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Best Black Friday Phone Deals 2021: Cheapest prices today

As smartphone manufacturers churn out new models every year, Black Friday phone deals are your chance to catch up and upgrade your mobile device. The best Black Friday phone deals cover the top brands in the industry, including Samsung, Apple, Google, OnePlus, Nokia, and Motorola, so if you’re patient enough with your search, you’ll surely find an offer that matches your needs and budget.

If you can’t wait to start shopping, the good news is that some of the best Black Friday deals are already available from various retailers. Certain offers won’t be around for long, and might not even last until Black Friday, so if you see a deal you like, it’s highly recommended that you take advantage of it right away. Once it’s gone, you might not get a chance to buy the smartphone you want at a discount until next year.

Where to find the best Black Friday phone deals

  • Amazon Black Friday deals: Amazon always has a ton of smartphones on offer, and has some of the best Black Friday phone deals if you’re specifically looking for a carrier-unlocked device. Unlocked phones from top makers including Apple, Samsung, and Google, as well as other brands like OnePlus and TCL, are all up for grabs here — shop now.
  • Best Buy Black Friday deals: Best Buy is a great place for Black Friday phone deals on both unlocked and carrier-locked mobiles, but you usually get the best discount by purchasing a device and then activating it with a service provider. If you already have a carrier you like or want to switch to, this is a great way to save on flagship devices from brands like Samsung and Apple — shop now.
  • Walmart Black Friday deals: Walmart sits somewhere between Amazon and Best Buy when it comes to its smartphone offerings, selling both unlocked and carrier-locked devices. Where Walmart’s Black Friday phone deals shine is with prepaid mobiles, though. You can score discounted prepaid phones tied to Verizon and AT&T as well as smaller prepaid carriers like Tracfone, Straight Talk, and Simple Mobile  — shop now.

Best Black Friday phone deals 2021

  • Moto G Stylus (128GB) —
  • Google Pixel 4a —
  • Nokia 8.3 5G —
  • OnePlus 8T —
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G —

Moto G Stylus (128GB) — $230, was $300

Motorola Moto G Stylus.

Why buy:

  • Affordable phone with built-in stylus
  • Great display for a budget device
  • 48MP quad-camera system
  • Battery that can last for two days on a single charge

The Motorola Moto G Stylus is an affordable device that provides the benefits of a stylus, for those who want to see what it’s like to use such an accessory on their smartphone but are not willing to splurge for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G. The stylus, which is tucked away at the bottom of the device, allows for pinpoint precision when you’re using the smartphone’s 6.8-inch Max Vision Full HD+ touchscreen. It’s helpful when you’re writing notes, retouching pictures, drawing sketches, playing games, and any other task that requires heavy interaction with the display. Meanwhile, speaking of the smartphone’s display, it offers sharp details and vibrant colors with a bright backlight, which makes it look better than most budget smartphones.

Inside the Motorola Moto G Stylus are the Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 processor with 4BG of RAM, for smooth performance when you’re working with different apps, while the 128GB of storage provides ample space for your pictures, videos, and games. The smartphone also has a 48MP quad-camera system on the back, which includes an ultrawide-angle lens that will fit more inside each shot, and a Macro Vision camera that can take clear pictures of close-up details. The device packs a 4,000 mAh battery, which can last up to two days on a single charge so you’ll rarely need to have it plugged in on a daily basis. If you think the Motorola Moto G Stylus is the smartphone for you, you can buy it from Amazon at $70 off, bringing its price down to $230 from its original price of $300.

Google Pixel 4a — $300, was $350

The Google Pixel 4a, front and back.

Why buy:

  • Impressive Full HD+ OLED screen
  • Amazing camera that uses Google’s expertise
  • Quick Android updates
  • Long battery life

The Google Pixel 4a, with a 5.8-inch Full HD+ OLED screen that’s surrounded on all sides by small bezels, is among Digital Trends’ best smartphones as the best small smartphone. Inside the compact frame are the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor and 6GB of RAM, for reliable performance that won’t let you down when you’re multitasking or using demanding apps. The Google Pixel 4a’s camera, meanwhile, is one of its best features, with a 12.2MP camera featuring optical image stabilization that’s backed by Google’s computational photography expertise. The colors in the photos the smartphone takes are natural, the portrait mode’s edge detection is better than cameras with multiple sensors, and the night sight mode perfectly balances the brightness and contrast in dark environments.

Since it’s manufactured by Google itself, the Pixel 4a will quickly receive any updates to the Android operating system, so you’ll be among the first to enjoy new features and get protected from security issues. The smartphone’s battery lasts about two days with moderate use, so you won’t have to worry about the phone suddenly shutting down because of a depleted battery when you just went out for a few hours. You simply can’t go wrong if you purchase the Google Pixel 4a, which is discounted by $50 on Best Buy, lowering the smartphone’s price to $300 from its original price of $350.

Nokia 8.3 5G — $480, was $700

Nokia 8.3 5G.

Why buy:

  • Camera with Zeiss technology
  • Simple camera operation
  • Built-in editing tools
  • Expandable storage up to 1TB

Nokia, once the leader in the global smartphone industry, is attempting to revive its name with products such as the Nokia 8.3 5G. Nokia secured assistance with Zeiss for the camera-centric smartphone, which features a 64MP main sensor, a 12MP sensor with an ultrawide lens, and a pair of 2MP sensors for depth and macro duties. These combine to take stunning pictures with rich colors and sharp details, while still being simple to use as you’ll just have to choose a wide-angle view, a standard view, or Night Mode, which is very effective in revealing textures and details in low-light environments. The smartphone also offers an editing tool for the manual Pro video mode, to add effects such as lens flares to the videos you take.

Powering the Nokia 8.3 5G are the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G and 8GB of RAM, for smooth performance while navigating the Android operating system. The device offers 128GB of internal storage, with the option of expanding to up to 1TB through its microSD card slot. You should be taking a lot of pictures and videos with the Nokia 8.3 5G, so you’ll want to have lots of storage space so that everything is within your reach. If you’re already looking forward to unleashing your creativity with the Nokia 8.3 5G, then you should take advantage of Best Buy’s offer that slashes $220 off the smartphone’s original price of $700, making it more affordable at just $480.

OnePlus 8T — $500, was $600

OnePlus 8T screen.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Why buy:

  • Upgrade from the OnePlus 8
  • Warp Charge feature offers insanely fast charging
  • Powerful performance
  • Simple design with premium glass finish

The OnePlus 8T, an upgrade to the OnePlus 8, maintains features such as the 120Hz refresh rate on the smartphone’s 6.6-inch AMOLED screen and the redesigned body, which are among the most popular features of the flagship device. But when comparing the OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 8 Pro, the newer version stands out because of the repositioned camera module at the back that makes it look much tidier; fast-charging capabilities through the Warp Charge feature that can take the battery from 0% to 60% in 15 minutes and from 0% to 100% in just 39 minutes; and a 2MP monochrome lens that will let you take black-and-white pictures without requiring the use of a software filter.

The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor and 12GB of RAM, so you won’t experience any slowdowns when you’re launching even the most demanding apps. With storage space of 256GB, you’ll be able to install lots of apps and save many pictures and videos, so that everything will be in your hands. Adding to the OnePlus 8T’s stature as a premium device is its glass finish, over an aluminum chassis that doesn’t have any sharp edges. If the OnePlus 8T sounds like the perfect choice as your next smartphone, don’t hesitate — click that Buy Now button to purchase the device for $500 from Amazon, after a $100 discount to its original price of $600.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G — $925, was $1,000

Galaxy Z Flip 3 open on a table.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Why buy:

  • Durable and versatile foldable smartphone
  • IPX8 water resistance
  • Gorgeous main AMOLED screen
  • Useful Cover Screen when the device is folded

Every year, Black Friday iPhone deals draw lots of interest, but rival Samsung is always challenging Apple with products like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G. The foldable smartphone maybe unfolded to any angle, depending on what you need for the situation. You can unfold it all the way back to access the full 6.7-inch screen, or unfold it halfway so you can set it down and take pictures or join video calls hands-free. You don’t have to worry about breaking the device because of the number of times you’ll open it in a single day, though, as Samsung promises durability, in addition to IPX8 water resistance. Samsung uses magnets to keep the device securely closed, opening the smartphone is smooth, and it locks itself into an open position once you’ve opened it all the way.

In addition to the 6.7-inch AMOLED screen that’s inside the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, it has a 1.9-inch Cover Screen on the back that you can access when the smartphone is folded. The 120Hz refresh rate of the main screen keeps things smooth and reduces eye strain, while the Cover Screen presents different kinds of interaction. You can swipe left on the small screen to access music controls, a voice recorder, the weather, and other customizable widgets, and when you swipe right, you see your phone’s notifications. Amazon’s foldable phone deals currently include the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 for $925, a reduction of $75 from its original price of $1,000.

Should you shop Black Friday phone deals now?

The best Black Friday phone deals offer significant discounts on different brands and models, and if an offer catches your eye, you should probably add it to your cart and check out immediately. That’s because the global microchip shortage is affecting the supply of electronic devices around the world, including smartphones. The stock that retailers have in their inventories might not be enough to match the demand for popular smartphones, so you should grab the mobile device you want as soon as possible.

Some shoppers believe that you should wait for Black Friday itself, when the discounts will be much bigger compared with the best Black Friday phone deals you can get right now. That’s often not the case, though — if prices go lower, it’s usually only for a few more dollars. You shouldn’t risk the chance of your preferred phone selling out to wait for lower prices, as retailers running out of stock is more likely to happen than a significantly better offer suddenly appearing out of the blue.

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and we choose what we cover carefully and independently. The prices, details, and availability of the products and deals in this post may be subject to change at anytime. Be sure to check that they are still in effect before making a purchase.

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