January is an interesting time in the world of smartphones – the first next-gen flagships are just starting to hit the market, with more to come. And with their replacements months (if not weeks away), older flagship and high-end phones are about as cheap as they will be while still somewhat current.
We’ve selected offers in several regions and also included offers for tablets, smartwatches and headphones. Use the links below to access your region:
Germany
Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max will probably never get a significant discount, at least not from Apple. When the 15 Pro Max arrives, this one will simply be discontinued. Other retailers are more flexible on pricing – Amazon offers the 128GB model at a slight discount, for example.
And while you’re at it, you can accessorize with an Apple Watch Series 8, which also got a small discount at €440. Note that this is the 41mm GPS model, you can get the 45mm one for $475. An LTE version is available for both sizes and costs €100 more.
Moving on to the Samsung side, you can get a Galaxy S21 FE for half the price of a base S23 (at least based on supposed prices). The FE’s Snapdragon 888 is no longer the best chipset around, but can still hold its own against mid-rangers.
When it comes to accessories, the Samsung Galaxy Watch4 is pretty cheap, and the difference between the 40mm and 44mm models is just $10. For comparison, a 40mm Galaxy Watch5 costs €90 more (70% more).
If you want a rotating bezel, however, the Galaxy Watch4 Classic remains the only option. On the plus side, it costs less than the Watch5.
€380 is a bit pricey for a Snapdragon 695, but the Sony Xperia 10 IV package includes things you might not find elsewhere – a microSD slot and 3.5mm jack on the same phone , for example. And while the charger could have been faster, the battery life is amazing.
On the contrary, the price of the Sony Xperia 5 IV is harder to swallow. It might have launched in late September, but its hardware is more like an early 2022 phone. On the plus side, this offer comes with an extended warranty, 36 months in total, so you can have peace of mind. .
Sony fans can also accessorize. The Sony WF-1000XM4s are some of the best TWS headphones out there, and in our long-term review we found them to be quite capable. Sony might get to launch the XM5s at some point, but they’ll start at a higher price tag of over €170 anyway.
The Sony LinkBuds are an interesting choice – the hole in the middle means they don’t obstruct your hearing at all. And it feels more natural than digital pass-through modes. It’s perfect for those times when you want to listen to some music or a podcast, but absolutely need to stay aware of your surroundings.
UK
Apple discontinues older Pro models every year, but keeps the vanilla pair as a cheaper option. The iPhone 13 mini and 13 are available on Apple.com for £650 and £750, respectively, but Amazon is offering a £50 discount for both.
The Honor 70 has a 54MP main and 50MP ultrawide camera, as well as a 32MP selfie camera. Even though they don’t have a camera manufacturer name, they’re still quite capable (the selfie camera in particular). The screen is great, the battery is great (charging is fast on startup) and with a healthy discount applied, even the Snapdragon 778G+ is competitive (the Honor 70 has a pretty hefty MSRP).
For the same amount of money, you can get the Oppo Reno8 instead. It has a more powerful GPU, although the smaller 6.4-inch 90Hz display doesn’t match the Honor’s 6.67-inch 120Hz panel. The ultrawide camera also only has an 8MP resolution, but the battery endurance is slightly better and it charges faster.
The Samsung Galaxy M53 is also in this price range. The Dimensity 900 won’t win any awards, but the 6.7-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED panel is competitive. And you get a 108MP main camera (only 8MP ultrawide, though). The 5,000 mAh battery is a bit larger but charging is noticeably slower.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Classic, the 46mm version is £220. The smaller 40mm Galaxy Watch5 is also expensive, the 44mm version costs £240. You can pay a bit more to get 4G connectivity, for example the Watch5 40mm costs £270. A Galaxy Watch5 Pro will set you back £330, £430 if you want 4G.
UNITED STATES
This week, there weren’t many phone deals in the US. This one is worth a look, however, the Moto G Power 5G (2022) is down to $250. It has 256GB of built-in storage and comes with a free 256GB microSD.
With few good deals on phones, we turned to tablets. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 and Tab S8+ are both discounted at Best Buy. The vanilla slate has an 11-inch LCD, the Tab S8+ has a 12.4-inch Super AMOLED panel instead (both 120Hz). Both are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
If you’re looking for something cheaper, the Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021) costs $150, but you still get a 10.5-inch display with 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution and Android 13 with One UI 5. No DeX, though.
If you need true wireless buds, the Galaxy Buds2 are $95. They’re not as advanced as the Pros, but they have the same form factor and comfort fit.
The 9th generation Apple iPad 10.2 isn’t the fastest with its Apple A13 chip, but there aren’t many new iPads that cost $270 either. The 10th Gen is faster, although it starts at $450, while the 9th usually costs $330 on Apple.com.
India
The iQOO 11 became India’s first Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phone when it was launched a few weeks ago. There are no deep discounts yet, the phone is so new. That said, it’s also unmatched in performance and renders games on a gorgeous 6.78-inch 144Hz AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution.
The iQOO 9T price is slightly easier to swallow. This one is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which should deliver all the performance most people need. Still, it’s a latest generation product and you only save ₹10,000 – it may be worth it to some but not others.
The Xiaomi 13 series has yet to make its way to India, but the Xiaomi 12 Pro has come down significantly in price since its launch. It now sits between the iQOO 11 and the 9T, although its stock 8 Gen 1 chipset is slower than both. The 50MP triple camera is better than what iQOO has to offer though. And you get other benefits like wireless charging.
The OnePlus 10R sits in a more mid-range position with its Dimensity 8100-Max chipset. It’s a fast and efficient chipset paired with a 120Hz AMOLED HDR10+ display and a large fast-charging battery (80W in this case).
Next, several affordable 5G phones in the ₹20K segment. The Realme Narzo 50 Pro is mid-sized with a 6.4-inch 90Hz AMOLED display and runs on a Dimensity 920 and a 5,000mAh battery (with 33W fast charging).
The Tecno Camon 19 Pro is a little bigger with a 6.8-inch IPS LCD display (120Hz, FHD+) but makes do with a Dimensity 810. The battery is also 5,000mAh with 33W charging .
The Redmi Note 12 is cheaper than those two and falls in the middle in terms of size with a 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED display (FHD+, of course). It uses the new Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chipset and has, you guessed it, a 5,000mAh battery with 33W charging.
The Oppo A74 5G is even cheaper with a 6.5-inch IPS LCD screen (90Hz, FHD+). It uses the more familiar Snapdragon 480 chipset and its 5,000mAh battery breaks the pattern with 18W charging.
Leaving 5G behind for cheaper phones, the Tecno Spark 9T is right on the ₹10,000 mark. There are plenty of HD+ displays in this price segment, but the 9T comes with a 6.6-inch (60Hz) FHD+ IPS LCD display. The Helio G35 is, let’s call it adequate, and the 5,000mAh battery supports 18W charging.
We end with one of the cheapest smartphones on the market, the Nokia C01 Plus. Granted, it’s only an 11GB Android phone, but you’ll have an easier time getting apps for it than for something like KaiOS. To put the pricing into context, the Nokia 2660 Flip costs ₹4,650 and this one doesn’t even run KaiOS.
