Amazon's Prime Day 2025 event is here, and you need a new phone. You don't want to sign any sort of contract; you just want to pay for the thing and be done with it.
Well, you're in luck. As Mashable's senior smartphone reviewer, I've browsed through the currently available Prime Day smartphone deals and dug out the ones that I recommend. (Sadly, Prime Day typically doesn't bring good iPhone deals, though tons of other Apple deals are available.) The criteria here, however, is not just finding the biggest discounts or the cheapest devices; instead, I've tried to find the deals that offer the best value, especially keeping in mind impending new phone launches.
Beware: There will be a couple of Samsung phones on this list. The reason is simple: Samsung Unpacked is just days away, and Samsung is clearing its inventory with large discounts on current devices.
My top pick: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Yes, I know not everyone is looking for a foldable phone. But hear me out. By shopping on Prime Day, you're getting a great opportunity to get a really big discount on an absolute monster of a phone, which the Galaxy Z Fold 6 definitely is. It's also a good moment to try out new things; perhaps you'll enjoy the added screen real estate so much that you'll easily forgive the extra bulk.
The bottom line is this: A Pink Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 with 512GB of storage can currently be had for $1,119.99, which is a full 45% off its listed price.
For the money, you're getting a foldable phone with a massive, 7.6-inch main display, a 6.3-inch cover display, a 50-megapixel main camera with 3x optical zoom, a large, 4,400mAh battery, 12GB of RAM, and tons of Samsung's AI smarts.
Sure, you can go for the Galaxy S25+ which costs roughly two hundred bucks less, but do consider the Fold. This could be a great moment to go foldable.
However, we have to warn you: We fully expect Samsung to drop the new Z Fold 7 in the very near future. So, shop accordingly.
Flagship for less: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Of course, some people just aren't interested in a foldable phone, but they want the best their money can buy. In that case, check out the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which can be had for as little as $949 during Prime Day. However, as a phone reviewer, I have to recommend paying a little more for the model with 512GB of storage, which is on sale for $1,054.99. That's in the Titanium Silverblue color, but there are currently several other options available for just $15 more, including Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, and Titanium Whitesilver.
There probably isn't a lot we need to tell you about the Ultra; in short, it's Samsung's most powerful phone (read our full review, though).
Now, you're probably wondering: Should you buy the Ultra now, mere days before Samsung announces new flagship phones? I think it's a safe bet. Samsung typically debuts its new foldables in the summer, not the standard Ultra model. Besides, Samsung typically makes only incremental upgrades to the Ultra, and the current version is already so powerful that you almost certainly won't regret the purchase. We're talking 6.9-inch display, a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, a 5,000mAh battery, 12GB of RAM, and a monster, 200/50/10-megapixel battery trio on the back.
Impulse buy: Motorola Moto G Power 5G
Here's one you don't have to think about a lot. Motorola's Moto G Power 5G has been heavily discounted and can now be had for a mere $169.99 (down 43% from $299.99, with a previous discount of $209.99).
It's a no-nonsense phone with a large, 6.7-inch display, a massive, 5,000mAh battery, a 50-megapixel camera, and a MediaTek Dimensity 7020 chipset coupled with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
In short, it's a phone that has everything you need, at a price that's a small, small fraction of what your typical flagship goes for. No need to overthink this one; if you need a cheap phone, this is a good deal.
Best Pixel phone deal: Google Pixel 9 Pro
While iPhone users are out of luck, the best Prime Day smartphone deals include big discounts on Android phones from Samsung and Pixel. While Samsung is the go-to brand if you want elite performance, no matter the cost, Pixel smartphones are a better bet if budget is a concern.
The latest-gen Pixel 9 series is currently the undisputed king of the mid-range Android phone category. And for Prime Day 2025, you can grab the flagship Pixel 9 Pro smartphone for just $749.
I do have one caveat here. This model only comes with 128GB of onboard storage, which will fill up fast if you take a lot of photos and videos. That said, if you take advantage of Google Cloud storage options, you can get away with the lightweight storage.
