Amazon Prime Big Deal Days are a great time to pick up a new flagship, but we’ve found plenty of great mid-range deals too.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is one of the most popular smartphones on the market, but is it also the best? We have reviews for all the phones linked below. As for the S24 Ultra in particular, it has a great anti-reflective 6.8-inch QHD+ LTPO OLED display with a built-in S Pen, it even uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in Europe and boasts impressive cameras. That starts with a 200 MP main camera, two telephoto modules – 50 MP 111mm and 10 MP 67mm – and a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle lens. Plus seven years of support.
If the camera is the most used feature on your phone, you might prefer the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. It has three Leica cameras: 50 MP main camera (with a 1-inch sensor), 50 MP 75mm telephoto and 50 MP ultra-wide angle. This also uses the SD 8 Gen 3 and features a 6.73-inch QHD+ LTPO OLED screen. It stands out for its 5,000 mAh battery that can be charged at 90 W wired and 80 W wirelessly (vs. 45 W/15 W on the Samsung). Xiaomi has committed to 4 OS updates plus an additional year of security patches.
Another contender for the title of Camera King is the Sony Xperia 1 VI. It has a unique 12 MP telephoto module with smooth zoom between 85mm and 170mm. It’s joined by a 48MP main camera (1/1.35in) and 12MP ultra-wide angle, plus a more unified Sony camera app. The Xperia also uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but only gets 3 OS updates (the first, Android 15, brings a Video Pro mode to the camera). The 6.5-inch screen is an LTPO OLED panel, but Sony has broken away from its 4K obsession and this is just an FHD+ panel.
The Samsung Galaxy S24+ isn’t the most popular choice, but it may be underrated. It brings a 6.7-inch LTPO OLED display with QHD+ resolution, plus 12GB of RAM, things that were exclusive to the Ultra until recently. In Europe, however, the S24+ uses the Exynos 2400 chipset. And the cameras are simpler with 50+10+12 MP. However, the seven years of support are top notch, as is DeX (both wired and wireless).
Continuing with more mid-range offerings, the Google Pixel 9 offers the latest (if not particularly great) Tensor G4 chip and also gets seven years of support. Google has upgraded the vanilla series to 12GB of RAM to accommodate the new AI features (the S24 models use the same AI). While it’s not a Pro, this phone has a 50MP 1/1.31″ main camera and a 48MP ultrawide, plus a 6.3″ 120Hz OLED display (non-LTPO).
Once upon a time, metal unibodies were ubiquitous among flagships. Nowadays, glass backs are the rule. But not on the OnePlus Nord 4, which gives it a unique look and feel. The phone has a 6.74-inch 1240p+ OLED display (120 Hz) and a Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3. The cameras are simpler with a 50 MP main camera (1/1.95 inch) and 8 MP ultrawide. There’s no wireless charging, of course, but the battery is big at 5,500mAh and delivers 100W via USB-C. The Nord gets 4 OS updates.
For a little more you can get the OnePlus 12R. This is the outgoing R model, its successor should be revealed soon. Still, this is a great price for a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and a 6.78-inch 1264p+ LTPO OLED display. This has the same battery as the Nord, 5,500 mAh/100 W, and a slightly better camera with a 50 MP 1/1.56” main camera.
There will be no new 5 Series model this year and the future of the line is at stake. This leaves the Sony Xperia 5 V as the latest small model with a 6.1” phone. It uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and a 48MP main camera (1/1.35”) plus 12MP ultra-wide angle – but no telephoto, unlike previous generations. The 5,000mAh battery has great battery life, but limited Sony software support means this phone will soon be outdated.
The Google Pixel 8a will receive updates for seven years. It has the older Tensor G3 chip, so you might want to wait until the upcoming 9a is announced. However, the current price drop still makes the 8a a solid choice.
It is not small, but if you come from a 6.5+ inch phone, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo is pleasantly small in the hand. It has a 6.4-inch screen, an LTPO panel to boot, plus a 50+10+13 MP camera, including a telephoto module – something missing from the likes of the Pixel 9 and OnePlus Nord 4. This phone is also rugged, with an IP68 rating and MIL-STD-810H compliance. Another great feature is the 5 OS updates, which is more than most brands offer. The 4,310mAh battery may be small, but it’s long lasting and offers both 68W wired and 15W wireless charging. Only the Dimensity 7300 chipset is disappointing, but for this price you can’t have everything.
We know not everyone is ready to make the switch to a foldable product, but there are some solid Prime Day discounts that might give you a boost.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 combines the productivity of a 7.6-inch interior display with S Pen support (but the S Pen is carried separately). It’s also packed with all kinds of AI features, some of which take advantage of the S Pen. The 6.3-inch cover display has been reworked to make it more usable than the tall and slim displays of previous Z Folds. This and its sibling are the only foldable models that are dust resistant and have an IP48 rating.
Speaking of which, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 has a 50MP main camera and a larger 4,000mAh battery as upgrades over its predecessor. Both Z foldables use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and will receive seven years of support.
The Motorola Razr 50 Ultra is slightly cheaper because it uses the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip (note the “s”). However, it has a larger 4-inch cover display with full app support (the Galaxy does that too, you just have to use Good Lock to enable it). While the Z Flip doesn’t have a telephoto lens, the Motorola has a 50MP main lens and 50MP telephoto lens (2x), but it doesn’t have an ultra-wide-angle lens. What it does have is a 4,000mAh battery with 45W wired and 15W wireless charging (vs. 25W/15W for the two Galaxy Z models).
Alternatively, you can save around £130 and buy the regular Motorola Razr 50. However, you do lose processing power (the vanilla model has a Dimensity 7300X) and the cover display is slightly smaller at 3.6 inches. however, it does have an ultra-wide camera (13 MP).
The CMF Phone 1 is a super popular model. There’s a reason for that too: for a low price – now less than £200 – you get a high-quality 6.67″ FHD+ OLED screen (HD+ panels are quite common in this segment) and a Dimensity 7300 chipset (like the Moto Edge 50 Neo). The 50MP camera is decent, but there’s no ultrawide lens here. The battery is also quite good with a capacity of 5,000 mAh and relatively fast charging at 33W. The CMF phone has a rather unique look that can become even stronger when you take a look at the customization options. Storage is expandable via microSD.
The Nothing Phone (2a) (not Plus) is a higher level phone with a 50 MP headset (1/1.56”) and 50 MP ultrawide. It has a transparent back with LED lighting, according to the design language Nothing. Despite the name, the Dimensity 7200 Pro is more powerful than the 7300. Additionally, the 5,000 mAh battery supports slightly faster 45W charging. The display on the 2a is a 6.7-inch OLED panel with 10-bit color, but is not as bright as the CMF display (1,300 nits vs. 2,000 nits).
The Motorola Edge 50 Fusion also has a 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED display with 10-bit color, this runs at 144 Hz instead of 120 Hz and is slightly brighter at 1,600 nits. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 is nothing to write home about, but this is more of an affordable phone. It has a 50MP main and 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a fast-charging 5,000mAh battery (68W wired charging only).
The Sony Xperia 10 VI is relatively small with its 6.1-inch screen, but its 5,000 mAh battery packs a punch. It’s not as camera-focused as the 1 Series, but it’s no slouch either with a 48MP camera and 8MP ultra-wide angle. It’s an odd one out, the screen is a 60Hz FHD+ OLED panel and it has both a microSD slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Note that you can claim Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones (no, there’s no option to connect these to the 3.5mm jack).
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