This week, in addition to the various offers on new smartphones, we also found some refurbished devices: save the planet and save some money, what’s not to like? Use the links below to switch to your country:
Germany
Amazon has the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max at pretty substantial discounts compared to what Apple’s official online store is charging. For example, the Pro Max costs €170 less than its MSRP of €1,450.
iPhone 14 and 14 Pro also have good discounts, just over €100 off depending on the model.
We continue with the Apple kit, you can take a 45mm Apple Watch Series 8 (aluminum) with or without 4G connectivity (the difference is €100 between them).
You can also collect some TWS Buds. The AirPods Pro 2 are up to the iPhone buds. The cheapest AirPods 3 have head tracking but lose ANC.
While you’re at it, some AirTags might help secure your pack. If you have more luggage, check out the 4-pack.
Moving on to Android, the Nokia X30 is quite expensive, but it comes with a 3 year warranty, will get 3 years of software support, and is made from recycled materials.
You can spend a lot less if all you want is a 5G phone. The ZTE Blade A72 5G is pretty basic with a 90Hz HD+ IPS LCD, Dimensity 700 chipset, 13+2+2MP cameras and a 4,000mAh battery.
We will conclude with the Sony WH-1000XM5. These over-ear headphones strike a great balance between audio quality, comfort, and (of course) active noise cancellation. They work equally well with both Android and iOS.
UK
We have found loads of refurbished phones in the UK. Some like the Samsung Galaxy S22 are quite recent and offer a flagship experience for under £600, well below the S23 series.
You can also go back to the Galaxy S21 and save even more money. Note that the S21 is expected to receive 4 OS updates (it started with Android 11, so it’s already had two) and 5 years of security patches (that’s until early 2026). The S22 follows the same update schedule, but started with Android 12.
Next we dive into Apple phones from a couple of years ago. There’s the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12: same size, same chipset albeit with more RAM on the Pro. The Pro model also has a telephoto lens, of course.
You can also choose the iPhone 12 mini. The 13 mini is still available from Apple, but starts at £650. This refurbished 12 mini is £300 cheaper.
You can go even further back in time, Apple’s hardware and software support is still ahead of any Android. A refurbished iPhone 11 will set you back just under £250.
United States of America
Normal sales are now underway for Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series, so pre-order benefits are a thing of the past – now it’s all about discounts. We found the Galaxy S23+ for $140 off, not bad considering it’s only been a couple of weeks since launch.
For about the same amount of money you can buy a Google Pixel 7 Pro, also with 256GB of storage but with more RAM (12GB vs 8GB). And this one has a QHD+ LTPO panel, something Samsung has reserved for the S23 Ultra.
Next, refurbished phones. The Samsung Galaxy S22 is from last year, and you can pick up a refurbished unit for $410, about half what Samsung is charging for a new S23.
Then there is the S21 series. We found all three, Galaxy S21 Ultra, S21+ and S21. They will get 4 OS updates in total (started with Android 11, now running 13, going all the way up to v15) and 5 years of security patches (until 2026). The S21 Ultra camera has been pushed out of the camera charts by more recent models, but it’s still a highly capable shooter.
If you don’t have a lot of money to spend, the Galaxy S20 FE is an option. It’s not as good as the S21 and won’t have as much software support, but it’s only $210.
For a few dollars more you can get a refurbished Google Pixel 6. Get more RAM and with that and Google will be updating its operating system three times in total, i.e. up to Android 15. Note that the FHD+ display on this one only runs at 90Hz and there is no dedicated camera.
For $85 more you can grab the larger Pixel 6 Pro. This one has a 120Hz QHD+ display and has a telephoto lens.
We’ll end up with a couple of small, cheap Apple phones. The iPhone 12 mini is no longer available from Apple, but you can buy a refurbished 64GB unit for $320.
If you just want an iPhone that works, the older SE 2020 is available for under $150. It’s not glamorous, but it gives you access to all Apple services and features, including iMessage.
India
The OnePlus 11 is out now and it compares to other Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones. The iQOO 11, for example, costs ₹60,000 for an 8/256GB model and we have featured it in previous posts. The 8/128GB OnePlus costs ₹57,000, though you might want to pick up the 16/256GB model, which isn’t much more expensive at ₹62,000.
The Oppo F21s Pro 5G is powered by Snapdragon 695. It has a 6.43-inch 90Hz AMOLED display (FHD+) and elegant RGB lighting around the camera island. The camera is nothing special with a 64MP sensor and 1080p video recording (not ultra wide). The battery has a capacity of 4,500mAh and charges at 33W, so it takes just over an hour to fully charge.
For less than this you can have iQOO Z6. It uses a larger 6.58-inch 120Hz display, this time an IPS LCD and the same Snapdragon 695 chip. The camera is again nothing special (50MP, 1080p video, no ultra wide). The battery is slightly larger at 5,000mAh, but also slower – it only supports 18W charging.
The Tecno Pova Neo 5G chooses the Dimension 810 as its chipset and has an even bigger 6.8″ 120Hz IPS LCD (still FHD+). The new chipset allows the 50MP camera to record QHD video, not as good as 4K, by the way better than 1080p. The battery is also bigger, 6,000mAh with 18W charging.
We’ll go ahead with a sub-₹10,000 phone and this week we’ve gone with the Tecno Pop 6 Pro. Note that this is an Android 12 Go Edition phone and it only has 2GB of RAM (32GB of storage, expandable via microSD). The large 5,000mAh battery and basic 6.56-inch IPS HD+ LCD display are also worth mentioning.
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