Lower-priced phones often get even cheaper during the Black Friday shopping season. And sometimes the holiday deal season lines up perfectly with the moment you actually need to upgrade, making those phone deals genuinely worth grabbing.
But I've noticed that like many holiday shopping deals and doorbusters, Black Friday phone deals sometimes include some clear duds -- and you might not know it until you've already purchased and set up the new device. Most phones -- even budget-friendly ones -- handle the basics just fine: calling, texting, using apps and multitasking while you play music. Ideally, you'll also get at least a sprinkling of AI features such as Google's Circle to Search, and maybe even more advanced tools such as assistants that help store and organize your data.
So ahead of the holiday shopping season, here are three major ways to tell whether or not a Black Friday phone deal is worth it -- or if you need to immediately return it.
The 2024 editions of the Moto G line often get heavily discounted in their second year, but that's partly because they are already halfway through their software update support period. Mike Sorrentino/CNET
Make sure your phone gets software and security updates for as long as you need
I have no issue with buying an older phone in order to save money. What I do have problems with is buying a phone, only for it to be losing software and security updates in a year or soon. This is particularly the case with phones that typically cost $400 or less, and which might drop to as much as half off their list price during a Black Friday sale.
Before buying a phone that's discounted, if it was first released in 2024 or earlier, check reviews of the phone to make sure you'll still receive security updates for as long as you hope to keep the device. It may have already gotten its final batch of new features and protective software.
Typically, when it comes to software and security update support, phones like those from the Samsung Galaxy A series or Google's Pixel A series will get decent discounts while still offering years of software and security updates. That's because Samsung provides its Galaxy A phones with a six-year commitment for updates, and Google promises seven. This means even if you're buying a model that's one or two years old, you'll probably still have at least three to four years of time for the phone to get active protection from security vulnerabilities.
On the other hand, TCL and Motorola tend to have shorter software and security update commitments of about three years, so if you're buying a model made in 2024, you'll want to make sure that you're OK with having closer to two years of remaining updates.
The 32-megapixel camera on the Moto G Play for 2026 is very challenging to take a good photo with. Joe Maldonado/CNET
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