The Google Pixel family is experiencing a tug-of-war between the Pixel 7 and 7a, and in some markets the older flagship has the upper hand thanks to solid price cuts. We’ve also found great deals on all four iPhone 14 models, all three Galaxy S23 phones, and a mid-range variety.
Germany
Now that the Pixel 7a is out, the old Pixel 7 is almost obsolete, unless you find a great deal. In Germany, you can pick it up for €546, compared to €510 for the 7a. Is it worth it? The 7 has slightly higher-end hardware and €36 isn’t a lot, so it’s at least worth thinking about.
The Pixel 7 Pro doesn’t have to worry about the 7a, it still has a QHD+ 120Hz LTPO display and 5x periscope, which non-professionals can’t match.
If the entire Pixel 7 family is too expensive for you, consider the Pixel 6a. It’s a big step down from 7a but also much cheaper. Also, Google phones get better software support than most others in this price range.
Instead of a Pixel 7a, how about a Galaxy S21 FE? It has more storage for about the same amount of money, plus a camera (3x). The Snapdragon 888 gets hot, but it’s still fast enough.
If you’re looking for a phone with long-term software support that won’t break the bank, check out the Galaxy A34 and A54. Both will receive 4 OS updates (both start with Android 13) and 5 years of security patches. A34 is cheaper and a bit bigger (6.6″ vs. 6.4″, both 120Hz FHD+ AMOLED), A54 has better chipset (Exynos 1380 vs. Dimensity 1080) and better camera setup .
In early April, the Redmi Note 12 Pro (the 5G model) cost €400 for an 8/128GB model, now you can get the 6/128GB model (note the lower RAM) for €300. With a Dimensity 1080, this is an alternative to the Galaxy A34. While both phones have 5,000mAh batteries, the Samsung has much better battery life than the Xiaomi (134 hours versus 97 hours). On the other hand, the Redmi is much faster to charge (67W vs 25W)
Three of the four iPhone 14 models are on sale with discounts above €200, the vanilla 14 is at €154 (note: this is for the 128GB versions). There’s not much to say about the iPhone 14 phones, you know what you’re getting with them, including good resale value.
The Poco X5 and X5 Pro cost €80 each. The more expensive model has the better Snapdragon 778G over the lackluster 695. It also has a better camera (108MP vs. 48MP main sensor) and a better display (same size, resolution, and refresh rate, but it’s a 10-inch panel). bits with Dolby Vision). The Pro also has faster charging (67W vs 33W) for its 5,000mAh battery. We think all of this is worth the extra €80, but some may disagree.
The Motorola Moto G72 is a decent 4G mid-ranger. We recommend buying a 5G phone, especially if you plan to keep it for more than 2 years, but at €230 the G72 offers a 6.6″ FHD+ display at 120Hz, a 108MP main camera and a good 5,000mAh battery with 33W charging, plus goodies like a 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD slot.
UK
Here the rivalry between the Pixel 7 and 7a is closer than most other places: the old flagship costs just £13 more than its younger sibling. At this price, we’d get the 7 for its slightly better hardware.
The older Pixel 6a can’t compete with the 7a, but it has plenty of happy users and costs just £290. You lose the latest chipset, 64MP main camera and 90Hz display, but the software experience is quite similar .
There’s also the Pixel 7 Pro at just under £700. This is the one to get if you want to start with a real camera with zoom, a 5x periscope and a modern 120Hz LTPO display with QHD+ resolution.
Instead of a Pixel 7a you might want to get the Samsung Galaxy A34 – at £300 it costs essentially the same as the old 6a. However, it will get better software support than Google phones with 4 OS updates and 5 years of security patches.
The Realme GT2 is now over a year old, but this old dog still has the heart of a Snapdragon 888 and a 120Hz HDR10+ display, as well as a 5,000mAh/65W fast-charging battery. short of being a great budget gaming phone.
The Nokia G22 is one for the DIY crowd. HMD offers a 3 year warranty and you can do the repairs yourself, thanks to the QuickFix design. You can contact iFixit for instructions, tools, and replacement parts. That said, 3 years is about how long this phone will last: HMD promises 2 OS updates and 3 years of quarterly security patches.
Here is an affordable tablet, the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite. This is useful for streaming, casual gaming and social media scrolling – things you can do on the go, if you pay the extra £30 to get the LTE model.
Have you seen the Nvidia 4060 Ti 8GB benchmarks? Phew. You’d better save some cash and get a 3060 Ti 8GB for a little more than a non-Ti 4060 (and that isn’t out until July).
United States of America
Amazon unveiled its biggest tablet, the Fire Max 11, earlier this week. As you can see from the name, this one has an 11-inch screen, which has a resolution of 2,000 x 1,200px. As usual with Fire tablets, the bulk of the budget has been spent on a good quality display rather than a fast chipset, making it hard to beat for content consumption at $230.
If you’re looking for a flagship phone, any Galaxy S23 trio can be picked up for under $1,000 if you’re happy with the 256GB storage.
The Pixel 7 is $600 right now, $100 more than the 7a. It’s too much, if you ask us. Next, grab the Pixel 7a or the older 6a for $330.
Or maybe it’s not a Pixel at all, but the Samsung Galaxy A54. It’s $75 cheaper than the 7a, has a bigger and better screen (6.4″ 120Hz HDR10+ vs. 6.1″ 90Hz), and another OS upgrade.
India
Amazon India is offering iPhone 14 and 14 Plus at ₹12,000 and ₹13,000 cheaper than Apple.com. You could buy a 5G Android with those savings — that’s not good, but they’re still huge price cuts.
The Samsung Galaxy A34 and A54 haven’t budged since launch, but these phones still offer great value for money with 4 OS updates and 5 years of security patches.
If you’re looking for something more affordable, the Galaxy A14 5G offers next-generation connectivity (thanks to an Exynos 1330 chipset), a large 6.6″ FHD+ display (90Hz LCD) and an equally large 5,000mAh battery ( 15W).
Alternatively, you can get the Galaxy M14 for ₹5,000 less. It has the same Exynos 1330, the same display, even the same cameras, not to mention a bigger 6,000mAh battery with faster 25W charging. This particular model has less RAM (4GB vs 6GB), but considering everything else, it’s hard to choose the A14.
vivo recently updated the iQOO Z7 formula with the Z7s. It’s almost the same phone, except it uses a Snapdragon 695 instead of a Dimension 920 (that means no 4K/30 recording). At ₹19,000, this is an alternative to the Galaxy A14 5G.
The iQOO Neo 7 (8/128GB) cost ₹30,000 in mid-April, now it can be found for ₹28,000. This phone has a larger than average 6.78-inch 120Hz display with FHD+ resolution and HDR10+ support. It is powered by a Dimensity 8200 chipset and a 5,000mAh battery with 120W super fast charging. The camera is the only downside with a single 64MP module on the back (1/1.97” with OIS, not counting the pair of 2MP helpers).
The iQOO Z6 Lite has a similar story: the 6/128GB model cost ₹16,000 at the end of April and now costs ₹14,000. This one features the rare Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chipset and a 6.58-inch 120Hz LCD plus a 5,000mAh battery. Make sure you compare it to the Galaxy M14/A14, all three are quite close in terms of specs.
The Oppo F23 was launched earlier this month and has a sizable 6.72-inch 120Hz IPS LCD. This is comparable to the iQOO Neo 7, although for ₹3,000 less, you get double the space of storage (256GB), not to mention a microSD slot, plus we know some prefer LCD over AMOLED. However, the Snapdragon 695 is a significant drawback.
The Realme Narzo N53 is another great phone from earlier this month. The 6.74″ 90Hz IPS LCD has FHD+ resolution, which is great to see given the sub-₹10,000 price tag. The Unisoc T612 is quite fast (note it only has 4G connectivity) and you get a great 5,000mAh battery with 33W charging
If you liked it Breath of the wildyou will love the new The Legend of Zelda: Kingdom Tears. You can play on a Nintendo Switch, which will cost you around ₹30,000. The difference between the LCD-equipped V2 model and the OLED model isn’t huge, we’ve linked both below. Super fans might want to pick up the Zelda-branded edition, even if that one isn’t bundled with the game, so you’re just paying extra for the decals.
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