What’s a good Black Friday camera phone deal? Here’s what to look for

It's easy to find Black Friday camera phone deals, but we'll help you find the ones that are actually worth it. At Digital Camera World we've already started rounding up the best Black Friday phone deals for you.

Our hubs are constantly updated with the best prices for your region:

Best Black Friday phone deals in the US
Best Black Friday phone deals in the UK

But with so many different models on offer, and with so many variations on deals, how do you know that you're actually getting a good price? Here are a few tips on what to look for when you want to get a good Black Friday phone deal.

Find the best Black Friday camera phone deals

1. Buy the phone outright

It can be easier to get a good deal on a phone if you buy the device outright, rather than from a mobile provider on a long contract where you have to pay a monthly fee. This is what you'd call an unlocked phone.

There are plenty of seemingly worthwhile trade-in offers being bandied about from the likes of Apple and Samsung, but these aren't always as good as they first appear, as they require you to trade in an already quite good phone, while the older devices you might actually want to replace will fetch a much lower price than advertised.

The best phone deals – or any deals for that matter – should tell you the exact price that you're going to pay upfront.

2. Buy direct

So, rather than buying a camera phone from a network provider, you can make savings by shopping directly with sites like Amazon, or by going straight to the manufacturer themselves.

For example, we're keeping an eye on Google's Black Friday sale which starts on November 17. We expect to see Google offer its latest Pixel phones at a discount, including the Google Pixel 6a – an amazing budget camera phone that still offers some of the latest features.

3. Know what phone you want to buy

It's no good just searching the internet for every deal on every handset. You'd be there forever, with still no guarantee of getting a good price. Shopping with intent will help you to find and compare the best deals. Need help deciding which new phone to choose? We can help you there.

There have been so many exciting new camera phones launched this year, including the iPhone 14 Pro, the Google Pixel Pro 7 and the Samsung Z Flip 4. If you know that you want a new camera phone but don't know which model, check out our best camera phone guide for all the top reviews and expert buying advice. 

We've also got brand-specific guides to:
The best Google Pixel phone
The best iPhone for photography
The best Samsung phone
The best Sony phones

Like all of the best Black Friday camera deals, the best deal on camera phones is the simplest one – where there's no paperwork to fill it and no trade in required.