The Black Friday sale is best known for dropping discounts on everything from TVs and laptops to home appliances, but it’s also a great time to find a deal on your next mobile phone contract. If you’ve been holding out for a bargain on a new smartphone, now’s the time to bag a deal on top brands such as Apple, Samsung and Google.
The big four carriers – O2, Vodafone, EE and Three – all host their own Black Friday sales for new and existing customers looking to upgrade. Meanwhile, the smaller challenger brands, resellers and networks get in on the action, with discounts on their own plans, which are often cheaper to begin with.
Read more: Black Friday 2024 shopping guide
Apple usually doesn’t get too involved with sale events, but shop directly with Samsung and Google and you can find big Black Friday discounts applied to SIM-free handsets such as the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones. It’s often possible to spread the cost of these phones over one or two years, with zero per cent finance, so, pairing your new device with a pay-monthly SIM card can be the cheapest way to upgrade.
With Black Friday mobile phone deals coming in so many shapes and sizes, it pays to have some expert guidance when it comes to finding the best offers. That’s why our team of IndyBest shopping experts is on hand to help you wade through the deals and spot the genuine discounts in the Black Friday sale.
Here, we’ve put together everything you need to know ahead of the sale, and we’ve even rounded up some mobile phone deals available right now.
Best mobile phone deals to shop now
The major carriers are all likely to host their own Black Friday sales this year, but there are even more affordable ways to spread the cost of your new phone. Apple, Samsung and Google will let you pay for your phone in monthly instalments, and, with zero per cent finance, it often works out cheaper to buy directly and use a cheap SIM-only plan for your data, texts and minutes.
These SIM-only plans are nearly always more affordable than the airtime plans from major carriers – they also have shorter contracts and run on the same set of high-quality mobile networks. Here’s a selection of the best SIM-only data deals and mobile phone offers available right now.
Samsung Galaxy S24 with 500GB data: £24.99 per month, £79 up front, Mobiles.co.uk
If you’re a data-hungry user in search of the latest Samsung phone, here’s a 24-month contract deal at Mobiles.co.uk that offers unlimited data with iD Mobile for £24.99 per month (plus the small mid-contract price increase). The Galaxy S24 is one of the best phones you can buy, with a brilliant AMOLED display and powerful camera that won’t disappoint.
This £50 discount on the iPhone 16 might not seem like much, but deals on the newest iPhone are rare and sell out fast. You’ll need to buy a £10 plan with Giffgaff to take advantage of the offer, but depending on the plan you choose you can cancel or change as soon as you’ve paid. This year’s base iPhone 16 gets the new A18 chip rather than using the chip from last year’s Pro phones, giving it speedy all-round performance.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Was £1,469, now £768, Amazon.co.uk
Here’s a massive saving on the most powerful phone Samsung makes. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is a huge phone with a giant display that’s ideal for getting work done. The S-Pen stylus slides out of a compartment in the frame, and lets you stay productive with note-taking, while Galaxy AI features mean you can instantly transcribe meetings with dozens of speakers into neatly formatted minutes.
When is Black Friday 2024 in the UK?
Black Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving in the US. So, this year, Black Friday will take place on 29 November.
Although Black Friday was traditionally a one-day event, many retailers now run their sales throughout the entire weekend, concluding with Cyber Monday, which falls on 2 December this year. Some retailers start their sale early, too, with a particularly keen few running discounts for the entire month of November. Whilst the majority of deals will make an appearance some time during the week of Black Friday, early discounts on mobile phone deals can be found already.
What mobile phone deals can we expect to see this Black Friday?
Last year’s Black Friday sales saw significant price drops on the iPhone 15, Samsung Galaxy S23 and Google Pixel 8, so, we’re hoping to see similar discounts on this year’s flagship phones. SIM-only deals are also likely to be heavily discounted, particularly on longer contracts.
Why you can trust IndyBest to find the best phone deals
Our team of shopping experts have been covering Black Friday for years. We track prices on the best smartphones around the clock, so we know how to spot a genuine deal, and we only recommend discounts on products we’ve tested and from brands we trust.
Voucher codes
For the latest offers on phones and more, try the links below:
Find out everything you need to know about Black Friday 2024, with our expert guide