Deals to Watch Out for on Black Friday 2022

The season of deals is almost upon us, and it is a great time to look to switch your cell phone or your cell phone carrier. Getting one of the best Black Friday deals can help you save money on your cell phone bill. This can be a great time to get an upgrade, even if you weren’t planning on getting one right this moment. Regardless of your position, it is always advantageous to check out the offers on the field to see if there’s anything that is too good to pass up. 

That being said, just because something has a good deal doesn’t mean that you have to pick it up no matter what. In this article, we will discuss a variety of phones and phone plans as well as the pros and cons of taking advantage of a Black Friday deal. Read on for information about:

• If Black Friday is the best time to buy cell phone plans
• Comparisons between cell phones and cell phone plans 

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Is Black Friday the Best Time to Buy Cell Phone Plans?

There are a lot of deals every Black Friday, and cell phones and cell phone plans are no exception. That being said, is it worth waiting to buy a new phone or switch to a new plan? The answer is not so simple. This section will cover the pros and cons of buying a new phone plan on Black Friday.

Black Friday Phone Deals 

Just about every cell phone company will put out some sort of deal this Black Friday. Fortunately, as Black Friday has gotten bigger and bigger every year so has the duration. Deals, especially online deals, have started earlier and earlier and end later and later, so you have some time to decide. If you’ve ever looked for something specific on Black Friday, however, you might have noticed how often the exact item you are looking for isn’t on sale. 

We do not recommend compromising on what you want because something else is on sale. The sales are nice, but phones are such a big part of daily life that dealing with one you don’t like is oftentimes not worth the few hundred dollars you saved when you bought it. 

If you do find a great deal on a phone you want, then that’s perfect! Black Friday gives you a great opportunity to save extra on a deal for your phone. If you are interested in buying a phone this Black Friday and want to save money, you can always look at older models. Older models are less likely to get deals this Black Friday, but start at a much lower price point where you may be saving money anyway. 

One last thing — always look at the details of the deal. Phone companies love to make the deals seem great with big percentage drops and low payments, but the most important aspect of the deal is the total amount you have to pay before owning the phone. Do some digging to find the phone’s total cost, not the cost of the deal. 

Black Friday Phone Plan Deals

Black Friday phone plan deals are oftentimes tied to money you get (either on a new phone or a voucher) when you switch to their phone company. Granted, deals like this are in place for the majority of the year, but if you aren’t in a rush then Black Friday ensures that you are getting the best deal the company can put out for new customers. 

It is rare that the plans themselves will change when Black Friday comes around, but every year comes with its own surprises. Keep updated on our new articles and we will post an updated article with the details of each company and what deals they have planned for Black Friday 2022. 

Black Friday Deal Preparations

These new customer deals are great, but only if you are able to switch this Black Friday. Phone companies have a few ways that they can keep their customers tied to that account. The main two are contracts and phone payments. Companies might give you a great deal but tie you into a multi-month or year long contract where you are forced to stay on that account or receive a nasty early termination fee. 

Companies can lock your phone, making it so you can’t use it for any other wireless company. They can’t just do this whenever! There is a strict set of guidelines they have to follow, and if you’ve met all of them then your phone is either unlocked or you can unlock it with a quick call to your provider. 

The main two guidelines that are the same among all phone companies is that you must have paid off your phone in full (so you own it) and you must be in good standing with the company. As long as those two criteria are met then your phone should be unlocked and you’ll be ready to switch companies! 

In this next section we will talk about some of our favorite phones and phone plans, and what to keep track of this Black Friday. 

Best Cell Phones Black Friday 2022

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This section will cover a wide variety of cell phones, their price points, and their strengths and weaknesses as a form of preliminary research as we prepare for Black Friday this year. The new hotness of cell phones is tempting, but you definitely pay for it. We want to cover a wide variety of phones starting with the phones of two or three generations ago that have a lot of that same processing power but that come at a much lower price. 

There are a lot of good reasons to get the newest phone, but sometimes it doesn’t fit into the budget. Fortunately with so many generations of phones still on the market, there are much more affordable ways to get a new phone that works like a dream without breaking the piggy bank. Let’s dive into some phones on the market that you should definitely keep your eye on this Black Friday.

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Samsung Phones

At the start of this list are Android phones. Android has a wide selection of phones that are very viable to get new today. Here are a few of our picks. 

Samsung Galaxy S22

Priced at $800, the Galaxy S22 is the model released by Android, and it packs a serious punch. It has a strong set of cameras, a 6.1 inch screen, and is the least expensive of its two cousins, the S22+ and the S22 Ultra. This is the perfect phone for someone who wants something top-of-the line while not going too overboard. 

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the S22 does not differ a ton from the S21, which does not differ a ton from the S20. Let’s take a look at those. 

Samsung Galaxy S21

The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is also priced at $800 and comes with just about the same features as its more sparkly cousin. One difference is that the camera on the S21 is not quite as good as the camera in the S22, but depending on how much photography you do on your phone, it may have a minimal impact. The S21 has a slower processor than the S22, and not as much battery life. 

Its pricing is a bit confusing, as it is the same as its next generation counterpart. If you are willing to pay the $800 for a Galaxy phone, than we recommend going with the S22 over the S21

Samsung Galaxy S20 Certified Renewed

Going down one generation further, the S20 starts to deliver some savings. Priced at $550, this phone is only available in their certified renewed line. These are the kinds of phones that have been used but returned almost immediately for one reason or another. It is a common occurrence where someone purchases a phone, leaves the store or gets it shipped to their home, but sometimes even before activating it they realize they need something else. 

Many companies have policies in place where these phones can be returned, but they are not allowed to flip them and sell them as new. Thus, this idea of a certified used item emerged. These items are used lightly (some come with scratches, but the interior is sound) and deliver almost the same experience as a brand new phone while letting you save more money. 

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Apple Phones

Apple is a smartphone powerhouse. Well, they are a powerhouse in many areas, but phones are no exception. Their line of iPhones is likely the first thing that pops into your head when you think of smartphones, and there’s a good reason for that. Let’s take a look at their four most recent iPhone generations and how they compare to one another. 

iPhone 13

The base model of the iPhone 13 is $800, putting it right on par with what Samsung is offering. The iPhone 13 is a 6.1 inch display with a fast processor, a fantastic camera, and excellent battery. The base model comes with 128 GB, and doubling or quadrupling it adds 100 and then 300 dollars, respectively. 

This is a competitive price for a new smartphone, letting customers get a wide variety of phones for this price point. This model also has the iPhone 13 Pro, which is a bit bigger, has a more aggressive camera, and a faster processing unit. It also costs $1000. 

iPhone 12

The iPhone 12 swings in at $600 for the base model, immediately cementing it as a better last-gen phone than the galaxy S21. It has a less significant camera while delivering an excellent battery life, good processing power, and a fantastic screen resolution. It is available in a wide range of colors that can be fun to decide on, especially if you are going for a clear case. 

iPhone SE

Next on the list is the iPhone SE. This was a surprising and pleasant departure from the normal generation to next generation phones that we’ve seen from Apple in the past. It is smaller and much, much cheaper than the other models on this list, starting at $430 for 64 GB of storage. It comes with a smaller screen and a less complex camera while keeping the same processor as the iPhone 13, meaning it will be wicked fast. 

The value of the iPhone SE cannot be overstated, especially for someone who doesn’t need the large screen of many other smartphones. Also, it has a home button! 

iPhone 11

As we climb down the rungs of iPhone generations we see the 11, a phone available with either 64 or 128 GBs of storage. It costs $500 and $550, respectively. Armed with a slightly less-precise camera and a bit less battery and a bit less processing power, it still delivers on a lot of the major tenets looked for in a smartphone. It will accomplish just about everything you need it to while saving $300 on your phone bill from the very beginning. 

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Google Phones

Google started releasing their line of Pixel phones in 2016. Since then they’ve released a lot, and they come with their own benefits and a ton of Google compatibility. 

Google Pixel 6

The Google Pixel 6 is an absolute steal at $600 for their latest and greatest phone. All of their line of Pixels works very well with Google accounts and on their MVNO, Google Fi. You want to double check that the Pixel works on your current carrier, or if you are switching carriers, that it works on your new carrier. 

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There should be an easy way to find a list of compatible phones on a carrier’s website or through searching on google. The older models of Pixels deliver the same excellent features and service for an even smaller price tag. 

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What Are You Looking for in Your New Phone Plan? 

There are so many plans on the market that it is hard to discuss all of them at once. In this section, we are going to group them into three major categories

• The big three major wireless providers
• MVNO Unlimited Plans
• Non-Unlimited plans

These will hopefully help you narrow down the kinds of companies that hold your interests and the kinds of plans that are best for you. 

The Big Three

• Estimated one-line cost: $80

Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are the country's major wireless providers, and they each have a pretty impressive unlimited plan. It comes with nationwide coverage, cutting-edge speeds that are destined to only get faster and faster, and a pretty significant price tag to round it all out. 

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MVNO Unlimited Plans

• Estimated one-line cost: $40

The next step down is with MVNOs, which are a type of company that operates by leasing the towers of a major network rather than constructing their own. This allows them to output much cheaper plans on the same networks as the major wireless companies with the one major drawback of deprioritization (slower speeds) when the networks are busy. 

The average cost of one unlimited line varies a lot more with MVNOs, but the differences in price do not reflect the quality of the service! Because of how they work with major carriers, they are able to provide the same excellent coverage that major networks deliver

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Non-Unlimited Plans

• Estimated one-line cost: Varies

Due to how many plans and carriers there are, there are a ton of non-unlimited plans. These plans come really cheap, like less than $10 a month in some cases for unlimited talk and text with a bit of data. If you are willing to give up unlimited data, then you can really save with one of these plans. 

Cell Phone Plans this Black Friday

With Black Friday approaching this is the best time to consider if you are in need of an upgrade either with your provider or your cell phone. Black Friday is an awesome time to grab a cell phone that might not otherwise fit into your budget. Always be wary of deals that lock you into situations that you would otherwise avoid. Do not settle on deals unless they are exactly what you are looking for. 

We hope this article has helped you in your preparation for all the amazing Black Friday cell phone deals that are right around the corner. Be sure to check back later with our breakdown of exactly what every company is offering as we get closer to the big day!