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

19 February 2023

Samsung started regular sales of the Galaxy S23 series this week, so the pre-order bonuses are no longer available. But there are still plenty of good deals to choose from. Just like last week the Google Pixel phones offer a premium experience for less money than most flagships these days, for example.

We also picked out a number of refurbished units – you don’t have to buy a brand new phone to get a premium experience. Use the links below to jump to the region that’s relevant to you:

• Germany
• The Netherlands
• The UK
• USA
• Canada
• India

Germany

The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, plus the Pixel 6a offer the Google experience at three distinct price points. And we do mean the Google experience since these get exclusive feature drops not available on other Androids.

The global pricing of the Xiaomi 13 will be announced next week, but it sure will be higher than what the Xiaomi 12T costs. While it is no match for the flagships with its Dimensity 8100-Max chipset, it does offer a 6.67” 1220p-class display with 120Hz refresh rate and 12-bit colors. The camera setup feature a 108MP main module (with OIS) and an 8MP ultra wide, plus a 20MP selfie camera. The 5,000mAh battery supports 120W fast charging (0-100% in 19 minutes).

Nothing started rolling out the stable Android 13 update for the Phone (1) this week. And while the Phone (2) is coming later this year, we don’t know much about it – CEO Carl Pei says that it will be more premium and as a new model it will certainly cost more than this one.

We know that many think that the Samsung Galaxy A52s is a great value-for-money mid-ranger. And it is, that Snapdragon 778G chipset is better than the Exynos 1280 inside the Galaxy A53. Plus, the A52s has a 3.5mm headphone jack, though its battery is 4,500mAh, 500mAh smaller than the A53. The A53’s biggest advantage is that it is one year newer, thus launched with Android 12 instead of 11 (both have updates to v13, but support for the A52s will end sooner).

The Nokia G60 spec sheet is hardly jaw-dropping, but this is a perfect “no fuss” phone. For €250 you get 3 years of warranty, 3 years of OS updates and 3 years of security patches. The phone isn’t bad either, though it’s certainly not for enthusiasts.

We wrap things up with a cheap 4G model, the Galaxy M13. It runs full-fledged Android 12 with One UI Core on top and has a 6.6” FHD+, plus a large 5,000mAh battery. Again, not one for enthusiasts, but it’s great for someone on a tight budget.

The Netherlands

Amazon is selling certain iPhone 14 models in certain configurations for less than Apple charges. You may not find just the right model/storage/color combo you were looking for, but there are savings to be had if you’re willing to compromise.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max with 256GB storage is €150 less than you would find it on Apple.com. The vanilla iPhone 14 is just over €100 less.

If those are still too pricey, consider the latest iPhone SE (2022). Its outdated design isn’t for everyone, but it is a current entry into the Apple ecosystem at less than half the price of the iPhone 14 mentioned above.

Moving on to Android offers, the Realme GT Neo2 is from late 2021, so it’s hardly a fresh model. Still, a Snapdragon 870 and a 6.62” 120Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+ and a 5,000mAh battery with 65W wired charging sounds like a solid deal for €364. This is Snapdragon 695/778G territory usually.

Speaking off, the Galaxy A52s wasn’t available, but there is the Galaxy A53. We know, the A52s is better value, but supplies have been spotty. Anyway, this will get better software support than the Realme.

UK

How do you feel about foldables? If your answer was “too expensive”, we get it. Still, the Razr 2022 is down to £750, £150 less than you might pay for a Galaxy Z Flip. The hardware is still pretty current with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, relatively large cover display, 6.7” 144Hz FHD+ internal display and a 50+13MP camera setup.

Next up, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, plus the cheaper 6a. They are not as powerful as the Galaxy phones in terms of raw performance, but the cameras are competitive with the pricier Samsung phones.

You can also accessorize with some Google TWS buds. Google started rolling out an update for the Pixel Buds Pro that enables head tracking, which makes spatial audio even more immersive. Or you could go with the cheaper Buds A-Series, if you don’t care about the immersive audio.

The Samsung Galaxy A53 is featured in most other regions too, it’s such a good price for a capable mid-ranger with extensive software support.

Next, a few iPhones that Apple no longer wants to sell you. While the iPhone 12 is still available, the small iPhone 12 mini and the older iPhone 11 aren’t. For comparison, an iPhone 13 mini with 64GB storage is £650, but for £25 more you can get the older 12 mini with 256GB storage. Alternatively, a refurbished iPhone 11 is a good pick for a school kid who doesn’t want to cause the dreaded green bubble in group chats.

While we’re looking at older Apple hardware, check out the Apple Watch Series 7. The 45mm aluminium model with GPS and Cellular is cheaper than most other configurations right now.

USA

The OnePlus 11 is starting is global rollout and it is one of the few flagships in the US not made by Apple or Samsung. And it’s starting with a $100 discount, that’s quite cheap for a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with 16GB of RAM, QHD+ display, Hasselblad cameras and a 5,000mAh battery with 80W charging (warning: no wireless charging this time around). Well, cheap for US standards, the market doesn’t have a lot of variety (e.g. the Moto Edge 30 series isn’t available yet).

Next up, a couple of iPhone deals from eBay for units locked to AT&T. You can save $150 off an iPhone 14 Pro and $180 from an iPhone 14 Plus compared to unlocked units from Apple.com. There aren’t many units available, but they are still sealed in their boxes.

We’ll wrap up with a couple of cheap 5G phones, starting with the Moto G Stylus 5G (2022). The large 6.8” 120Hz IPS LCD (FHD+ resolution) can by used with a capacitive stylus and you get a free 256GB microSD card that doubles the total storage capacity out of the box. The Snapdragon 695 is paired with 8GB of RAM and a 5,000mAh battery with glacial charging (10W).

The Nokia G400 isn’t an amazing phone, but it is a sub-$200 5G phone with a 6.58” 120Hz IPS LCD display, a large 5,000mAh battery, expandable storage, a 3.5mm headphone jack and an aluminum frame.

Canada

We didn’t spot many interesting smartphone deals in Canada, so we’ll be quick. The Galaxy S23 series is going on sale this week and while North America avoided the price hike that most of the rest of the world saw, the new models are still pricey.

So, for your consideration we present refurbished Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra. These are set for only 3 OS updates, meaning that Android 13 is the end of the road for them. The trio will continue receiving security patches until early 2024 at least, so there is still some life left in them.

India

The Galaxy S23 series is going on sale in India next week, but not everyone has the budget for the latest models. The Galaxy S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra offer a similar experience for less money, especially since India got Snapdragon models last year.

We also found a refurbished deal for the Galaxy S23 Ultra if you want to save an extra ₹10,000.

Foldables are still pricey, but the Galaxy Z Flip4 is just over the Galaxy S22+ in price and it is cheaper than a vanilla S23.

As an alternative to Samsung’s older flagships, how about an iPhone 12 or 13? The iPhone 12 with 64GB costs as much as an S22 with 128GB storage, an iPhone 13 with 128GB storage is cheaper than an S22+ with the same 128GB storage.