Should you buy an Android phone on Prime Day?

Phones go on sale almost constantly throughout the year, but they pale in comparison to the doorbuster deals we see during Black Friday and Amazon Prime events. The October Prime Day is upon us, and before we end up drowning in Android phone deals of every brand, price, and style, we need to answer a simple yet frustratingly complicated question: should you buy a phone during Prime Day Part 2? Or should you wait for the granddaddy of deal holidays, Black Friday/Cyber Monday?

Both sales will have deep, deep discounts on basically all of the best Android phones as well as the best budget phones. If your phone is on its last legs, or you’re after a phone at a particular price point, Prime Day is the perfect time to upgrade before you’re left up a creek with a totally non-functional phone.

Sure, some phones will see better deals during Black Friday, like the new Google Pixel 8 Pro. The 8 Pro doesn’t even technically arrive until October 12, the day after Prime Big Deal Days ends, so that phone won’t see a discount until Black Friday — though the free Pixel Watch 2 with preorder is a super-sweet Pixel 8 Pro 8 deal. Likewise, Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 FE will arrive at $600 later this month, but it’s unclear whether that will help or hurt the chances of the baby Galaxy S23 hitting a lower price point in November compared to Prime.

Given that most other phones have been out for half a year or more — like the Galaxy S23 Ultra and OnePlus 11 — they’re perfectly primed (hah) for their biggest deals ever. This is even more true for last year’s phones like the Galaxy S22, the Pixel 7, and the Galaxy A53, which should hopefully drop below $300 this time, especially since the Google Pixel 6a is all sold out, eliminating hopes for the return of its $250 deal from July.

The Google Pixel 7a hasn’t seen many discounts so far, and none have taken it below $440, so Prime Day should finally see the 7a’s first significant deal. The Samsung Galaxy A54 has only been a little bit better, but these two are the leaders of the budget/mid-range Android phone pack, and they should truly hit budget prices for Prime.

And if you’re aiming to spend less than $300 on a phone, Prime Day is absolutely the time you need to buy. Outside deal events like Prime and Cyber Monday, phones under $300 seldom see any significant deals outside carrier stores or Best Buy’s Activate Today carrier-reliant promotions, so for phones like the OnePlus Nord N30 or N300, the Galaxy A14, and the Moto G line, now is the time to read the reviews and start picking out the case you’ll buy with your Prime Day savings.

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  Source: Samsung

  Samsung Galaxy S22

  $599 $850 Save $251

  This may be last year’s model, but if you want a small phone with extra storage and the most robust feature-set available, the 256GB Galaxy S22 is kicking off Prime Day Part 2 with an impressively low price.

  $599 at Amazon

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  Source: Google

  Google Pixel 8 Pro

  Free Pixel Watch 2

  $999 $1348 Save $349

  Again, this phone is technically in preroder, so this isn’t a straight discount but rather a preorder bonus. That said, the Pixel 8 Pro is a major upgrade from its predecessor, especially in regards to the camera experience with Pro Controls, Video Boost, and the new Audio Magic Eraser. And with 7 years of system updates ahead of it, it’ll last twice as long as that discounted Pixel 7 Pro.

  $999 at Amazon

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  Source: Samsung

  Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

  If you’re after a foldable this Prime Day, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is $100 off and ready to pull you back into the era of flip phones — and phones that fit in your front pocket even while sitting down! With the larger cover screen now able to be used with most apps via Good Lock, you can get the best of both worlds without breaking the bank.

  $1000 at Amazon

Why would you wait?

Black Friday will likely knock another $50-$100 off most Android phones — especially the new Pixel 8 series — as these phones will be two months older and thus two months closer to the debut of their successors. This is especially true for the Galaxy S23 series, which is usually refreshed at the end of January or beginning of February, and the Galaxy S24 series is slated to get lighter new titanium frames, and the S24 Ultra will, at long last, return to a flat screen (but still curved sides). So if you’re after an Ultra that still has curved glass, Prime Day and Black Friday are your last best chances to get it at a reasonable price.

If you’re going to hold off, though, you’re playing a game of chicken with your currently beat-up old phone if you decide to wait another six weeks for Black Friday. You could save a few extra bucks if you can hold out until turkey day, but if your phone breaks between now and then, you’ll be stuck paying full price for your next phone. This happened to a friend last year, and it was not pretty seeing them spend an extra $300 they shouldn’t have had to. So if your screen is held together by film and prayers, if your USB-C port is getting harder and harder to jiggle the cable into that magic spot to charge your phone, don’t let the hope of a few extra bucks keep you from getting a new phone while the getting is good.