Weekly deals: the best smartphone deals from Germany, the UK, the US and India

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

• Germany
• The UK
• USA
• India

Germany

The new Zenfone 10 brings upgrades like a more powerful chipset and wireless charging, but many think that it’s on the pricey side. 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 games. The older model also has the better ultra wide and selfie cameras.

If you want, you can pick up the Zenfone 10 – Asus is offering a small €50 discount on the 8/256GB model so you can have 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 got 97h endurance rating and went from zero to 78% after 30 minutes of charging). There is also a capable 6.67” 120Hz display with a 10-bit FHD+ panel. The camera is based around the 50MP main module with OIS (1/1.56”, 1.0µm) and an 8MP ultra wide (120°). There is a 3.5mm headphone jack but no microSD slot, dust and water resistance is rated at IP53.

The vanilla Redmi Note 12 (5G) hasn’t budged in price and while it is fairly similar, it does have a number of disadvantages compared to the Pro – a 48MP main camera with a small sensor and only 1080p/30fps video capture (vs. 4K/30fps) and 33W charging for the 5,000mAh battery (56% in 30 minutes). The 6.67” 120Hz OLED display isn’t as nice either (it’s an 8-bit panel). Considering that the Pro is not that much more expensive, it’s probably the better pick.

The Motorola Moto G23 launched earlier this year, an entry-level phone with a 6.5” 90Hz LCD with HD+ resolution and a Helio G85 (so 4G-only). It has a 50MP main and a 5MP ultra wide (118°) cameras, plus goodies like stereo speakers, 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” LCD has FHD+ resolution, plus you get a similar Helio G88 chipset and a 50+8MP camera (120° ultra wide). Stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack and microSD slot, check, check and check. The only downside is that the 5,000mAh battery is capped at 18W.

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

You can go another step up with the Moto G72. That adds a 108MP main camera (f/1.7, 0.64µm pixels) and upgrades the display to a 6.6” 120Hz AMOLED panel (FHD+). Also, the 5,000mAh battery gets 33W charging. Its pricier than the G23 and G42, but those upgrades may be worth it. Or not, considering that the Helio G99 chipset means you’re still stuck on 4G.

If you’re looking for a cheap pair of TWS buds, the Sony WF-C500 offer 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 collect a £50 voucher to bring the effective price even lower. This phone packs a 200MP camera (1/1.4” sensor, 0.56µm pixels) and a 12MP ultra wide (112°). And check out the selfie camera, it has a 50MP sensor and an ultra wide lens (100°). Other notable features include a 6.7” 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 gives you a free Honor Pad X8 with it. This is a 10.1” tablet (1,920 x 1,200px 16:10 display) with stereo speakers, a MediaTek MT8786 chipset and a small 5,100mAh battery.

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

There has been a lot of talk about a Galaxy S23 FE, but it’s nowhere to be seen yet. The Galaxy S21 FE can offer you that 2021 flagship experience with a Snapdragon 888 chipset for just £366. Keep in mind that this phone still has 3 OS updates left (after getting Android 13) and unlike many mid-rangers it has a telephoto camera, 8MP 76mm (3x), 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 this phone’s highlight anyway. It has a 6.67” 120Hz AMOLED display (FHD+), an IP53 rating and a 5,000mAh battery with 33W charging (106h endurance, 63% charge in 30 minutes). Plus, it covers basics like a microSD slot and a 3.5mm jack.

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

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

iPhones with MagSafe can use external batteries such as the Anker 321 power bank. This one has 5,000mAh capacity, so it’s bigger than the Apple MagSafe battery (that means chunkier too) and it is a lot cheaper.

USA

While they are not quite as low as on Prime Day, the prices for the Samsung Galaxy S23 series has remained under $1,000. The base model starts at $700 and it has its fans for its price and its size.

The Galaxy S23+ is only $100 less than a Galaxy S23 Ultra and that one has the better 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 not clear whether that will have any effect on the S23 series pricing.

If you want a stylus but don’t have the $1,000 to spend, there is the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023). It has a fairly roomy 6.6” IPS LCD (FHD+ 120Hz), but the stylus in question is not nearly as capable as the S Pen. Considering the massive price difference, we weren’t expecting it to 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 yet still 5G capable Motorola is the Moto G (2022). This one uses a less capable Dimensity 700 chipset, but its biggest downfall is the HD+ resolution on the 6.5” 90Hz IPS LCD. Well, the lack of an ultra wide camera (there is a 50+2+2MP setup on the back) and the 10W charging for the 5,000mAh battery aren’t ideal either. Still, it’s a 5G phone under $200.

Your phone is great at recording videos of your friends and family, less so when you dive in the water – especially salt water. For this and other occasions when the camera may get banged up or otherwise damaged, something like the GoPro Hero11 Mini will be better suited. This one doesn’t have a display like the bigger Hero11 but it is a lot cheaper too.

If you’re looking for a new gaming monitor, consider the 27” Samsung Odyssey G7. It has a 4K IPS panel with 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, plus HDR 400. It supports both G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro. With the Samsung Gaming Hub you can use cloud streaming platforms without having to power on the attached 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), 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” AMOLED display (90Hz, FHD+) and while it has the same battery capacity of 5,000mAh, it charges at only 33W. Also, 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.

The OnePlus Nord 3 is another recent release, which is yet to get any discounts. It’s got a powerful Dimensity 9000, which was flagship chipset not too long ago, plus a high quality 6.74” AMOLED display with 1,240 x 2,772px resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The 50MP main camera is based on the high-end IMX890 sensor (1/1.56”, 1.0µm) with OIS and there is an 8MP ultra wide (112° too). The 5,000mAh battery gives the phone 103 hours endurance and you can get it to nearly full (98%) in just 30 minutes thanks to the 80W charger.

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

The more affordable Tecno Camon 20 Pro has the same display and chipset as the Premiere, the 5,000mAh battery drops to 33W charging. The camera is a huge step back, however, with a smaller 64MP main sensor (1/1.7”, 0.8µm) and no ultra wide at all.

The Samsung Galaxy M34 is around he same price and does have an ultra wide camera – an 8MP unit, in addition to the 50MP main camera (with OIS). This one has a larger 6,000mAh battery (with 25W charging) and a smaller 6.5” 120Hz AMOLED display (FHD+). It’s powered by the old Exynos 1280 chipset. Both the M34 and the 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 brings a 6.74” IPS LCD (90Hz, FHD+) and a 5,000mAh battery with 33W charging. It’s powered by an Unisoc T612 chipset and has a microSD slot, plus a 3.5mm headphone jack. The camera is pretty basic with a 50MP module on the back and an 8MP selfie on the front.

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

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

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