The Best Unlocked Smartphone Deals for February 2023

With multiple new flagship phones dropping every year, it can hard to keep up. Should you spend $1,000 on a new phone with a slightly faster processor and a few snazzy features if your current phone is only a year or two old? That’s the benefit of unlocked phones: They’re not tied to a carrier, offering you more freedom and less bloatware. The only drawback is they don’t typically include the same incentives a carrier-locked smartphone does. Or do they?

Whether you’re an iPhone fanatic or an Android aficionado, there’s an unlocked smartphone out there for you. And there’s a good chance there’s also a deal out there on something you’ll want to use. If you’re looking for your first unlocked phone or if you’ve been carrier-agnostic for years, you still have a few basic decisions to make in your next phone purchase. 

Obviously, the major decision to make is iOS vs. Android. If you’re a die-hard iOS’er your decision is somewhat easy, but there’s no shortage of Android phones out there. Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel are the two biggest players on the market, but phone makers like Motorola and OnePlus also produce highly rated devices.

Once you decide on your operating system, there are a few other variables to consider: connection speed (LTE or 5G), storage capacity, battery life, and camera quality. Most phones do pretty great with all of these nowadays, but if you need a phone that’ll go for days without a charge, that’ll probably be different from the phone that has the most powerful camera onboard. 

Finally, price is always an overall consideration. Going into $1,000+ territory for a phone can be easy to do, but there are a number of models on the market that give you great performance for around $500 (or less). Saving a few bucks on any of these phones is even better since you’ll likely be carrying this around for years. Here are the best deals we’ve found:

Samsung Galaxy S23/S23+/ S23 Ultra Pre Order with Free Storage Upgrade + Amazon Gift Card

(Credit: Michael Kan/PCMag)

Now’s your chance to save big on Samsung’s newly announced Galaxy S23 line.

• Galaxy S23—The S23 has a 6.1-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a 3,900mAh battery. The back camera is 50MP wide and the front camera is 12MP. Unlike the other two phones in this line, the highest amount of storage is 256GB.

• Galaxy S23+—The S23+ has a 6.6-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a 4,700mAh battery. The camera is the same as the S23, though the maximum storage capacity is 512GB.

• Galaxy S23 Ultra—The S23 Ultra has the largest AMOLED screen at 6.8 inches, with the same 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and also the largest battery at 5,000mAh. It is the only phone in the series that supports 12GB memory and it also has the best main camera at 200MP wide.

Purchasing through Best Buy(Opens in a new window) also comes with a free storage upgrade and a trade-in discount, plus you get up to a $100 Best Buy gift card which can be used on future purchases. Like, say, a new case and screen protector for your shiny new Galaxy S23(Opens in a new window), Galaxy S23+(Opens in a new window), or Galaxy S23 Ultra(Opens in a new window).

OnePlus 11 5G Unlocked Phone With $100 Amazon Gift Card (Pre Order)

((Credit: Dave LeClair))

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, the most cutting edge chipset available for Android devices, the OnePlus 11 5G has a storage capacity of up to 256GB and 16GB memory. The 6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED display supports Dolby Vision HDR10+ for impressive picture quality and color depth. There’s also OnePlus’s flagship Hasselblad camera with an Ultra Wide 48MP quad-pixel sensor camera, a 50MP Main quad-pixel sensor camera, and a 32MP Portrait Tele quad-pixel sensor camera.

Google Pixel 6a Smartphone

((Credit: Dave LeClair))

The Google Pixel 6a may not be brand spanking new like the others on our list, but if you’re in the market for a midrange Android phone, it’s a strong value and a PCMag Editors’ Choice winner. Sporting a vibrant OLED display and a decent camera, this smartphone has a Google Tensor CPU and runs the Android 12 operating system. Measuring in at 6.0 by 2.8 by 0.35 inches, its distinct appearance sets the Pixel 6a apart from other smartphones, though the lack of microSD card slot may be a dealbreaker for some.