It's the best time of year to buy a new smartphone. I review dozens and dozens of handsets every year, and I exclusively recommend you buy them unlocked—don't be beholden to a carrier! But the sticker shock of a new phone can be scary; these Black Friday phone deals can help ease the burden on your wallet. Whether you want a folding flip phone, a super-slim Galaxy Z Fold, or the latest magnetic Google Pixel 10, you'll find your next smartphone upgrade in this list.
Hunting for more discounts? Read our Absolute Best Black Friday Deals roundup for more.
Samsung's flagship Galaxy S25 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is seeing healthy discounts this Black Friday, probably because its successors are right around the corner—the Galaxy S26 series is expected to be announced in January. But if you don't really need the latest and greatest, you have three excellent smartphones to choose from. The S25 is the smallest, the S25+ gets a few extra perks plus a bigger screen and better battery life, but it's the Galaxy S25 Ultra that really steps things up, with a dual telephoto camera system, integrated S Pen stylus, and a beefy battery.
Read our Best Samsung Phones guide for more details about each of these devices.
One of my favorite parts of Google's new Pixel 10 series (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is that they're the first flagship Android phones with Qi2 magnetic wireless charging. That means, just like MagSafe iPhones, you can attach magnetic accessories and enjoy faster wireless charging. It's great! The phones also have excellent cameras, good performance, and tons of helpful and smart software features. Better yet, these are the first Android phones to support AirDrop with iPhones, Macs, and iPads.
Read our Best Pixel Phones guide for more info.
This is the smartphone most people looking for a new handset should buy. If you're not married to a particular camp or brand, the Google Pixel 9a (9/10, WIRED Recommends) strikes the best balance between features and price, and this sale makes that even better. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better camera system at this price, and if you hate ginormous camera bumps, you'll love the flat-back design here. Performance is flagship-grade—it has the same Tensor chip that powers the Pixel 9 Pro—and you can access many of the great Pixel software perks, like Call Screen to cut spam calls from your life.
Folding phones are not as fragile as they used to be. No, seriously. Companies have been improving durability year over year, while also slimming them down. The Galaxy Z Fold7 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is my favorite booklike folding phone this year—it's so amazingly slim that what used to be a chunky device now feels kind of like a candy bar phone. Use the front screen like normal, and when you need extra real estate, open the device up. You can view apps on a much larger scale or easily split-screen two apps. Don't want a big folding phone? The Galaxy Z Flip7 is a pretty solid update this year, with a more usable front screen. These devices are still annoyingly expensive, but this Black Friday sale makes the prices a little more palatable.
Read our Best Folding Phones guide for more options.
If you're really interested in the idea of a folding flip phone, then might I suggest Motorola's Razr Ultra (8/10, WIRED Recommends)? Take your current phone today and fold it in half—OK, don't actually do that, but that's kind of what it's like to use this style of smartphone. Right now, the Razr Ultra is the best in this category, with a fresh design, good performance, surprisingly great cameras, and a functional external display. If you hate big phones, you'll love being able to stuff the Ultra in any pocket or purse. There's also the cheaper Razr 2025, which doesn't have as good performance or a camera system, but is still an incredible value, especially on sale.
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