Cyber Monday 2018 - Best portable gaming deals
Best deals on smartphones, tablets and Nintendo Switch gear
Updated November 26: New pocket gaming deals for Cyber Monday
Black Friday has been and gone, but Cyber Monday is right here, right now. The younger, tech-savvy brother of Black Friday has been steadily growing in size and scope on both sides of the pond.
The wider Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales period has stretched out to a fortnight or so, making this one of the best times to shop for tech.
We've assembled some of the deals of interest to pocket gamers below, and we'll be adding to them over the next few days.
Cyber Monday 2018 deals
Here are some of the latest Cyber Monday deals for portable gamers.
Smartphone deals
Samsung Galaxy S9 Midnight BlackThe Samsung Galaxy S9 may have been on the market for a while now, but it's still a great - and importantly, current - handset.
It's particularly good for games, with a huge, sharp and bright 5.8-inch QHD OLED display, a punchy processor and stereo speakers.
This deal knocks £240 off the RRP, which is a good £50 cheaper than other deals going on right now.
Price: £499Buy from Appliances Direct iPhone XS Max 64 GB Space Grey
You can't save big money on Apple gear. Especially not its current high-end smartphones. It just doesn't happen.
Except, what's this? The iPhone XS Max, Apple's current top-top-end phone, just a few months on from launch and costing £200 less than RRP?
Yep. We reckon the iPhone XS Max is the best gaming smartphone on the market, by the way. If you've got £1,000 to spare, it's a great buy.
Price: £999Buy from Amazon Nokia 8
The Nokia 8 launched in 2017, and it isn't the most modern-looking phone. There's no long, edge-to-edge display or notch in sight.
Otherwise, though, this is a cracking phone. It has a ridiculously pixel-dense 5.3-inch QHD display, a still-snappy Snapdragon 835 CPU, and a pleasant near-stock Android OS.
When you add the fact that the Nokia 8 cost £500 at launch, then hopefully you'll see what a great deal this is.
Price: £219Buy from John Lewis
Motorola G6
This isn't just one of the cheapest prices you'll be able to find this great budget phone for, it's also from one of the most reputable and established retailers that offers a two year guarantee. It's a potent combination.
The phone itself is the Moto G6, which is just about one of the most reliable ways to spend less than £200 and get a great smartphone experience.
It's got a bit, sharp 5.7-inch display, brilliantly lightweight Android software, a nice design, and competent performance.
Price: £179.99Buy from John Lewis
iPhone X 64GB
Why would you entertain the idea of buying an obsolete phone that isn't even sold by Apple anymore? Because the iPhone X is still a brilliant smartphone, and a better gaming machine than any Android phone you care to mention.
Indeed, the iPhone XS - the X's direct replacement - is the least consequential iPhone upgrade we've seen. The original iPhone X can do almost everything the iPhone XS can do, and it looks nigh-on identical.
When you consider the fact that this deal offers the iPhone X for £220 less than its successor, you'll hopefully see what a bargain this is.
Price: £779Buy from Very Honor Play
£700 is still an awful lot to spend on a phone, of course. We get that.
If you have half that budget, the Honor Play is a great pick. As the name suggests, this is a mid-range smartphone that's geared towards gamers, which is a pretty rare combination.
It's got an appealing design, a big bright display, and - crucially - it has bundles of gaming power on tap.
This was as a great value phone as it was. This deal knocks £51 off that price. It's a bit of a bargain, all things considered.
Price: £229Buy from Appliances Direct
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LG G7
After starting out as one of the major smartphone players, LG isn't doing too well in the market. Its flagship phones don't sell anywhere near as well as Samsung's or Huawei's.
The LG G7 isn't a particularly amazing 2018 flagship phone either. But the point is, it is a 2018 flagship phone, with all of the specs and components that entails.
It's got a super-fast Snapdragon 845 CPU, a 6.1-inch QHD display, a decent dual camera and so on. Even at £400 it's a steal, yet this offer knocks another £20 off.
Price: £379Buy from Mobile Phones Direct
Switch deals
Joy-Cons Neon YellowI'm not sure this is strictly speaking any kind of Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal, as such. But it is a very good deal.
If you're buying a Nintendo Switch, you're going to have to contend with a hidden cost - that of a second pair of Joy Con controllers. It really is a necessary purchase.
That's usually a rather steep £70, but this deal on Amazon gets you a pair (admittedly in icky Neon Yellow) for £15 less.
Price: £54.99Buy from Amazon Nintendo Switch
Just want a plain, no-bundle Nintendo Switch without the games? That could be a good bet if you can swing some games for Christmas.
Anyway, this is a nice low price for Nintendo's hybrid machine.
Price: £249Buy from Currys Nintendo Switch Neon Red & Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle
You can complain about Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's overfamiliarity - especially if you played it originally on the Wii U. But the fact is, it's still one of the best games on the platform, and one of the best local multiplayer games on any platform.
This is arcade racing at its brightest, bounciest, and most generous. It's beautiful.
This deal bundles Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with the Switch, and saves you £23 into the bargain.
Price: £299Buy from Currys
Starlink: Battle for Atlas Starter Pack
This enjoyable Switch shooter is the closest thing to a StarFox game on Switch yet. It's even got a StarFox section, for goodness sake.
It's also a toys-to-life game, so you can buy cool/nerdy (delete according to taste) toys that plug into your controller.
It's surprisingly good fun, basically, and this starter pack deal knocks £15 off. Bargain.
Price: £44.99Buy from Game
Nintendo 3DS/2DS deals
We're definitely in the closing stages of the life of the 3DS, with few new games of note on the horizon. But that means you can pick up some outstanding bargains, with a huge library of top games to play.
Nintendo itself has put this outstanding bundle together, with gets you the New Nintendo 2DS XL and three great games - which you can pick - for just £129.99. That's a whopping saving of £119.
It's an oldie, but a goodie.
Price: £129Buy from Amazon
Stay tuned for more portable gaming deals as Black Friday approaches. If you've got any deal tips, do share in the comments.
