I’ve experienced bad phones before. Here’s how to tell if a cheap phone is a bargain or rubbish

Low-priced phones often become cheaper over a period Black Friday shopping season. And sometimes, the holiday promotion season aligns perfectly with the moment when you actually need to upgrade, and do so Phone deals Really worth grabbing.

But I’ve noticed that like many holiday shopping deals and doorstep deals, Black Friday phone deals sometimes include some obvious things — and you might not know that until you actually buy and set up the new device. Most phones—even budget phones—handle the basics well: calling, texting, using apps, and multitasking while playing music. Ideally, you’ll also get at least a handful of AI features, e.g Google search departmentAnd perhaps more advanced tools like assistants that help store and organize your data.

So, ahead of the holiday shopping season, here are three key ways to know if a Black Friday phone deal is worth it — or if you need to return it right away.

Make sure your phone gets software and security updates for as long as you need them

I have no problem buying an old phone to save money. What I’m having trouble with is buying a phone, but it will miss software and security updates in a year or so. This is especially the case with phones that typically cost $400 or less, which may drop by up to half of their list price during Black Friday sales.

Before purchasing a discounted phone, if it’s first released in 2024 or earlier, check reviews of the phone to make sure you’ll continue to receive security updates for as long as you want to keep the device. You may have already gotten the latest batch of new features and security software.

Typically, when it comes to supporting software and security updates, phones like those in the Samsung Galaxy A series or Google Pixel A series You’ll get decent discounts while still offering years of software and security updates. This is because Samsung provides it Galaxy A phones With a six-year commitment to updates, Google promised seven years. This means that even if you’re buying a model that’s a year or two old, you’ll likely still have at least three to four years of time until the phone has active vulnerability protection.

On the other hand, TCL and Motorola They tend to have shorter commitments for software and security updates of around three years, so if you’re buying a model manufactured in 2024, you’ll need to make sure you’re OK with having roughly two years of updates remaining.

There’s not much you can do to save a bad phone camera

Most discount phones tend to have less cameras. This makes sense – image quality is often a big reason why more expensive phones have advanced capabilities powered by Wizards that can help clean up images Or provide a smart boost in low-light situations.

You’ll often see Android phones of all prices referring to their main camera as having “50MP” – that’s all well and good, but you’ll really need to use the camera to determine if the image quality meets the standards you want from your phone.

If you’re on a tight budget and have to deal with a camera that’s not great at the most advanced settings, here it is Tips and tricks Which you can still take advantage of to get the most out of your photos. Often times, it is best to make sure there is plenty of natural light and avoid shooting subjects that have a lot of fast movement.

But if the camera doesn’t meet your needs after a few days of trying out your new phone, that alone is a solid reason to return it and try something different.

The software must be easy to use, otherwise what’s the point?

If you get a Black Friday phone deal but quickly find it too frustrating for simple tasks like playing music, making calls, or taking photos, there’s no reason to keep using that phone.

Defining the word “frustrating” is subjective, but to me, one of the biggest red flags is when a cheaper phone is loaded with bloatware — branded apps and services that come pre-installed, have little or no connection to the phone maker, and act more like ads than useful tools. Another sign that your phone is full of bloatware is when these apps or features are impossible to uninstall or hide.

I’ve seen this come in a variety of forms, such as a carrier-branded news feed that requires a deep dive into settings to delete, or watermarks being added to photos by default or weirdly Web browsers are also loaded with ads At launch.

If you see red marks like these, you can usually remove them. But ideally, your phone should be relatively easy to use right out of the box, and if not, that’s a justifiable reason to return it and try something else.

So how can I spot a good deal?

The best way to find a good phone deal is to know which phones you’ll be happy to buy now, even if you’re not guaranteed to get a price drop. Next, if you’re not desperate to buy a new phone, keep checking retail sites to see if the price of the device you really want has dropped.

This will give you time to make a well-informed decision – and even stop by a store to try on a display model. Then, if the phone you want goes on sale, even for a little while, you’ll be much better off: you’ve got the phone you actually need and you’ve saved money, too.