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Amazon is holding its annual Big Spring Sale and offers great discounts on unlocked phones and some tablets too. We picked out models from Samsung, Google and Motorola with a special appearance by OnePlus.
Starting off with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, it is $150 off for both the 256GB and 512GB storage capacities. The price is still over $1,000, but this phone will be supported for 7 years, so you can spend the money now and not think about buying another phone until the 2030s.
The Samsung Galaxy S24+ is also $150 off, so even the 512GB model is under $1,000. You will appreciate having the extra storage 7 years from now.
Alternatively, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 is available for the exact same price – is it time to go with a foldable? The next generation of Z models will likely arrive at the start of the Olympics, but it will be quite a while before it gets down to this price.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 comes with a $300 discount, but it is still fairly pricey. Note that unlike the 2024 S-flagships, the 2023 Z-series is only promised 4 OS updates and 5 years of security patches (and it’s already a year old). Also, both use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 from last year.
Alternatively, you can pick up a foldable for the $500, though it’s only the Motorola razr (2023). Not to sound too disappointed, the 6.9” 144Hz LTPO AMOLED display is awesome, but the tiny cover display on the outside is limiting. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 isn’t perfect either, but in the US this is the only foldable at this price.
The Motorola razr+ (2023) has a much more usable 3.6” cover display and runs on the more powerful (though now getting quite old) Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. It’s $150 less than the Z Flip5, though.
Leaving behind the foldables, the Google Pixel 8 Pro is an alternative to the Galaxy S24 models. It has a 6.7” LTPO display with not quite QHD+ resolution. The 50MP main has a large 1/1.31” sensor, there is a 5x periscope backed by a 48MP sensor and a 48MP ultra wide. The Tensor G3 isn’t perfect, but it’s much better than its predecessors.
$750 might be too much to spend on a Pixel that will be replaced later this year. But how about $500 for the smaller Google Pixel 8? With its 6.2” display, it is smaller than most Androids. And while its lacks a tele camera (and the ultra wide is only 12MP), it still has a competent camera overall. Both Pixel 8 models will be supported for 7 years, so this $500 can go a long way.
Or you can pick up the Google Pixel 7a for $125 less. It uses the older Tensor G2 chipset and the 90Hz 6.1” display, wireless charging (only 7.5W, but still), plus software support is limited to 3 OS updates and 5 years of patches. Still, this is a pure Google experience for under $400.
But hold on a minute, the OnePlus 12R is $500 for the base 8/128GB model and Amazon is offering a $100 gift card with it. That’s effectively almost the same price as the Pixel 7a, but you get a 6.78” LTPO 120Hz display (1,265 x 2,780px) and the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The 90W wired charging is impressive too. OxygenOS will be updated 3 times and the phone will receive 4 years of security patches. If you want, you can get double the RAM and storage (16/256GB) for $100 more.
Alternatively, the Moto Edge (2023) is $350. This price includes a 6.6” 144Hz OLED display, a Dimensity 7030, 50+13MP camera and a 4,400mAh battery with fast 68W wired and normal 15W wireless charging.
A cheap 5G-connected offer from Motorola is the Moto G Power 5G (thanks to a Dimensity 930 chipset). This phone is equipped with an IPS LCD, 6.5” 120Hz FHD+, a lonely 50MP camera on the back and a 5,000mAh battery with slow 15W wired-only charging.
If “cheap” and “5G” are on your shopping list, don’t sleep on the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G. The 6.5” FHD+ display is a 120Hz OLED panel and you get a basic 5MP ultra wide camera to go with the 50MP main. The Dimensity 6100+ is slower, though, but the 25W charging on the 5,000mAh battery is faster. Both the Moto and the A15 have microSD slots and 3.5mm headphone jacks, but the Moto also has more storage as standard and stereo speakers on board.
You might be better off spending the extra $65 to get the Samsung Galaxy A25 instead. This one has a faster chipset, Exynos 1280, that is capable of 4K video recording with the 50MP main. The ultra wide is bumped up to 8MP too. The rest is pretty much the same as on the A15 5G, though.
We will wrap this up with a few tablets. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 FE are in a mid-range position and with the current discounts the base FE model is quite affordable. But not that it only has 6GB of RAM – for $70 more you can get 2 extra gigs plus double the storage.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ starts at 8GB of RAM, but also costs $500 for the base model. Both tablets have 90Hz IPS LCDs – 10.9” for the small one and 12.4” for the plus – but are otherwise near identical. The larger tablet has a larger battery too, of course, 10,090mAh vs. 8,000mAh. Note that this generation has full IP68 dust and water resistance (vs. none on the S7 FE models).
The Google Pixel Tablet also has a 10.95” IPS LCD, with only 60Hz refresh rate, though. The old Tensor G2 is a bigger issue, but this tablet is mostly mean to stay on the included speaker dock as a sort of smart display, so battery life is less of a concern.
Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is a solid slate for under $200. It has an 11” 90Hz LCD and quad speakers, plus a 7,040mAh battery. The Snapdragon 695 isn’t all that fast, but at this price range we weren’t expecting more. That said, the $50 extra for the higher specced version is well worth it – you get more storage but the 8GB of RAM is a really big upgrade.
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