's Pro model at $899 nets you at $249. Waiting 3 years, trading for $150, and buying new at $1099 costs $949.
Try our calculator: Phone Trade-in Calculator
2. Monitors: Resolution Over Everything Else
The overpay: Buying a 27" 4K monitor and scaling everything up.
The math: At 27", 4K has ~163 PPI. At arm's length, your eyes can't perceive above ~120 PPI effectively. A 27" 1440p monitor (109 PPI) looks nearly identical in daily use.
But that 4K monitor costs $200-400 more. And the extra pixels:
- Tank gaming framerates
- Require scaling (negating the "extra space" benefit)
- Stress your GPU for no visible gain
The smarter play:
- Match resolution to screen size: 24" = 1080p, 27" = 1440p, 32" = 4K
- Spend the savings on better color accuracy, refresh rate, or ergonomics
- Only buy 4K if you're photo editing or going 32"+
Try our calculator: Monitor PPI Calculator
3. TVs: Size Matters More Than Brand
The overpay: Buying a 55" premium OLED when you sit 10 feet away.
The math: Field of view determines immersion. At 10 feet, a 55" TV fills only ~18° of your vision — barely past minimum viewing thresholds. Going premium on a too-small TV is like buying a sports car to drive in traffic.
Meanwhile, a larger LED TV at the same price would be:
- More immersive (larger field of view)
- Bright enough for most rooms
- "Good enough" quality at viewing distance
The smarter play:
- Prioritize size first: 9-10 feet viewing distance = 75"+
- Then consider panel type (OLED vs LED)
- A 75" mid-range TV often beats a 55" premium TV for the same price
Try our calculator: TV Size Calculator
4. Internet: Gigabit for Gigabit's Sake
The overpay: Paying $100+/month for gigabit when you only use 100 Mbps.
The math: Netflix 4K = 25 Mbps. Zoom = 5 Mbps. Gaming = 20 Mbps. Even a household with 4 people streaming simultaneously rarely exceeds 150 Mbps.
But gigabit sounds impressive, so you pay $40-50/month extra for speeds you'll never use:
- Your WiFi probably caps at 300-600 Mbps anyway
- Your devices might not support gigabit
- Streaming services buffer; more speed doesn't improve the experience
The smarter play:
- Calculate actual household needs (simultaneous users × activity bandwidth)
- Add 50% buffer for overhead
- Buy that tier, not the "impressive" tier
- Put the $40/month savings elsewhere ($480/year)
Try our calculator: Internet Speed Calculator
5. Power Supplies: Underspending, Then Overpaying in Repairs
The overpay: Buying a cheap 500W PSU for a build that needs 600W.
The math: This one's the opposite of overspending — it's underspending that costs you later. A cheap, undersized PSU can:
- Cause random crashes (hours of debugging)
- Damage expensive components (GPU, motherboard)
- Need replacement within 2-3 years
A quality 750W Gold-rated PSU costs $100-120 and lasts 7-10 years. A cheap 600W Bronze unit costs $50 and might take a $500 GPU with it when it fails.
The smarter play:
- Calculate your actual wattage needs (GPU + CPU + 200W overhead)
- Add 25% headroom
- Buy Gold-rated or better from reputable brands
- Consider it "insurance" for your expensive components
Try our calculator: GPU/PSU Matcher
The Common Thread
All these overspends share a pattern:
- Marketing beats math — bigger numbers sell, even when they don't matter
- Specs over experience — people buy what looks good on paper, not what feels good in use
- Fear of "not enough" — overspending feels safer than optimizing
- Ignoring depreciation — timing of purchases matters as much as what you buy
Before any tech purchase, ask:
- Will I actually notice the difference?
- Is there a cheaper option that's "good enough"?
- Am I buying this at the right time?
The answer often saves you hundreds.
Calculate Before You Buy
We built these calculators specifically to help you avoid overspending:
- Phone Trade-in Calculator — optimal trade-in timing
- Monitor PPI Calculator — right resolution for your screen
- TV Size Calculator — size before features
- Internet Speed Calculator — bandwidth you actually need
- GPU/PSU Matcher — right power for your build
Don't guess. Calculate.