The biggest shopping event of the year is almost upon us.
Black Friday takes place on 29 November this year, quickly followed by Cyber Monday on 2 December.
But many retailers have already launched their sales events, making it a great time to get a new phone. Whether you’re looking for the absolute best phones, best mid-range phones or best budget phones, you’ll find deals to suit you.
Here are the best deals in the UK and US at the time of writing, though these are, of course, subject to change. For a guaranteed big discount, consider a refurbished phone deal.
Best phone deals in the UK
Get the excellent Pixel 8 Pro for less than half price
The Pixel 9 series is here, but last year’s Pixel 8 Pro is still a superb phone. And at under half its launch price, this 128GB model is incredible value for money.
Motorola's Razr 50 Ultra is down to its lowest ever price
The Razr 50 Ultra is the best folding phone you can buy right now. With 25% off at Amazon, it’s also now excellent value for money.
Save £100 on the Google Pixel 9 already
The Pixel 9’s UK starting price was £100 higher than the Pixel 8 at launch, but this 13% discount at Amazon returns it to a very reasonable £699. There’s also £100 off the 256GB model.
Samsung's Galaxy A15 is one of the best bargains in tech
The 4G model of the latest Galaxy A15 was already good value at its £169 starting price, but this 30% discount takes things to the next level.
Save £250 on the superb OnePlus 12
The OnePlus 12 was only released earlier this year, but you can already get £250 off the model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. At under £750, it’s a genuine bargain.
Get £100 off the excellent iPhone 15 Pro
The iPhone 16 series is here, but last year’s iPhone 15 Pro is an excellent handset that still ticks all the boxes for most people. With £100 off, it’s even more affordable than at launch.
The best budget phone you can buy is down to its lowest ever price
The CMF Phone 1 is a standout budget phone from the Nothing sub-brand, combining solid specs with a fun design and highly customisable software. With this 19% discount, it’s even more appealing.
Get 25% off Samsung's stellar Galaxy S24+
The Galaxy S24+ is undoubtedly one of the best phones you can buy right now, and Amazon is offering it with a useful £250 discount right now.
Best phone deals in the US
Save an incredible $350 on the Pixel 9 already
The Pixel 9 only launched in August, but Amazon has already discounted the 256GB model by 39%. At under $550, it’s now a superb deal.
Save $200 on the excellent Motorola Razr+
The Razr+ (2024) was only released in June, but there’s already a significant 20% saving at Amazon. It makes the best flip phone you can buy even more appealing.
Save $75 on the latest Galaxy A35 already
The Galaxy A35 only launched in April, but you can already save 19% on the cost of this impressive mid-range phone at Amazon.
Get the Pixel 8 Pro at the lowest price it's ever been
The Pixel 8 Pro is down to the lowest price it’s ever been at Amazon. If you’re looking for a new phone and don’t want to pay full price for a newer Pixel 9, this is the device to get.
Get $500 off the latest Galaxy Z Fold 6
Amazon already has $500 off Samsung’s latest book-style foldable, making it much better value for money.
Save $100 on the latest Pixel 8a already
The Pixel 8a only launched in May, but you can already get a 20% saving on the total price at Amazon. The $100 saving applies to both the 128GB model here and the 256GB version.
Get nearly 25% off one of the best budget phones around
The Galaxy A15 5G offers everything most people need in a smartphone, and it’s incredible value for money with this discount.
Where to find the best deals on smartphones
The simple answer is that the best places to buy phones tend to be the same places you’d buy most of your tech: electronics shops and department stores. You can also check with carriers and networks, not to mention going directly to manufacturers’ websites. Here are some ideas to get you started:
UK stores
US stores
What phone should I buy?
Which phone is best? The answer lies in how you use your phone, your budget and what you’re looking to get out of your phone. Tech Advisor has a number of buying guides to help you decide the best way forward. We’ve outlined some of the key points and what to expect out of each buying guide below.
Find the best phone for you
If you’re looking for deals on the best smartphone on the market, there are a few things you may need to consider. First off, should you buy an iPhone or an Android? Should you buy unlocked or on a pay monthly plan? And also, how do you choose the right SIM?
Of course, the best phones on the market will often have premium prices too. Samsung Galaxy S phones and Apple’s iPhones may seem like the go-to choice but if you’re on a budget there are tonnes of other powerful options out there for less-than-premium prices too.
Some of the most impressive phones on the market right now – like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, OnePlus 12 and Honor Magic 6 Pro – are all from Chinese brands.
Chinese phones can be powerful, often with dual-SIM support, and usually at competitive prices. On the flip side, some may be difficult to return if there are any issues and you may need to pay import duty, depending on where you’re getting them from.
Not all of them are available worldwide though, with more options in Europe than in North America.
Buy a second-hand iPhone
Buying a second-hand or refurbished phone is another way to score a great deal, oftentimes on premium handsets like the iPhone. Our colleagues over at Macworld have assembled their own guide on the best way to buy a second-hand iPhone.
Also see our guide to the best refurbished phone deals.
Best dual-SIM phones
Our rundown of the best dual-SIM phones goes through what to look for before you go ahead and buy such a device; such as what SIM sizes are supported and if both SIMs are 4G and/or 5G-compatible.
We also explain the difference between dual-standby and dual-active SIM support. This affects whether or not you can actively receive calls from both SIMs at the same time.
Best basic phones
If you’re looking for a phone which will let you do the basics – call, text and browse minimally – you can find several phones for less than £50 with cheap monthly rates too.
Our guide to the best basic phones goes through what you can expect in terms of specifications, storage, audio and camera quality from a smartphone or feature phone.
What phone deals are available?
Retailers often have deals on tonnes of handsets, so keep your eyes peeled, not to mention Amazon sells SIM-free phones at very attractive prices from time to time.
Samsung discounts
Samsung currently offers a trade-in programme where you can get hundreds off the company’s latest and greatest smartphones (depending on the value of the device you’re trading in). Get Samsung’s trade-in offers.
iPhone discounts
While Apple itself doesn’t often feature discounts, like Samsung, it does offer its own trade-in program. If you’ve got an older iPhone, you can put its value towards money off a new iPhone, with Apple currently offering hundreds off, depending on your phone.
Android discounts
Many retailers also have significant savings on budget and mid-range handsets from the likes of Motorola, OnePlus, Nothing and more.
If you’re looking to buy a phone outright, rather than on contract, Amazon has some of the biggest bargains, but make sure you check the specs carefully – third-party sellers sometimes use Amazon to shift international stock, which may vary slightly from what you’d find in stores.
If you find that you’re missing out on Amazon’s Lightning deals, which run for just a few hours and offer limited stock, we’d recommend signing up for Amazon’s 30-day free trial of Prime, which will get you access to deals 30 minutes before everyone else.
Plus, you’ll get free next-day delivery with the Prime trial, as well as access to the Prime Video streaming service and much more.
Author: Anyron Copeman, Mobile Editor, Tech Advisor
Anyron is Mobile Editor at Tech Advisor, where he’s been a mainstay of the editorial team since 2019. In his current role, Anyron is responsible for all smartphone, tablet and mobile network coverage on the site. A BA Journalism graduate, he has experience with a wide range of consumer tech products and services, including smartphones, tablets, foldables, wearables and more.