Joe Maring / Android Authority
Ah, yes. It’s everyone’s favorite (or least favorite) time of year: Black Friday. What used to be a single day of sales has prolonged itself into a week of endless discounts, and 2025 has proven no different.
Among all the deals available, many include savings on Android phones. I recently highlighted a few of the best Android phone deals for Black Friday, and as you can see from that list, there are some pretty impressive discounts to be had.
But not every deal is created equal, as is evident by the phones below. Here are five Android phones you’re likely to come across during your Black Friday shopping that you absolutely should not buy.
What do you think is the worst Android phone to buy on Black Friday? 35 votes Samsung Galaxy A36 5G 23 % Motorola Moto G (2025) 17 % Motorola Moto G Play (2024) 17 % Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE 9 % Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold 29 % Other (let us know in the comments) 6 %
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
Rushil Agrawal / Android Authority
The first of those is the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G. Samsung’s Galaxy A lineup is consistently among the most popular, and the A36 5G is one of the latest models released in the US. Unfortunately, even with a $100 Black Friday discount, the Galaxy A36 5G is still a difficult phone to recommend.
It’s not that the A36 is a complete failure of a phone. It has a good AMOLED display and a lightweight design, while Samsung’s seven-year update promise is excellent for a phone this cheap. Unfortunately, sluggish performance holds the A36 back from being a phone you’d want to use for seven years — let alone a few months. As my colleague Rushil mentioned in his Galaxy A36 5G review, the phone struggles with even basic tasks, such as launching the camera app and scrolling through home screens.
You might be inclined to forgive the A36’s performance woes when it’s on sale for $300 instead of $400, but I’d advise against that. If you’re looking for a phone in that $300 price range, I’d much sooner recommend the Moto G Stylus (2025), which is currently discounted to just $285 and is much more performant.
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