This week’s bargain phones: iPhone 8, Samsung Note8 and Pixel 2 XL

Our weekly round-up of the best smartphone bargains will help you save on premium phones from Apple, Samsung or Google.

If you're after a premium phone, you're usually looking at a stiff bill just for ownership. In the past, this drove many consumers to go on contract for their phone, but with a bit of smart buying and plan selection, you can save much more with an outright phone purchase. The trick is to find the right phone at the right price.

Each week, we check the prices online merchants are charging for a range of premium smartphones. We highlight the best bargains so you can easily save.

We've selected the lowest cost version of each handset. That often limits your colour choices. Some vendors put a premium on certain hues, so if there's a colour listed, it's usually because that specific hue is on sale.

Prices are as advertised on each vendor's website on 13 August 2018. Availability and pricing are subject to change without notice.

iPhone 8

Galaxy Note 8

Pixel 2 XL

iPhone 8 64GB

We're only a month or two away from the reveal of the iPhone 8's successor, heavily tipped to borrow more than a little from the iPhone X's TouchID-free design.

What that means is that if you favour fingerprint ID over FaceID, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are most likely going to be your last Apple options to use that technology.

Still, even with new phones looming, there's not much sign of significant discounting, even for Apple's lowest cost iPhone 8 model.

Want to know more about the iPhone 8? We've gathered up everything you need to know about the iPhone 8, including contract plans here.

Here are the best deals this week for the iPhone 8 64GB from retailers selling to Australian customers.

Samsung Galaxy Note8

The Galaxy Note9 will be here on 24 August, and the pre-order special is, indeed, pretty special if you're keen on Samsung's latest and greatest.

The arrival of the Note9 puts the Note8 into the "previous model" category, which means if all you want is a large-screen Samsung phone with a stylus, it's a good choice. It's also remarkably more affordable to buy outright.

If you're looking for a phone contract or more detail, we've gathered everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Note8 here.

Here are this week's deals on the Samsung Galaxy Note8 for you to compare:

Google Pixel 2 XL

Google is typically the last to reveal its premium handsets in a given year, although we already know a surprising amount about the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL so far.

With Android Pie only releasing last week, the Google Pixel 2 XL still feels remarkably "fresh" as a handset, given it runs the latest version of Android available. On contract, it's a Telstra exclusive, but right now there are serious bargains to be had on outright handsets. Especially, it turns out, from Google's own online store. It's almost as if the search giant was clearing stock for some reason.

Want to know more about the Google Pixel 2 XL, including contract pricing, specifications and review? Read our complete guide to the Google Pixel 2 XL here.

Check out this week's Google Pixel 2 XL deals below: