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From the latest flagships to budget-friendly bargains, the sale is the best time to upgrade your smartphone
Steve HogartyTech criticFriday 21 November 2025 11:05 GMT
open image in galleryWhether you're team Apple or Android, Black Friday is the best time to find a deal on a new smartphone (Apple/Google/The Independent)Ring ring, Black Friday's calling – and it wants you to know that the new phone you've been eyeing up could be reduced. The sale lands next week, on 28 November, but there are already heaps of stellar savings to be had on devices from Apple, Google and more. Whether you’re looking to save some cash on the latest iPhone or an Android, you’ll find a handpicked selection of the best deals on contracts, sims and devices right here.
As one of The Independent’s tech experts, I've been covering the Black Friday sales for years, so I know how to track down a really lucrative saving. My advice? Be wary of cheaper introductory prices at the beginning of the contract. Thankfully, with my expertise to guide you, you won't fall prey to falsely inflated discounts. Sites such as USwitch can be helpful, too, as they openly advertise the total cost of your extended contract.
When it comes to which phones to look out for during the sale, the IndyBest team is here to lend a hand. Take a look at our expert guide to the best phones, in which you’ll find hands-on reviews of top-rated models. We’ve also tested the latest raft of iPhones – from the Pro and Air devices to the regular iPhone – which were released in September this year.
No matter which phone you're after, I’d recommend bookmarking this guide now. My favourite offer so far? The new iPhone 17 Pro for just £44.99 a month (+ £99 up front) with ID Mobile (Uswitch.co.uk). Keep reading for more.
Follow live: Latest offers and news in our Black Friday 2025 liveblog
The best early Black Friday phone deals to shop now:
- Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with 500GB data, unlimited minutes and texts: £29.99 per month, £159 up front, Uswitch.com
- Samsung Galaxy S24 5G 256GB: Was £759, now £459, Argos.co.uk
- Google Pixel 10 Pro: Was £999, now £899, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 17 Pro 256GB with 500GB data, unlimited minutes and texts: £44.99 per month, £99 up front, Uswitch.com
- Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Was £949, now £899, Ao.com
iPhone 17 Pro 256GB with 500GB data, unlimited minutes and texts: £44.99 per month, £99 up front, Uswitch.com
open image in gallery(Apple)This deal on Apple's newest iPhone brings us one of the lowest contract prices available right now. When you do the maths, you'll pay a total of £1,220.76 over two years (including mid-contract price increases), which makes the monthly cost of your data with ID Mobile just £5.07 (after you subtract £1,099 for the handset). Plus, you'll have access to Three's powerful network for top-speed browsing.
Buy nowSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Was £949, now £899, Ao.com
open image in galleryAs well as enhanced AI tools, the S25 Series includes improved cameras and processors. (Samsung)Here’s a chance to save on one of Samsung’s most premium smartphones, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, with £50 off at AO. “Boasting the best hardware Samsung can muster, the S25 Ultra is very powerful,” I said in my round-up of the best Samsung smartphones. Its camera is superb, the display is “bright and brilliant” and it’s powerful enough to handle demanding tasks and gaming.
Buy nowSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with 500GB data, unlimited minutes and texts: £29.99 per month, £159 up front, Uswitch.com
open image in gallery(Samsung)If you scroll to the fourth deal in Uswitch's list of Galaxy S25 Ultra contracts, you'll find this stellar offer from ID Mobile. Costing just £21 more than the handset deal above, you'll benefit from 24 months of Three-powered 5G internet. In a nutshell, that means you'll be paying less than £1 a month for all your data, minutes and texts. If that's not a bargain, I don't know what is.
Buy nowSamsung Galaxy S24 5G 256GB: Was £759, now £459, Argos.co.uk
open image in gallery(Samsung)Here’s a whopping saving on the Samsung Galaxy S24. The phone features a 3x optical zoom, AI Nightography for better photos in the dark, and photo assist, which lets you tweak images, such as by getting rid of unwanted objects or reflections. When I reviewed the similar Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, its AI-tools, flat display and fast, efficient processor impressed me. This is a stellar early Black Friday deal if ever I’ve seen one.
Buy nowGoogle Pixel 10 Pro: Was £999, now £899, Amazon.co.uk
open image in gallery(Amazon)This top-notch smartphone is a great option for Android devotees. In my review of the Google Pixel 10 Pro, I found its AI features to be genuinely useful in day-to-day life. I was impressed with its premium-looking, stylish design, and its cameras captured stunning detail. Even better, with this generous deal at Amazon, it has £100 off.
Buy nowSamsung Galaxy S24: Was £759, now £459, Argos.co.uk
open image in gallery(Samsung)Last year’s Galaxy S24 gets a £300 discount at Argos. While the newer S25 offers some fun new AI features, the older S24 remains a brilliant and fast Android phone with an impressive display and one of the best cameras available on any smartphone.
Buy nowSamsung Galaxy S25: Was £799, now £579, Laptopsdirect.co.uk
open image in gallery(Samsung/The Independent)Here’s £200 off the Galaxy S25, the standard-tier phone in Samsung’s latest range of flagship devices. Top-end cameras, the latest Snapdragon chipset, timeless and durable design, slick software and a range of fun colour options all mark this year’s S-series phones out as Samsung’s new best.
Buy nowiPhone 16e: Was £544, now £509, Amazon.co.uk
open image in gallery(Amazon)Apple’s relatively budget-friendly iPhone launched earlier this year, but the device has already been reduced at Laptops Direct, ahead of Black Friday. This year's “most affordable iPhone is a lot more expensive than the iPhone SE was, but you get an awful lot more, from more storage to a bigger display that’s OLED and high-resolution,” said tech critic David Phelan in his iPhone 16e review.
Buy nowBest sim-only Black Friday deals
Vodafone unlimited plus: Was £33 per month, now £24 per month, Vodafone.co.uk
open image in gallery(Vodafone)If you’re looking for a cheap sim-only deal this Black Friday, I’d recommend Vodafone’soffer. It comes with unlimited data, unlimited minutes and texts, and download speeds of up to 100 Mbps, which is fast enough for 4K streaming, long-distance video calls, downloading apps, and even hotspotting your laptop. The plan comes with a three-month secure net trial. The contract lasts 24 months and has been reduced from £33 a month, saving you £216 over the full term. As with all Vodafone plans, it’s subject to mid-contract price hikes.
Buy nowSmarty Mobile, 50GB data: £8 per month, Smarty.co.uk
open image in gallery(Smarty)Smarty Mobile has launched its sim-only Black Friday deals, and the challenger mobile network has reduced the price of its 50GB data plan to just £8 per month. It’s a rolling contract, so you won’t have to lock yourself in, and there are no annual mid-contract price hikes. You also get unlimited texts and EU roaming. Smarty uses Vodafone and Three’s network, so you’ll have the same network coverage as if you were a Vodafone or Three customer.
Buy nowWhen is Black Friday 2025?
Black Friday falls on Friday, 28 November this year – the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. The deals will continue to roll out across the weekend and through to Cyber Monday on 1 December. However, if previous years are anything to go by, the offers will kick off a lot sooner and hang around a little longer after the official sale dates.
What phone deals can you expect on Black Friday?
Black Friday is a feeding frenzy for phone deals, with retailers such as Amazon and Currys slashing prices on SIM-free handsets. Last year, the biggest savings were on slightly older but still brilliant flagship models. One of the best deals of the sale was on the superb Google Pixel 8 Pro, for instance, which was cut by a massive 50 per cent.
It's also a busy time for network providers. Expect to see competitive contract deals from the likes of O2, Vodafone and EE, who will be out in force with lower monthly payments, reduced upfront costs or bonuses such as extra data to entice new customers.
Why you can trust us to find the best phone deals this Black Friday
At IndyBest, we test the top smartphones year-round to bring you launch-day reviews, assessing everything from camera performance and battery life to long-term value. This means we know a genuinely good phone deal from a dud, and we won’t recommend a discount unless the device itself is worth your money.
For more tips and tricks, read our comprehensive guide to the best Black Friday deals to expect
