IFTINFO – Weekly deals: the best smartphone deals from the UK, Germany, the US and India laissez un commentaire

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Last week Samsung made a big splash with new foldables, new tablets and new watches. They are still on pre-order – shipping should start next week – and they still have quite an influence on the market. This week we will look at some more Galaxy Z deals, but it’s mostly business as usual.

UK

Amazon UK leaned into combo deals – you can have a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 with a pair of Galaxy Buds2 Pro or a Galaxy Watch6. The offer comes with a free storage upgrade from 256GB to 512GB – and don’t forget to click to collect that £100 voucher.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 deals are pretty similar – you can pair it with the Buds2 Pro, a Galaxy Watch6 or a 1TB Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. Another reminder to collect the £100 voucher.

Note: there is a Z Flip5 + Tab S9 combo too, but for some reason it won’t ship for a couple of months, so we skipped it.

While we’re looking at Galaxy foldables, here are some protective cases for them. The ring and gadget cases give you something to hook on your finger (the latter case also doubles as a kickstand) or you could pick a more stylish eco-leather case.

The S Pen case could be crucial for your Galaxy Z Fold5 usage – it gives you a much bigger canvas than the S23 Ultra. Unlike the S-phone, however, the Z Fold5 needs help with carrying the stylus. If you don’t plan on using an S Pen, then the other cases will be more suitable.

The Nothing Phone (2) upgrades the processing power and screen size compared to the original, but it does cost £630 for a 12/256GB unit. An 8/128GB version of the original Nothing Phone (1) is around half that price – it’s worth thinking about whether the upgrades are worth the extra cost.

The Honor Magic5 Lite doesn’t have the camera prowess of its pricier siblings, but it’s a solid mid-ranger with a 6.67” 120Hz display (10-bit, FHD+) and a Snapdragon 695. The cameras it does have are a 64MP main, 5MP ultra wide and 16MP selfie. The 5,100mAh battery scored 111h endurance in our tests and charges quickly at 40W (0-57% in 30 minutes).

Speaking of Honor, the Honor Pad X9 is solid no-thrills tablet. Well, the six speakers on board do offer some thrills. It also has an 11.5” 120Hz LCD (2,000 x 1,200px, 15:9) and a Snapdragon 685 chipset, plus a 7,250mAh battery.

Finally, last week we listed some PlayStation 5 deals – those are still available and the prices are actually a few quid lower now. So, check those out, this week we will only add the Pulse 3D – a wireless headset designed specifically for PS4 and PS5 (the latter is better, since it has much more advanced 3D audio in games). These have active noise canceling and come with a wireless dongle, so you don’t have to suffer the latency of a Bluetooth connection. There’s also a 3.5mm jack if you want to go wired.

Germany

The Motorola Edge 40 Pro lets the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset stretch its legs on the 6.67” 165Hz display (a 10-bit OLED panel with FHD+ resolution and Dolby Vision). It also packs two 50MP cameras – one in the main cam (1/1.55” sensor) and one in the ultra wide (114°) – plus a 12MP 2x portrait lens and a 60MP selfie camera. If that wasn’t enough, the 4,600mAh battery gets great endurance (117h) and charges at 125W over a wire (0-83% in 15 minutes) and 15W wirelessly.

If the Pro is too pricey for you or you don’t need that much performance, the regular Motorola Edge 40 is still pretty zippy with a Dimensity 8020 chipset, a 6.55” 144Hz OLED display (FHD+, HDR10+). It has a 50MP main (1/1.55”) and 13MP ultra wide (120°), plus a 32MP selfie. The chipset isn’t as efficient, so the 4,400mAh battery only scored a still pretty solid 98h endurance rating and can be recharged at 68W over a wire (0-58% in 15 minutes) and 15W wirelessly.

You can always opt for a Google Pixel 7a instead. It has a smaller 6.1” FHD+ OLED display and it only runs it at 90Hz. The Tensor G2 is the best that Google has right now and while it’s not that great, it’s all about the software anyway. The 4,385mAh battery doesn’t last long (76h endurance) and supports only 18W wired (0-36% in 30 minutes) and 7.5W wireless charging. Note that this offer includes a free 30W Google charger.

For less money you can pick up a Poco F5. Its Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 chipset is nothing short of impressive and you get a display closer to the Motos – 6.67” 120Hz (as 12-bit FHD+ panel). The camera setup is nothing to write home about with a 64MP main (1/2”) and 8MP ultra wide (120°), but the 5,000mAh battery scored a 118h endurance rating and is quick to charge at 67W (wired only, 0-83% in 30 minutes).

The Samsung Galaxy A54 and A34 pair are also worth a look as they have fallen in price significantly since launch. The A54 gets the better chipset (Exynos 1380), better cameras (50MP with 1/1.56” main, 12MP 123° ultra wide and 32MP selfie), but has a smaller 6.4” 120Hz display (FHD+ AMOLED). The 5,000mAh battery is the same (both phones support 25w wired-only charging), though as we’re about to see the Exynos isn’t quite as efficient.

The Galaxy A34 gets the bigger 6.6” 120Hz display (FHD+ AMOLED) and the Dimensity 1080 does MediaTek proud – that same 5,000mAh battery now scores 133 hours on the endurance test, compared to 119h for the A54. The camera setup is less impressive (48MP 1/2” main, 8MP 123° ultra wide and 13MP selfie). As a reminder, the Galaxy A34 and A54 will get 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of security patches, compared to 3/5 years for the Pixel 7a.

The Motorola Moto G73 and Moto G52 are another pairing to look at. The G73 is a 5G phone (Dimensity 930) with a 6.5” 120Hz IPS LCD (FHD+) and a 50+8MP cameras.

The Moto G52 is a 4G phone (Snapdragon 680) with a 6.6” 90Hz AMOLED (FHD+) and the same 50+8MP cameras (capped at 1080p/30fps in both cases). The 16MP selfie cameras are the same, as are the 5,000mAh batteries with 30W wired-only charging.

USA

The phones and smartwatches from the latest Galaxy Unpacked event will be released on August 11 (Friday), so there is still time to pick up some freebies with a pre-order deal.

Amazon US is offering free storage upgrades for the Galaxy Z Flip5 and Z Fold5 from 256GB to 512GB. Even better, it is including a $150 or a $200 Amazon Gift Card, respectively.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch6 and Watch6 Classic also come with gift cards – only $50 this time around, but Amazon is also throwing in a free fabric band (in addition to the default “hybrid leather” strap).

The Motorola Moto G (2023) is a cheap 5G phone. It uses the Snapdragon 480+ paired with a 6.5” 120Hz IPS LCD with only HD+ resolution. That’s not ideal, but at least the phone has a practical design – water-repellent coating, dedicated microSD slot, 3.5mm headphone jack and stereo speakers. The 5,000mAh battery is good on capacity, but the 15W charging might feel slow.

The Moto G Play (2023) is an even cheaper 4G-only option. This one has a 6.5” IPS LCD with HD+ resolution again, though running at 90Hz this time. There are no stereo speakers, but the phone does keep the 3.5mm jack and the dedicated microSD slot. The battery has the same 5,000mAh capacity and charges at an even slower 10W rate. The 13MP rear and 5MP selfie cameras are also a downgrade from the 48MP/8MP setup on the regular Moto G.

If battery capacity is a concern, check out the Doogee S100 Pro – it’s a proper beast with a 22,000mAh battery (with 33W wired-only charging). This is more of a work phone as it measures 27.3mm thick and it is properly tough with IP68 and IP69K (hot water jets) ratings and is MIL-STD-810H compliant. There is a 130 lumen flashlight built in too, much brighter than a typical smartphone LED flash. You might not even need a flashlight as the phone is equipped with a 20MP night vision camera (with 2 IR LED lights) in addition to its regular 108MP camera.

Bose headphones are on offer too, with the QuietComfort 45 over-ears and QuietComfort Earbuds II TWS buds costing around the same. Both have great ANC, it’s a matter of which form factor you prefer.

As a cheaper option, there are the Sony WH-XB910N. These over-ear headphones can’t match the Bose in terms of ANC (that’s the job of the WH-1000XM series), but they do cost less than half the price of the QuietComfort 45.

India

The Infinix GT 10 Pro was unveiled this week and pre-orders kicked off a day later. The company advertised the price as ₹18,000, but you need to get the ₹2,000 bank discount for that. The base price is ₹20,000. Check out our in for review post for more details on the phone.

The Xiaomi Redmi 12 5G is another newcomer from this week. This is the first phone with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset. It has a roomy 6.79” 90Hz IPS LCD (FHD+), a 50MP main camera and a 5,000mAh battery with 18W wired-only charging. Note that Xiaomi is preparing to launch a Poco M6 Pro with nearly identical specs.

Also, don’t confuse the Redmi 12 5G with the Redmi 12 – the 4G-only phone from June. The major differences between the two are the chipset, of course, (Helio G88 on this one) and the cameras (the 4G model has an 8MP ultra wide). The displays are almost the same, except that the 5G model has Gorilla Glass protection on the front and back.

Yet another new phone is the Moto G14 from Motorola. It’s a 4G phone that competes with the Redmi 12 on price. It uses the comparable Unisoc T616 chipset and has a smaller 6.5” 120Hz IPS LCD (FHD+). This one is missing the ultra wide camera and the 5,000mAh battery is rated at 15W (vs. 18W).

The OnePlus Nord CE3 may have been announced a month ago, but it is only now hitting the store shelves. The phone uses the older but still powerful Snapdragon 782G chipset, paired with a large 6.7” 120Hz AMOLED display (a 10-bit FHD+ panel). The main module in the 50+8+2MP camera setup has a 1/1.56” sensor and OIS. The phone runs on a 5,000mAh battery with 80W fast charging. There’s no headphone jack, but the CE3 does feature stereo speakers and a shared microSD slot.

The Samsung Galaxy M34 stands out with its 6,000mAh battery (25W wired-only charging). It has a 6.5” 120Hz AMOLED display (FHD+) and is powered by the old Exynos 1280 chipset. This one has a shared microSD slot and does have a 3.5mm headphone jack (only a mono speaker, though). The 50+8+2MP camera has OIS but the main sensor is smaller than on the Nord.

There’s a huge price difference between the Nord and the Galaxy – the Motorola Moto G73 is a closer alternative to the M34. This one uses the Dimensity 930 chipset and has a 6.5” 120Hz FHD+ display, an IPS LCD instead of AMOLED. The camera setup is fairly similar besides the lack of OIS and this one does have stereo speakers. The battery is smaller at 5,000mAh, it supports 30W charging.

Let’s have a look at some high-end phones next. The iQOO 11 pairs a fast Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with a 6.78” QHD+ LTPO display with 144Hz refresh rate, plus a 5,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging (127h endurance, 0-83% in 15 minutes). While this is ostensibly a gaming phone, the camera setup isn’t half bad – 50MP main (1/1.57” sensor) with OIS, 8MP ultra wide and a 13MP 2x portrait cam.

But if you prefer camera quality over chipset performance, the Xiaomi 12 Pro packs a triple 50MP setup – 1/1.28” sensor and OIS in the main module, 115° lens for the ultra wide and 2x lens for the portrait cam. It has a 6.73” QHD+ LTPO display with 120Hz refresh rate and a 4,600mAh battery with 120W wired and 50W wireless charging (only 74h endurance, wired charging does 0-100% in 21 minutes).

The iQOO Neo 7 Pro is a cheaper option that splits the difference in performance with its Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip. Something has to give, so the 6.78” 120HZ display has only FHD+ resolution and isn’t an LTPO panel. The 50+8MP camera setup is more basic too (though the main module still has a 1/1.57” sensor and OIS), meanwhile the 5,000mAh battery offers the same 120W wired-only charging as the iQOO 11.

We’ll wrap things up by looking at some tablets. The Motorola Tab G70 is a good Average Joe tablet. It has an 11” IPS LCD (2,000 x 1,200px, 15:9) and quad speakers (Dolby Atmos), making it a great streaming machine. There’s also a microSD slot if you prefer to watch things offline. You don’t have to, of course, since this slate has 4G connectivity built in (thanks to the Helio G90T chipset). A few other things worth mentioning are the 7.5mm thick aluminum frame and the 7,700mAh battery with 20W charging.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 (2021) is available with and without 4G connectivity (you get a Unisoc T618 chipset and a microSD slot either way). It has a 10.5” LCD (1,920 x 1,200px, 16:9), again has quad speakers and is even thinner at 6.9mm, its battery is a bit smaller at 7,040mAh and it supports 15W charging.

You can grab the Oppo Pad Air instead, but no 4G connectivity option on this one (the microSD slot is still on board). It is powered by the Snapdragon 680 and has a 10.36” display (2,000 x 1,200px, 15:9) with quad speakers. This is comparable to the Galaxy at 6.9mm thick and with a 7,100mAh battery (18W charging).

The Nokia T21 promises 2 years of OS updates and 3 years of security patches. It has an aluminum body (7.5mm thick) and uses 65% recycled plastic. It has a 10.4” IPS LCD (2,000 x 1,200px, 15:9), a Unisoc T612 chipset, microSD slot, plus stereo speakers and an 8,200mAh battery with 18W charging.

The Honor Pad X8 is a slightly cheaper option with a 10.1” LCD (1,920 x 1,200px, 16:9) display, stereo speakers, microSD slot and a small 5,100mAh battery. This one comes with a free flip case.

If you’re looking for something smaller, the Nokia T10 comes with an 8” IPS LCD (1,280 x 800px, 16:10) and has 4G connectivity and VoLTE calling built-in thanks to the Unisoc T606 chipset. It has a 5,250mAh battery (only 10W charging) and is closer to a large phone than a tablet.

The Realme Pad Mini is a bit bigger with its 8.7” IPS LCD (1,340 x 800px, 15:9). This one uses the Unisoc T616 chipset but without 4G. It has stereo speakers and a larger 6,400mAh battery with 18W charging.

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