While Samsung has dropped its Galaxy S25 Ultra to its lowest-ever price and the Google Pixel 10 receives similar treatment, Apple’s iPhone 17 has predictably remained at full price—except for one crucial deal that just vanished. The best and only clean cash discount on the iPhone 17 Pro Max is now gone.
Two weeks ago, Mint Mobile offered a rare promotion that slashed the iPhone 17 Pro Max price by $200, with no lengthy contract commitment. This was an unprecedented deal for a brand of phones that rarely sees any sort of discount.
But that offer is over, and the iPhone 17 discount scene now looks bleak for Apple deal hunters this Black Friday. If you don’t want to miss out on genuinely good future iPhone 17 deals, subscribe to my newsletter.
Mint Mobile’s Limited-Time iPhone 17 Pro Max Discount Was a Must-Buy
Mint Mobile had knocked $200 off the 256GB iPhone 17 Pro Max, effectively bringing the price down to $999. To access that price, buyers had to sign up for a 12-month Mint Mobile contract, which costs $15 a month ($180 total), paid upfront.
The total package price came to $1,179—meaning buyers paid $20 less than the phone’s full $1,199 retail price and got a full year of unlimited data bundled in. This was a solid and exceptionally rare discount on a new Apple iPhone.
The fact that Mint Mobile’s $180 unlimited data contract is one of the cheapest carrier plans available (you have to get a plan either way, wherever you buy your iPhone 17 Pro Max from) truly made it the best iPhone 17 deal of the year, with Verizon’s prepaid iPhone 16e deal not far behind it.
While the Verizon deal is still live, Mint Mobile is now back to charging the full $1,199 price for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The only remaining offer is the 12-month unlimited data plan for $180.
A $200 discount on Apple’s latest iPhone is an excellent deal whichever way you look at it. No, it doesn’t compare to the $400 off Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, or a half-priced Google Pixel 10. But Apple technology rarely touches the glue of a price-drop sticker, so in that respect, this was a unique and genuinely good offer from Mint Mobile.
There were, however, some noteworthy caveats to this deal. Specifically, anyone using more than 35GB of data a month would have their internet speeds throttled, and mobile hotspot usage was limited to 10GB a month. The iPhone 17 Pro Max was also locked to Mint Mobile for 60 days, after which you could use whatever carrier you preferred.
What’s Next For Black Friday iPhone 17 Deal Hunters?
It’s not good news, I’m afraid. The Mint Mobile offer was a rare outright cash discount on the phone with minimal carrier commitment (just one upfront year of service and a 60-day lock). There’s nothing similar around right now.
Today, your options have reverted to the typical Apple deal scenario: maximum discount for maximum commitment. Carrier deals from major networks sell the iPhone 17 Pro Max for as little as $5/month or even for “free”—but this requires you to sign up for their most expensive, 36-month unlimited plans and/or trade in a recent, high-value phone (like an iPhone 16 Pro Max).
These offers often lock you in for several years. If you cancel your service, you may be liable for the remaining $1,000-plus balance of the phone.
Elsewhere, you can pick up refurbished iPhone 16 handsets from Amazon, Best Buy, Apple, and other retailers. Read my colleague David Phelan’s story on that here. Amazon U.K. occasionally knocks £100 off the iPhone 16 range, but I haven’t seen the retailer do that for a couple of months.
Apple is also running a Black Friday “shopping event,” but nothing will be discounted. Instead, select products come with gift cards. The iPhone included in that offer is the iPhone 16 series, which comes with $75 store credit that can be spent on Apple.com.