Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
If you’re in the market for a new smartphone and prefer Android to iOS, Amazon’s October Prime Day (or “Prime Big Deal Days”) sale looks like a good time to take the plunge. While you won’t find any iPhones on sale, the event has brought several handsets we like from Samsung, Google, OnePlus and Motorola down to lower prices than usual. There’s always a chance we see better deals come Black Friday, but for those who need a refresh today, here are the best Prime Day smartphone deals we could find. Just remember that a few of these offers are only accessible to Prime members.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is on sale for $950. That's $100 more than the deal we saw during July’s Prime Day event but $50 lower than the typical sale price we’ve seen in recent months and $250 off Samsung's list price. The high-end S23 Ultra is the top Android pick in our guide to the best smartphones, and it earned a score of 89 in our review this past February. Our biggest knock against it was that it’s expensive, but this deal helps mitigate that a bit.
The Galaxy S23+, meanwhile, is on sale for $800, which is within $50 of the lowest price we’ve seen for the unlocked model. This 6.6-inch handset sits between the standard Galaxy S23 and the S23 Ultra in Samsung’s lineup: It has the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, 1080p resolution and triple-camera system as the former, but it provides a larger OLED display without being as weighty (or pricey) as the latter. Compared to the base S23, it also supports faster charging speeds up to 45W instead of 25W. We gave the S23+ a score of 86 in February.
Rounding out the Galaxy S23 deals, the standard model is available for $650. Again, that’s $50 more than the deal we saw during July’s Prime Day sale but still $150 off Samsung’s MSRP and $50 lower than the usual discount we’ve seen in recent months. The S23’s biggest selling point is that it’s one of the smallest high-end phones on the market, with a 6.1-inch display that’s generally easier to hold with one hand. It’s a step down from the S23 Ultra, with lesser battery life, charging speeds and camera hardware, but that’s to be expected given the lower price.
The Google Pixel 7a is down to $399, which is the lowest price we’ve seen for this unlocked version and $100 off Google’s MSRP. This is the top pick in our guide to the best midrange smartphones, and we gave it a review score of 90 back in May. It delivers just about everything we want out of an affordable handset: a steady Tensor G2 chip, a relatively smooth 90Hz display, strong cameras, wireless charging support, IP67 water resistance and a clean software experience with several years of planned updates. The upcoming Pixel 8 will almost certainly be better in a vacuum, but for less than $400, the 7a is a great value.
The unlocked version of the OnePlus 11 with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is down to $650. That matches the lowest price we’ve seen for this variant and comes in $150 below the phone’s MSRP. This is the top midrange pick in our guide to the best Android smartphone, as it offers a superb 6.6-inch, 120Hz OLED display, super-fast charging, long battery life and a speedy Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. That said, its IP64 dust- and water-resistance rating could be better, and its camera system generally isn’t as impressive as what you get from a Galaxy S23. We gave the device a score of 83 in our review this past February.
Moving onto foldables, the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is down to $800 for an unlocked 256GB model, which is another all-time low. We gave this one a review score of 88 in August, and we currently name it the best flip-style foldable in our smartphone buying guide. There’ll always be some durability concerns with foldable phones like this, and the Z Flip 5’s cameras aren’t quite on par with the best “normal” handsets. But for the most part, this is a modern flagship you can fold in half. The big upgrade this year is its larger 3.4-inch cover display, which is handier for completing tasks while the phone is folded.
Though we think the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the better flip-style foldable for most, the Motorola Razr+ is a solid alternative. Its main benefit is a bigger 3.6-inch cover screen that works with all apps out of the box. (You can get most apps to work on the Z Flip 5’s outer display too, but it requires a workaround.) Right now the unlocked Razr+ is available for $800, which is an all-time low and $150 off its typical street price. We gave this device a score of 85 in our review this past June.
If you want a larger, book-style foldable, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 is on sale for $1,400. That's $400 off Samsung’s MSRP and the best price we’ve tracked for the unlocked model. We call the Z Fold 5 the best foldable for multitasking in our smartphone buying guide and gave it a review score of 86 earlier this year. It’s an iterative update over last year’s model and still plenty expensive even after this discount, but it’s fast, and its bright 7.6-inch main display is still a treat. The big upgrade this year is a redesigned hinge, which helps eliminate any gap between the two sides of the device when it’s folded in half.
The OnePlus Nord N30 is our pick for the best budget phone you can buy, as it provides a fast-for-the-price Snapdragon 695 chip, a surprisingly decent 6.7-inch 120Hz display and the promise of security updates through June 2026. It’ll also be updated to Android 14. If you need a new phone on the cheap, the Nord N30 is currently down to $237. That’s $63 off its list price and marks the lowest price we’ve seen for an unlocked model.
The Samsung Galaxy A54 is the updated version of a phone we highlight in our midrange smartphone guide, and it’s now down to $330. That’s the lowest cash discount we’ve seen and $120 off Samsung’s list price. We’d still recommend the Pixel 7a to most, but the Galaxy A54’s lovely OLED display, lengthy battery life, IP67-rated water resistance and five years of security updates make it a worthy alternative. Just don’t expect top-tier performance, and know that its camera falls short of the Pixel 7a.
The Moto G Stylus is an honorable mention in our budget smartphone guide, as it’s one of the few ultracheap phones to come with a built-in pen. Most people are better off with the Nord N30 or one of our midrange picks, but if you really can’t spend more than $100 and need that stylus support, it’s an alright buy at its current deal price of $161. That’s a few bucks cheaper than the price we’ve seen for most of the last few months and roughly $40 off Motorola’s list price.
Your October Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Fall Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
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