Posted 20 October 2023

Why is there no good smartphone deals any more?

I purchased the Poco X3 NFC (6+128 version) about 3 years ago during the pre-order sale for £200. It's been serving me well, but I'm considering replacing it as the battery might not hold up much longer.

Regrettably, it seems that there are no longer any good deals available nowadays that can compare to the Poco X3 NFC deal. It's challenging to find mid-range options for around £200.

I'm particularly interested in the Poco F5, which can be considered a mid-range successor to the X3 after 3 years. However, its price is over £300. Some other Xiaomi phones around £200 don't even qualify as an "upgrade."

I'm looking for a mid-range smartphone with a Snapdragon CPU, a screen larger than 6.67 inches, more than 6GB of RAM, over 128GB of storage, a 3.5mm headphone jack, NFC, and fast charging. I don't have any special requirements beyond these. Do you have any thoughts or recommendations?
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  1. rimalpatel007's avatar
    Is 3.5mm headphone jack really necessary, most things are wireless now.
    TristanDeCoonha's avatar
    It saves on having to charge both headphones and phone more frequently, and it always used to be that a wired connection offered a better quality to the sound. I don't know how it compares to recent Bluetooth technology. Also, if you wished to save an audio track outside of its native app (if it couldn't be downloaded as an mp3) then you can plug the other end of the wire into your mic input of a recording device
  2. hothud's avatar
    Best deals are usually in November if you can wait a little longer
  3. Paul_MTLJ's avatar
    It's £100 more, but it's a decent phone at a good price. Deal: POCO F4 GT 5G - Smartphone 12+256GB, 6.67” 120Hz E4 AMOLED Display, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 64MP Triple Camera, 4700mAh, 120W HyperCharge, Stealth Black (UK Version + 2 Years Warranty) amzn.eu/d/i…y20
    libralibra's avatar
    Author
    Wow, good spot! It looks as good as F5 and is slightly cheaper. I might go for it. Thanks!
  4. rimalpatel007's avatar
    Is 6gb ram really necessary, 3gb should be fine.
    libralibra's avatar
    Author
    As long as I went to 6gb RAM, I can't live without it anymore.
  5. Zek's avatar
    Got my F5 for £250 or maybe £260 from Aliexpress
    DaveG46's avatar
    Me too 😁
  6. one_eight_seven's avatar
    Plug your requirements into GSMArena’s phone finder to see what phones are out there. I would say your budget will need to be upped a bit as well.
    libralibra's avatar
    Author
    Yes, found that. Maybe 300 quids is reasonable.
  7. bozo007's avatar
    Settle for a grade A refurbished one?
    libralibra's avatar
    Author
    No, rather to increase the budget a little bit.
  8. Pricklerickle's avatar
    I found a good a smart phone deal, 480 for edge 40 pro, tho quickly went out of stock
  9. mutley1's avatar
    Here is a good one OP, and has the 3.5mm jack that you are after

    hotukdeals.com/dea…568
  10. libralibra's avatar
    Author
    Found this
    Did it say snapdragon 8 gen 2?

    Is this a POCO F5?
    51291047-hbQG2.jpg

    51291047-xJiqX.jpg (edited)
    dcx_badass's avatar
    Why would you order some crappy fake phone that would be much worse than what you already have?
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