The Edit — Tech
Black Friday Phone Deals 2026: Why Last Year's Model Wins
2 Motorola models a year apart still carry the identical review count, 3,396 each, because Amazon pools reviews across a variation family. Worth knowing before you trust any phone's stars.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick.Research-led, nothing handled. We may earn from links; it never changes a pick. How we choose
The 7 phones here are ranked by rating, then by how many owners rated them, read on 10 October 2026, as How we choose describes, ahead of Black Friday on 27 November. Nothing here was handled or tested.
2 of them are a model year apart and carry the same 3,324 ratings in September and the same 3,396 in October. That is not an error. Amazon pools reviews across a variation family, so a count can cover several models at once.
Motorola Moto G Stylus 2025, Unlocked, 8/256 GB
Good fit You want storage and memory rather than a camera badge
Not for You want the longest software support available
Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G 2024, Unlocked, 8/128 GB
Good fit You want the deepest November discount
Not for You keep phones for 5 years
Google Pixel 10a, Unlocked, 128 GB
Good fit You keep a phone until it stops being updated
Not for You want a stylus or an SD slot
Google Pixel 10, Unlocked, 128 GB
Good fit A flagship at a superseded-model discount
Not for You want this year's camera
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G, Unlocked
Good fit A Samsung on a tight budget
Not for Long video calls, as battery reports split
Motorola Moto G Play, Unlocked, 4/64 GB
Good fit A first phone for a child, or a spare
Not for You take photographs or install many apps
Good fit You want the newest Samsung A-series
Not for You want the highest owner rating here
Check the exact model, not the listing family
Amazon groups colours, capacities and sometimes model years under 1 listing, so the stars you see can describe several phones. A 4.4 across 3,396 ratings can include a model with a different chip, camera and support window.
Phone families run for years, so confirm the exact model number before buying and read the reviews that mention it.
Motorola Moto G Stylus 2025, Unlocked, 8/256 GB
3,396 ratings at 4.4 with 8 GB of memory, 256 GB of storage and an SD slot.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Memory | 8 GB |
|---|---|
| Storage | 256 GB, plus SD slot |
| Note | Review count pooled with the 2024 model |
Owners call it great value, with a camera that takes very good pictures, a sharp screen, delay-free apps, 256 GB of storage and an SD slot. They find the stylus handy. Confirm the model number, because the listing groups several variants.
Buy it if
- You want storage and memory rather than a camera badge
- A stylus is useful to you
Don't buy it if
- You want the longest software support available
The discount lands on the model that was replaced
Phone makers ship annually. When the new model arrives the outgoing one does not become worse, it becomes surplus, and that is the only tier that discounts properly.
The current flagship gets a token cut in November. The model it replaced gets a real one, and it is the same phone that was reviewed enthusiastically 12 months earlier.
In 2026 that phone is the Google Pixel 10, replaced by the Pixel 11. It rates 4.4 across 851 ratings. Owners say it performs well, takes good pictures, lasts a full day of heavy use and sets up an eSIM easily.
Google Pixel 10, Unlocked, 128 GB
851 ratings at 4.4, the flagship the Pixel 11 replaced, with most of its 7 years of updates still to run.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Generation | 2025, superseded by the Pixel 11 |
|---|---|
| Updates | 7 years from US launch, per Google |
Owners praise the quality, the camera, the battery and the built-in AI features. It is the flagship at the price the sale exists to clear.
Buy it if
- A flagship at a superseded-model discount
Don't buy it if
- You want this year's camera
The cost is at the end rather than the beginning. Buying a year-old phone means starting 12 months into its support window, which is the specification the next section is about.
Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G 2024, Unlocked, 8/128 GB
The previous generation of the phone above, sharing its 3,396-rating pool exactly, and discounting harder because it is superseded.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Generation | 2024, superseded |
|---|---|
| Storage | 128 GB |
| Note | Same pooled count as the 2025 model |
The previous generation of the Moto G Stylus, sharing its review pool exactly, and discounting harder for the single reason that a newer one exists. For most people a year-old mid-range chip is indistinguishable in use; the question to settle is how many years of security updates remain.
Buy it if
- You want the deepest November discount
Don't buy it if
- You keep phones for 5 years
Software support is the specification that ends a phone
A phone stops being safe to use when it stops receiving security updates, and that happens years before the hardware fails.
Manufacturers now publish a commitment in years, and the range across the market is wide. That figure decides cost per year far more than the price does. A phone costing more with 6 years of support is cheaper to own than a bargain with 2.
The Pixel 10a rates 4.4 across 957 ratings. Owners call it excellent for the price and single out the battery, with 1 reporting 2 to 3 days between charges, and praise the camera and bright display.
Google Pixel 10a, Unlocked, 128 GB
957 ratings at 4.4, a mid-range Pixel owners praise for 2 to 3 days of battery, with 7 years of updates.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Updates | 7 years, per Google |
|---|---|
| Owners praise | Battery life, camera |
Owners describe a fast-enough, feature-loaded phone with outstanding battery life.
Buy it if
- You keep a phone until it stops being updated
Don't buy it if
- You want a stylus or an SD slot
Subtract the model’s age when buying last year’s phone. A 4-year commitment on a phone released 14 months ago is under 3 years of usable life left.
Samsung’s A-series has the most owners and the most complaints
The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G carries 3,886 ratings at 4.2, the most here. Owners call it decent for the price. The complaints are specific: freezing, crashes, and a battery that splits owners between great and dead after a video call.
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G, Unlocked
3,886 ratings at 4.2, the most here; owners call it decent for the price and report freezes.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Connectivity | 5G |
|---|---|
| Watch | Freezing and crash reports |
Performance and battery get mixed reports, as does Wi-Fi.
Buy it if
- A Samsung on a tight budget
Don't buy it if
- Long video calls, as battery reports split
The Galaxy A17 5G is the newer model and rates lower, 4.0 across 2,025 ratings. Owners split on whether it is quick or laggy, and report the system interface crashing.
Samsung Galaxy A17 5G, 128 GB
2,025 ratings at 4.0, the lowest here, with owners split on speed and stability.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Storage | 128 GB |
|---|---|
| Connectivity | 5G |
2,025 ratings at 4.0, the lowest here. Some owners report 2-day battery life; others report lag and freezes.
Buy it if
- You want the newest Samsung A-series
Don't buy it if
- You want the highest owner rating here
Memory and storage age faster than the camera
Storage is the first thing to fill. 64 GB is tight the day you buy it once photographs and updates accumulate, and many phones no longer take a memory card.
Memory decides how many apps stay open before the phone starts reloading them. 4 GB is the entry floor and shows its age quickly.
Cameras are where the marketing goes and where the differences have narrowed most. A megapixel count says almost nothing; sensor size and processing decide the picture, and neither appears on a listing.
Motorola Moto G Play, Unlocked, 4/64 GB
2,084 ratings at 4.2 on the entry tier, where 4 GB of memory and 64 GB of storage age first.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Memory | 4 GB |
|---|---|
| Storage | 64 GB |
| Network | LTE |
2,084 ratings at 4.2 on the entry tier, at 4 GB of memory and 64 GB of storage. Owners call it good value; speed and battery split them, and some report trouble on Spectrum and T-Mobile. As a first phone for a child or a spare, it is a sound purchase.
Buy it if
- A first phone for a child, or a spare
Don't buy it if
- You take photographs or install many apps
What to check before 27 November
Look up the published software support window and subtract the phone’s age. That number, in years, is what you are actually buying. Then buy storage over camera specification, and buy last year’s model rather than this year’s.
Check the price history rather than the badge, which spotting a fake discount covers, and note which categories move in November in what actually drops in price.
Prices, savings and deal badges are Amazon's own, read from Amazon within the last hour. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Tied highest rated
Motorola Moto G Stylus 2025, Unlocked, 8/256 GB