Black Friday 2024 falls on November 29, but we expect many iPhone deals to be available before that date. Black Friday used to be a one-day sale, but these days it’s more of a broader seasonal sale that usually spans most of November. After that, I always recommend our readers to look out for deals from the beginning of November onwards, regardless of the type of products they are looking to get at a discount.

A notable example of early Black Friday deals last year was Verizon’s early flash sale, which took place about a week before the big day itself. While it’s too early to tell if major carriers will offer similar iPhone 16 preview deals this year, I recommend you bookmark this page and check in for more updates.

In my opinion, the best time to buy an iPhone in general is usually during the initial pre-order period – right after the device is unveiled. Carrier deals and Apple promotions tend to be strongest during this first period as retailers look to encourage potential upgraders and lock in customers for another plan/product cycle.

With that, Black Friday will be a close second in terms of the overall best time to pick up an iPhone 16. November is another common month for upgraders so you’ll definitely find great Black Friday iPhone 16 deals if you missed the initial pre-order period . Plus, who knows – we could even see some surprise promotions in addition to the usual trade-in discounts and freebies during Black Friday.

First and foremost, the biggest iPhone 16 discounts over Black Friday will almost certainly revolve around some sort of trade-in criteria. If you’re looking for an outright discount, expect to trade in an old device with either Apple itself or one of the major carriers in both the US and UK. Unfortunately, this is the case with iPhone deals all year round but the savings can be significant if your old device is valued high enough. For example, the usual maximum discounts of up to $1,000 / £650 can knock a significant part of the asking price of an iPhone 16.

While trade-ins will likely be the mainstay of Black Friday iPhone 16 deals, there will likely be other promotions available at retailers. For example, Verizon has been experimenting with straight discounts for the iPhone 16 series along with new unlimited data lines and the option to bundle a free iPad and Apple Watch. These are great deals, but the catch is obviously that you need a line on the carrier’s expensive Ultimate Unlimited plan to be eligible.

In the UK we expect a mix of trade-ins and contract discounts. Apple’s own Black Friday iPhone 16 deals probably won’t be as good – expect gift cards at most – but there should be good options at third-party retailers such as Carphone Warehouse and Mobiles.co.uk. Major networks such as Three, Vodafone and O2 can potentially offer good discounts on tariffs over Black Friday as well as better data allowances. Double data, for example, is a common freebie that networks love to throw in to entice people to switch providers.