This Week’s Big Phone Discounts: Worth It or Wait?
This weekly roundup of flagship phone discounts highlights price cuts on leading models from Apple, Samsung, Google, Xiaomi, Motorola, and Nothing, explaining which deals are strong value now and which ones you should skip or wait on based on the size of the discount and how modern the hardware still is. Overall verdict: if you want a top-end phone today, the iPhone 17 Pro Max price cut and Galaxy S26 Ultra deals stand out, while smaller Xiaomi 17T price cuts and the full-price Nothing Phone 4b pre-order are easier to pass on. The best savings cluster around big-name flagships, but there are quieter mid-range offers if you are chasing value rather than raw performance.
In plain price terms, the most appealing headline offer is the iPhone 17 Pro Max discount of £50 on its 256GB and 512GB variants, while Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra drops €60 and the Galaxy S26 12/256GB falls by about €50 compared with a couple of weeks ago. That trio anchors the week: they are current-generation flagships with tangible cuts rather than token vouchers. If you are already eyeing one of these phones, these reductions make them more attractive, but they are not fire-sale prices that demand an impulse buy. Treat them as good opportunities to upgrade on your own schedule rather than limited-time steals.
Apple and Google: Strong Flagship Value Right Now
Apple’s headline deal is the iPhone 17 Pro Max price cut: a £50 discount on the 256GB and 512GB models, giving you Apple’s top-tier camera and performance for less. Paired with that, the more affordable iPhone 17e is £40 off; it offers a 6.1‑inch OLED display, a single 48‑megapixel rear camera, and Apple’s latest A‑series chipset, so you still get modern speed and a quality screen even if you skip the Pro lineup. These are solid, if modest, savings; if you were planning to buy anyway, now is a reasonable moment to do it rather than wait.
On the Android side, Google’s flagship Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL are back on sale with sizeable discounts and unchanged terms from last week. The Pixel 10 Pro is £250 off and features a 6.3‑inch OLED display, triple rear camera setup, and a 4,870mAh battery, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL is £300 off with the same core hardware, a larger 6.8‑inch display, and a 5,200mAh battery. One quotable takeaway: “The Pixel 10 Pro is £250 off its retail price and the Pixel 10 Pro XL gets a £300 discount, making them among the biggest percentage cuts of this week’s flagship phone discounts.” If you value computational photography and clean software, these are some of the best-value buys in this roundup.
Samsung and Xiaomi: Flagship and Mid-Range Savings
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra sits at the top of its lineup and is now €60 cheaper for the 12/512GB version than it was a couple of weeks ago, continuing a downward trend post‑Prime Day. The standard Galaxy S26 in 12/256GB trim is about €50 less than two weeks ago, though the 512GB model has gone up in price, making the mid-tier storage the sweet spot. For buyers who wanted Galaxy S26 Ultra deals without waiting for a new generation, this is an encouraging moment, but not a clearance event. At the more affordable end, Samsung’s Galaxy A57 5G is also on sale with a modest £50 discount and offers a 6.7‑inch display, 5,000mAh battery, and triple rear camera led by a 50MP sensor.
Xiaomi’s discounts span both established and newly launched phones. The Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra return with the same savings as last week: the Xiaomi 17 packs a 6.3‑inch display, 6,330mAh battery, and triple rear camera system, while the 17 Ultra ups the display to 6.9 inches and adds a more capable camera package; both run on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. Fresh this week, the Xiaomi 17T and 17T Pro move from launch promos with free tablets to their first simple price cuts—small, but a step toward better value. These Xiaomi 17T price cuts mean you can now pay less instead of relying on bundled freebies, but the reductions are mild; they are sensible if you already prefer Xiaomi, less compelling if you are brand-neutral.
Nothing and Motorola: New Pre-Orders and End-of-Support Decisions
Nothing’s lineup is in transition. The new Nothing Phone 4b is up for pre-order with deliveries scheduled to begin on July 16, but there are no launch discounts attached. That makes it more of a future‑proof choice than a deal. Meanwhile, the brand confirmed that the original Nothing Phone (1) has received its last update: it launched on Android 12, received three OS updates, and its four‑year security patch window has now closed. For current owners, that end of support is a strong nudge toward upgrading. You could step up to the Nothing Phone (3), which launched with Android 15 and is promised a total of five OS updates, having already received Android 16.
If you prefer to buy with a concrete discount, Nothing offers cuts on the Phone 4a and Phone 3 instead of on the new model. The Phone 4a sees a £50 reduction, restricted to the Black color with 12GB of RAM and 256GB storage, while the Phone 3 drops by £100. Both are more attractive than paying full price for the Nothing Phone 4b pre-order unless you must have the latest design. Outside the transparent‑phone niche, Motorola’s Razr 70 and Razr 70+ foldables are also on sale. The Razr 70 and 70+ share 6.9‑inch LTPO inner displays, but the Razr 70+ adds a larger 4‑inch cover display, a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, and similar dual 50MP cameras and 4,500mAh versus 4,800mAh batteries. These are appealing if you want a flip phone at a discount rather than another slab.
Buy if / Skip if
- Buy the iPhone 17 Pro Max if you want a current Apple flagship and the £50 discount helps justify a planned upgrade.
- Skip the iPhone 17 Pro Max if you are waiting for a deeper sale or are happy with the cheaper iPhone 17e, which is also discounted.
- Buy the Galaxy S26 Ultra if you want a top Samsung flagship and appreciate the ongoing €60 price drop after Prime Day.
- Skip the Galaxy S26 Ultra if the discount still leaves it above your budget and you are comparing it to lower-cost Pixels or Xiaomis.
- Buy the Pixel 10 Pro or Pixel 10 Pro XL if you value big savings, strong cameras, and large batteries alongside clean Android software.
- Skip the Pixel 10 Pro or Pixel 10 Pro XL if you prefer heavier manufacturer skins or are locked into Apple’s ecosystem.
- Buy the Xiaomi 17 or 17 Ultra if you want Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 performance and strong battery life with reliable discounts.
- Skip the Xiaomi 17T and 17T Pro if you are chasing major bargains, because their first simple discounts are small for now.
- Buy the Nothing Phone 4b if you care more about being early to a new model than about launch savings, and can wait for delivery from July 16.
- Skip the Nothing Phone 4b if you prefer immediate value, since the Phone 4a and Phone 3 offer £50 and £100 discounts instead.
- Buy the Galaxy A57 5G if you want a recent mid-range phone with a 6.7-inch display, 5,000mAh battery, and a modest £50 discount.
- Skip the Galaxy A57 5G if you would rather stretch to a discounted flagship like the Pixel 10 Pro or Galaxy S26.
