As the Black Friday shopping season approaches, many consumers eagerly anticipate significant discounts on lower-priced smartphones. These deals often coincide perfectly with the time when people need to upgrade their devices, making the holiday sales an ideal opportunity to snag a good phone at a reduced price. However, while some offers are genuinely worthwhile, others can be disappointing or even frustrating once you start using the device. To help shoppers navigate this complex landscape, it’s important to understand how to evaluate Black Friday phone deals carefully before making a purchase.
One of the most common pitfalls during holiday sales is buying a phone that looks like a steal but quickly becomes obsolete in terms of software support. Many budget-friendly phones are discounted heavily because they are near the end of their software update lifecycle. For example, the Moto G line is a popular choice among bargain hunters. Its 2024 models often see deep discounts in their second year on the market, but this happens partly because these phones are already halfway through the period during which they receive software and security updates. While it’s perfectly reasonable to buy an older phone to save money, the problem arises when the device stops receiving critical updates soon after purchase.
Security updates and software improvements are essential for keeping your phone safe from vulnerabilities and ensuring it runs smoothly. If you buy a phone that is about to lose support, you may find that it becomes vulnerable to security risks or that it misses out on important new features. This concern is especially relevant for phones originally priced at $400 or less, which can sometimes drop to half their initial price during Black Friday sales. Before committing to such a purchase, it’s wise to check reviews and official update policies to verify how much longer the phone will continue to receive updates.
Some brands stand out for offering longer software support even on their budget models. Samsung’s Galaxy A series and Google’s Pixel A series, for instance, come with robust update commitments. Samsung promises six years of software and security updates for its Galaxy A phones, while Google guarantees seven years for its Pixel A models. This means that even if you buy a model that is a couple of years old during Black Friday, you can expect at least three to four more years of active protection and feature enhancements. In contrast, brands like TCL and Motorola generally offer shorter update periods, typically around three years total. If you’re considering a 2024 model from these companies, be prepared for only about two years of remaining updates.
Another important factor to consider when hunting for Black Friday phone deals is camera quality. Many discounted phones, especially those on the lower end of the price spectrum, tend to skimp on their camera capabilities. This is understandable since high-quality cameras require advanced hardware and software features that cost more to develop and integrate. Expensive phones often include powerful processors and AI-driven technologies that enhance photo quality, particularly in challenging situations like low light or fast movement.
Smartphone marketing frequently highlights megapixel counts, such as “50 megapixels,” but this number alone doesn’t tell the whole story. The real test of a camera is how well it performs in everyday use. If you’re on a tight budget and willing to compromise on photographic quality, you can still take decent photos by leveraging natural lighting and avoiding fast-moving subjects. However, if after a few days of testing, you find that the camera fails to meet your needs or produces consistently poor images, that should be a strong signal to return the phone and try something different.
Beyond software support and camera quality, user experience is another critical aspect to evaluate. A phone that is frustrating to use—even for basic tasks like playing music, making calls, or taking photos—should not be tolerated. What counts as “frustrating” can vary from person to person, but one major red flag is the presence of bloatware. Bloatware refers to preinstalled apps and services that often serve little practical purpose and may function more like advertisements than helpful tools. These apps might be carrier-branded news feeds, apps that add watermarks to photos by default, or obscure web browsers loaded with ads that appear every time you open them.
Bloatware can be difficult or impossible to uninstall or even hide, making the phone feel cluttered and intrusive. While some bloatware can be removed with effort, ideally, your new phone should be ready to use right out of the box without requiring a deep dive into settings to disable annoying features. If you encounter a phone overloaded with bloatware and ads, it’s a valid reason to return it