Black Friday Phone Deals 2026: 13 Picks to Buy or Wait On
Smartphone manufacturers have increased list prices for 2026 models due to rising memory chip costs driven by AI data center demand. Despite these hikes, significant discounts are available for Black Friday, though consumers should compare final prices rather than just discount amounts.
Why it matters
Explains the economic factors behind rising consumer electronics costs and provides practical advice for holiday shopping.
Samsung raised the price of every Galaxy S26 model by at least $100 in early October, just seven weeks before Black Friday. Memory chips cost phone makers far more in 2026, so this year’s discounts sit on top of higher starting prices. Here are 13 phones already on sale, what each one does well, where each falls short, and how current prices compare with last year’s Black Friday.
Black Friday falls on November 27, 2026 , with Cyber Monday on November 30. Many phone discounts, though, showed up during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days on October 6 and 7.
During that sale, the Galaxy S26 Ultra dropped $420, the Pixel 11 Pro XL dropped $300, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra dropped $400. Those cuts are similar in size to what last year’s models got during Black Friday 2025.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in