Second Prime Day phone deals: recap

While Amazon Prime Day 2 for 2023 — also known as Prime Big Deal Days — is a thing of the past, we now have an important thing to do — recap all the best deals we came across.

In case you missed it, Amazon Prime Day 2 brought fantastic deals on hot flagship phones, mid-range marvels, and entry-level devices alike. As usual, we followed the event closely, helping shoppers get a head start on the holiday savings season well before Black Friday campaigns. Are you ready? Let's check out which brands and models got the most handsome markdowns.

Feel free to also check out our Amazon Spring Sale 2024 expectations, as we have a hunch that Amazon will most likely launch a Spring Sale event this year as well.

Samsung fans in the market for a new foldable were in for a treat at this year's second iteration of the Amazon Prime Day event. Foldables and non-foldable smartphones alike got substantial discounts ranging around the $50-$300 mark. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 was $300 off throughout the event at Amazon, while the stylish Z Flip 5 enjoyed a sweet $110 discount at the same retailer. 

During the savings event, shoppers could also claim up to $900 off the fantastic Galaxy S23 Ultra straight from the manufacturer's store. However, trade-ins were required to take advantage of this offer. Another deal at Samsung.com allowed you to get the Galaxy S23+ at up to $615 off with a trade-in. 

More affordable alternatives from the Galaxy A Series were also discounted heavily at this year's Prime Day 2 event. For example, the amazing Galaxy A54, one of the best mid-range phones, was selling for $120 off its price tag on Amazon.

Are Prime Day cell phone deals worth it?

That's a very good question. Most of the time, Prime Day deals on cell phones are worth it. Of course, getting an iPhone with a big Prime Day discount is an interesting challenge; however, sometimes there are interesting offers on some iPhone models. In the Android phone department, deals are usually epic, especially on Samsung and Motorola models, as well as OnePlus smartphones!

Cell phone deals on Prime Day are particularly noteworthy when they offer a pure discount, like the ones we get from Amazon or Best Buy. Of course, choosing a good plan with your carrier related to a deal for a phone you like is also a good strategy, just make sure you calculate everything yourself and don't forget to ask your carrier whatever question comes to mind in case you're having any doubts.

How to get the best cell phone deals on Prime Day?

Although finding the best deal is sometimes a challenge, we have some tips that might come in handy when the sales event begins. First off, we recommend tracking price changes on a product you have set your eyes on.

In order to monitor price changes on a phone you like, you can add it to your cart without ordering. That way, you can get notified by Amazon if the price tag changes. Additionally, you can compare the same device's price at other retailers or at your carrier to get a bigger picture of the deal you're thinking of going for.

On the topic of getting the best Prime Day deal, we even have a nice guide on how to shop Prime Day deals, with tips and tricks you can use during the sales to make the best purchase.

How to pick the best smartphone deal?

We get it, the smartphone market is saturated, and it's often hard to figure out if a deal is really... a deal, or if you're getting very little value for your money.

OK, here are a few rules of thumb:

• Check model year - devices from 2023 or 2022 will always be the best to go for, as they are fresh, powerful, and still get the latest software. Exception:
• Yesterday's flagship is better than today's mid-ranger - a Galaxy S21 (2021) will be a better phone than a Galaxy A53 (2022). One was made to be the top-tier phone of its time, the other one was made to meet a budget. And the old flagship will come at massive discounts! There's a threshold of how back you can go with this rule.
• Make sure to scroll through the color options - some devices get bigger discounts only in certain paintjobs.
• Don't shy away from carrier contracts - if you're approaching the end of your current contract or have already passed the date, it's a great time to re-subscribe and get an awesome phone deal to boot.
• Consider trade-in? Typically, you can get better money for your old phone on the second-hand market. However, selling the phone yourself can be an ordeal, especially if you need to figure out shipping or communicating with rude buyers. During the sales events, some stores are running so-called "enhanced trade-ins" that can give you better value for your phone, with no extra headaches attached!
• Before you pull the trigger - make sure that deal really is a... deal. Websites like camelcamelcamel.com will show you the pricing history of products, the lowest-ever price, and the recent price. That way, you can figure out if you are saving as much as it says on the device's page, or if it's smoke and mirrors.
• Pull the trigger - once you've made sure you've found a bargain — the bargain that you want — there's little time for hesitation. Sales events usually don't last long and products circulate out from the deal spotlight (or they sell out due to limited quantities).

How quickly do Prime Day phone deals usually sell out?

Very quickly, especially if we're talking about a popular model - we've seen stocks run out in hours on some of the more popular devices. Of course, during the event, many stocks do get replenished. Still, if you've set your eyes on a particular model and want to get it as soon as possible during the event, we'd advise you not to hesitate and go for it.

Let's talk a bit more about specifics: iPhone models rarely get big Prime Day deals, but if they do, for sure, they will run out quite fast. Galaxies are other phones that run out quite quickly, but we've seen Amazon restock on them fast (you can't really count on that, though - restocking may take time and by that time, the deal may have expired). On the other hand, some Motorola phones with big discounts may remain available for longer.

All in all, it's best to keep in mind that although the event itself will last for 48 hours, that doesn't mean the same deals will last for this amount of time. Here are our two cents: if you see the phone you wanted with a big discount, go for it as soon as you can!