Prime Day is here — and so are some excellent deals on unlocked smartphones from Apple, Google, and Samsung, along with both wired and wireless chargers.
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Because time is a flat circle, back-to-school season is creeping up on us just as we were getting settled into summer. Fall flagship phone launches are on the horizon, too. But before you trade in your SPF 30 for a pumpkin spice latte, there’s at least one more summer soiree on the calendar: Prime Day.
The annual summer shopping holiday that was foisted upon us by our online retailer overlords is here once again. And if you’ve managed to hold off on a new phone purchase until now, I have good news for you: there are some darn good savings to be had on an unlocked iPhone or Android phone. If you managed to put off a new phone purchase until today, then give yourself a little pat on the back; your patience is about to be rewarded.
- Translucent gadgets are so hot right now. This nifty 30W USB-C charging adapter from Case-Mate is on sale for $6 off at $23.99 apiece in orange, frosted white, blue, and a vivid green — or you can get a colorful four-pack for $39.99, marked down from $49.99.
- Belkin’s 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Stand is MagSafe-compatible and charges your AirPods while you charge your phone. It’s on sale for $79.99, down from $99.99.
- Get a charger that can do it all. Anker’s 65W 715 charging brick is surprisingly small and provides enough power for a wide range of gadgets, from a MacBook Pro to your iPhone. It’s $33.99, down from $49.99, on Amazon.
- The second-gen Google Pixel Stand is a little too pricey to recommend at its $79.99 MSRP, but it’s a much better deal at $59. It’s a 23W fast charger with some neat extra features for Pixel phones. Read our review.
With the introduction of the iPhone 14, Apple lowered the price on the 13 to $699. If you’re paying upfront rather than subsidizing your purchase with a carrier, then this is the best bang for your buck in 2023.
- Best Buy has the iPhone 13 with 128GB of storage for $654.99 if you activate it with a carrier same-day. It’s typically $729 without carrier activation. Read our review.
- Also at Best Buy: the iPhone SE (2022) for $354.99. Be aware that it comes with just 64GB of storage, but for a phone that should easily last another four years, that’s a solid value. Read our review.
The Pixel 7 Pro includes a reliably good camera system, great daily performance, and a few clever extras thanks to Google’s custom chipset. Best of all, it costs a little less than the average top-tier flagship.
The Pixel 7 Pro includes a reliably good camera system, great daily performance, and a few clever extras thanks to Google’s custom chipset. Best of all, it costs a little less than the average top-tier flagship.
- The Google Pixel 7 Pro is just a lot of phone at $649, marked down from $899. For that price, you get a big 6.7-inch 120Hz screen, wireless charging, an IP68 rating, and an excellent camera system that includes a 5x telephoto lens. Read our review.
- The Pixel 7 is on a healthy discount, too, down from $599 to $499. You lose the telephoto lens and have to settle for a smaller 6.4-inch 90Hz display, but it still offers wireless charging and an IP68 rating — things you’d be hard-pressed to find on another $500 phone. Read our review.
Google’s Pixel 6A comes with a relatively small 6.1-inch OLED screen but is an excellent performer with a good camera and battery life.
- The real deal of the day might just be the Google Pixel 6A, which was permanently marked down to $349 with the introduction of the Pixel 7A. It’s down to $249 right now, though, easily making it the fanciest sub-$300 phone around. Read our review.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a huge 6.8-inch screen, built-in S Pen stylus, two telephoto cameras, and a top-notch Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. It’s pricey, but there’s nothing else quite like it on the market.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a huge 6.8-inch screen, built-in S Pen stylus, two telephoto cameras, and a top-notch Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. It’s pricey, but there’s nothing else quite like it on the market.
- The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is on sale for $949.99. You’ll need to pick the 256GB variant to get that price, but it’s one heck of a phone even at its full $1,199 MSRP. Other variations are available with 512GB of storage for $1,079.99, normally $1,379.99. Read our review.
- The Galaxy S23 Plus, which we think is the best Android phone overall for most people, is down to $799.99 from $999.99 with 256GB of storage. Likewise, the slightly smaller Galaxy S23 is down to just $659.99 from $859.99 with 256GB of storage. Read our review.
The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G adopts the S23 series’ rear panel design and a couple of other flagship-esque features, starting with its 6.4-inch display.
- Samsung’s Galaxy A54 5G offers the best screen on any phone under $500, and it’s marked down to $349.99 from its usual $449.99. Read our review.
- Last year’s 4G-only Moto G Stylus from Motorola is down to a very low $139.99 from $299.99. It’s a good basic budget phone with 6GB of RAM and a big 6.8-inch screen, plus a bonus feature you won’t find on most flagship phones: a headphone jack. Read our review.
The Moto G Stylus complements its namesake feature with good everyday performance and a big 1080p display, though it doesn’t include 5G connectivity.
