Deals: Samsung Galaxy S23 FE gets cheaper and so does the Google Pixel 7a

Last week we saw the Samsung Galaxy A55 fall below £300 (for an 8/128GB unit), but as it so often happens, that discount didn’t last long, so the price is over £400 again. This might be a good time to consider an alternative – the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE.

The FE is nominally a flagship with goodies like a tele camera (8MP 3x), 4K @ 60fps and 8K @ 30fps video recording, wireless charging (15W), video out over USB-C with DeX and a superior water resistance rating (IP68). The downside is that the 4,500mAh battery offers poor battery life – 8:28h Active Use rating compared to 13:27h for the A55. The A-phone also has a microSD slot, making storage expansion easy and affordable.

About a month ago we saw a Google Pixel 7a paired with a 30W charger. This was just days before the launch of the 8a, however. The same pairing is still available, though it costs £300 now. There are a few reasons to choose the 8a – the much improved Tensor G3 chip, the faster 120Hz OLED display (vs. 90Hz), the longer software support (7 years) and option for 256GB storage, for example.

There is only one reason to recommend the 7a – it costs less. For context, the Pixel 8a will run you £450 (50% more) for the same 8/128GB memory configuration.

The Honor 90 Smart is not a great phone, but it is a sub-£200 device that checks several boxes: 5G connectivity (Dimensity 6020), large 6.8” IPS LCD (FHD+, 90Hz) and a 108MP camera. The relatively large 5,330mAh battery with 35W charging doesn’t hurt either. You get some niceties like stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack, but there is no microSD slot.

If you want more and have more money to spend, the Honor Magic6 Lite brings a faster Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset and switches to a 6.78” OLED display with curved sides and a higher resolution (plus, it runs at 120Hz). Additionally, there is an IP53 rating for the body. The camera has the 108MP main, which is now joined by a basic 5MP ultra wide. The 5,300mAh battery with 35W charging is essentially the same.

We recently reviewed the Sennheiser Accentum Plus and walked away impressed – the headphones are on the cheaper side of Sennheiser’s offerings, but perform better than their price might suggest. We particularly liked the Sound Personalization feature, which was much better than a simple equalizer. These headphones are not very comfortable and you practically have to make an account to get the best out of them.

The Huawei Watch Fit 3 is lightweight but capable and doesn’t cost much. Normally, it sells for £140, but right now you can get it paired with the Huawei Freebuds SE 2 (which are usually £30-40) for the same price.