Black Friday is just around the corner, and with everyone scrambling to get the best deals on holiday gifts, it has become overwhelming for most people to figure their way out in the chaos of deals.
For anyone looking to purchase a new smartphone for themselves or a loved one, they might find it virtually impossible to get hold of the best deals as wireless carriers and retailers race against each other to offer the lowest prices and most attractive promos.
While Black Friday deals are a great way to get good smartphones on the cheap, buyers should note that most smartphone deals, except those from T-Mobile, are locked in with a two-year contract with the wireless provider.
Here we compile the best deals on some of the most popular smartphones.
iPhone 6
Unless it is about to roll out a next-generation iPhone, Apple is not exactly known for slashing huge prices off its latest iPhones. This time, however, both Walmart and Target will be offering a $20 discount off the 16GB iPhone 6. Walmart will also offer a gift card worth $75, while Target will only be offering a $30 gift card. Both deals will work with AT&T and Verizon customers, but Target will also make it available for Sprint customers.
Best Buy also has a $99 trade-in deal for the iPhone 6. Anyone who has an old iPhone they want to get rid of can trade it in for the new iPhone 6 for $99.
Samsung Galaxy S5
Samsung's flagship smartphone receives a lot of discounts for this year's Black Friday. RadioShack tops the list of deals by offering the Samsung Galaxy S5 for $0 down with a two-year contract with AT&T, Verizon or Sprint. Verizon customers can also get their Galaxy S5 straight from Verizon for $0, but only after a $50 mail-in rebate. Best Buy also offers a slightly less sweet deal than RadioShack by offering the Samsung flagship for $1 with a similar contract with all three major carriers. Target undercuts the price by offering it for only $0.01, but the deal is only available to AT&T subscribers.
For off-contract offers, RadioShack again offers the best deal by slashing $200 off the Galaxy S5, reducing its price from $699 to $499. Amazon also offers the same price but limits the deal to a prepaid account with Sprint. Sprint also offers this deal directly in its own stores. T-Mobile also offers a discounted Galaxy S5 but cuts down only $150 off the original price. The T-Mobile deal, however, has been available since last week.
Galaxy Note 4
Samsung's newest large-screen smartphone will be available for $199 with a two-year contract with Verizon. That is a $100 price cut from the original price of $299 on-contract.
Buyers can get a better deal at Best Buy, which offers the Galaxy Note 4 zero-down for "well-qualified buyers" under the AT&T NEXT plan. In the alternative, the phablet is also available with a two-year contract at AT&T, Verizon or Sprint. Best Buy will also throw in a $50 gift card for good measure.
T-Mobile is also offering a special deal on the Galaxy Note 4. Although the Un-carrier has a Black Friday deal offering the Samsung phablet for zero-down, buyers will have to make monthly payments of $31.24 per month for the next 24 months toward the full price of the smartphone.
