It’s the white whale of Black Friday deal-hunting: a straight-up discount on Apple’s latest, greatest, orangest iPhone. With the redesigned iPhone 17 having only launched in September, you might be hoping to grab one for a bargain price in the November sales.
I’ve been covering Apple’s Black Friday strategy for the better part of a decade, so let me temper your expectations. It’s unlikely we’ll see a straight-up cash discount on the iPhone 17 or iPhone 17 Pro from a major retailer this Black Friday.
Apple’s new flagship is designed to drive phone sales from now until next summer, and cutting prices just two months after launch isn’t how the company rolls. However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find a good deal. You just need to know where to look, and have a flexible definition of the word “deal”.
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday officially takes place on Friday 28 November, with the sales event running through the weekend to Cyber Monday on 1 December. However, the deals season starts much earlier, and we expect the first offers to begin landing from the start of November.
Will the iPhone 17 get a Black Friday discount?
A simple price cut on the iPhone 17 handset probably won’t happen. Apple itself doesn’t dabble in Black Friday discounts, preferring to retain its carefully cultivated air of unattainable sophistication.
In previous years, the closest Apple has come to taking part in Black Friday is offering a promotional gift card with the purchase of a new device during the sale. This is a nice bonus if you were planning to buy other Apple products anyway, but it’s not the cash-in-your-pocket discount most of us are pining for.
What about third-party retailers like Amazon, Currys and John Lewis? In the past, we’ve occasionally seen very modest price drops of around £20-£50 on a new iPhone during a major sale. These deals are rare, often limited to specific colours or storage configurations, and tend to sell out quickly. My advice is to keep your eyes trained on our guide to the best Apple deals this Black Friday for all the latest price drops.
iPhone 17 Pro (pay monthly)
Carphone Warehouse has the best deal on the iPhone 17 Pro ahead of Black Friday. You can get Apple’s latest phone with 100GB of data for £44.99 per month and an upfront payment of £99. That’s a total payment of £1,199 on a £1,099 handset. Tech critic, David Phelan, has put the new phone to the test, saying in his iPhone 17 Pro review: “In everyday usage, this phone’s performance is pitch-perfect, with nothing slowing it down.”
Buy now £44.99, Carphone Warehouse
Where will the best iPhone deals be?
During Black Friday, network providers like O2, Vodafone and EE will be competing for your business with new contracts. While the total cost of the phone itself won’t change, a good Black Friday offer will sweeten the deal with bonuses such as a lower upfront cost, a reduced monthly payment for a limited time, extra monthly data or subscriptions to services like Apple TV+.
However, you should look at the iPhone 16 or older for the best deals. Last year’s models are now primed for their first significant price cuts. The iPhone 16 Pro is still a brilliant smartphone that’s more than powerful enough for anyone, and we could see some enticing discounts this year.
As always, the IndyBest team and I will be on hand to make sure you’re first to know about the latest discounts, as we’ll be tracking all the best Apple Black Friday offers the moment they drop.
For more bargains, head to our roundup of the best Black Friday phone deals to expect this year
