The Samsung Galaxy A35 has finally arrived, and it’s the best you can get from the A series since the A55 isn’t coming. The phone starts at £400, and Amazon sweetens the deal a bit with a £40 gift card.
Additionally, you have the option to pick up the phone along with the Galaxy Buds FE for an extra £50 (the buds have an MSRP of £100 but can usually be found for less).
With no A55 in sight, Samsung is pointing customers towards the Galaxy S23 FE as an upgrade over the A35. A few weeks ago, it was priced at £550, but it has now increased back to £600.
If you’re willing to spend that much, consider taking a look at the OnePlus 12R. The 8/128GB version remains at £500, but the 16/256GB model is now priced at £530. Double the RAM and storage is certainly worth the £30 price difference.
When comparing the 12R to the S23 FE, the OnePlus has the better chipset – Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs. 8 Gen 1 as well as double the RAM. It also features an LTPO display, a feature reserved for the S24 series. The 12R boasts a larger 6.78” display compared to the S23 FE’s 6.4”, with a higher pixel density. While the battery is larger with an additional 1,000 mAh in the tank, it only supports wired charging. However, the 80W rate is significantly faster than Samsung’s 25W wired and 15W wireless charging. The Galaxy model does have better water resistance at IP68 compared to 12R’s IP64.
A note on software support: the OnePlus 12R, Galaxy S23 FE, and Galaxy A35 are expected to receive 4 OS updates and 5 years of security fixes. Deduct one for the older S23 FE model.
The Google Pixel 7a has proven to be quite popular. While it may not have the best hardware, its combination of a low price and Google software appeals to many. The upcoming Pixel 8a will bring improvements, but it is expected to come at a higher cost.
For the same £350, you can also consider the Motorola Edge (2023). Its 6.6” OLED display operates at 144Hz (compared to the Pixel’s 6.1” 90Hz display) and features a curved design. While the Dimensity 7030 chipset may not be as fast as the Tensor G2, the 4,400mAh battery supports 68W wired and 15W wireless charging, which surpasses the Pixel’s 4,385mAh and 18/7.5W charging capabilities. The USB-C port on the Motorola device can be used for its desktop environment, Ready For.
If you’re looking for a 5G phone at a lower price point, the OnePlus Nord N30 is now available for £250 and features the Snapdragon 695 chipset. While not everyone’s favorite, it gets the job done. The N30 includes a 6.72” IPS LCD (120Hz, FHD+) to provide an alternative to OLED displays and sports a 108MP rear camera. Unfortunately, the 5,000mAh battery only supports 50W wired charging.
Invest an additional £100 and you can acquire the Moto G (2023). Equipped with the Snapdragon 480+ chipset, this model also offers a 120Hz IPS LCD display – albeit at a smaller 6.5” HD+ size. The 5,000mAh battery capacity remains the same, although it only supports 15W charging.
The Amazon Fire Max 11 seems to be permanently discounted, which is great news for consumers. You can now purchase the device with an 11” screen for £185, featuring an IPS LCD with a resolution of 2000 x 1200 px, ideal for enjoying various streaming services. The MediaTek chipset is also capable of handling light gaming, and for an additional £15, you can double the storage to 128GB. Both the 64GB and 128GB models come without lock screen ads.
Wi-Fi 7-capable phones have been around for some time now, with some older chipsets being updated to support the new standard. While routers supporting this technology may be pricey, the costs are gradually coming down. The TP-Link router promises wireless speeds of up to 9.2Gbps and includes four 2.5G ports (1 WAN, 4 LAN). It also supports mesh networks to extend coverage and offers a USB 3.0 port for connecting external drives to the network.
