Best Black Friday iPhone Deals 2021: What to Expect

Black Friday last year was bigger and better than ever thanks to so many people doing their buying online, but seasoned shoppers and Apple fans alike know that Black Friday iPhone deals can be hard to find even during these big holiday blowouts. That’s because Apple itself doesn’t usually run Black Friday sales and keeps a tight leash on its pricing across retailers.

There are always bargains to be found, though, and although the official sales aren’t coming until November 26, it’s not too early to start thinking about this year’s iPhone Black Friday deals. We’re here to help: Below, we’ve put together an in-depth guide on how to shop the sales, what Black Friday iPhone deals we expect to see based on last year’s event, and some other things to consider before making a purchase so you can get a leg-up over other shoppers.

We’re barely halfway through October, but Black Friday deals have already started. Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart all have Black Friday deals you can shop right now.

Why You Should Shop Black Friday iPhone deals today

It’s only October, so you might not be feeling the shopping spirit of Black Friday and the holidays yet, but trust us — the deals are there. In fact, there aren’t many reasons why you would want to hold off until November. You might as well grab the stuff you want right now.

You may think the deals on the actual date of Black Friday are going to be better than the Best Buy Black Friday deals that are starting today, but that likely isn’t the case. These deals are the best we’re going to get. Even if a better deal shows up sometime during the next few weeks, you can always get Best Buy to match the new price. Best Buy has a Price Match Guarantee, meaning they will refund the difference if they end up discounting a product to cheaper than the price you paid.

So if you can’t wait for a new iPhone, shop around at the Amazon Black Friday deals, Walmart Black Friday deals, and Best Buy Black Friday deals that just started today.

• View iPhone Black Friday Deals at Amazon
• View iPhone Black Friday Deals at Best Buy
• View iPhone Black Friday Deals at Walmart

Black Friday iPhone deals you can shop today

Thanks to all of the early Black Friday and holiday sales, there are some great iPhone deals you can shop today. Here are some of our favorites:

Best Black Friday iPhone deals we saw last year

The best iPhone Black Friday deals available online are almost always on the last-gen models, as Apple typically drops its new iPhone releases in October and these units are a bit too fresh to see big discounts for the holidays. That was no exception for last year’s sales, during which we saw the best deals on the iPhone 11 series as well as the last-gen iPhone XS lineup in the wake of the iPhone 12 launch.

You could get a fully unlocked iPhone XS Max from Amazon for a whopping $725 off, to name one notable example. Other retailers like Walmart also had a couple of iPhone deals during its holiday sales, with some models seeing as much as several hundred dollars off. There was even an iPhone SE available for just $60 at Best Buy — possibly one of the cheapest iPhone deals ever offered.

Carriers like T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon also joined the party by giving discounts and extras such as gift cards to customers who had devices to trade-in or were looking to switch carriers. These service providers offer incentives like this year-round, but they really roll out the red carpet for shoppers during big holiday events like Black Friday. You could even potentially score a new iPhone for free if you went with a carrier-specific unlimited plan.

Walmart was also offering gift cards worth $400 for every iPhone XS bought if activated with a purchase installment plan through Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T. You could get gift cards of up to $300 with the purchase of the more recent iPhone 11 as well. Many of the best Black Friday iPhone deals last year came in the form of bonuses like this rather than standalone discounts, which is not uncommon for flagship Apple products.

Should you buy an iPhone on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

Over the years, retailers have been stretching their Black Friday sales through the entire post-Thanksgiving weekend, and these days you can expect most of the Black Friday iPhone deals to flow into Cyber Monday and maybe even last till the beginning of December. That said, we advise against waiting until Cyber Monday to get your shopping done. With chip shortages and container ships still piling up in ports, inventory might sell out even faster this year than usual.

That’s especially important if you’re shopping for a gift for someone. It’s always a good idea to start your holiday shopping early in case the iPhone you want runs out of stock, a deal you had your eye on expires, or we encounter shipping delays similar to what we had to deal with last year. Most online retailers won’t be able to restock until December at the earliest if a product runs out during Black Friday weekend.

Prices will also be relatively the same between the two events, so don’t let that stop you from jumping on any iPhone Black Friday deals you see that hit your price targets. Big retailers like Amazon and Best Buy all have extended holiday return policies, and due to last year’s surge of online shoppers, some stores have also started offering Black Friday price guarantees, meaning they’ll refund you the difference if an item you bought becomes even cheaper within a certain time frame. This cuts out the hassle of dealing with returns altogether.

Black Friday iPhone deals FAQ

Black Friday isn’t around the corner just yet, but it’s not too early to start preparing for your holiday shopping. Here’s everything you need to know to find the very best Black Friday iPhone deals when they arrive this year. If you’re looking for other Apple devices, then also check out our Apple Black Friday deals shopping guide. Finally, don’t forget to keep this page bookmarked and check back often, as we will be updating it with new information (as well as some early deals) as the holiday sale season draws near.

How much are iPhones on Black Friday?

It’s no secret that iPhones are expensive — but that traditional wisdom is a little behind the times, as Apple has expanded its range to cover a wider spectrum of price points in recent years. Apple’s iPhone stable now starts with the $400 2020 iPhone SE and goes all the way up to $1,600 for an iPhone 13 Pro Max with maxed-out storage. The net can be cast even wider once you start including older iPhones and the refurbished market, so you can honestly expect to find an iPhone suitable for almost any budget as long as you’re willing to compromise on certain features.

But what about specific discounts? Well, that’s a harder question to answer. Price cuts on new models are rare, which is not a surprise to anyone familiar with how Apple handles its newly released devices. The biggest savings for the latest flagships will come from trading in older phones and as bonuses for signing up to new carriers — expect rebates of anywhere between $250 and $1,000 for those. However, last-gen models should also get some excellent discounts, and you can expect to see several hundred dollars to drop off the prices of those older iPhones.

Do iPhones go on sale on Black Friday?

Absolutely, but iPhones are a little different than other products because only one company makes them (that’d be Apple) and it sets some limits on how deeply retailers can discount these high-end mobile devices. We’ve already mentioned the fact that price cuts on these phones can be scarce and that the best Black Friday iPhone deals usually come in the form of carrier sign-up offers and bonuses, with more modest markdowns on unlocked models.

The best way to prepare to shop this year’s iPhone Black Friday deals is to know what you want ahead of time, set a budget and a price target, and have realistic expectations. Don’t plan to dive right into the sales and score a brand new carrier-unlocked iPhone 13 Pro for 50% off — that’s setting the bar a little too high. It’s always worth keeping a cool head during the holiday sale season, lest you be tempted to buy a product that isn’t a good fit for you just because of its seemingly low price. Different iPhones are better for different people. If you love a large screen, for instance, you’re unlikely to be happy with the iPhone 12 Mini, no matter how good of a deal it is.

Feel free to check out our guide to the best iPhone to buy in 2021 if you still need some help narrowing down the playing field a bit.

Should you wait until Black Friday to buy an iPhone?

If you’ve been thinking about purchasing a new iPhone for a while, you might be wondering when the best time to buy is. We know from our experience watching previous sales that Black Friday is the time when you’ll see the best prices all year round, especially on high-end items like iPhones, but you don’t necessarily have to wait until November 26 arrives. Many retailers like to throw out early deals to entice holiday shoppers. Don’t be hesitant to take advantage of these “pre-sales” if a model you want gets discounted and fits within your budget.

These teaser deals are sometimes just as good as the official Black Friday iPhone deals you’ll see, and with supply chain issues and the holiday shopping surge possibly leading to shortages and shipping delays, getting your items might take longer than usual this year, so shopping early is advisable. Many retailers have also started offering price guarantees, so if you purchase one of the Black Friday iPhone deals now and the price falls later in the month, the retailer will refund you the difference. That reduces the risk of buying your new iPhone earlier than you otherwise might have.

Best Buy, Amazon and Walmart have already started some fantastic Black Friday deals.

Who has the best Black Friday iPhone deals?

Most of the big online retailers are good to go for Black Friday iPhone deals, with Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart being the “big three.” Amazon is a great place to look for iPhone deals on carrier-unlocked devices if you want to bring a phone to a service provider of your choice. Amazon also offers quite a few renewed iPhones, which are in like-new condition, for very nice discounts. Best Buy also has quite a few iPhone deals on offer, but pretty much all of them require activation with AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile/Sprint. However, these iPhone Black Friday deals are often very good if you’re already a customer or are looking to switch carriers.

Target had some nice iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 deals available last year, as well as discounts on older models if you were willing to go with AT&T as your carrier. Walmart offers some nice standalone discounts on prepaid iPhones tied to services like Straight Talk, Total Wireless, and Walmart’s own Family cellular plan. Walmart also sometimes has worthy prepaid and upgrade deals for AT&T and Verizon customers that can let you save on the latest iPhones. Finally, don’t forget that carriers tend to offer great sign-up discounts and other bonuses, and the Apple Store is arguably the best place to find professionally refurbished iPhone deals that are practically new.

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