Prices of Android flagships have been known to drop pretty quickly after launch and we’re seeing just that this week. We also found tablet deals for those who want a bigger screen. Use the links below to go to your region:
United States of America
The Galaxy S23 series may have been flying off the shelves, but that (thankfully) didn’t stop prices from dropping even earlier in its life cycle. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is already down to $1,000 for the base 12/256GB unit, $200 MSRP. Likewise, the Galaxy S23+ has dropped $150 in price and is now close to the vanilla model’s starting price. Speaking of, the Galaxy S23 now goes for $700, $100 less than the full price.
Here’s something for people looking for a cheap 5G phone. Moto G (2022) half cut to $200. And if Moto doesn’t insist on using an HD+ display, we’d recommend it with more enthusiasm. The OnePlus Nord N200 5G can be found for $240 and has an FHD+ display (plus 18W charging instead of 10W), but that’s with only 64GB of storage while Motorola comes with 256GB (both have microSD slots). Plus, $40 is $40.
Next up are iPads at three different price points. Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) is the older model with the Apple M1 chipset instead of the M2 in the 2022 models. However, iPadOS is not macOS so it’s hard to take advantage of the extra power. This model may cost $1,000 but comes with Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity, as well as decent storage (256GB).
For work/study from home, you can get an iPad Air (2022) instead, which costs half as much if you ditch the LTE modem and drop to 64GB of storage. It has the same chipset as the M1, so the main difference between the two is the screen – 12.9″ 120Hz vs. 10.9″ 60Hz (not to mention brightness, HDR, etc. in favor of the pricier Pro). You can get LTE connectivity for $150 more, but we’ll likely go for the extra storage and use tethering from our phones if we need data on the go.
The vanilla iPad (2022) has the same display as the Air, well, unless using the first-generation Apple Pencil instead of the second-generation is important to you. The real reason for the $100 price drop is the chipset’s weakness — not that we’d call the Apple A14 “weak,” especially at $400. Again, LTE is an option, but $150 more seems like a lot.
Finally, while iPhones have gained satellite messaging capabilities, they’re only for emergencies (you do get to share location to friends, though). So a dedicated satellite messaging app like the Garmin InReach Mini might still make sense if you love camping or need to get out into the wilderness for work.
United kingdom
What do you prefer? Samsung Galaxy S21 FE with Snapdragon 888 or Galaxy S22 with Exynos 2200? We’re asking because they both cost basically the same. The FE is the bigger phone (6.4 inches vs 6.1 inches) and has a decent bigger battery (4,500 mAh vs 3,700 mAh), but the S22 has better cameras. You can compare the FE to the S22+, although that price is higher.
Instead of the previous flagship, you can save some money and get a mid-ranger – Oppo Reno8 Pro, for example. This device includes a large 6.7-inch 120Hz (FHD+) AMOLED display and a 4,500mAh battery with 80W fast charging (compared to 25W for the Galaxys). The phone is powered by Dimensity 8100-Max chipset. The main 50MP 1/1.56″ camera lacks OIS and there is no zoom lens on board.
For 50 EGP less, you can get the Honor 70 with Snapdragon 778G+. It has a much better ultra-wide camera (50MP 120° vs. 8MP 112°) and a different battery configuration, a 4,800mAh with 66W charging (both phones’ endurance rating came out at exactly 100 hours). Note that the Honor 70 comes with half of the 128GB storage.
Another £50 off and we get the Motorola Edge 30 Neo with the Snapdragon 695. We know it’s not anyone’s favorite, partly because it can’t record 4K video. The 64MP main camera has OIS, but the 13MP 120-degree ultra-wide camera isn’t that impressive. This is a smaller phone with a 6.28-inch 120Hz OLED display and a 4,020mAh battery with 68W charging (and an endurance rating of 104 hours).
Clip another £50 and we’re looking at the Galaxy M33 or Moto G73. Both are 5G phones (using the Exynos 1280 and Dimensity 930, respectively), both have medium-sized FHD+, 120Hz LCD screens, both have 50MP main cameras (sans OIS), and both have 5000mAh batteries with charging rates. Similar (25W vs. 30W). ). There are some pros and cons to each phone, which you can see in our head-to-head comparison.
Another showdown between Samsung and Motorola is the Galaxy A14 vs Moto G23. This isn’t a battle as far as Samsung has an FHD+ display compared to Moto’s HD+ (both are 90Hz LCD), not to mention 5G connectivity. It lacks an ultra-wide camera (the Moto has a 5MP unit) and it’s slow to charge its 5,000mAh battery (15W vs. 30W), but we’d definitely choose it over Motorola at current prices.
If you’re into VR, you’ve probably watched Meta Quest 2’s price fluctuations with anxiety. The 128GB model is down to £350, down £50 from where it was in March this year.
Germany
Our weekly survey showed that the Samsung Galaxy A54 has potential, but most people are holding off until the reviews show up. That’s done (including our video review) and our conclusion was that the A54 is a solid mid-ranger, although its MSRP was a bit high. Currently, the 8/256GB is down to €500, which is how much you would have paid for the 128GB model at launch. The price may still be a bit high, but it will soon reach more acceptable levels.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro is also a recent arrival in Europe and looks quite competitive with the A54 if you put them head to head. The 8 / 128GB model is 100 euros less than the Samsung model, and the 8 / 256GB model costs the same (that’s 500 euros). You get a slightly larger screen (6.67 inches vs 6.4 inches) and faster charging for the 5,000mAh battery (67W vs 25W). Check out our review for more details (we also have a video review).
Next is the Battle of Bocuse. Poco X5 Pro and X4 GT cost 370 euros each. The first is a new model from February, and the second came out in June last year. You’re looking at the Snapdragon 778G (X5 Pro) vs. the Dimensity 8100 (X4 GT), 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen vs. 6.6-inch 144Hz IPS LCD, 108MP camera vs. 64MP and essentially identical batteries with a 5,000mAh or so charge. 67 watts. Also, both phones launched with Android 12, though the newer model got MIUI 14 instead of v13.
Another Poco phone worth looking at is the X5. Its screen is similar to that of its Pro sibling (save for Gorilla Glass 3 instead of the GG5), but you lose the 778G in favor of the Snapdragon 695. Also, the 108MP camera has been swapped to a 48MP base unit and charging speed is reduced to 33W. That’s a lot of discounts, but the phone is 33% cheaper.
At the bottom of the price charts is the Moto G13. This is a phone under €200 and it only lacks 5G connectivity, an ultra-wide camera, and a 6.5-inch (90Hz) IPS LCD display with HD+ resolution. But the G13 is 33% cheaper than the Poco X5, so there’s that too.
India
Two 5G phones, they both cost about the same — well, the Oppo A74 5G is $500 more than the Tecno Pova Neo 5G, but that’s a small difference. The Pova is larger with a 6.8-inch screen and a 6,000mAh battery (versus the 6.5-inch and 5,000mAh), plus it runs its screen at 120Hz instead of 90Hz. The chips on both aren’t anything to write home about (Dimensity 810 and Snapdragon 480), but the A74 has an extra 2GB of RAM, and they both have 128GB of expandable storage. Oppo also has an 8MP ultra wide camera against Tecno’s none.
Next, we looked at two 10-inch tablets, both with 2000 by 1200 pixel 10-bit screens. The Redmi Pad costs $1,500 more, but it has a 90Hz panel (vs. 60Hz), a better chipset (Helio G99 vs. Snapdragon 680) and double the RAM (both have microSD slots), plus a slightly larger battery (both 18-capacity Watt. Shipping). We’ve reviewed both tables if you want to go into more detail.
There are discounts on Sony headphones. We start with the over-ear models, the WH-1000XM4 and XM5, with a price difference of $7,000 between them. The newer model has improved ANC, though we’re not sure it’s worth the extra money (especially since we had a few complaints in our review).
If you’re looking for TWS headphones instead, you can get the Sony WF-1000XM4 or LinkBuds S for $3,000 less. LinkBuds are smaller and lighter, which makes them more comfortable. Both have ANC on board but the WF model has better drivers (5mm vs 4mm).
We’ll conclude with a huge but surprisingly cheap phone – the Tecno Pova 3 is under $10,000 and has a massive 6.9-inch, 90Hz IPS LCD display with FHD+ resolution and a massive 7,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging. It’s not the fastest, but it’s pretty fast for a device under Rs 10,000. It also has a 50MP main camera that can record 1440p video, as well as features like a microSD slot, 3.5mm jack, and stereo speakers.
