We scan the web for good deals (almost) every week and share them during the weekend you review them. However, we’ve heard your complaints that we don’t cover enough countries, so let’s try two new ones: Australia and Singapore. If there’s enough interest, these may become regular customers in our weekly deals posts, so let us know.
Australia
The all-new Samsung Galaxy S23 FE offers an alternative to mainline flagships: while the base S23 and S23+ start at A$1,350 and A$1,650 respectively, the new FE has a base price of A$1,000. And you won’t even pay that much as the phone comes with discounts right away.
By the way, you can buy another FE product, the new Galaxy Buds FE, for just A$50. They normally cost A$200, so that’s a pretty hefty discount. If you’re only interested in the buds, they’re available separately, albeit at a smaller discount.
By the way, have you thought about buying the old Samsung Galaxy S21 FE instead of the S23 FE? It’s cheaper, though not much cheaper at A$700. So you save some money, but you get a different chipset: the Exynos 2200 for the 2023 model and the Snapdragon 888 for the 2022 model.
Furthermore, the older phone has an older 12MP camera instead of the new 50MP sensor used for its successor. It has a few things going for it, the S21 FE is lighter (177g vs 209g) and thinner (7.9mm vs 8.2mm), while having the same 4,500mAh battery capacity and same charging 25 W, plus it has a 32 MP sensor. selfie camera (compared to 10MP).
If you’re not buying the top-of-the-line flagship, you could also get a mid-range A-series model like the Galaxy A54 or A34. The A54 costs A$600, so a little cheaper than the S21 FE. It has a similar 6.4” FHD+ AMOLED display at 120Hz, but a mid-range Exynos 1380 chipset. And while it has a 50MP main camera and a 32MP selfie camera, there’s no telephoto lens (the two FE models have an 8MP 3x shooter).
Then there’s the Galaxy A34, which costs about the same as the A54. Instead, it has a larger 6.6″ display (also FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED) and a Dimensity 1080. Still no camera, obviously. The batteries of the two A-phones measure 5,000 mAh in capacity and support the same 25W wired charging (but not wireless). The support timeline for A and FE phones is the same: 4 OS updates and 5 years of security patches (since launch).
Wait a minute, though. The Motorola Edge 30 Fusion has a Snapdragon 888+, similar to the S21 FE, but costs A$200 less. And its 6.55-inch FHD+ AMOLED display runs at 144 Hz. The camera department has a 50 MP main camera and a 32 MP selfie camera, as well as a 13 MP ultra wide angle but without a telephoto lens. The battery is more or less the same size with a capacity of 4,400 mAh and supports fast charging via 68W cable only.
Next up, a couple of smartwatches. Both the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 and the Galaxy Watch6 Classic are available. They are almost identical, except for the rotating bezel on the Classic model (a feature of the brand). However, this makes them a few millimeters wider and a few dollars more expensive. Note that while we’ve linked the Bluetooth versions below, Amazon also has LTE models of the Watch6 (A$590 for both the 40mm and 44mm models) and the Watch6 Classic (A$730 for the 43mm one and 790 for the 47 mm one).
We’ll wrap things up with headphones. The Sony WF-1000XM5s are expensive, but they offer class-leading sound quality, excellent noise cancellation, and plenty of features. In our review we only had a few minor complaints about the controls.
Noticeably cheaper are the Apple AirPods (3rd generation). They can’t match the quality of the Sonys in terms of sound and ANC, but they have better integration with the Apple ecosystem. And did we mention they’re cheaper? Note that this version has MagSafe charging on the case along with the now-obsolete Lightning port.
As far as over-ear headphones go, the Apple AirPods Max are expensive, even with their aluminum construction. While they don’t have a foldable design, the earcups can rotate to make them easier to store in your luggage. Plus, the earcups are easy to replace once they’re worn out—something this expensive better last a long time.
Singapore
Foldables are gaining traction with flips leading the charge. The recent Oppo Find N3 Flip places more emphasis on cameras than most of its competitors: it has a 50 MP main (1/1.56″ with OIS), a 48 MP ultra wide angle and even a portrait camera 2x 32MP. The phone has a 6.8-inch 120Hz FHD+ display inside, an LTPO panel to boot, and a 3.26-inch external display. It is powered by the Dimensity 9200 and a 32MP battery. 4,300 mAh with 44W charging.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 can be picked up for less. It has better water resistance (correct IPX8 compared to the Oppo’s IPX4 splash resistance) and runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. However, it has less impressive cameras with a 12 MP main (1/1.76” with OIS) and a 12 MP ultra wide-angle one, without tele on board. The battery is smaller, 3,700 mAh, but supports both wired and wireless charging (25W and 15W). The internal display is a 6.7″ non-LTPO FHD+ panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate, the display on the cover measures 3.4″.
There is also the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, but it is also more expensive than the Oppo. That price will be hard to justify with the older Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, but the internal 6.9-inch 165Hz LTPO display sounds good. The 3.6″ display cover is also an HRR panel with a 144Hz refresh rate. The 12+13MP cameras are nothing to write home about and the battery is similar to the Galaxy (3,800mAh with 30W wired and 5W wireless charging). There is no official IP rating, but the phone has a water-repellent design.
We’re not done with foldables yet, now we’ll look at the horizontal type. The Oppo Find N3 upgrades to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and packs two LTPO displays: 7.82″ 120Hz on the inside and 6.31″ 120Hz on the outside (with a reasonable 20:9 aspect ratio). The photographic department boasts a 48 MP main (1/1.43″ with OIS) and a 48 MP ultra wide angle, as well as a better tele module: a 64 MP 3x camera. There is a 32MP selfie camera on the outside and a 20MP one on the inside. This phone has a 4,805mAh battery with 67W wired-only charging and an IPX4 splash-proof design.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 is once again cheaper than competitor Oppo. This one has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but it’s the faster “for Galaxy” variant. The internal display is a 7.6” 120Hz (non-LTPO) panel and the overlay display is a slim 6.2” panel (23.1:9). The battery is smaller (4,400 mAh) and slower to charge via cable (25W), but 15W wireless mode is available. And don’t forget the improved IPX8 water resistance.
We’ve talked about cameras, and the Google Pixel 8 Pro needs to be part of that conversation. It has a 50 MP main camera with 1/1.31” sensor (and OIS), plus a 48 MP ultra wide-angle camera and a 48 MP periscope with 5x optical magnification, more when the digital magic of Google. The Pro has a 6.7-inch LTPO display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution just below QHD+. It’s powered by the improved but still lagging Tensor G3 chipset and a 5,050mAh battery with 30W wired and 23W wireless charging.
So far all the phones we’ve mentioned cost more than S$1,000, so let’s take a look at something more affordable. The phone offers a 6.6” 120Hz FHD+ AMOLED display and a Dimensity 1080 chipset. The memory is expandable and there is a 3.5mm headphone jack (plus stereo speakers). An IP67 rating and a 5,000mAh battery with 25W wired-only charging round out the specs.
We just finished reviewing the new Oculus Quest 3 and were impressed: the hardware and software are impressive and offer a significant upgrade over the Quest 2. The 4MP color passthrough, in particular, opens up new avenues for AR applications . There are two versions: one with 128GB of storage and one with 512GB. The latter comes bundled with Wrath of Asgard 2plus a free 6-month subscription to Quest+.
To conclude, here are two TWS earphones from Sony. Starting with the older Sony WF-1000XM4, they improve ergonomics over the XM3 model and offer high-quality audio, as well as active noise cancellation.
If they’re too expensive, take a look at the Sony LinkBuds S. They’re almost as good as the WF-1000XM4, with comparable sound, ANC and battery life, so they offer great value for money.
Start a new Thread