Black Friday 2018: Best Deals on Apple's Latest iPhones and iPhone Accessories

Though the iPhone lineup was just refreshed in September and October with the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, carriers and third-party retailers are offering a selection of deals on the new smartphone.

Unfortunately, iPhone deals rarely come without strings attached, so to get one of these discounts, be prepared to purchase a device on a carrier installment plan and make sure to read all of the fine print when signing up.

iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR

Walmart has the best deal on the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, offering a $300 Walmart gift card with the purchase of one of these new devices. The iPhones must be purchased on a qualifying AT&T Next, Sprint, or Verizon device payment plan, ruling out T-Mobile.

iphone xs vs xr
Walmart's deal is valid in Walmart retail stores only, so you're going to need to venture out in Black Friday crowds to get it. Walmart opens at 6:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

If you prefer to shop at Target, you can get a $250 Target gift card with the purchase of an iPhone XS or XS Max on Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T. Once again, an activation plan is required, with 24 months of installment payments.

For those who want straight cash, Best Buy is offering a $150 discount on the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR with qualified activation.

iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or X

Walmart also has the best deal on the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or X, offering an even larger $400 Walmart gift card with the purchase of one of these devices. The iPhones must be purchased on a qualifying AT&T Next, Sprint, or Verizon device payment plan, ruling out T-Mobile.

iphone x vs 8 compare
As mentioned above, Walmart's deal is valid in Walmart retail stores only. Walmart opens at 6:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

For those who prefer to shop at Target, the retailer is offering a $150 Target gift card with the purchase of a device on a Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile activation plan.

If you want a straight cash discount, Best Buy is offering a $200 discount on the iPhone X with qualified activation.

Apple's iPhone Deals

Apple is offering a $50 Apple Store gift card with the purchase of a SIM-free iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, or iPhone 7 Plus starting Black Friday through Cyber Monday. The deal does not apply to the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, or iPhone XR, purchases via the iPhone Upgrade Program, or carrier-locked iPhones.

The deals are available via Apple.com, by phone at 1-800-APPLE, and at Apple Stores in the United States. Gift card values vary in other participating countries.

Carrier Deals

There are specific carrier deals on some of Apple's newest iPhones as well, for those who prefer going with a carrier discount.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile is offering the iPhone XR at no cost when activating two lines and trading in an eligible smartphone.

Verizon

With the purchase of an iPhone XR, XS, XS Max, or X, Verizon is offering a $100 discount for existing customers and a $300 discount when adding a new line. A trade-in of an older device is required, and the phone must be purchased on a device payment plan.

Sprint

Sprint is offering a free iPhone XR with the lease of an iPhone XS, XS Max, or X. The deal requires two new lines or one new and one upgrade, along with an 18-month lease.

Deals on iPhone-Related Accessories

More Black Friday Deals

We've got Black Friday deals on Apple's entire product lineup along with a long list of sites that are offering additional discounts on accessories, so for a full list of everything that you can get at a discount today, make sure to check out our full Black Friday roundup. See additional discounts on the iPad that are worth sharing? Make sure to mention them in the comments and feel free to email us at tips@macrumors.com.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Related Forum: Community Discussion

Popular Stories

cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Has No Visible Display Crease – Report

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:58 am PST by
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices. According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed...
trump iphone dictation issue

Apple Fixing 'Trump' Dictation Processing Bug

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:18 pm PST by
Multiple iPhone owners today noticed a pronunciation processing issue that causes the word "Trump" to momentarily show up when using dictation to send a message with the word "racist." In some cases, when speaking the word racist through the iPhone's built-in dictation feature, the iPhone briefly interprets the spoken word as "Trump" and "Trump" text shows up in the Messages app before being ...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
airtag orange

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch in May or June With These New Features

Monday February 24, 2025 6:11 am PST by
Apple plans to launch a second-generation AirTag in May or June this year, according to a post today from a leaker known as Kosutami. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that a new AirTag would be released in mid-2025. May or June would align with that timeframe. Below, we recap three new features rumored for the AirTag 2: With a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the...
ios 18 4 carplay

iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay

Sunday February 23, 2025 2:23 pm PST by
The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay. As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped...

Top Rated Comments

Jim Lahey Avatar
82 months ago
I understand the business model here but I’m sorely disappointed that they’re not offering any deals whatsover on their newest hardware.

I’m normally pragmatic about Apple’s pricing. Many would perhaps righty label me as a fanboy, but even I’m starting to feel like Apple are mugging me off. The only reason I haven’t bought the XS Max and 11” iPad is the prices, and I normally just pay whatever is necessary. As such, I was hoping that Black Friday would make these devices just a little more accessible, but in fact it’s amplified the feeling that they’re gouging me on price for the new products.

If I feel like this about Apple, then perhaps it really is time for them to start reconsidering their sales strategy. They are an amazing company and I still love their software and hardware, but I think they need to reign in the hubris somewhat. Two sales lost to a fanboy through overpricing can’t be a good thing if others are feeling similar.

Guess I’ll skip this year.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
richmondhill Avatar
82 months ago


If I feel like this about Apple, then perhaps it really is time for them to start reconsidering their sales strategy. They are an amazing company and I still love their software and hardware, but I think they need to reign in the hubris somewhat. Two sales lost to a fanboy through overpricing can’t be a good thing if others are feeling similar.

Guess I’ll skip this year.
Yup, that exactly describes me. I love the Apple environment, but in practice, all our Apple stuff is aging. Every year small incremental improvements overcast by larger price increases. Used to regularly spend many $thousands each year with Apple. But for 5 years now all we've bought have been Time Capsule upgrades....a useful integrated product they've now discontinued. And then there's the stupid stuff: like having no headphone jack on the phone and the iPad Pro (and then not putting a lightning connector on the Macs) – a move that years later has delivered zero benefit, and has been emulated by no one. The lack of touch screens on Mac. The Touch Bar toy. The lack of a serious operating system for large screen ios devices. The list goes on. Yes these are nits; I can swallow the lack of headphone jack, but not when the price has been jacked up for really very little other improvement.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baymowe335 Avatar
82 months ago
I'd rather purchase a sim-free model from apple, than from walmart. But that's me.
Walmart's deal will still be eroding their own margin, not Apple's...so this isn't Apple lowering prices as some have said.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Velin Avatar
82 months ago
The Wal*Mart $400 gift card on iPhone 8/X would be an o.k. deal, but the "plan" requirement makes it a no.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LessO2 Avatar
82 months ago
The lengthy catches for all these "deals" are ridiculous.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
imageWIS Avatar
82 months ago
I'd rather purchase a sim-free model from apple, than from walmart. But that's me.
+1. I bought my Xs SIM free (replaced a 6s) and wouldn't have had it any other way.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)