It’s November and that means Black Friday is just around the corner. If a new phone is high on your wish list this year then we’ve got a few tips and tricks on what to look for.

Look for last year’s flagship

For many years now, we’ve seen Black Friday offer big savings on older phones – often the previous-gen flagships. Buying a phone that isn’t the current flagship is usually a very smart move, and in many ways actually better than buying a cheaper current device.

For example, if you see the Samsung Galaxy S10 (The Korean brand’s 2019 flagship, before the Galaxy S20 was released) reduced then you’re still getting one of the best screens around and internals that are still comparable to newer flagships. Sometimes looking for an older flagship makes a lot of sense.

One of the standout options we’ve found out so far is this deal for the OnePlus 8. The excellent device is now £399, a £200 saving compared to when we reviewed the phone earlier in the year.

You can save big by going for an older flagship device, like the above Galaxy S10

Is your contract up?

A lot of the big Black Friday deals in terms of smartphones are for pay monthly offerings from outlets like Carphone Warehouse and Fonehouse. This is great if you’re willing to pay each month, but not so good if you’re already tied into a long-term deal.

If you picked up a deal on Black Friday 2 years ago, then great – you’re 24 month deal is coming to an end (or has already ended) and you should be in prime position to profit again this time around. We’ll be highlighting some of the finest Black Friday contract deals – like this ace saving on a Pixel 5.

Get more data than you need, especially if you’re buying 5G

Following on from the last point, if you are plumping for a new pay monthly deal then don’t be fooled by cheaper devices with a low data cap. Anything below 10GB of included data is a little on the low side and it’s always better to have more than you think you’ll need for emergencies.

This is even more important if you’re going for a 5G phone on a 5G data plan. 5G networks offer much faster download speeds and if you want to make the most of them, for downloading Spotify playlists or Netflix shows, then you’ll need a lot of data.

SIM-only typically offers big savings

If you don’t want a phone contract that includes a shiny new device, going SIM-only is a smart move and Black Friday usually comes up with some big data SIM-only plans. These are also great if you find a swish deal for a SIM-free phone.

This Three deal, for instance, gets you unlimited data, minutes and texts for just £17 a month on a 24-month contract. This is an excellent deal if you want loads of data (and it’s a 5G contract too).

And, of course, don’t expect the iPhone 12 to get reductions from Apple

While Apple has taken part in Black Friday before, don’t expect it to slice big money of its recent high-end smartphones. You’re far more likely to see a gift card bundled with the iPhone 12, rather than a price reduction.


For more amazing offers this Black Friday, follow us @TrustedDealsUK

We may earn a commission if you click a deal and buy an item. That’s why we want to make sure you’re well-informed and happy with your purchase, so that you’ll continue to rely on us for your buying advice needs.

Unlike other sites, we thoroughly review everything we recommend, using industry standard tests to evaluate products. We’ll always tell you what we find. We may get a commission if you buy via our price links. Tell us what you think – email the Editor