Samsung phones vs Motorola phones: which have the best Prime Day Android phone deals?

If you're looking for Prime Day deals on Android phones, you have until midnight PDT to nab some of the best prices we've seen. You won't find iPhone deals today, but we've spotted some excellent deals on Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus, TCL, Nokia, and other phones. The question is, which brand or phone should you pick?

In theory, the choice is clear: the 2021 Samsung lineup is excellent, and the Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra and S20 FE all have hefty Prime Day price drops. But even discounted, these are expensive purchases for flagship phones that you'll have to consider carefully.

On the flip side, there are about two dozen Motorola Prime Day deals, most of which fall anywhere from $150 to $300. For half or even a quarter the price of a Galaxy phone, you can buy well-reviewed phones like the Motorola Edge, Moto G9 Plus or Moto G9 Play.

So which offers the best Prime Day deals? We've highlighted the best options below, after which we'll discuss which could be the 'best' for you specifically.

Best Motorola Prime Day deals

Motorola Edge 256GB: at Amazon | SIM-free | ~~$699.99~~ $479.99
With Amazon Prime Day you can get Motorola's mid-range 2020 flagship for $479. This isn't a new low price - in fact, it's not even the cheapest we've seen it. But if you've waited until Prime Day to pick up a new phone, you've missed the boat on that $300 discount. This is still a great discount to get your hands on, though.

Moto G9 Play 64GB: at Amazon | SIM-free | ~~$199.99~~ $149.99
The cheapest Motorola phone available over Prime Day is this previous-gen budget blaster which, unlike most of the other phones on offer, hasn't reached this low price before. It has middling specs but the low price makes up for that.

Motorola One 5G 128GB: at Amazon | SIM-free | ~~$399.99~~ $299.99
You can get Motorola's first low-cost 5G phone, launched in 2020, for $100 off in this Prime Day deal. It's a new-low price, and nets you four cameras and a big screen, and our experts called it the 'best cheap 5G phone'.

Moto G Power 64GB: at Amazon | SIM-free | ~~$249.99~~ $199.99
One of the few Motorola phones available over Prime Day which hasn't already seen better discounts before, is on Moto's 2021-model super-battery phone, which lasts for about two days between charges. The modest $50 discount is fairly good given the low starting price of the device.

Moto G Stylus 128GB: at Amazon | SIM-free | ~~$299.99~~ $269
The 2020 model of Motorola's stylus-toting budget phone is available for $30 off. Nope, that's not an all-new-low price, as the handset has dipped below the $200 mark on numerous occasions. But if you really want a cheap stylus phone and don't like the look of the two 2021 Moto G Stylus models, it's your only choice.

Moto G Fast 32GB: at Amazon | SIM-free | ~~$199.99~~ $159.99
This is one of Motorola's most affordable phones, at least in its G line, and it's now $40 off. This isn't the cheapest we've seen the phone, and it's dipped below this price numerous times since its launch a year ago, but it's cheaper than lots of the other Moto phones included in Prime Day.

Best Samsung Prime Day deals

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 128GB Unlocked: at Amazon | SIM-free | ~~$1199.98~~ $899.99
Save $300 - It's both Samsung's most powerful handset and our pick for the world's best smartphone so, it is no surprise that the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra can be pretty pricey. Luckily, this Amazon Prime Day knocks 25% off the price, leaving you paying only $899.99 for this super-powered device.

Samsung Galaxy S21 128GB: at Amazon | SIM-free | ~~$799.99~~ $599.99
This year's Amazon Prime Day sale is offering one of the largest discounts yet on the cheapest of the three Galaxy S21 devices. With this discount, you'll only pay $599.99. Considering the specs and features that come with this device, that's a brilliant offer. If you know you'll need more storage, the 256GB model is also down in price, currently only costing $649.99.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 128GB: at Amazon | SIM-free | ~~$999.99~~ $699.99
Samsung's Galaxy S21 Plus falls in the middle of the brand's flagship range, offering a mix of the S21's affordability and the Ultra's size. In the Amazon Prime Day sales, you'll be able to get the device for just $749.99. That's less than the smaller Galaxy S21 cost on its launch and a pretty excellent saving. Like the above device, you can upgrade to the 256GB model at a reduced cost, currently only priced at $799.99.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: at Amazon | SIM-free | ~~$699~~ $479
One of the best mid-range phones available, the S20 Fan Edition is $220 off for Prime Day and that much cheaper than the S21. It offers a slight downgrade with a Snapdragon 865 and only 6GB of RAM, but a larger 6.5-inch FHD+ display, larger battery and better selfie camera to balance things out.

Samsung vs Motorola – which to buy during Prime Day

You can get 25% off the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Ultra and 30% off the Galaxy S21 Plus or Galaxy S20 FE. Those are some significant discounts on pricey phones, saving you hundreds of dollars. Purely from a maximum-discount perspective, Samsung has the 'better' Prime Day deals.

But you do have to spend between $479 and $900 to buy one, and many shoppers aren't willing to drop that kind of moolah even if it's a deal. For comparison, almost all of the above Motorola phones also have 20–30 percent discounts, except their final prices are more in the $150–$250 range.

One odd coincidence, the Motorola Edge and Galaxy S20 FE both have the same list price ($699) and same Prime Day sale price ($479). Between the two, the Edge has a larger display, higher MP for its main camera, and a fancier aluminum back than the plastic S20 FE; but the FE clearly wins the battle with a faster Snapdragon, 120Hz display, IP68 protection, better software support and other upgrades.

So Samsung wins for its premium and mid-range offerings, unsurprisingly. But if you truly want to save money – and don't need a phone for gaming or pro photography – our TechRadar reviewers are big fans of Motorola's cheap phones, with the Moto G Power ($50 off) and Moto G Fast (20% off) as two of our favorites.

Personally, I took advantage of the S21 deal to switch from my iPhone to Android; I'm someone who likes to buy a flagship for cheap and make it last for years. But plenty of people like to cycle through cheap Android phones from year to year, and in that case, Motorola is undoubtedly your best bet.

More Motorola and Samsung Prime Day deals

No matter where you live, you'll find all the lowest prices for Samsung and Motorola phones from around the web right here, with offers available in your region.