Best Cyber Week Smartphone Deals
Here's how to get the best holiday deals on your favorite smartphone flagships.
From the Note 8 to the iPhone SE, if you want a new smartphone for the holidays, now is a great time to buy.
Traditionally, smartphone deals require that you jump through a few extra hoops, such as committing to a 2-year contract or opening a new line of service. While that hasn't changed much this year, we've noticed an uptick of deals on flagship unlocked phones.
For instance, during Black Friday week all of Samsung's Galaxy flagships were heavily discounted at Amazon. The Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8 dropped to $573 ($177 off), the Unlocked S8+ to $740 ($84 off), and the Note 8 to $780 ($170). While those prices are no longer available, we expect those deals to surface again at least one more time before the holidays are over.
Currently, T-Mobile is offering a BOGO sale on all of the Samsung's flagship phones — from the Note 8 to the S8 Active. If you've been holding out for a Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, Verizon is taking $300 off both phones when you sign up for a 24-month payment plan. (No trade-in is required).
If you're waiting for an iPhone X deal, there are ways to save money, but you'll need to trade-in your current smartphone. Best Buy will give you up to $350 when you trade in your old smartphone for an iPhone X. On top of that, you'll also get up to a $250 Best Buy gift card.
MORE: Here Are the 10 Best Phones Available
Here are the best Cyber Week deals to be found at each major wireless carrier and retailer.
AT&T
AT&T's best offer is currently geared toward iPhone fans. Buy an iPhone 8 and you can get a second model for free. You'll have to pay for both phones up front and set up a new line of service. The rebate comes in the form of monthly credits on your bill spread out over 30 months. AT&T caps the rebate at $700, so that'll pay off a 64GB iPhone 8. Opt for the 128GB model or an iPhone 8 Plus and you'll pay anything above that $700 refund. AT&T will also charge you taxes and a $25 activation fee.
That buy-one-get-one-free offer lasts for a limited time, however, it's possible that it'll continue through the holidays.
AT&T also offers a free LG V20, though you'll have to pay the $390 upfront for this year-old phone. (Your refund comes in monthly bill credits over 30 months.) That deal expires today (Nov. 27), while a prepaid customers can get a ZTE Maven 3 for free if they sign up for a $45 6GB or $65 unlimited monthly plan by Dec. 4.
Sprint
Through Dec. 7, new customers can get $350 off Apple's three new iPhones when they transfer a number to Sprint and sign up for an 18-month lease. That rebate, available in a monthly credit on your bill, reduces the payment on an iPhone X from $41.67 to $22.22. The iPhone 8 lease payment drops to $9.72 (down from $29.17), while you'll pay just $13.98 per month for an iPhone 8 Plus (down from $13.98.)
Sprint offers that same discount on iPhones if you trade-in an eligible phone. Those include any iPhone since the iPhone 6 and any Galaxy S phone since the S7; Sprint also accepts the BlackBerry KeyOne, HTC U11, LG G5 or G6, Samsung Note 5, LG V20, last year's Pixel phones from Google, and several Moto Z models. The $350 rebate appears in the form of a monthly credit on your bill a couple months after you trade in your old phone. That trade-in rebate looks like it runs through Thursday (Nov. 30).
If you want an older iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, you can lease a second version of those phones from Sprint for free. New customers would need to set up two new lines with Sprint, while existing subscribers would merely need to add a second line. The credit appears on your bill, as you'll be charged for both phones initially.
If you're more into Android phones, Sprint's other deals are holdovers from Black Friday. You can get 50 percent off Samsung's Note 8, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ on an 18-month lease agreement. That lowers the cost of a Note 8 to $20 a month, while you'll pay $15.62 and $17.71 per month for the S8 and S8+, respectively.
Sprint continues to offer the Essential Phone on a $5 monthly lease after you make a $25 down payment. The deal includes a free 360-degree Essential Video camera to use with the modular phone if you lease the phone before Dec. 9.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile currently has one of the best BOGO sale on Samsung's flasgshiooffers, especially if you're a Samsung fan. Buy a Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+, or Note 8 and get a second phone for free.
The catch is that you're paying for both phones initially, with the rebate coming in the form of a MasterCard prepaid card. End your service with T-Mobile before then, and you're on the hook for paying off those two phones.
Verizon
Google fans looking for the ultimate Pixel deal will like Verizon's limited offer. Buy a Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL and Verizon will slash $300 off the phone's final price. One caveat, you must sign up for a 24-month payment plan. (No trade-in is required).
Accessory discounts and deals on older phones mark Verizon's other holiday offers. The most compelling accessory deal centers around LG's $840 V30 phone. Verizon will give you an instant 50 percent discount on a wireless charging pad for the phone, and you're also eligible for a $400 rebate when you buy another LG product within 45 days of buying the phone. That deal runs through Friday (Dec. 1).
Other half-off accessory deals include a discount on the Google Home speaker when you buy a Pixel 2, a Gear VR headset for 50 percent off when you buy a Galaxy S8, and a discounted SoundBoost 2 Moto Mod speaker for the Moto Z2 Force modular phone.
If you're fine with an older version of a phone, you can save big at Verizon. The original Pixel is available for $5 a month in the form of monthly bill credits over 24 months, while the iPhone SE costs just $10 a month after Verizon applies a credit to your bill. Those deals end when Cyber Monday does.
Buy a phone at Verizon, and the carrier will knock $200 off the cost of an iPad; you'll save an additional $50 if that phone happens to be an iPhone. You will have to get two years of service for your tablet, though.
Boost
As befits a prepaid carrier, Boost's best Cyber Monday deals center on low-cost devices. You can buy a 64GB iPhone SE for $149 — a $300 discount off Apple's price. The ZTE Max XL costs $65, half of what Boost normally charges you. You can also save money on a pair of long-lasting phones, with the Moto E4 Plus available for $80 (a $50 discount) and the LG X Power costing $50 (an $80 savings).
If you don't mind buying flagship phones in one fell swoop, you can save $100 on the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, which cost $599 and $699 at Boost currently.
Cricket
Bring your number over to Cricket, and you can save $30 on any smartphone that costs more than $50. The deal requires you to enter the "SAVE30" promo code when you buy the phone. You can get that discount on up to five phones, Cricket says.
While that deal launched on Cyber Monday, Cricket says it will continue until Jan. 13, 2018.
MetroPCS
MetroPCS's holiday offer hasn't changed since Black Friday. Sign up for an unlimited plan with the discount carrier, and you'll get a year of Amazon Prime for free. You will have to head to a MetroPCS store to take advantage of this deal, though.
Other Options
Looking for a great deal on a phone but don't necessarily want to get tied down to a specific carrier? We've found other Cyber Week offers that provide notable discounts on top smartphones.
For a more affordable option, you can now get the Essential Android Phone for $399. If you're not familiar with the handset, the Essential smartphone is a gorgeous Android phone with an edge-to-edge screen, modular design, and clean software. It's camera is a bit sluggish, but at $399 you may be able to overlook that flaw.
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Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.