5 smartphones with significant discounts for back to school

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When it’s time to send the kids back to school, your only focus may be purchasing essentials like school supplies and clothing. But if you want to improve your chances of being named parent of the year, you might also want to consider buying new smartphones. August can be a good time to buy new mobile phones because of special offers on new models and new discounts on old models. So, who currently offers the best cell phone deals?

We’ve looked at all the major carriers and retailers to find smartphones selling at deep discounts for back to school, whether you’re looking for an Apple or Android device. Even if you don’t want to sign up for a new plan, you can find unlocked phones that match the models found from the big three carriers on this list while still saving over the MSRP. From respectable offers ranging from $70 to $250 to special trade-in offers totaling over $1,000, check out these great deals!

Amazon recently dropped the price of an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 FE smartphone with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. You can buy this phone now for as low as $619.99, a price drop of $380 from the price in mid-July. This appears to be an Amazon-specific deal since the phone is still listed at the full retail price of $999.99 on Samsung’s website. As the most affordable offering in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 lineup, the Flip7 FE is a budget-friendly, no-frills flip phone that has received solid reviews from users and reviewers.

With the FE, you’re giving up a bit in terms of screen size and resolution compared to the standard Flip7, but there are currently no deals for this device, which is still priced at the MSRP of $1,099.99. The Flip7 FE offers a 4,000mAh battery that Samsung says is “optimized…for all-day battery life” and “long hours of entertainment.” Just like its full-price Flip7 counterpart, the Samsung Galaxy Flip7 FE features a 50 MP wide-angle rear camera, a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle rear camera, and a 10 MP front-facing camera.

If you want to give your kids an inexpensive iPhone for back to school, the iPhone 16e is one of Apple’s cheapest new smartphone models. The model has a starting MSRP of around $600, but you can save around another 12% thanks to a discount from Best Buy, which is offering the iPhone 16e for $530. The unlocked phone at Best Buy has 128 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM.

Reviews of the Apple iPhone 16e give it mixed marks. Although it has a powerful battery and a good quality speaker, it lacks some high-end photography and video features that might disappoint you. Consumer Reports gives it extremely high scores in the areas of predicted reliability and owner satisfaction. The iPhone 16e is a slightly older model, released in late February 2025, so more discounts could be coming from retailers like Best Buy. But if you now need an entry-level phone for your kids, the current 16th discount is worth considering.

If you’re interested in signing up for a service plan through AT&T, you could receive a heavily discounted Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphone for as little as $5.56 per month for a 36-month plan (or just over $200 total). The Galaxy S26 Ultra with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM has an MSRP of $1,250. To receive the full discount, you will need to trade in an eligible phone and sign up for an eligible unlimited service plan.

Reviews of the Galaxy S26 Ultra praise the phone’s camera quality, AI integration, and screen design that hides what you’re looking at from nosy neighbors. Some reviewers were disappointed that the S26 Ultra didn’t offer a major spec upgrade over the S25 Ultra. If you prefer to buy an unlocked Galaxy S26 Ultra, you can get a big discount directly from Samsung. The manufacturer is offering $300 off the 256GB Galaxy S26 Ultra and $400 off the 512GB and 1TB models.

If paying nothing out of pocket is a discount that catches your eye, you might want to check out T-Mobile. To pay nothing for the iPhone Air with 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, you must trade in an eligible phone and sign up for an eligible service plan. That’s quite a deal considering the 512GB iPhone Air has an MSRP of $1,199.

iPhone Air reviews show that its extremely thin design is striking. It measures just 5.6mm thick (or 0.22 inches). Even though the iPhone Air only has one camera, which can be limiting for the types of photos you want to take, the camera’s image quality is impressive. If you prefer an unlocked iPhone Air, you can purchase it directly from Apple, but you’ll pay the full retail price. You might save a little money by selecting Apple’s 256GB unlocked model for $1,000. You can also trade in an eligible iPhone to save on the new purchase.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max is one of Apple’s premium smartphone offerings, delivering exceptional photography results, excellent battery life, and a pleasing design, according to reviews. Now you can get a great deal on this phone. If you’re ready to trade in your current phone and sign up for a qualifying plan from AT&T, you can purchase the iPhone 17 Pro Max with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM for just $2.78 per month on a 36-month plan – that’s a savings of $1,100!

Of course, the fine print of these savings is that you’ll receive those $1,100 in credits over the life of the contract, but it’s still a good deal if you’re already planning to upgrade. If you prefer an unlocked Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max, you can purchase it directly from the manufacturer. However, Apple only offers the 256GB version of the model for an MSRP of around $1,200. The iPhone 17 Pro Max dwarfs the iPhone 17 Pro in its 6.9-inch screen size (up from 6.3 inches), which will appeal to some customers.