Spring has come and you know what that means – the weather is nice, the birds are chirping and Amazon is running its annual Spring Deals. There is some spring cleaning going on with some older models getting hefty discounts, but there is no shortage of 2024 models on offer either.
Samsung’s foldables have dropped significantly in price, especially some configurations. The Galaxy Z Fold5 with 1TB storage costs the same as the version with just 256GB right now. As a reminder, the Z 6 foldables will be unveiled in a few months.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 is down to £750 for the 256GB model. There aren’t a lot of units left, but the Cream version appears to be fully stocked.
If you don’t like foldables, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is available with a free pair of Galaxy Buds2 Pro. You will also get a free 12-month subscription to Disney+.
The Galaxy S24+ is in the same boat with free Buds2 Pro and a year of Disney+.
Shifting gears for a moment, the Nothing Phone (2) is getting cheaper and now starts at £520. The new (2a) mid-ranger is not part of the Spring Deals, unfortunately.
We mentioned spring cleaning and here it is – 2023 Galaxy A models. There’s the 4G Galaxy A14, plus the 5G connected Galaxy A34 and A54. All of these have been replaced by 2024 models already, but those don’t have 36% discounts.
Next stop, Xiaomi. The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ offers gobs of RAM and storage at a reasonable price. The Pro+ model stands out with the Dimensity 7200 Ultra chipset, full IP68 dust and water resistance and a 5,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging.
The Redmi Note 13 Pro is available for a lot less, but note that this is in an 8/256GB configuration. You still get the 6.67” 1220p-class 120Hz OLED display with rich 12-bit colors and a 200MP main camera (with a fairly large 1/1.4” sensor) with OIS and an 8MP ultra wide. However, this one is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip, is rated only IP54 and the 5,100mAh battery drops down to 67W charging.
Over on the Poco side, the Poco X6 Pro also offers 12GB of RAM and 512GB storage for £90 less than the Pro+. It even has a faster Dimensity 8300 Ultra chipset, while keeping the same 6.67” 12-bit display. However, the main camera is only 64MP (still with OIS) and some parts are closer to the regular Pro – the IP54 rating and the 5,000mAh battery with 67W charging. Also, the Poco has a plastic back, while the Redmis use a sheet of glass.
The Poco X6 is a bit cheaper than the Redmi Note 13 Pro, but with 12GB of RAM. It’s very nearly the same phone as the Redmi – same 7s Gen 2 chip, same display, same battery – but with a 64MP main camera. We’d rather get the 200MP main than 4GB of RAM and the 20 quid difference is a small price to pay for that.
Less fancy and 4G only is the Poco M6 Pro, another model from January this year. It has a 6.67” 210Hz AMOLED display – FHD+ and 8-bit only – and a Helio G99 Ultra chipset. The 64+8MP camera is similar to the X6 series, except that it can’t record 4K video. The 5,000mAh battery with 67W charging is pretty similar too, as is the IP54 rating.
If you’re going with a 4G phone, you might want to pick up the Redmi Note 13 4G instead. It uses the ancient Snapdragon 685 (not that the Helio is a spring chicken), but at least you get a 108MP main camera (1/1.67” sensor). Charging is slower at 33W (per our review, a 100% charge takes 1 hour 12 minutes instead of 48 minutes like on the Poco).
If you want a 200MP camera but not a Redmi Note, the Honor 90 is equipped with a 1/1.4” sensor (no OIS here, though). It costs more than the Note 13 Pro, but it also brings an impressive 50MP selfie camera with a 100° wide lens. The 6.7” 1200p-class display is a 10-bit OLED and you get a 5,000mAh battery with 66W charging. There’s no official dust or water resistance rating. There’s no headphone jack or stereo speakers like on the Redmi either. That Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 doesn’t inspire confidence either.
The Honor Magic6 Lite offers a 108MP camera (1/1.67”) and 5G connectivity at the same price as the Redmi Note 13 Pro. It has a slightly larger 6.78” 1220p-class 120Hz OLED display with 10-bit colors. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 and a 5,300mAh battery with 35W wired charging. The IP53 rating offers splash resistance.
The Sony Xperia 1 V has a solid 24% discount, which is just barely enough to bring its price under £1,000. The 4K 120Hz OLED display with a cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio and the 12MP camera with continuous zoom (3.5-5.2x) are unique, the notchless/holeless design is rare too. Still, that is a lot of money for a phone that will end up stranded on Android 15.
The smaller Sony Xperia 5 V has a more palatable price tag of £750, but that’s with a fairly small 12% discount. Still, if you refuse to buy a phone without a headphone jack and a microSD slot, there aren’t too many flagship options out there.
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