With Black Friday now firmly on the horizon and some early Black Friday deals popping up, it’s arguably a good time to go on the hunt for a new smartphone, as many of the stellar models can get healthy discounts during this sales period.
However, in an earlier discussion between a handful of phone-centric writers and editors, I realized we tend to have somewhat differing views on what smartphones make the best camera phones. This got me thinking that the quality of photos that phones produce is so good that choosing between them is more down to taste and what you expect from a phone.
As such, I’ve tapped up a handful of us at TechRadar to get an idea of which phones we use and why, in the hope that we can better give you some insight into what phones might work best for you and if you can expect to see them get good discounts in the Black Friday sales.
Let’s get into it.
Roland Moore-Colyer
Ok, starting off with me, the Managing Editor of Mobile Computing. Where once I was an Android user, with a particular preference for Google’s Pixel phones, in late 2021, I made the switch to iPhone and have yet to move back. Originally for work purposes, I’ve just got so used to how slick and easy iOS is to use; Android is rather intuitive these days, but it still doesn’t feel quite as robust in day-to-day use.
I hate to say it, but iPhones do ‘just work’ – there’s a consistency to the iPhone experience that I find makes the phone feel like a useful tool rather than a gadget, and so blends into my life with ease. And when it comes to smartphone photography, I feel that consistency is paramount. For me, iPhones deliver 9 out of 10 photos almost every time I hit the shutter button, whereas Pixel and Galaxy handsets will go from a 10 out of 10 photo to more of a 7.5 or 8 out of 10 shot.
Effectively, I do find iPhones to be boring but basically brilliant, and it’s the latter aspect that keeps pulling me back to Apple’s phone rather than the more interesting Android rivals. Right now, I’m using an iPhone 16 Pro Max, but I am in the process of shifting over to an iPhone 17 to see how I fare with a smaller phone, and one that now has a 120Hz display.
iPhone 16 Pro Max deals to expect
I’d place a decent bet that you’ll find the iPhone 16 Pro Max for a compelling cut price this Black Friday, as the likes of Amazon, Best Buy, Currys, and more will surely look to shift older stock. Definitely keep an eye on these retailers, along with Walmart and Agos.
Philip Berne
I review tons of phones, and I always have two or three phones in my pocket, but one of those must be my iPhone 17 Pro Max. I started carrying an iPhone continuously because of the eSIM – it used to be much harder to switch an eSIM between phones.
I kept the iPhone in my pocket because my kiddo and most of my social circle use an iPhone, and I’d be missing out on a lot of features that only work between iOS devices, especially Check-In that lets me know my kid is safe without tracking his location, and the super-easy AirDrop sharing that I use all the time to share photos, contacts, and music. When I add my MacBook Pro to the mix, the synergy created is unmatched by any other phone maker.
iPhone 17 Pro Max deals to expect… or not
While Phil might extol the virtues of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, I suspect it’s too new to find in any Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales. But there’s a chance you could score a good price on it via a carrier contract (US readers look at Verizon, while UK readers should look at Three and EE); I suggest you keep an eye on our best iPhone deals page.
As TechRadar’s Phones Editor, I’ve been lucky enough to try out almost all of the best phones of the past few years, but my current daily driver is the iPhone 17 Pro. It’s a brilliant all-rounder with an eye-catching design, stellar camera performance, and impressive battery life, while iOS continues (I think) to set the benchmark for intuitive smartphone software.
What I will say, though, is that this is the first year in a long time where I’d recommend that 99% of buyers buy the regular iPhone over the Pro. I’m testing the iPhone 17 Pro for work purposes, and as above, it’s an exceptional device. But I’ll be buying the regular iPhone 17 with my own money when the time comes to upgrade, for reasons you can read about in my best iPhones buying guide (spoiler: it’s the best-value iPhone ever).
Will there be iPhone 17 Pro Black Friday deals?
Much like I said above in relation to Phil’s phone pick, I don’t expect you’ll find big discounts on the iPhone 17 Pro this year if you want to buy it outright. But there could be an off-hand refurbished deal.
But I know Axel swapped from an iPhone 16 Pro, which is still a very good Apple handset, so if you can’t stretch to the latest model, the 16 Pro is likely to be discounted in the coming weeks.
Jamie Richards
Though I’ve normally got half a dozen or so phones in orbit for reviews and other testing, my current daily driver is the Oppo Find X9 Pro, which succeeds the Oppo Find X8 Pro as both the brand’s flagship and my go-to handset.
Oppo just brings so much to the table with its top-tier model: a beautiful 6.78-inch display, a subtle but robustly assembled design, excellent cameras, and a ludicrously huge 7,500mAh battery that means I don’t really have to think about charging. I’m also a big fan of ColorOS 16, which remains the smoothest Android wrapper I’ve used (albeit with some pretty shameless iOS inspiration).
Oppo Find Black Friday deals to expect
A bit of a different choice than the usual suspects for Jamie, and I’d be reasonably confident we’ll not see much of an Oppo Find X9 Pro discount this Black Friday, as the phone has only just launched. But its predecessor is still well worth considering and will surely be discounted, especially by the likes of Amazon. Having previously used Oppo phones myself, I can vouch for their quality, and if you can get a Find model for a cut price, then you’re winning.
Lance Ulanoff
My phone of choice is the iPhone 17 Pro Max. It takes consistently better smartphone pictures than anything else I’ve tried. The upgraded zoom has been a game-changer.
It also makes sense for me as a MacBook, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV user. The consistency across the ecosystem still outshines the competition.
Might be hard to find an iPhone 17 Pro max Black Friday deal, but here’s an alternative
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: you’re not likely to get a lot of iPhone 17 Pro Max deals this Black Friday, not least of all as there are a couple of weeks of waiting before an order for the Max comes through.
But Lance is often our main reviewer of big flagship phones, such as those from Samsung and Google, which often garner a lot of acclaim. And I also think they’re great phones, especially from the do-anything Galaxy S-series models, so check out the widget below for any deals on the Galaxy S25 series, as I expect those phones will get Black Friday price cuts.
Marc McLaren
I’ve exclusively used Google Pixels for the past four years – Pixel 6, Pixel 8, and currently Pixel 9 Pro – and I can’t imagine swapping to anything else. It’s more about the software than the hardware; any flagship phone will give me what I need in terms of power, resolution, and battery life, but only the Pixel provides the ultra-clean Android experience as it should be. And Android is objectively better than iOS, even if hardware-wise it’s a closer contest [Editor’s note: McLaren is making a bold claim there, let him know your thoughts in the comments below].
That said, the one hardware area that does matter to me is photography, and the Pixel 9 Pro really shines here too. As with my beloved Fujifilm mirrorless cameras, it has the trick of taking photos that have a special something about them: sharp, with perfect color and excellent low-light abilities.
Expect Google Pixel 9 Pro Black Friday deals
I’ll bet a lot that we’ll see Google Pixel 9 series deals this Black Friday period, as it’s a last-generation phone and major retailers will surely look to shift leftover inventory. But despite being an older phone, the Pixel 9 Pro is still a great Android phone, and if you can snap it up for a noticeably lower price, then I think you’ll have made a savvy purchase. Check out the widget below for any early deals.
Viktoria Shilets
Having previously used Samsung S-series phones, as they snap photos with vibrant colors, ideal for social media, I then moved to an iPhone. That’s because when posting to social media sites like Instagram, iPhones tend to retain the image quality better than other smartphones; I do wish iPhones were better at handling pink colors, which in my experience end up looking a bit orange.
The likes of the Samsung Galaxy S25 have caught up with social media photo posting, but right now, I’m using an iPhone Air, as Apple’s phones still deliver the best video capture and quality out of all the leading camera phones. However, despite it being one of the best-looking iPhones, I’ll be moving to the iPhone 17 Pro, as it has more options for video recording, such as ProRes and Apple Log 2 formats.
There could just be some iPhone Air Black Friday deals
The iPhone Air reportedly hasn’t been selling as well as other iPhone 17 models. So bucking the trend a little, I’d not be surprised if we see a few iPhone Air deals this Black Friday, especially on pre-owned models that people might have exchanged for an iPhone 17 Pro, much like Viktoria plans to do. So check out the widget below for any iPhone Air offers now and going into Black Friday.
I got my first Fairphone in 2020, and have been a fan ever since, largely thanks to the ability to repair and upgrade it myself with no special tools or knowledge. For example, just a few months after I bought my first handset, I was able to upgrade its camera using nothing but a baby screwdriver and my fingernails.
Fairphone’s commitment to using materials sourced as ethically and sustainably as possible is another big plus for me. It might be chunky, especially compared to 2025’s ultra-slim handsets, but that’s a fair trade-off for me.
Keep an eye out for Fairphone discounts for Black Friday
Fairphone is a bit of an outlier here. The brand has previously been anti-Black Friday from the perspective of ramped-up consumerism fueling overconsumption and excessive spending. Yet last year, it had a Black Friday deal and has an area to sign up for promotions.
This, though, is in line with Fairphone’s more eco-friendly efforts. If Fairphone can attract more people to buy its modular, long-lasting phones, as a bit of a one-and-done purchase, then it can stick to its mission while offering Black Friday-centric discounts.
With that in mind, I’d cautiously expect to see deals on a Fairphone or two in the coming weeks, though as it stands, they are reasonably priced at their full price, anyway.
So there you have it: those are the phones a selection of TechRadar writers and editors use on a daily basis and can vouch for. And so these are the phones I and others suggest you look out for in the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
Right now, you can view our roundup of the best Black Friday deals in the US and peruse our expert pick for the best early Black Friday deals in the UK.
If you want any buying advice, feel free to email me or comment below. Good hunting.
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