While the new Apple iPhone 12 models are now available at full price, there are an assortment of other phones available during Black Friday and Cyber Monday that can save you hundreds. Many of these special offers are available now and expire at the end of November.
We’ve reviewed many of these phones on ZDNet in 2020 and the majority are unlocked so should work with most carriers in the US. There are also several carrier specials available, but they are specific to opening new lines of service, purchasing phones as part of a buy-one-get-one (BOGO) special, and offering high value for trade-ins. We recommend you check out your preferred carrier for possible sale offers.
$200 off
After reading an earlier version of this article a reader recommended I check out the Black Friday deals over on the Google Fi website. As a result, I canceled my Pixel 5 order and placed an order for a Pixel 4a 5G. It was $150 off for existing Google Fi customers and $200 off for new customers.
The Pixel 4a 5G is an affordable phone from Google with the latest, and arguably best, camera software on a phone today. It offers solid battery life, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and 6.2-inch display. It doesn’t have wireless charging or water resistance, but it’s tough to beat at that price.
In addition to the Google Pixel 4a 5G deal, Google has great discounts ranging from $100 to $500 off with activation on Google Fi. There are deals on the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, S20, and A71, as well as a couple of Motorola phone deals. You must check out these Google Fi deals.
$50 off
I’ve been waiting for some kind of deal on Google’s latest 5G smartphone and with Black Friday we see Google offer $50 off of the Pixel 5. If you are a Google One subscriber you can also get 10% back on your purchase to use for a case, accessory, or other item in the Google Store since there are non-phone items also on sale.
The Google Pixel 5 isn’t the most powerful smartphone, when it comes to specifications, but it has arguably the best camera system on a phone, brings 5G to the table, and is fairly affordable at $699 ($649 for Black Friday). You should still receive this phone in time for the Christmas holiday, but you better order one fast.
Given the extremely poor battery life of the Pixel 4, you should probably consider trading it in for the Pixel 5 which will save you even more money. The Pixel 5 is available in two colors with one storage option and one size.
30% off ($135 savings)
TCL launched its own branded smartphones last year and one of the best released so far was the TCL 10 Pro. It launched in May 2020 and took on the iPhone SE at $450. This Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal is tough to beat and will be available from 23 to 29 November.
The TCL 10 Pro is available in Ember Gray and Forest Mist Green, both subtle, professional, and gorgeous color options. The 6.7-inch display is wonderful, the quad-camera system helps you capture great photos and video, and the 4500 mAh battery helps you easily get through a full day of work without breaking the bank.
$100 off
OnePlus launched a couple of new flagship phones a few months ago and this holiday season is offering $100 off both of its flagship models. The OnePlus 8 Pro starts at $799 with the discount while the OnePlus 8 starts at $599. These are very powerful 5G smartphones and $100 savings makes them even better.
The sale is available now and runs through the end of November. Super fast charging, fluid high refresh rate displays, 5G, and zippy performance are key aspects of these two phones.
$400 off
Motorola’s foldable phone provides new technology in a form factor similar to the Razr line from the past. The new flip phone sports 5G and design improvements for 2020. $400 off is a major savings and the unlocked version at B&H Photo should work just one on the carrier of your choice.
Morotola also has several other phones with discounts for the holiday season. Discounts range from $70 to $300 off.
$200 off
Unless you have an urgent need for a new Samsung phone right at launch, you should always wait a couple of months to realize some savings. Samsung is offering the new Note 20 Ultra for $200 off.
The Note 20 Ultra is a fantastic device for S Pen users and one of the best Samsung phones available today. The phone sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus processor, 12GB of RAM, 120 Hz display, and 4500 mAh battery. Samsung uses the fastest RAM and fastest internal storage technology too so it remains one of the best phones available for business.
$100 off
Samsung followed up its typical Galaxy announcements of the S series and Note series with the S20 FE lineup. FE is an abbreviation for Fan Edition and the phone appeals to Samsung fans with lovely colors, powerful specifications, and a rather affordable price. A $100 savings is appealing for this new phone, sold directly from Samsung.
Six colors are available to choose from and there are very few compromises made for a phone at this price. 5G, triple rear cameras, a high-resolution display, and more are provided on a phone starting at $600. Phones like this make it tough to justify spending $1,000 or more on a smartphone today.
$200 off
Samsung S-series flagship from early 2020 remains one of the most capable smartphones available today and for the holidays Samsung is offering $200 off the S20 Ultra 5G. The phone has one of the most capable zoom lenses on a phone today, even if the 100x is a bit of a novelty.
You can play Xbox games on the phone now thanks to Android support for Xbox Game Pass and the powerful processor with gorgeous display of the S20 Ultra 5G.
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