Six Labor Day Smartphone Deals That Are Worth the Money

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.There's no arguing the fact that tech is expensive right now. The memory crisis has pushed companies to raise prices on products across the board, and smartphones are no exception. If you're in the market for a new phone, you might be feeling that crunch, and while you can certainly weigh carrier promotions and different payment plans, you shouldn't overlook these Labor Day discounts. While this holiday isn't known for smartphone deals, there are some solid offerings at Best Buy and Amazon. Below are six of the best I've found.Save $300 on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra $1,799.99 at Amazon $2,099.99 Save $300.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,799.99 at Amazon $2,099.99 Save $300.00 The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is Samsung's flagship foldable smartphone. It's also very expensive: The phablet retails for $2,099.99, which puts it on par with a souped-up laptop. Right now, you can get it $300 off from Amazon. That's still a pricey $1,799.99, but according to Keepa, it's the Z Fold 8 Ultra's best price in three months. For the money, you get a 6.5-inch cover screen (which is larger than many standard smartphone displays) that opens up to reveal an 8-inch inner display. This device has three rear cameras: one 200MP wide, one 50MP ultrawide, and one 10MP telephoto. (The selfie camera is also 10MP.) It runs the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip with 12GB of RAM, and comes with 256GB of storage. Save $150 on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 $1,049.99 at Amazon $1,199.99 Save $150.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,049.99 at Amazon $1,199.99 Save $150.00 On the flip side (pun very much intended), there's the Galaxy Z Flip 8. Amazon has discounted Samsung's flippable flagship by $150 for Labor Day, 13% off its MSRP of $1,199.99. This model comes with a 4.1-inch fully usable cover screen, which flips open to reveal a 6.7-inch main display. It has two rear cameras, a 50MP wide and 12MP ultrawide, with a 10MP selfie cam. It runs the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chip with 12GB of RAM as the Z Fold 8 Ultra. This discount is for the 256GB model. Save $125 on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Samsung Galaxy S26 $774.99 at Best Buy $899.99 Save $125.00 Get Deal Get Deal $774.99 at Best Buy $899.99 Save $125.00 If you're looking for one of Samsung's standard smartphones, check out this deal on the Galaxy S26. Best Buy currently has it for $774.99, down $125 from the $899.99 retail price. With this phone, you get a 6.3-inch 1080p display and a refresh rate of 120Hz. This phone also runs the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip with 12GB of RAM, so performance should match the company's foldable and flippable phones. It has three rear cameras (50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto), and one 12MP selfie cam. Save $250 on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra $1,049.99 $1,299.99 Save $250.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,049.99 $1,299.99 Save $250.00 Anyone looking for the best of Samsung's standard phones should check out this deal on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Best Buy is taking $250 off the device for Labor Day, bringing the cost from $1,299.99 to $1,049.99. Samsung's "pro" smartphone comes with a 6.9-inch 1440p display with a 120Hz refresh rate and four rear cameras (200MP main, 50MP periscope telephoto, 10MP telephoto, and 50MP ultrawide). (It also comes with a 12MP selfie cam.) Since this is the Ultra, it also comes with Samsung's S Pen, for users who want a stylus. Save $150 on the iPhone Air iPhone Air $849.99 $999.99 Save $150.00 Get Deal Get Deal $849.99 $999.99 Save $150.00 Apple is about to announce a slate of new iPhones, so it might not be the best time to invest in a new device from the company. That said, if you need an iPhone right now, or you've been eyeing the iPhone Air for some time, this is a solid deal: Best Buy has taken $150 off the price of the iPhone Air with 256GB of storage. That brings it down from $999.99 to $849.99. As the name implies, this is Apple's thinnest and lightest iPhone: It's 5.6mm thin, with a 6.5-inch 1260p display. There's only one rear camera, but it has a 48MP sensor, so you have plenty of pixels to work with. (There's also an 18MP selfie camera on the front.) The Air runs the A19 Pro, which is Apple's latest chip, for now—and while the company is almost assuredly announcing the A20 Pro next week, it will likely support the A19 Pro for years. (You need it to run some of Apple's upcoming AI features.)Save $151 on the iPhone 13 mini (refurbished) iPhone 13 mini $224.00 at Best Buy $375.00 Save $151.00 Get Deal Get Deal $224.00 at Best Buy $375.00 Save $151.00 Typically I wouldn't recommend buying a five-year-old iPhone, but this is a special circumstance. Best Buy currently has refurbished iPhone 13 minis on sale for $224, $151 below the usual list price of $375. (Its original MSRP was much higher, mind you.) If you miss how small smartphones used to be, this might be a great pickup. The 13 mini was Apple's last "small" iPhone, and unless the market changes in a big way, the company will likely never make something like it again. This model has a 5.4-inch 1080p display, 128GB of RAM, two rear cameras (12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide), and one 12MP selfie cam. Apple still supports its A15 Bionic chip, and likely will for at least a couple more years. (The iPhone 11, which was released two years prior, still supports iOS 27.) This isn't the phone to get if you want the very best iPhone Apple makes or to play around with Apple Intelligence, but it is the one to get if you want the best, smallest iPhone. Labor Day deals FAQsWhen do Labor Day sales start?Labor Day sales are currently ongoing, and run through Monday, Sept. 7.Are Labor Day sales worth it?It depends! Black Friday and Prime Day tend to have more deals that are worth your money, while Labor Day can fall short. That said, you can still find good prices that can rival those other holidays—if not beat them. (We use price tracking tools to let you know if a deal is worth it or not.)What other stores have Labor Day sales?Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowe's, Wayfair, and Target all have Labor Day sales. (Lifehacker will be rounding up deals for all of these sales.)