Best Black Friday 2021 phone deals: Apple, Android, and more

Need a new phone? Black Friday and Cyber Monday are a great time to be shopping for a phone for yourself or as a gift to your nearest and dearest this holiday season. This is the time of year when retailers and carriers are dropping their best deals, whether it’s to make room for next year’s models or to sign up new cellular customers. Android users can cash in on a number of excellent deals from the likes of Samsung, Google, OnePlus, and Motorola; however, Apple is notoriously stingy when it comes to iPhone discounts. You might get a gift card or a pair of AirPods when buying an iPhone, or a carrier might offer a higher trade-in value for a “free” iPhone.

Here are all the best Black Friday phone deals we’ve found so far. If possible, we recommend buying an unlocked phone, so there won’t be any strings attached to the purchase. If we include a carrier promotion, we’ll call out each requirement necessary to get the deal. Given all the supply issues many phone makers have been having all year, there might not be a lot of stock available out there. Good luck!

The Verge

Apple iPhone Deals

From our experience, Apple doesn’t offer price cuts on any of its iPhone models. At most, you’ll get a pair of free AirPods and / or a gift card to use toward a future purchase.

iPhone SE

• The best deal so far is on a prepaid, 64GB iPhone SE (2020), which is now $199 at Walmart with Walmart Family Mobile — that’s a 50 percent discount on a phone with the same chipset as the iPhone 11 and will get four years of software support from Apple.

Apple iPhone SE (2020)

This is, hands down, the best iPhone for under $500 in 2021 (64GB). Just be aware this $199 iPhone SE is locked to Walmart’s own mobile service (Walmart Family Mobile on the T-Mobile network).

iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, and 13 Max

• You can get $300 on a Walmart e-gift card with the purchase of an iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro, or iPhone 13 Pro Max (sold out) on either AT&T or Verizon. The exact amount depends on which iPhone you choose (see below), and you can also get an additional $250 Walmart e-gift card by trading in an eligible phone. The deal runs through December 3rd, but you need to activate the new phone no later than December 3rd at 11:59PM local time to take advantage of the deal. If you prefer to get this deal and trade-in squared away in person, you need to schedule an in-person appointment, starting as early as 5AM on November 26th. This in-store deal also ends on December 3rd.
• You can get a free pair of wireless earbuds and a virtual gift card for up to $200, depending on which iPhone your purchase and activate on Visible Wireless. You’ll need to transfer your number and make at least three months of payments before you’ll be able to redeem your gift, however. If you opt for an iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, or iPhone 13 Pro Max, you’ll get a pair of AirPods Pro. If you buy an iPhone 13 mini, you’ll get a pair of Beats Studio Buds.
• You can get six months of your Mint Mobile data plan for free if you port your number to Mint and purchase an iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max, which start at $1,000 and $1,100, respectively.
• You can get a “free” iPhone 13 Pro, a second-gen pair of AirPods, and a one-year subscription to Apple TV Plus when you sign up for the Magenta Max or Sprint Max plans with eligible trade-ins. This deal is available to new and existing customers.

iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max

• At Walmart, you can get a Walmart e-gift card for up to $500 with the purchase of select iPhone 12 models on either AT&T or Verizon, though the exact amount depends on which iPhone you choose (see below). You can also get an additional $250 Walmart e-gift card by trading in an eligible phone. This deal runs through December 3rd, but you need to activate the new phone no later than December 3rd at 11:59PM local time to take advantage of the deal. If you prefer to get this deal and trade-in squared away in person, you need to schedule an in-person appointment, starting as early as 5AM local time on November 26th. The in-store deal also runs through December 3rd.

iPhone 12 Pro Max: $500 Walmart gift card (sold out online)

iPhone 12 Pro: $450 Walmart gift card (sold out online)

iPhone 12: $350 Walmart gift card

• You can get a free pair of Beats Studio Buds in black and a virtual gift card for up to $200 if you purchase an iPhone 12 mini, Pro, or Pro Max and activate it on Visible Wireless. You’ll need to transfer your number and make at least three months of payments before you’ll be able to redeem your gift, however.
• You can get three months of your Mint Mobile data plan for free if you port your number to Mint and purchase an iPhone 12, which starts at $729.

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Samsung phone deals

This year’s Samsung phone deals aren’t much better than Apple’s: you get a free pair of Galaxy Buds 2, but there aren’t any deep price cuts unless you have some devices you can trade in.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 (128GB)

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a foldable phone with a non-foldable price tag. The unique, water-resistant device comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and 120Hz display, as well as 5G support.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

Literally called the “Fan Edition,” the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is an affordable variant of the Galaxy S20 family, but with some flagship-level features like an OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. This Walmart deal is only for Straight Talk customers, and is valid only online and in-store through November 28th.

Samsung Galazy Z Flip 3 5G

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE

• The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE will be a cool $249 at Walmart for Straight Talk Wireless customers, a $450 price discount on its original price of $699. Literally known as the “Fan Edition,” the S20 FE has the best features from the flagship S20 line, like a 6.5-inch 1080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate, but with a plastic body and a more basic-but-still-good triple camera system. The deal is valid only online and in-store through November 28th.

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Google Pixel phone deals

Google Pixel 5A

As the mid-range Pixel phone, the Pixel 5A does the basics very well with IP67 water resistance, a great camera, and timely software updates.

• The already budget-friendly Pixel 5A just got cheaper, with Google knocking an extra $50 off to bring its Black Friday price down to just $399. This unlocked 5G phone has all the perks of being a Pixel but without the flagship-level pricing of the new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. What you’ll get: three years of software support (including Android 12), some water protection (IP67), a 4620mAh battery, and a best-in-class camera. Read our full review.
• If you want a Pixel 6 and plan on being a Verizon customer anyway, you might as well buy and activate your phone from Best Buy for $550, a savings of $150. Read our full review.

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

OnePlus phone deals

• All the OnePlus Black Friday deals seem to agree that the already budget-friendly OnePlus Nord N200 5G should be cheaper than $240, with Walmart dropping its price to a jaw-dropping $99 for Metro by T-Mobile customers. It has some fancy features like a 1080p display that refreshes at 90Hz and a 5,000mAh battery, but it only includes 64GB of internal storage. This deal is only valid online and in-store through November 28th. Read our full review.
• The unlocked OnePlus Nord N200 5G is now $200 at Amazon and Best Buy. Read our review.
• The unlocked OnePlus 9, which has flagship-level features like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and 120Hz display, is down to $600 at Amazon and Best Buy. Read our full OnePlus 9 review.
• The OnePlus 9 Pro is getting a $270 discount at Amazon and Best Buy, bringing the price of the unlocked premium flagship down to $800 in both green in silver. Read our full review.

Motorola phone deals

Motorola Moto G Pure

Motorola’s Moto G Pure is good enough for most casual users. Despite its slower performance and paltry 32GB of storage, it has a very capable main camera and works on all the major 4G networks in America.

• Motorola is currently offering $10 off a 32GB unlocked Moto G Pure, bringing the sale price down to $149. In fact, if you have an eligible trade-in device, you could even land the G Pure for $1 at Motorola. The 32GB model is also available at Target and Amazon for the same sale price. Read our full review.
• A number of retailers — including Best Buy, Motorola, and Target — are offering an unlocked 2021 Moto G Stylus with 128GB of storage and a built-in stylus for $230 rather than $300. It’s a good device, whether you’re a stylus fan or not. Read our full review.
• The second-gen Moto Razr 5G is now on sale with 256GB of storage in black for $800 at Best Buy and Motorola (black and silver), down from $1,400. Read our full review.
• You can get the unlocked Moto G Power (2021) with 64GB of storage for $180 (originally $250) at Best Buy and Target. The 32GB model is also available from the same retailers, but we recommend paying the $10 difference to get double the storage. Read our full review.
• If you want an unlocked phone with a 6.7-inch 1080p screen, then the 2021 Motorola One 5G Ace is a good choice. The phone is currently available at Best Buy with 128GB of onboard storage for $300, a healthy $100 off of its original price tag. Read our full review.
• With 128GB storage and an HDMI cable that allows you to extend the functionality of the phone to the big screen, the Moto G 100 looks to be a respectable midrange device. Right now, you can buy the unlocked model for just $450 from Motorola, down from $600.
• The unlocked Motorola Edge 5G (2020) is now $380 $400 from B&H Photo, which amounts to around $300 in savings. The phone supports sub-6GHz 5G, has an OLED display that refreshes at 90Hz, and features 256GB of storage.

Other Android phone deals

• The TCL 10L with 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage is available for $153 at Amazon, down from $250. The 256GB model is also available for $220, an $80 savings, with both deals running through November 28th.
• The Nokia X100, the budget 4G phone with a 1080p display, is “free” at T-Mobile when you add a new line and commit to a 24-month payment plan. Normally, the phone costs $252.
• An unlocked Nokia 8.3 5G is on sale for $400 at B&H Photo, down from $600. It has dual-SIM, 128GB of storage, and the PureView quad-camera system with Zeiss lenses.
• The Sony Xperia 1 III 5G, a phone made for serious photographers, is currently getting a $100 discount at B&H Photo, dropping the price to $1,198. It supports sub-6GHz 5G and features a dual-SIM and 256GB of storage.