Best early Black Friday phone deals 2025: I found 15 offers on iPhones, Pixel, Samsung, more

ZDNET has compiled early Black Friday phone deals across retailers and carriers, highlighting meaningful discounts on recent flagships and aggressive carrier trade‑in/instalment promotions; notable examples include the Google Pixel 10 marked down to $599 (from $799), the OnePlus 13 around $800 (from $999), and mid/high‑end Samsung and Pixel models (Pixel 9 at $500, Pixel 10 Pro at $749, S25 Edge 256GB at about $665, S25 FE at $534). Carriers are leaning on long‑term bill‑credit programs and trade‑ins — AT&T and T‑Mobile offers can effectively amortize or cover device costs over 24–36 months with qualifying plans and trade‑ins, and Verizon is offering large discounts on foldables with trade‑in/plan conditions — strategies that can drive upgrade activity but increase pricing pressure on OEMs and shift subsidy exposure to carrier installment plans.

Analysis

ZDNET has compiled a set of early Black Friday phone promotions across major retailers and carriers, highlighting concrete price cuts such as the Google Pixel 10 at $599 (was $799), the OnePlus 13 around $800 (was $999), the Pixel 10 Pro at $749 (save $250), the Pixel 9 at $500 (save $300), the Samsung S25 Edge 256GB at about $665 (was $1,099), and an S25 FE at $534 (save $175). High‑end foldables like Samsung’s Z Fold 7 carry a $2,000 retail, but Verizon’s trade‑in/Unlimited‑plan deal reduces cost by more than 50% and unlocked units appear at $1,599 (save $400).

Carriers are layering trade‑in and long‑term installment credit structures to amortize device cost: AT&T can fully cover an iPhone over 36 months with qualifying Unlimited plans and trade‑ins ≥$230, T‑Mobile uses 24‑month credits (buyer still pays pre‑discount tax), and Verizon ties steep discounts to Unlimited Ultimate plus trade‑ins. These mechanics boost upgrade activity and near‑term unit sales while shifting subsidy exposure and credit/ARPU dynamics onto carriers.

Market signals show a mildly positive tone (sentiment score 0.25) with modest market impact (0.12); per‑ticker sentiment is strongest for AMZN, BBY and VZ (0.3), with AAPL and carriers also positive, implying retail and carrier revenue upside into Cyber Week but potential margin pressure for OEMs from aggressive discounting and trade‑in-driven ASP compression.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Consider modestly overweighting major retailers (AMZN, BBY, WMT, TGT) for near‑term holiday sales capture from handset promotions while monitoring inventory and execution risk
• Position selectively in carriers (VZ, T, TMUS) to benefit from upgrade-driven ARPU tailwinds, but monitor the size and duration of installment/subsidy exposure and any credit or churn signals
• Be cautious on OEM margin exposure—discount-heavy promos and trade‑in mechanics increase ASP pressure for device makers (AAPL, GOOGL/GOOG, Samsung) so avoid expanding long‑duration exposure until post‑Holiday margin data are available
• Track three short‑term KPIs as trade catalysts: trade‑in uptake and average credited values, installment plan adoption rates (24–36 months), and carveouts in promotional fine print (tax responsibility and plan eligibility)