Every year I do more tests 30 smartphones to see what your hard earned money is worth. guess what? The following Cyber Monday phone deals include many of my top rated recommendations, now at a more reasonable price. If your current device is on its last legs, now is the best time of year to upgrade. Whether you need a new one Samsung phone, Google Pixelor even one iPhonethis list has all the best discounts, even deals on cases and accessories. All of these smartphone deals are for unlocked devices (except iPhones).
Featured cable deals
Team Gear by WIRED try the products all year round and picked these Cyber Monday deals. I’ve covered sales events like Prime Day and Cyber Monday for nearly a decade, as have many of my peers. We’ll be updating this guide periodically throughout Cyber Monday by adding new deals, correcting prices, and removing deals that have ended.
WIRED’s Cyber Monday 2024 coverage
Flagship phone deals
the whole Pixel 9 series is seeing its first major discount, and these Pixel deals are pretty great, especially on the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL (9/10, WIRED recommends). The difference between the two is purely size and battery: the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s screen is 6.8 inches versus the Pixel 9 Pro’s 6.3 inches, and its battery can comfortably last a little over a whole day Everything else is the same. However, there is a bigger difference between the Pixel 9 and Pro phones. The cheapest of the line, the Pixel 9 lacks the 5X zoom camera and the vapor chamber cooling system, which means it will heat up faster. I say go Pro, but if your budget doesn’t stretch that far, consider the Pixel 8A (see below). Read our Guide to the best Pixel 9 case to keep it safe!
OnePlus, like Samsung, is also rumored to launch a successor to its flagship OnePlus 12 in January 2025. But that phone will likely cost more than $1,000, and it will be many more months before it’s priced like the OnePlus 12. This ship Android flagship 2024 is a great phone (8/10, WIRED recommends). It’s super smooth, supports wireless charging, and I was even able to get two days of battery life on a single charge. Oh, and the OnePlus 12 can even be fully charged in just 30 minutes. How crazy is that?
Phone deals under $500
This is mine best smartphone selection for most people. It is well rounded: you can call it the Renaissance Phone because it does a little bit of everything well. The Pixel 8A (8/10, WIRED recommends) has a sharp, colorful and bright AMOLED display, water resistance, wireless charging, seven years of software support and excellent performance. It was already a great price at its retail price, but this deal makes it a steal. I didn’t even touch on the many great software features that will keep you coming back to Pixel phones. For more information, read mine Google Pixel Buying Guide.
Brand new Galaxy S24 FE—which stands for “Fan Edition”—is a bit of a tough sell for its MSRP because it’s not that far off from the Galaxy S24, but it’s an absolute beast at that retail price. Seriously, a triple camera system with 3X optical zoom for under $500? This is rare. It’s a bit like the Galaxy S24+, but with lower specs all around, although you won’t feel much of a difference. The screen is still a 120Hz AMOLED panel and the Exynos processor is quite the chip.
If you are a heavy gamer, then I think so OnePlus 12R best suited to anyone on a budget. It packs last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which can handle the most demanding games without too much trouble. The AMOLED screen is large at 6.78 inches (and sporty a screen refresh rate of 120 Hz), and the 5,500mAh battery lasted me about two days. The camera is decent, but the charging speed is more impressive, like the OnePlus 12, it goes from zero to 100 in about 30 minutes. Just be aware that its water resistance is lackluster (IP64), there’s no wireless charging, and software support isn’t as long-winded as the Pixel 8A.
The Moto G Power 5G (8/10, WIRED recommends) is arguably the best value in a smartphone right now. It’s not just that best Moto G smartphone Motorola has ever made, but at this discounted price, you get a great device all around. Performance with the MediaTek Dimensity 7020 is good enough that I never got frustrated or annoyed, the 6.7-inch 120Hz LCD is bright enough in the sun, and there’s even wireless charging (also NFC, finally). The biggest downside is that when Motorola updates it to Android 15, that’s all the software updates you’ll get, except for two more years of security updates. But hey, it’s $200.
The Motorola Edge is a lot more reasonable purchase at $350, though I’d direct you to the older Pixel or OnePlus first. It’ll only get two Android OS updates and three years of security updates, but at least you’ll get all the goodies you’d want in a phone, including wireless charging, IP68 water resistance, NFC for contactless payments, and a 6.6 inch AMOLED. screen with a refresh rate of 144 Hz. Performance is pretty great thanks to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip. My main gripes are that the cameras aren’t great and I’m not a fan of the cascading displays that curve the glass at the edges. But that’s literally what this phone is all about. Edge. Get it?
The Moto G Stylus 5G it has the same big bug as the previous Moto G Power 5G: it will only get one Android software update to Android 15 (albeit 3 years of security updates). If you’re into cool, performance is a bit better and largely lag-free, and there’s a nice faux leather back that’s fun. The screen gets an upgrade to OLED (120Hz), but the only trick that makes this one unique is the name. Yes, like the Galaxy S24 Ultra, there’s a built-in stylus on the bottom of this phone for ultimate doodling. I said there is one headphone jack? Do you remember these?
what Samsung Galaxy A35 5G (7/10, WIRED recommends) has over previous Motorola phones is longer software support. Samsung promises four Android OS updates and five years of security updates, not to mention there’s an IP67 water resistance rating, a microSD card slot for expanding storage, and a 120Hz display. Too bad the performance can be a bit choppy.
A $100 smartphone that won’t make you want to tear your hair out? Yes, it exists. The Moto G Play it only supports 4G LTE, which is still plenty, so you shouldn’t have any connectivity issues. Performance, all things considered, is surprisingly solid. Apps launch slowly, and switching between apps can feel laborious, but it’s not frustrating. Just don’t bother with the camera.
Flip phone deals
Turn the phones! Like the good old days! Except this is also a smartphone. The Razr+ (7/10, WIRED recommends) is Motorola’s latest flip phone, and yes, it comes in hot pink. The outer screen is nice and big, even for using some apps in a quick pinch. Flip it open and the 6.9-inch OLED screen feels like a regular phone. Performance is excellent and the cameras are better than before, although battery life is still a bit lackluster. Still, it’s too stylish and fun to use for it to be a deal breaker. You can save even more if you go with the standard Razr, on sale for $425 ($275 off)but performance isn’t as smooth and the external screen is smaller and less useful.
I really want the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (6/10, WIRED recommends) had the same camera system as the standard Pixel 9 Pro (it’s very similar, but the results aren’t as sharp), but otherwise it’s my favorite flip phone which has the form of a book. The front display is almost identical to the Pixel 9 Pro’s 6.3-inch display, which means it feels like a regular device and it helps that everything is so thin. Open it up and you get a spacious 8-inch OLED panel for live shows, multitasking and gaming. I would never buy a phone that cost almost $2000, but at this price? Maaaaybe.
I think Samsung might have made a mistake. You can currently get your hands on the company’s latest and most expensive foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Fold6 (7/10, WIRED recommends), direct from Samsung.com for just over $1,000. what Seriously, this is a massive drop from the book-like foldable phone, which has an improved and larger front display and a slimmer design. I like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold better, but that price is too tempting. Samsung has also made foldable phones much longer than most brands, so it’s easier to repair if something goes wrong.
I prefer Motorola’s Razr+ but Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip6 (7/10, WIRED recommends) beats it in a few ways: longer software support, better build quality, better cameras, and faster performance. But I still think the Razr+ has more charm and has the more useful and larger outer cover screen. Still, that’s a great price for a relatively new flagship folding phone.
Offers on last year’s phones
Cyber Monday iPhone Deals
Photography: Julian Chokkattu
I always recommend buying an unlocked smartphone. However, Apple never discounts the iPhone and Americans overwhelmingly buy smartphones directly from the carriers. So I’m going there today break my only rule. Below are some of the best deals the major US carriers have on the iPhone. Be sure to look at the fine print; there are hoops to jump through to get the savings.
T-Mobile: If you switch to T-Mobile, you can get four iPhone 16 models for free when you activate four lines for $25 per line. The warning? Savings are given as bill credits for 24 months, and if you cancel your account before it ends, the credits will stop flowing and you’ll have to pay a balance. You must also trade in four eligible devices to get the offer.
Verizon: buy one iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max with a new line on the Unlimited Ultimate plan (you can also upgrade your phone plan) and you can get a free plan 10th generation iPad i Apple Watch Series 10. You’ll need a phone to trade in first, and you’ll also need an iPad and Apple Watch plan for cellular connectivity (that’s how they get you). These “savings” come as bill credits for 36 months, so you’re locked into that contract. Beware of activation fees. Honestly, reading the fine print made my head hurt.
AT&T: You can get one iPhone 16 for free if you trade in an eligible device and upgrade or choose a selected unlimited plan. The savings are in the form of invoice credits, applied over 36 months. (This also applies to iPhone 16 Pro i iPhone 16 Pro Max.)
