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

It has been a week after the iPhone 15 series hit store shelves and it has been a fairly quiet week because of it. With only a few major launches, we focused mostly on older phones and their slide down the price ladder – and how they compare to the new offerings as well. Use the links below the jump to your country.

USA

Foldables are still quite expensive, but if you’re patient enough, you can grab a discount. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 with 512GB storage has fallen by $255 several months after launch.

If you prefer clamshells, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 (also with 512GB storage) is already under $1,000.

For a bit less you can get the Motorola Razr+ instead. This one has the better internal display – a 6.9” 165Hz LTPO OLED vs. 6.7” 120Hz OLED (both FHD+) – and both have comparable cover displays – 3.6” for the Moto and 3.4” for the Samsung. Cameras are comparable too 12+13MP and 12+12MP, but the Samsung has a bigger sensor in the main module (1/1.76” vs. 1/2.55”).

Both have similar batteries too, 3,800mAh for the Moto (30W wired, 5W wireless) and 3,700mAh for the Samsung (25W/15W). A potentially deciding factor is the chipset, the high-powered version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is available in the Z Flip, the older 8+ Gen 1 is in the Moto.

The rivalry between the two brands continues with bar phones too. The Moto Edge+ is $100 cheaper than a Galaxy S23+ despite having double the storage (512GB). Again, it has the better display, a 6.67” 165Hz LTPO OLED vs. 6.7” 120Hz OLED, both FHD+. This time around the main sensors are the same size (both with 50MP resolution), the the Moto has the better ultra wide camera (50MP 114° vs. 12MP 120°) but a shorter tele lens (12MP 2x vs. 10MP 3x). The Motorola has a bigger and faster battery at 5,100mAh (68W/15W) vs. 4,700mAh (45W/15W).

Both phones are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, though the Samsung uses the faster “for Galaxy” variant. An even cheaper way to get the 8 Gen 2 is the OnePlus 11. This one only has 128/256GB storage, but you can get 16GB RAM (double what the other two have) for just $50 more over the base model. This one also has a 50MP 1/1.56” main, along with a 48MP 115° ultra wide and a 32MP 2x tele. This one has the fastest charging for its 5,000mAh battery, 80W.

If you’re looking for the One UI experience but don’t want to spend flagship money, the Galaxy A54 is the next best thing after the S-series. The Exynos 1380 isn’t up to Snapdragon 8 standards but is decent for the class and there is a microSD slot available. Also, you get a 6.4” 120Hz FHD+ OLED display, a 50MP 1/1.56” main camera and a 12MP 123° ultra wide. The 5,000mAh battery supports 25W wired only charging.

A couple of weeks ago we listed the iPad 10.9 from 2022 at $400 (64GB, Wi-Fi). That deal is still live, but here is a cheaper option – the iPad 10.2 from 2021 (also 64GB, Wi-Fi) for $270. The display is slightly smaller but is essentially the same (a 60Hz IPS LCD) and the chipset is older but only by a year (Apple A13 vs. A14). Perhaps the biggest drawback is that the older model has a Lightning port – that’s so 2021! The 2022 slate has USB-C, of course, as do the new iPhones this year.

While you’re at it, you could pick up a keyboard – here is one compatible with the 9th gen. It’s quite pricey, but it could transform the iPad 10.2 from a Netflix machine to something you bring to class to take notes.

This week Meta unveiled the Quest 3. It has a higher resolution (4.5MP per eye vs. 3.5MP) wider field of view (110° horizontally, 96° vertically, vs. 96° x 96°) and pancake lenses that are 40% slimmer. It also has the more powerful Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset and two RGB cameras, which together capture your surroundings more accurately and enable color passthrough that’s better than even the Quest Pro had.

At $500, the Meta Quest 3 is among the cheaper VR headsets, but you can also go lower with the old Quest 2 at $300.

Meta Quest 3

128GB
coming on October 10
bundled with Asguard’s Wrath 2

UK

Xiaomi launched the 13T series this week. This offer a lot of value for a relatively low price (well, relative to the Xiaomi 13) with 6.67” displays with 1220p-class resolution and 144Hz refresh rate. Both have the same cameras too, 50MP main (with a large 1/1.28” sensor and OIS), 50MP 2x tele cameras and a 12MP ultra wide. The Xiaomi 13T Pro is powered by the Dimensity 9200+ and a 5,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging (19 min to full). The vanilla Xiaomi 13T gets the Dimensity 8200 Ultra instead and 67W charging (same battery capacity, 42 min to full).

Xiaomi 13T

8/256GB
after £20 coupon
£50 bonus available when trading in an old device

The new iPhone 15 starts at £800 and brings goodies like a 48MP camera, USB-C charging and a Dynamic Island along with last year’s Pro chipset. You can save some cash by sticking with a 12MP camera, Lightning and a notch, plus an older chipset if you pick up one of the previous models.

Amazon sells them for less than Apple.com, but the difference between the iPhone 12 and 13 is so small that we’d go for the iPhone 13 – unless, of course, you prefer the new iPhone 15. There’s also the iPhone 14, but at £700 we would definitely recommend paying the extra £100 and getting the latest model.

The Sony Xperia 5 V launched this week and while it gets a lot of things right, it gets a lot wrong too. What’s right with the phone is the clean Android 13, the microSD slot, 3.5mm jack and physical shutter key for the camera, plus excellent stereo speakers and outstanding battery life.

What’s wrong with it is that it’s too expensive not to have a tele camera (the other two are great, though), only 128GB built-in storage (even if it has a card slot) and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 doesn’t have sufficient cooling. Also, how long will it take Sony to implement dynamic refresh rate for the screen? While you ponder that, check out our review of the Sony WH-CH720N headphones, you will get these for free if you buy the Xperia 5 V.

Sony fans that are willing to compromise (do such people even exist?) could opt for the Xperia 10 V instead. It’s not a flagship and it doesn’t pretend to be – but it offers the no-nonsense Sony design at just £300 (and it has a tele camera, funnily enough, though it’s just a basic 8MP 2x module).

If you like what Fairphone is doing but can’t afford the 5 (or just think it’s the wrong combination of specs and price), the Nokia G22 is a repairable phone on a smaller scale. You can pick up parts and tools from iFixit (who also have detailed guides) and replace the phone’s battery in just 5 minutes. The phone uses recycled plastics too.

Small tablets are a rarity, perhaps a victim to oversized phones. But if you have a place in your life for an 8” slate, the iPad mini from 2021 packs a powerful A15 chipset and Apple Pencil support (2nd gen) in a petite 6.3mm 293g aluminum body.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is a relatively minor upgrade, but even so it is well ahead of the Watch SE (2022) technologically. On the down side, it costs twice as much. The SE has a smaller display (1.78” vs. 1.9”) and it doesn’t support an Always On mode, but the watch still offers advanced features like ECG.

At £480, the Meta Quest 3 is among the cheaper VR headsets, but you can also go lower with the old Quest 2 at £330.

The Netherlands

The Motorola Razr 40 isn’t the ideal flip foldable, but it is one of the cheaper ones. This model has almost the same 6.9” FHD+ internal display as the Razr 40 Ultra, the only difference is that it runs at 144Hz instead of 165Hz. While that is pretty minor, the cause for this isn’t – it’s the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 (vs. 8+ Gen 1 in the Ultra). The line display on the outside also appears very basic in 2023. On the plus side, there is a 64MP main camera (with OIS) and a 13MP ultra wide, plus a 32MP selfie. That and the relatively large 4,200mAh battery with 30W wired and 5W wireless charging are a plus too.

Moving on to bar phones, the iPhone 14 is €140 cheaper than its successor. Is that enough of a discount to give up the 48MP camera, USB-C, Dynamic Island and newer chipset? We’re working on a review to help you decide.

The Samsung Galaxy A54 and A34 are two of Samsung’s most popular mid-rangers. The A54 has the better chipset (Exynos 1380 vs. Dimensity 1080) and better camera (50MP 1/1.56” vs. 48MP 1/2.0”), while the A34 has the bigger display (6.6” vs. 6.4”, both 120Hz FHD+ AMOLEDs). Both have the same 5,000mAh battery (25W wired only charging) along with stereo speakers and microSD slots (no 3.5mm jacks, though).

On the more affordable side of things is the Galaxy A14. This is a 4G phone (Helio G80 chipset) with a 6.6” LCD with FHD+ resolution (60Hz refresh rate). There is a 50MP main camera and a 5MP ultra wide. The 5,000mAh battery supports only 15W charging.

Here is an out of the box offer, the Doogee S110. It’s a chunky 17.9mm 390g phone with a 10,800mA battery with fast 66W charging. It’s powered by the Helio G99 chipset and boasts a 24MP night vision camera (with 2 IR LEDs) in addition to the 50MP main (1/1.67”) and 16MP ultra wide (130°). Take a closer look at the back – it’s a secondary display! This round 1.09” display shows the time and offers quick access to functions like music playback. And you can customize its look too.

The Xiaomi Pad 6 is an 11” tablet with a high quality 144Hz IPS LCD – it has 2,880 x 1,800px resolution (16:10) and supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The multimedia experience is rounded off with quad speakers. The tablet is powered by the old but gold Snapdragon 870 and an 8,840mAh battery with 33W charging.

Germany

The difference between the iPhone 12 and 13 is €70 (too small to choose a 3 year old phone, if you ask us). The jump to the iPhone 14 is another €70, which makes it around €170 cheaper than the iPhone 15. Is that enough of a discount to give up the 48MP camera, USB-C, Dynamic Island and newer chipset? We’re working on a review to help you decide.

Sony fans that are willing to compromise (do such people even exist?) could opt for the Xperia 10 V instead. It’s not a flagship and it doesn’t pretend to be – but it offers the no-nonsense Sony design at just €343 (and it has a tele camera, funnily enough, though it’s just a basic 8MP 2x module).

The Nothing Phone (1) is now in the mid-range price class – the phone was always a mid-ranger with its Snapdragon 778G+, no matter how much the company tried to elevate it with unique styling. But the styling definitely attracts attention and the phone itself feels like it’s from the early days of OnePlus.

Remember HTC? The company is still around, though it rarely announces new models these days. The HTC U23 Pro is one such model, a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 phone with a 6.7” 120Hz OLED display (FHD+), a 108MP main camera (1/1.67”, OIS) and 8MP ultra wide, plus a 32MP selfie. The battery has 4,600mAh capacity and supports both wired (30W) and wireless (15W) charging. There’s a microSD slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack on board.

Apple’s switch to USB-C may have you looking for a new charger. We have tested several ACEFAST chargers and found them to be solid. The A45 is a 65W charger with GaN3 technology, it has two USB-C ports and one USB-A. It works with iPhones, of course, but it can also recharge your laptop or Steam Deck.

At €550, the Meta Quest 3 is among the cheaper VR headsets, but you can also go lower with the old Quest 2 at €350.

Electronic Arts launched EA Sports FC 24 this week – you can get the new game bundled with a PS5 (disc version) for €500. The game formerly known as FIFA got mixed reviews, but even if you don’t play it much, this is still a great price for the console (PlayStation.com sells it for €550 without the game).

India

The new Motorola Edge 40 Neo came out earlier this month as an alternative to the original Edge 40 from earlier this year. Both have 6.55” 144Hz OLED displays (FHD+, HDR+) and both have basically the same cameras with 50MP main (1/1.5”, OIS) and 13MP ultra wide (120°). However, the regular Edge 40 has the Dimensity 8020, which is faster than the Neo’s Dimensity 7030. The Neo counters with a larger battery, 5,000mAh vs. 4,400mAh, both with 68W charging.

The regular Edge 40 is the slightly better phone if you ask us, but only if the two cost the same or at least a similar amount. At ₹7,000 less (for the same 256GB storage), we’d definitely recommend the Neo.

The Phantom V Flip is coming to India with a relatively low ₹50,000 price tag, which seems to have caused movement in the market. The Motorola Razr 40 has the better display – both are 6.9” FHD+ AMOLEDs, but the Razr display is an LTPO panel that runs at 144Hz and it supports HDR10. The chipset isn’t great, but the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 is still faster than Phantom’s Dimensity 8050.

The cameras are similar enough (64+13MP rear, 32MP inside), the batteries differ – 4,200mAh with 30W wired and 5W wireless for the Moto against 4,000mAh 45W wired only for the Phantom. Neither phone can run full apps on their cover display, both are limited to widgets (some might find the circular display of the V Flip more attractive than the line display of the Razr).

The Moto G54 is preparing to launch on Flipkart, in the mean time let’s compare it to the Moto G84, which is already available. The G84 has a 6.5” OLED display (FHD+, 120Hz), its sibling has a 6.5” IPS LCD instead (also FHD+, 120Hz). The higher end model uses a weaker chip, a Snapdragon 695, compared to the Dimensity 7020 of the G54. Both have the same cameras (50+8MP rear, 16MP front). The G54 has the bigger battery, 6,000mAh vs. 5,000mAh, both with around 30W charging.

The Realme Narzo 60 Pro is pricier than both, but features a 100MP main camera. It’s the only one on the back, however, unless you count the 2MP depth sensor. This one is powered by the Dimensity 7050, which beats the 7030, and has a 6.7” 120Hz AMOLED display (FHD+, HDR10+). The battery is smaller than the G54 (5,000mAh) but faster than both (67W).

The Lava Blaze 5G is a 5G phone for ₹10,000. That’s enough of a selling point, but this is actually a pretty capable phone for this price range – it has a 50MP main camera, a 5,000mAh battery, the Dimensity 700 is decently fast and you can expand the 128GB storage with a microSD card, there’s even a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s not a perfect phone, the 6.5” 90Hz IPS LCD has only HD+ resolution and the battery tops out at 10W when charging. Still, it’s a great package for ₹10,000.

The Honor Pad X9 is an 11.5” tablet with a 2,000 x 1,200px (15:9) LCD with 120Hz refresh rate. It has 6 speakers on board and a 7,250mAh battery, making it a solid streaming machine. The Snapdragon 685 is no speed demon, but it can handle light gaming and is certainly good enough for office work.

If your budget is ₹10,000 or less, check out the Honor Pad X8 instead. It’s smaller with a 10.1” display (1,920 x 1,200px, 16:10) and it only has a 60Hz refresh rate. There are only two speakers on board, but at least you still get stereo sound. The chipset is nothing to write home about and the 5,100mAh battery is way too small for a tablet.

Sitting between these two price-wise is the Motorola Moto Tab G62. This is a 10.6” slate with a 2,000 x 1,200px IPS LCD (15:9, 60Hz) and a Snapdragon 680 chipset – the 685 is an overclocked version of this. The 7,700mAh battery is good on capacity and it supports 20W charging.