Whatever you do, don't buy these 5 Android phones on Prime Day 2026

If you spend any amount of time online this week, you’ll almost certainly see dozens of articles telling you what products to buy during this year’s Amazon Prime Day sale. With millions of items on sale during Amazon’s big shopping event, you need some guidance to find the best deals worth buying.

However, equally important is advice about what not to buy. This is especially true for Android phones. There are some truly great smartphone deals available for Prime Day, but there are others you shouldn’t touch with a Galaxy S26 Ultra-sized pole.

To ensure you don’t buy something you’ll soon regret, here are five Android phones you absolutely shouldn’t buy on Prime Day 2026.

Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold

We’ll kick things off with the most expensive phone on this list: the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold. If you’re purely looking at the phone’s Prime Day discount, it might seem like a killer deal. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold normally retails for $1,799, but only during Prime Day can you buy it for $1,399 — a new all-time low price.

While the discount is technically very good, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold just isn’t that impressive of a foldable. It’s considerably thicker and heavier than its competitors, its cameras are pretty disappointing, and the Tensor G5 chip feels underpowered for a phone this expensive. It’s not a terrible phone, but it’s also not a great phone — even when you factor in the Prime Day price.

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold becomes an even harder Prime Day buy when you consider that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is also on sale. It’s slightly more expensive at $1,499, but your extra $100 goes a long way. Compared to Google’s folding phone, Samsung’s model has a significantly more comfortable design, much better cameras, a vastly more powerful chipset, and better foldable software, too.

If you’re shopping for a book-style foldable this week, there’s really no reason to buy the Pixel 10 Pro Fold when the Z Fold 7 is right there. And keep in mind, I say that as a long-time Pixel fan. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold just isn’t worth it.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 may be a killer Prime Day buy, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for Samsung phones. There are a couple of Samsung handsets you should really stay away from this Prime Day, the first being the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

When the S25 Edge launched in May 2025, it was a difficult phone to understand. It had poor thermal performance, short battery life, slow charging speeds, and no telephoto camera — all for a steep $1,099 price. Unless you absolutely needed its ultra-thin design, it was hard to recommend the S25 Edge to just about anybody.

You might be tempted to give the Galaxy S25 Edge another look now that it’s on sale for $899 during Prime Day, but even with that discount, I still wouldn’t recommend it. Is $899 a better price? Sure. However, it’s still a lot of money considering all the S25 Edge’s compromises, which are many.

Not to mention, there are much better ways to spend your money on a flagship Samsung phone this Prime Day. You could save some cash and still get a better overall smartphone with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus, which is on sale for $799. Alternatively, you could spend just $50 more than the S25 Edge for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is on sale for $949 and kicks the Edge’s butt across the board.

Motorola Moto G Power (2024)

Motorola launches a lot of Moto G phones every year. And every Prime Day, almost all of them go on sale. Some of them are truly great deals, but mixed in are older Moto G handsets that just aren’t worth buying anymore. One of those is the Moto G Power (2024).

When we reviewed the Moto G Power in March 2024, there were many issues with the phone. It had poor viewing angles, no IP rating, weak gaming performance, and a version of Motorola’s Android software riddled with ads. Simply put, it wasn’t a very impressive phone — even for the low $299 asking price.

Fast forward to Prime Day 2026, and Motorola is still trying to pawn off the Moto G Power (2024), specifically, by lowering the price to $129. To the average Prime Day shopper, that may look like an incredible bargain. However, the Moto G Power (2024) simply isn’t worth buying, even during Prime Day.

Not only are those previously-mentioned issues still real, but Motorola itself has much better Moto G handsets to choose from — a prime example being the Moto G Power (2025). It has proper IP protection with IP68 and IP69 ratings, much more durable display glass, and better software, too — all for only $199. If you can stretch your budget to $299, the Moto G Stylus (2025) is also on sale and easily the best of the discounted Moto G handsets this Prime Day.

Motorola Razr Plus (2024)

That same train of thought applies to the Motorola Razr Plus (2024). Almost every 2024 and 2025 Razr model is on sale for this year’s Prime Day, including the 2024 Razr Plus. Considering the phone initially retailed for $999, its Prime Day 2026 price of $549 seems like a really good deal. And it is! However, given the other Razr models to choose from, the Razr Plus (2024) wouldn’t be my first choice.

If you’re looking for a cheap entry point into the foldable world, I’d sooner buy the Motorola Razr (2025). It’s also on sale for $549 this Prime Day, and although the 2024 Plus model may seem like a better choice over the 2025 base model, I’d argue that it isn’t. The Razr (2025) has a greatly improved hinge mechanism compared to the Razr Plus (2024), making it feel nicer to open/close and more durable, too. Combine that with better dust resistance and an extra year of software updates, and the Razr (2025) is a much smarter long-term buy.

Alternatively, if you have a little more cash to burn, the Razr Ultra (2025) is also on sale for Prime Day. It’s still one of the best-equipped flip-phones available in the US, with a much better chipset, more RAM and storage, nicer cameras, a bigger battery, and faster charging than the Razr Plus (2024). The Ultra’s $699 sale price isn’t “cheap,” but compared to its $1,300 MSRP, it’s a steal.

Samsung Galaxy A56

Going back to Samsung to wrap things up, the Galaxy A56 is likely to be on many people’s shopping lists this Prime Day. Samsung’s Galaxy A series consistently produces some of the most popular smartphones on the planet, and the A56 was one of the best-selling phones last year.

Samsung is likely hoping to squeeze a few more sales in during Prime Day, as the A56’s retail price has shot down from $499 to $384. That is a good price, but in June 2026, the A56 isn’t the Galaxy A phone you should buy. Instead, that title belongs to the Galaxy A57.

The Galaxy A57 isn’t a complete overhaul of the A56, but it is seriously improved in a few key areas. It has a much lighter and more comfortable design, stronger water resistance, a faster chipset, and better Bluetooth/Wi-Fi connectivity. Plus, since the A57 is a year newer, you’re looking at an additional year of software support, too. That’s a solid list of upgrades, especially since you can pick up the Galaxy A57 during Prime Day for $449 — just $65 more than the A56. If you ask me, that’s money well spent.