Weekly Deals: The best smartphone deals from Germany, UK, USA and India

With the Prime Day madness over, things have settled down but there are still plenty of good deals to be had, especially as manufacturers start discounting older devices to clear out their inventory. We’ve also found deals on new devices, some of which launched earlier this month.

Germany

The new Zenfone 10 offers upgrades like a more powerful chipset and wireless charging, but many think it’s expensive. The older Asus Zenfone 9 can be picked up for under €700 for an 8/256GB unit. As mentioned, it uses an older chip but the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is no slouch. Also, the 144Hz display refresh rate on the 2023 model has very little support in gaming. The older model also has the best ultra wide angle and selfie cameras.

If you want, you can pick up the Zenfone 10: Asus offers a small €50 discount on the 8/256GB model so you can get it for €800. Unlike its predecessor, this one has 15W wireless charging.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro (the 5G model) runs on a Dimensity 1080 chipset and a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging (in our tests, it achieved 97 hours of endurance and went from zero to 78% after 30 minutes of charging). There is also a capable 6.67 “120 Hz display with a 10-bit FHD + panel. The camera is based on the 50 MP main module with OIS (1/1.56”, 1.0 µm) and an 8 MP ultra wide angle (120°). There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack but no microSD slot, and dust and water resistance are rated IP53.

The vanilla Redmi Note 12 (5G) hasn’t changed in price and while it’s quite similar, it has a number of disadvantages compared to the Pro: a 48MP main camera with a small sensor and only 1080p/30fps video capture (compared to 4K/30fps) and 33W of charging for the 5,000mAh battery (56% in 30 minutes). Even the 6.67-inch 120Hz OLED display isn’t that great (it’s an 8-bit panel). Considering the Pro isn’t much more expensive, it’s probably the better choice.

The Motorola Moto G23 was launched earlier this year, an entry-level phone with a 6.5-inch 90Hz HD+ resolution LCD and a Helio G85 (so 4G only). It has a 50MP main camera and a 5MP (118°) ultra-wide-angle camera, as well as goodies like stereo speakers, a 3.5mm jack and a microSD slot. The 5,000mAh battery charges at 30W.

The Xiaomi Redmi 10 makes the Moto G23 look bad as its 6.5-inch LCD has FHD+ resolution, plus you get a similar Helio G88 chipset and a 50+8MP (120° ultra-wide-angle) camera. Stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack and microSD slot, check and check and check. The only downside is that the 5,000mAh battery is limited to 18W.

The Moto G42 is older but has a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a higher FHD+ resolution (60Hz). It’s still 4G-only (Snapdragon 680) and the 50+8MP camera can’t even record 4K video (they top out at 1080p/30fps), plus the 5,000mAh battery isn’t exactly fast on 18W charging. However, that HD+ display on the Moto G23 might be difficult to digest.

You can go one step further with the Moto G72. That adds a 108MP (f/1.7, 0.64μm pixels) main camera and upgrades the display to a 6.6-inch 120Hz (FHD+) AMOLED panel. Plus, the 5,000mAh battery gets a 33W charge. It’s more expensive than the G23 and G42, but these upgrades might be worth it. Or not, considering the Helio G99 chipset means you’re still stuck on 4G.

If you’re looking for a budget pair of TWS buds, the Sony WF-C500 offers up to 10 hours of continuous battery life, 20 hours total with the charging case. They have a splash and sweat proof design (IPX4) and, 360 Reality Audio, Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) and Fast Pair support.

UK

The new Honor 90 is available through the company’s online store with a free memory upgrade from 8/256GB to 12/512GB. Plus, you can pick up a £50 voucher to bring the actual price down even further. This phone packs a 200MP (1/1.4″ sensor, 0.56µm pixels) and 12MP ultra wide angle (112°) camera. And check out the selfie camera, it has a 50MP sensor and an ultra wide angle (100°) lens. Other notable features include a 6.7-inch 1200p-class display (120Hz AMOLED), a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 and a 5,000mAh battery with 5,000mAh charging.

As an alternative to the HiHonor offer, Amazon is selling the 8/256GB model for £450 and giving you a free Honor Pad X8 with it. It’s a 10.1-inch tablet (1,920 x 1,200px 16:10 display) with stereo speakers, MediaTek MT8786 chipset, and a small 5,100mAh battery.

For about half the price you can get the Honor 90 Lite. This one only has a 100MP main camera (and 5MP ultra wide angle), the selfie cam is also less impressive with a 16MP sensor. The 6.7-inch display is scaled down to a 90Hz refresh rate FHD+ IPS LCD, and you get the less capable Dimensity 6020 chipset, as well as a smaller and slower 4,500mAh 33W battery.

There’s been a lot of talk about a Galaxy S23 FE, but it’s nowhere to be seen yet. The Galaxy S21 FE can bring you the flagship experience of 2021 with a Snapdragon 888 chipset for just £366. Note that this phone still has 3 OS updates left (after getting Android 13), and unlike many mid-rangers, it has a telephoto, 8MP 76mm (3x) camera, plus wireless charging (15W).

The Poco X5 is a 5G mid-ranger with a Snapdragon 695 chipset. That means no 4K video, but the 48+8MP camera isn’t the strong point of this phone anyway. It has a 6.67″ 120Hz (FHD+) AMOLED display, an IP53 rating, and a 5,000mAh battery with 33W charging (106 hours of battery life, 63% charge in 30 minutes). It also covers the basics like a microSD slot and a 3.5mm jack.

Apple’s new MacBook Air 15.3” is very portable but still powerful enough with an M2 chip. It measures 11.5mm thick and weighs 1.51kg while having enough battery for 18 hours of use (it comes with a 35W USB-C charger). The 15.3-inch IPS LCD display has a resolution of 2,880 x 1,864 px for 224ppi and can reach a brightness of 500 nits.

If you have a phone with a microSD slot, you can easily upgrade your storage with half a terabyte more for just £33. This SanDisk Ultra card is UHS-I and A1 rated, so it’s pretty fast, although most Androids don’t make it easy to download an app to the microSD.

iPhones with MagSafe can use external batteries like the Anker 321 power bank. This one has a capacity of 5,000mAh, so it’s bigger than the Apple MagSafe battery (which also means bigger) and it’s much cheaper.

United States of America

While not as low as Prime Day, prices for the Samsung Galaxy S23 series have remained below $1,000. The base model starts at $700 and has its fans for its price and size.

The Galaxy S23+ is just $100 cheaper than a Galaxy S23 Ultra, and that one has the best screen (QHD+ LTPO, not to mention S Pen support) and better cameras too. The next-gen Z foldables will be unveiled next week, but it’s unclear if that will have any effect on the pricing of the S23 series.

If you want a stylus but don’t have the $1,000 to spend, there’s the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023). It has a roomy 6.6-inch IPS LCD (FHD+ 120Hz), but the stylus in question isn’t quite as capable as the S Pen. Considering the huge price difference, we weren’t expecting that either. This phone offers 5G connectivity with a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset, a 50+8MP camera (with 4K/30fps video recording) and a 5,000mAh battery with 20W charging.

An even cheaper but still 5G-capable Motorola is the Moto G (2022). This one uses a less capable Dimension 700 chipset, but its biggest flaw is the HD+ resolution on the 6.5-inch 90Hz IPS LCD. Well, the lack of an ultra-wide-angle camera (there’s a 50+2+2MP setup on the back) and 10W charging for the 5,000mAh battery aren’t ideal either. Still, it’s a 5G phone under $200.

Your phone is great for recording videos of your friends and family, less so when diving in water, especially salt water. For this and other occasions where the camera could be bumped or otherwise damaged, something like the GoPro Hero11 Mini will be more suitable. This one doesn’t have a display like the larger Hero11 but it’s also much cheaper.

If you’re looking for a new gaming monitor, consider the 27-inch Samsung Odyssey G7. It has a 4K IPS panel with 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, as well as HDR 400. It supports both G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro. With Samsung Gaming Hub you can use cloud streaming platforms without having to turn on the connected PC or console.

India

Realme recently launched the Narzo 60 and 60 Pro, which are related to the Realme 11 Pro duo (especially in terms of design). The Narzo 60 Pro is the more interesting of the two siblings with a 100MP main camera with OIS (there’s no ultra-wide angle), a larger 6.7″ 120Hz AMOLED display (10-bit, FHD+) and a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging.

The Narzo 60 is smaller with a 6.43-inch AMOLED display (90Hz, FHD+) and while it has the same 5,000mAh battery capacity, it charges at just 33W. Additionally, the main camera is down to 64MP. On the plus side, the vanilla model has a microSD slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. No stereo speakers, though.

OnePlus Nord 3 is another recent release, which is yet to get discounts. It has a powerful Dimensity 9000, flagship chipset not so long ago, as well as a high-quality 6.74-inch AMOLED display with 1,240 x 2,772 px resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate. The 50 MP main camera is based on the high-end IMX890 sensor (1/1.56″, 1.0 µm) with OIS and there is an 8 MP ultra wide-angle (also 1 12th) The 5,000mAh battery gives the phone 103 hours of battery life and you can charge it almost fully (98%) in just 30 minutes thanks to the 80W charger.

The Tecno Camon 20 Premiere has a unique ultra wide angle camera with a 108MP sensor (and a 13mm, 115° lens). This is in addition to a 50MP (1/1.56″, 1.0µm) sensor with OIS in the main cam. The phone has a 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED display (FHD+) and is powered by a Dimensity 8050 chipset with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, as well as a 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging (107h battery life, 47% in 30 minutes).

The cheaper Tecno Camon 20 Pro has the same display and chipset as the Premiere, the 5,000mAh battery drops to 33W of charging. The camera is a huge step down, however, with a smaller 64MP (1/1.7″, 0.8µm) main sensor and no ultra-wide angle.

The Samsung Galaxy M34 is around the same price and has an ultra-wide-angle camera – an 8MP unit, as well as a 50MP main camera (with OIS). This one has a bigger 6,000mAh battery (with 25W charging) and a smaller 6.5″ 120Hz AMOLED display (FHD+). It’s powered by the older Exynos 1280 chipset. Both the M34 and Camon 20 Pro have stereo speakers and 3.5mm jacks. Here’s something interesting: The Galaxy M34 was the best-selling phone during Prime Day.

The Realme Narzo N53 is big and cheap: at just over ₹10,000, this phone offers a 6.74-inch IPS LCD (90Hz, FHD+) and a 5,000mAh battery with 33W charging. It’s powered by a Unisoc T612 chipset and has a microSD slot, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack. The camera is pretty basic with a 50MP module on the back and an 8MP selfie one on the front.

The Realme Pad is from late 2021, so it’s no spring chicken but it’s an affordable way to get a 4G tablet. Plus, it has a quality build with an aluminum frame (just 6.9 mm thick) and a bright 10.4-inch display with a resolution of 2,000 x 1,200 px (no HDR10, though). Combined with four speakers with Dolby Atmos (and a 3.5mm headphone jack), this makes for a great entertainment tablet. Primarily for streaming, the Helio G80 isn’t great for gaming.

Finally, the Poco C5 is a basic phone that can be bought on the cheap. It has a long-lasting 5,000mAh battery and an option to expand storage via microSD, but as you can tell from the 2GB of RAM, this is an Android 12 Go edition phone.