Technologies

Best Black Friday iPhone Deals: Trade-In Savings, Prepaid Discounts and More

Whether you’re looking to snag the high-end iPhone 15 Pro Max or the affordable iPhone SE, there are plenty of ways to get your hands on one for less.

Apple makes some of our absolute favorite devices on the market, claiming more than a few spots on our list of the best phones for 2023. And while these sleek Apple devices can get pricey, Black Friday is just around the corner, so there are plenty of ways to get your hands on one for less right now.

Apple probably won’t be offering any discounts directly, but there are tons of offers at carriers and other retailers that can knock hundreds off the starting price or even help you snag one for free. You can trade in your old phone for savings on unlocked iPhone models, or score savings via monthly bill credits when you sign up with a major carrier. And some retailers like Walmart are even offering prepaid discounts, so you don’t have to worry about being locked into a multi-year contract. To help you make the most of these savings, we’ve rounded up the best deals out there on both current and previous-gen iPhones below.

iPhone 15 Black Friday deals

More iPhone 15 deals:

Amazon: Free with Boost Mobile Infinite plan
T-Mobile: Up to $1,000 off with trade-in on select plans
Verizon: Up to $1,000 off with trade-in and new line
AT&T: Free iPhone 15 or 15 Pro with trade-in

iPhone SE (2022) Black Friday deals

More iPhone SE (2022) deals:

T-Mobile: Free with trade-in, 50% off with new line
AT&T: From $5/month with installment plan
Verizon: Free with new line
Metro: $100 off with new line, $330 off with transfer of existing number

Previous-gen iPhone Black Friday deals

More previous-gen iPhone deals:

AT&T (iPhone 14): From $11/month with installment plan
Verizon (iPhone 14): Free with new line
T-Mobile (iPhone 14): Free with new line and trade-in
Verizon (iPhone 13): Free with new line
T-Mobile (iPhone 13): Free with new line and trade-in or when you transfer existing number
Walmart (iPhone 12): From $399 with prepaid Straight Talk plan
T-Mobile (iPhone 12): 50% off with new line

Which iPhone is best?

There are quite a few different iPhones on the shelf right now, which can make choosing the right one a little overwhelming. The iPhone 15 is one of the latest models, and our top pick for most people. Though if you need something with some serious hardware, you’ll probably want to upgrade to the iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max.

Those on a budget will probably want to grab the third-gen iPhone SE, which starts at just $429. Though if you have specific priorities like a big screen or advanced camera system, you may want to opt for a high-end model from an older generation, like the iPhone 14 Pro Max which will help you save some cash over going for the latest model without sacrificing too much by way of performance.

Where is the best place to buy an iPhone on Black Friday?

Deciding whether you should purchase your new Apple phone through a retailer or directly from your carrier will depend on your situation. If you’re creating a new line or account, you’ll probably want to purchase your iPhone through a major carrier like AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile, where you can score hundreds in savings — though you’ll be locked in to a multi-year contract.

If you’d rather not get locked into a service plan, you’ll probably want to opt for a prepaid deal from a retailer like Walmart. You’ll have to pay for everything upfront, but will also be free to cancel service at any time. And if you’d rather skip the headache of choosing a service plan altogether, you can pick up an unlocked model from Apple or places like Best Buy, which are both offering some solid Apple Black Friday deals right now.

Technologies

Facebook Brings Back Local Job Listings: How to Apply

One of Facebook’s most practical features from 2022 is being revived by Meta.

On the hunt for work? A Local Jobs search is being rolled out by Meta to make it easier for people in the US to discover and apply for nearby work directly on Facebook. The feature is inside Facebook Marketplace, Groups and Pages, Meta said last week, letting employers post openings and job seekers filter roles by distance, category or employment type.

You can apply or message employers directly through Facebook Messenger, while employers can publish job listings with just a few taps — similar to how you would post items for sale on Marketplace.

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Facebook offered a Jobs feature before discontinuing it in 2022, pushing business hiring toward its other platforms. Its return suggests Meta is attempting to expand Facebook’s usefulness beyond social networking and to position it once again as a hub for community-driven opportunities.

«We’ve always been about connecting with people, whether through shared interests or key life events,» the press release states. «Now, if you’re looking for entry-level, trade and service industry employment in your community, Facebook can help you connect with local people and small businesses who are hiring.»

How to get started with Local Jobs on Facebook

According to Meta, Local Jobs will appear as a dedicated section in Facebook Marketplace starting this week. If you’re 18 or older, you can:

Tap the Marketplace tab on the Facebook app or website.
Select Jobs to browse available positions nearby.
Use filters for job type, category and distance.
Tap Apply or message the employer directly via Messenger.

Businesses and page admins can post jobs by creating a new listing in Marketplace or from their Facebook Page. Listings can include job details, pay range, and scheduling information and will appear in local searches automatically.

The Local Jobs feature is rolling out across the US now, with Meta saying it plans to expand it in the months ahead.

Technologies

Tesla Has a New Range of Affordable Electric Cars: How Much They Cost

The new, stripped-back versions of the Model Y and Model 3 have a more affordable starting price.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 22 #598

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 22, No. 598.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one — I definitely have at least two of these in my house. Some of the answers are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Catch all.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: A mess of items.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

BATE, LICE, SLUM, CAPE, HOLE, CARE, BARE, THEN, SLAM, SAMBA, BACK

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

TAPE, COIN, PENCIL, BATTERY, SHOELACE, THUMBTACK

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is JUNKDRAWER. To find it, look for the J that’s five letters down on the far-left row, and wind down, over and then up.

Quick tips for Strands

#1: To get more clue words, see if you can tweak the words you’ve already found, by adding an «S» or other variants. And if you find a word like WILL, see if other letters are close enough to help you make SILL, or BILL.

#2: Once you get one theme word, look at the puzzle to see if you can spot other related words.

#3: If you’ve been given the letters for a theme word, but can’t figure it out, guess three more clue words, and the puzzle will light up each letter in order, revealing the word.