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For how essential smartphones are to our daily lives, when it's finally time to buy a new one, it's important to find a device that is both capable and reliable enough to last you for years down the road.
While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are done and dusted, there are still plenty of deals on the latest handsets, including that of Apple, Samsung, Google, and more that are worth your consideration. If you missed out on the initial wave of promotions, look to these remaining offers to save hundreds on some of the best smartphones.
Along with our top picks below, these are the latest smartphone deals that you should take advantage of:
Below, you'll find my top picks for Cyber Monday smartphone deals, including that of Google, Apple, Samsung, and more.
It's year two of Google's redesigned Pixel line and things have never looked better. From ZDNET's testing, the flagship Pixel 7 Pro exceeded our expectations with a new and improved Tensor G2 processor, a camera configuration that bests Samsung's, and a generous suite of practical, user-first software features.
The Pixel 7 Pro was always undercutting industry flagships at $900, but for a very limited time, you can still snag the latest Google phone for just $750 ($150 off). That's a very good deal on what is still the newest major smartphone release this year.
If you typically buy your smartphones from the local carrier, it may be in your best interest to stick to it this Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Right now, providers like AT&T are running promotions that will get you the latest iPhone 14 for free. There are some loopholes, of course, but they're less of a chore than you think.
To get an iPhone 14 that's fully discounted, you'll need to trade in a device that has a value of $130 or higher. That includes phone models as old as the iPhone 11. You'll also have to be under a qualifying Unlimited plan, which includes Premium, Extra, and Starter, and commit to using the phone under AT&T for 36 months. Unless you plan on switching carriers any time soon, a free iPhone is never a bad idea.
Ever since Samsung made the push for "Ultra" smartphones, the Plus model has been left in the dust, but not entirely forgotten. That's because it mostly retains the big-phone features that come with the Ultra but in a more affordable, less polarizing form factor. I'd go as far as to say that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is the sleeper pick for the best all-around smartphone this year.
It has a generous 6.8-inch flat display that refreshes at 120Hz, a 50-megapixel main shooter that can capture videos as sharp as 8K, and is powered by Qualcomm's tried and tested Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. Right now, Amazon has the phone discounted by $250, no strings attached.
I reviewed the iPhone 14 Pro alongside ZDNET colleague Jason Hiner back in September, and while Apple's latest handset dazzled with improved camera features and its most ambitious display feature yet: Dynamic Island, it didn't feel like a revelation compared to the iPhone 13 Pro from the year before. That said, if you were hoping to buy an iPhone for less going into Cyber Monday, this $250 discount on the excellent iPhone 13 Pro is certainly worth the look.
For transparency, the phone is certified "Refurbished" by Walmart, meaning it has been fully inspected and will look as good as new. Barring that, you can expect the same iOS 16 experience that one would get on the more-expensive iPhone 14 Pro and a more traditional notched display.
Google's Pixel 7 is not as flashy as its Pro sibling but, in many ways, the smaller Pixel is actually superior to the more-premium counterpart. Aspects like the flat-edged display, the similarly-sized battery capacity, and the fact that you're getting all the software perks of the Pro variant for a cheaper price make the standard Pixel 7 one of the best great-value pickups still available post-Cyber Monday.
The Pixel 7 right now is on sale for $600, a $100 mark-down from the retail cost of the 256GB model. At that price, I would argue that it's the best phone you can buy in the mid-range sector.
In the running for best smartphone of the year, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, with its gorgeous 6.8-inch OLED display, up to 8K video recording, S Pen support, and a generous 5,000mAh battery, has proven to be the Korean giant's most complete handset yet. This Cyber Monday, Amazon has the 512GB variant discounted by $330, putting the Galaxy right beside the latest iPhone 14 Pro with four times the storage capacity.
Over the last two years, OnePlus has carved up a new segment of smartphones that focuses on bringing value to cheaper price points -- and it's gotten really good at it. The Nord N20 5G, released earlier this year, is among the few nominees for best cheap 5G phone in 2022. The reasoning is actually pretty simple. For one, it has a sharp-looking 6.43-inch AMOLED display -- a rarity in this sub-$300 market. Then there's the 128GB of base storage, 4,500mAh battery, and 33W fast charging that laps that of Motorola and Samsung's low-mid range offerings.
You can snag the OnePlus Nord N20 5G for as low as $230 right now.
Here are some other Cyber Monday smartphone deals still available at Amazon:
Here are some other Cyber Monday smartphone deals still available at Best Buy:
When it comes to finding the best deal, part of the equation is looking for smartphones that users will actually enjoy using. By testing most of the handsets that hit the open market all year long, ZDNET's team of subject experts can offer the best advice on what to buy and what to avoid.
The second part of the equation is determining whether or not a deal is real or not. In some cases, retailers will mark down a product knowing full well that it has been discounted for weeks and months before. In other cases, like the ones mentioned above, you're saving money on the products like never before.
Black Friday always falls the day after Thanksgiving. This year, Black Friday was on Nov. 25, 2022.
Cyber Monday is always the following Monday after Black Friday. This year, it was on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022.
ZDNET scoured Cyber Monday sales to find the best deals this year, and many are still available:
Our experts split out the best deals by retailer, brand, and category, which you can see below.
Here are some of the cheapest deals we found that are still available:
Finally, if you'd like to see the Cyber Monday deals from our live blog: