Update 11/13/24: This marks the beginning of our coverage of the iPhone’s deals this deals season and the results aren’t that surprising — there aren’t any deals on the newest iPhones yet and the older ones don’t have intense deals either in most cases. The secret, though, is where we’re sourcing most of these deals from: Best Buy. Best Buy offers some of the easiest trade-in offers around, and you can save quite a bit if you manage to get max trade-in value. While we’re still excited to see what is to come, don’t ignore trade-in deals with a bit extra off if you can get them.
Black Friday is officially here on November 29, but you can get started with early Black Friday deals now. And that’s a really good thing if you’re an Apple fan, because Apple deals come sparingly. So you’ll definitely want to use this time to check out early Black Friday Apple deals, where you can find early Black Friday iPad deals, early Black Friday Apple Watch deals, and yes, even early Black Friday iPhone deals. But this last category is quite coveted, being the most popular make of smartphone out there. As such, can you expect great deals? You’ll have to judge for yourself when you see what we’ve found.
iPhone 13 (128GB, Locked to Straight Talk) — $339 $449 11% off
It’s been awhile since the iPhone 13 was the new kid on the block, and that’s a good thing for deals. As you’ll be reminded by our iPhone 13 review, this phone still has the lightning cable, but at $339 and being locked to the quite good Straight Talk, this is an excellent deal on a phone that MSRP’d at $799 just two years ago.
iPhone SE 3 (64GB, Unlocked) — $400* $430 7% off*
A great alternative to Walmart’s deal if you don’t want to be locked into their Straight Talk plan. This is, no doubt, another 2022 phone and, as our iPhone SE 3 review will remind you, this was never meant to be a power user’s phone, but still brings the great connectivity of the Apple ecosystem to your pocket. Buy it now if you want a cheap iPhone on your current phone plan.
*With a qualifying Best Buy trade-in, you can get this phone for up to an additional $120 off, making the final price of the phone as low as $280, or 35% off.
iPhone 14 (128GB, Unlocked) — $479* $630 23% off*
The iPhone 14 is very much a classic iPhone at this point, with our iPhone 14 review reminding us that the phone “takes a very strong foundation, keeps what works, and adds a few subtle improvements that make it a better overall handset.” Get it now for at least $51 off, on the carrier of your choice.
*With a qualifying Best Buy trade-in, you can get this phone for up to an additional $330 off, making the final price of the phone as low as $149, or 60% off.
iPhone 14 Plus (128GB, Unlocked) — $545* $730 25% off*
If you can get it at a good discount, the 14 Plus is a good upgrade to the standard iPhone 14. Our iPhone 14 Plus review details its extras like Apple Pay, spatial audio, Apple Watch pairing, and extensive battery life.
*With a qualifying Best Buy trade-in, you can get this phone for up to an additional $330 off, making the final price of the phone as low as $215, or 71% off.
iPhone 15 (128GB, Unlocked) — $700* $730 4% off*
The iPhone 15 reviewed as “one of the most significant iPhone upgrades ever” — it has great cameras and swapped lightning for USB-C. It, along with the 15 Plus, are some of the last iPhones that won’t get Apple Intelligence, but there’s still a ton to like about the iPhone 15, especially if you’re nonplussed by Apple Intelligence.
*With a qualifying Best Buy trade-in, you can get this phone for and additional amount off, with an unlocked maximum savings.
How to choose an iPhone on Black Friday
Let’s make a grand assumption: If you’re going to buy an iPhone on Black Friday, you probably already have a general sense of which one you want to buy and are, let’s face it, enmeshed in Apple’s iOS device ecosystem. While, if you’re not, you can always check our reviews of the phones or our iPhone 14 and 14 Pro buying guide, chances are you have a good inkling of what to get.
Then, the issue becomes navigating the deals.
The first type of deal you’re likely to encounter this season is the “locked to” deal. That means you get the phone but must use it with whichever cell phone plan it is attached to. Be sure to check out how to unlock a phone guide if you ever plan on getting it unlocked later.
Next, there’s the deal that you can spice up with a trade-in. Much like giving in your used automobile when buying a new car, and getting some cash in exchange, these deals are impactful. During the first iteration of this article (bookmark us to see updates as the deals season continues) we found plenty of Best Buy trade-in deals, which offer plenty of flexibility for what you trade in. Check with our guide on how to trade in your smartphone for more tips about how to make this transaction go smoothly.
How we chose these Black Friday iPhone deals
If you’ve heard the phrases “seller’s market” and “beggars can’t be choosers” then you know the rub — Apple is popular and doesn’t have to offer many deals.
Still, however, when you can get a good deal on your next iPhone, there’s no reason not to jump on it. And, in many cases, the lack of intense and varied deals lets us know two great things. For one, iPhones are (if expensive) quite fairly priced even at MSRP. Secondly, when you find a deal from a reliable retailer, it is probably one of the best deals around.
As a result, we’re very confident in the deals above, but are also anxious to see what will happen as the deals season progresses, and will update this list accordingly.
