Following Samsung’s big Galaxy S24 series announcement event a little over a week ago and the long overdue global launch of the OnePlus 12 this week, we can say that 2024 has kicked off in earnest for the mobile industry as a whole.
That also means it’s time to get out of the 2023 holiday shopping mindset at long last and enter an entirely new era of mobile tech deals headlined by none other than the two aforementioned next-gen Android super-flagships.
Of course, it’s still far too early in the year to put together a list of bargains and steals composed entirely of 2024-released devices, and because they’re so fresh and so cool, the likes of the Galaxy S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12 are not yet discounted deeply enough to earn those labels. But any buck saved on possibly the best phones out there right now will feel like an irresistible offer for plenty of early adopters, while everyone else can feast on a bunch of affordable alternatives and nice companion devices.
These are your top three deals of this week
Should you hurry and pre-order the S Pen-wielding Galaxy S24 Ultra giant before it actually starts shipping next week alongside its slightly smaller and humbler brothers? If you want to get a 512GB storage variant for the price of an entry-level 256 gig configuration and a complimentary $200 Amazon gift card, then absolutely, as this introductory promotion is likely to go away and not return (at least for a while) in just a few days.
Alternatively, you could take advantage of a weirdly similar OnePlus 12 pre-order deal that helps digital hoarders save $100 with no strings attached while throwing in an extra $100 discount for any phone traded in (even a “dumb” and broken one) and of course bumping up that price cut significantly for folks willing to give up something good… and functional.
The Motorola Edge (2022) is naturally a totally different kettle of fish, both due to its advanced age and non-flagship specifications, but at a new record low price, the 6.6-inch mid-ranger is pretty much impossible to resist.. as long as you don’t have to own a new state-of-the-art smartphone.
These other smartphone discounts are also pretty sweet
It’s hard to imagine a sweeter deal for a security-minded business user than a robust and decidedly feature-packed Motorola ThinkPhone at $300 under its regular price… even though the same handset has been marked down even lower in the not-so-distant past.
The same actually can’t be said about the mid-end Motorola Razr (2023) and top-of-the-line OnePlus Open foldables, both of which are on sale at their lowest ever prices… again on Amazon, while the Galaxy S24 Plus and OnePlus 12R non-foldables are obviously too new to have previously received a deeper discount.
Technically, the hot new OnePlus 12R is not available at a special price, but $499.99 already feels pretty “special” for such an uber-powerful and premium-looking device, and on top of that, you can save a cool $100 with any and all trade-ins for a limited time.
Check out these awesome tablet deals for all budgets and users!
Do you only have around $100 to spend on a new Android tablet with… not-too-bad specs and a reasonably high-quality construction? Then you’re facing a pretty tough decision between a more compact Lenovo device with full Play Store support and a larger and overall better Amazon Fire that may lack access to many of your favorite apps.
The more money you’re willing to cough up right now, of course, the better your tablet’s specifications will be and the closer you’ll get to replacing your full-blown laptop with a product that’s easier to carry around but similarly powerful and productive. Granted, that Lenovo Tab P12 is not exactly a dream workhorse (even with a handy stylus bundled in), but that Intel Core i7-powered Surface Pro 9 is an absolute beast… that still costs a pretty penny even after a huge $502 markdown.
There’s nothing better than an ultra-affordable smartwatch
If you agree with that statement, the only other question you need to ask yourselves is what mobile operating system you prefer. If you’re an Android person, then the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is all but guaranteed to deliver unrivaled value at a killer price at the time of this writing.
Meanwhile, iPhone users on tight budgets should definitely at the very least consider buying a second-gen Apple Watch SE at a rare $70 discount before Walmart’s latest deals inevitably go away. Are these the absolute best smartwatches money can buy in 2024? Certainly not. But they’re absolutely good enough for their heavily reduced prices, and they check most of the health and lifestyle boxes most users truly care about.
And these are your top audio deals right now
While our weekly deals roundups traditionally end with a (smaller or larger) collection of earbuds deals and steals, this week’s list concludes with a more eclectic group of audio products sold at extraordinary discounts. We’ve got a pair of ultra-low-cost noise-cancelling earbuds, two reasonably affordable over-ear headphone models from two brands that are not Apple or Sony, and last but definitely not least, one of the world’s best smart speakers (with a touchscreen!) available at a new record low price.
Those are some pretty solid reasons to break with tradition, don’t you think?
