2023 Black Friday phone deals: is Black Friday really a good time to buy a new phone?

What are the best Black Friday phone deals we can expect in 2023?

Based on last year’s offers, we saw a lot of network providers offer all sorts of deals when buying a new smartphone, from no upfront costs, to free limited airtime, to complimentary Netflix access and other freebies like a tablet or product bundles - people do crazy things when it comes to sales! This year, we're currently seeing bit more of the same with complimentary streaming services added to your smartphone deal, as well as minimal upfront costs, and discount off accessories:

• John Lewis - across all iPhone products appears to be 20% off Apple EarPods (USB-C), plus 3-months free of Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade. Across a variety of Samsung smartphones there is 6-months free Disney+ or a free Buds2 Pro earphones offered. And with Motorola smartphones, you can claim free Bose Quiet Comfort Earbuds 2.

• Mobile Phones Direct - across all iPhones are 3-months free of Apple TV+, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, and Apple Arcade. Samsung smartphones come with 6-months free Disney+ streaming service. Google Pixel smartphones are offered with savings on massive internet data packages (350GB).

• Mobiles.co.uk - Apple iPhones are offered the chance to rollover unused data for free. Samsung Smartphones come equipped with 12-months free Disney+ streaming. Vodafone and iD mobile network are offering discounted sim-only deals and cashback.

• Amazon, Argos, and Currys - savings on a selection of smartphones

• Three and EE - savings contracts/plans

While all of this can sound like a bargain, not everyone actually needs a new pair of earphones, or free limited subscription to streaming services. A lot of it sounds like a cross-promotion of other services! This is precisely the reason why we’re against Black Friday to begin with. We just hope if people are in search of a new device, they go refurbished and promote the circular economy to prevent electronic waste - you’ll be doing not only the planet a huge favour, but also your wallet 😉.

What iPhone Black Friday deals will there be this year?

With the launch of the new iPhone 15, Apple watch Ultra 2, and 9 series, announced at the September Apple Event, you can expect further drops from retailers on the older models such as:

• iPhone 14

• Apple Watch 8 series

• Apple Watch Ultra

Apple is no longer selling the iPhone 14 Pro models, and this was the case for the 13 series and 12 series long before, causing even further drops to make them as appealing as possible to the budget-friendly consumer audience. Lucky for you, you can still get a cheap iPhone 14 Pro refurbished at Back Market, and the same applies to our refurbished iPhone 14 Pro Max models. Furthermore, expect the price for a refurbished iPhone 11 to be more affordable than ever!

What Android phone Black Friday deals should you look out for this year?

Expect some price drops for popular models from Samsung, Google and Oppo to name a few. Especially discounts across the S22 series and potentially some minor drops for their new S23 series. Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are expected to have some discounts, but along the lines of trade-in savings, YouTube premium discount and Google One discount (cloud storage). There are also currently the bundled savings of security products and smart home products - for more information with Google 6 Black Friday deals, read our article here.

When will the Black Friday phone deals start in 2023?

Technically, the date for Black Friday sales normally falls on the last Friday in November, which this year it will be the 24th of November. However, telcos and electronics retailers like to start early and maximise on the event by offering deals all the way through from the start of the week to the weekend, which then swiftly moves onto Cyber Monday deals that starts on the 27th of November, and lasts until the end of the week!

When are the other best times to buy a new phone?

Believe it or not, there are in fact more opportunities to buy a smartphone at a cut-price other than Black Friday.

At the pre-order period

This applies to buying the latest smartphone for cheaper than the full price. Generally, retailers will offer a discount for those willing to put a payment upfront and wait for the new model to be released in store. Once the new model is released in stores, there will be no discounts and the public have to pay full price. These offers aren’t usually heavily discounted, but normally between 5%-10% off full price with pre-order offers.

Few weeks before the launch of the new model

For the older models, we can expect some slight price drops as weeks start to build up to the unveiling of a new smartphone model. At this period, the current latest model would have been in stores for a year (normally), and as time progresses, it’s normal to see the price start to fall as the manufacturer and retailers start to get rid of stock and focus on the newer model to sell. Note, that sometimes the discounts become better when the new model is released, to help retailers really clear out old stock for new stock to come in.

During Christmas Sales

Shopping for a Christmas present is the key driver to any discounts during this period, but prices aren’t always heavily discounted. Generally the public would have completed their Christmas shopping on Black Friday, which leaves discounts during Christmas more geared towards other types of products like beauty rather than tech. Expect some minor price drops but nothing extraordinary.

On Boxing day!

Boxing day is as notorious as Black Friday, or perhaps even better for getting a bargain deal. Unique and somewhat exclusive to the UK, boxing day is certainly a day to look out for significant price drops across all product types.

January Sales

Another big shopping opportunity, which is catered for those that didn’t want to endure the Boxing day madness. January sales are arguably the time for retailers to completely get rid of old stock from the previous year as they start to stock up on the new season trends. Normally bargains are found in clothing stores and some can be seen with tech products too.

So… Is Black Friday the best time to buy a new phone then?

In all honesty - yes and no. It really depends on you and your requirements to be exact. If you’re after only the latest phone, then Black Friday, alongside all the other sale opportunities (Boxing day, January sales) are a safe bet. However, if you’re not bothered to have the latest smartphone, then there’s no need to wait for a good phone deal since Back Market offers good deals all year round! Buying refurbished is naturally cheaper and naturally better for the environment too 😉 Just read our tech impact article! So why wait to buy a mobile phone on Black Friday, go refurbished and get one today before it sells out during the Black Friday rush! 😱

References

• John Lewis - https://www.johnlewis.com/browse/black-friday/electrical-offers/mobile-phone-offers/_/N-7du3?chunk=4

• Mobile Phones Direct - https://www.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk/deals/black-friday-deals

• Mobiles.co.uk - https://www.mobiles.co.uk/black-friday

• Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/b?tag=georiot-trd-21&node=356496011&ref=nb_sb_noss&ascsubtag=trd-gb-8253784148092814000-21&geniuslink=true

• Argos - https://www.argos.co.uk/browse/technology/mobile-phones-and-accessories/c:29959/

• Currys - https://www.currys.co.uk/phones/mobile-phones

• EE - https://ee.co.uk/mobile/pay-monthly-phones-gallery

• Three - https://www.three.co.uk/shop/phones