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12.13.24
Pens, planners, and packs used to be the marker of a new school year, and while that may still ring true to some, more likely than not, back to school looks a lot more like: “Where can I buy a new phone?” Or more specifically, “Where can I buy a new phone on sale?”
Back to School season is a great time to invest in a new phone, whether it’s your first, the first you’re giving to your kid, or if you just decided it was time for an upgrade. Find the best phone that works for you – and your budget – with any of these picks.
Summary: Best Phone Deals Overall
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Best Unlocked Phone Deals
Best Unlocked Phone Under $100
Purchase any of these phones to use with your own phone plan!
Moto G Play on Amazon
Great for: Kids’ first phone.
Price: $99
Brand: Motorola (Android)
Storage: 32GB (SD slot for additional 512GB available)
Why we picked it: You’d be hard pressed to find a phone that features a 16MP camera, plus a 5,000mAh battery that can last for 3 days at this price point.
Pros: Great battery life, with enough power to support all your favorite apps.
Cons: It does not support 5G connectivity.
Best Unlocked Phones Under $200
1. Moto G Power 5G on Amazon
Great for: The parent supporting all their extracurriculars.
Price: $199
Brand: Motorola
Storage: 128GB
Why we picked it: If you’re able to spend a little more, this is a significant upgrade to the Moto G series. It’s able to support 5G (faster network speeds), and boasts of a 50MP camera. That’s more than the iPhone 14.
Pros: Features all the upper range features (battery life, camera, 5G capability) at an affordable price.
Cons: Doesn't come with expendable storage, so if you keep a lot of pictures or download media (songs, videos), you may have to invest in a monthly cloud storage.
2. Samsung Galaxy A15 5G on BestBuy
Great for: The college student
Price: $199
Brand: Samsung
Storage: 128GB (with expandable storage for an SD card up to 1000GB)
Why we picked it: Another great choice at an affordable price point that gets you a sharp camera (50MP), a beautiful screen, and the added bonus of Samsung’s high-tech features.
Pros: It's a phone that will support everything you'd want to do, and it still has a headphone jack!
Cons: Does not support 4K recording or wireless charging.
Best Phone Deal for Students
Samsung Galaxy S24 or S24+ on Samsung
Great for: everyone
Price: $779.99 - $999.99
Brand: Samsung
Storage: 256GB
Why we picked it: If you already have an eligible device (phone or tablet) that is in good condition, you can trade it in to get up to $600 off your S24 purchase. And even if you don’t, this is still a great price for their top end model that includes all the features that make Samsung a top brand.
Pros: Your purchase will also include several discounts, such as 3 free months of YouTube Premium, and 6 free months of a basic Microsoft 365 plan – great resources for college.
Cons: If you don't have an eligible device to trade in, the price point is a little high.
Best iPhone Deals
Most iPhone deals will either depend on an eligible trade-in, or an instalment plan through a carrier. These usually also come with a condition that you have to opt in to their top end monthly plans, which can end up being more expensive than the phone itself over the course of the instalment plan.
TextNow Tip: Our recommendation would be either to find a used (or refurbished) iPhone online or to choose an older model that’s more affordable outright. But if getting your hands on the latest model is your wish, we have a few picks for that too.
Price: as low as $0/month
Deal: The short of the story is that if you trade in a phone that has a minimum $290 trade-in value (eg. iPhone 13 Pro and up, Samsung S23+ and up, Google Pixel 8 and up) within the first 30 days of activation, you will get $1,000 in bill credits.
Keep in mind that this also means that you have to activate – and keep – an eligible unlimited data plan that is a minimum of $75.99/month (before discounts.) Trading in older models (see eligible phones on AT&T’s list) can still get you $700 in credits.
Price: $0/month
Deal: Verizon is a little more flexible in that you don’t necessarily have to trade in a phone to take advantage of the deal. If your credit check meets the requirements, you can get the iPhone 15 128GB with 0% APR for 36 months. This ultimately means that you have to pay for one of their select Unlimited Plans instead to qualify for the offer.
3. Select iPhones Used or Refurbished on BestBuy
Price: Starting at $209.99
TextNow Tip: Newer models of phones are usually only marginally improved. Unless you are in need of a specific feature (longer battery life or 4K video recording), you can get a lot of use out of an iPhone 12 or 13, and save a lot more along the way.
Methodology: How we select the best phone deals
We know that the best phone service deserves the best phone. While price is a key factor in phone purchases, there are other modern features that are integral to your everyday phone experience.
We also account for camera quality, storage, and 5G capabilities. While the camera quality needs will vary person to person, it's important that a certain minimum standard (16MP) be met. We know how important those photos are!
Storage is equally as important, as low storage can affect phone performance overall (slower apps and errors on certain apps), so if 128GB isn't standard, we look for phones that can support expendable storage to avoid poor performance.
And lastly, as 5G is becoming the standard, we want to ensure that you're getting your money's worth with the higher end models by being able to support the fastest network for an easier time downloading and uploading your content.
Commonly Asked Questions About Back to School Phone Deals
