Last week, the Samsung Galaxy A36 got its first discount and that is still in effect. The Galaxy A56 is still “coming soon” and will have a starting price of $500.
After the A36 and A56 were announced, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE deals dried up. Now they are back – an 8/128GB unit costs $500, the same as the A56. However, the FE model has a higher-end chipset (Exynos 2400e vs. 1580), better water resistance (IP68 vs. IP67) and a telephoto camera (8MP 3x/75mm).
It also supports DeX. However, its battery is smaller and slower to charge over USB-C (4,700mAh, 25W vs. 5,000mAh, 45W), though there is a wireless option too (15W). The software support window is effectively the same with 6 major OS updates left for both.
The Samsung Galaxy A36 is down to $340. It’s similar to the A56, but to get to the lower price point, it sacrifices performance (Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 with UFS 2.2 storage instead of UFS 3.1) and the aluminum frame is replaced with a plastic one. Check out our Galaxy A36 vs. A56 article for a more detailed comparison.
The OnePlus 13R costs $500, but that is with more RAM and storage than the S24 FE (12/256GB vs. 8/128GB). The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 may be older, but it is still a bit faster than the Exynos 2400e. You also get a large 6,000mAh battery with fast 80W wired-only charging. The triple camera system includes a 50MP main (1/1.56”), 50MP 2x (47mm) portrait camera and an 8MP ultra-wide. The 6.78” display is an LTPO panel, which isn’t available on the FE.
The Google Pixel 9 is relatively pricey, but it stands out with its size – with a 6.3” display, it is 72mm wide, compared to 77.3mm for the S24 FE. This one has a better main camera (50MP 1/1.31” vs. 1/1.57”) and ultra-wide (48MP vs. 12MP), but there is no dedicated telephoto lens. The battery is virtually identical at 4,700mAh capacity, 27W wired and 15W wireless charging.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro adds the missing tele camera, a 48MP 5x (113mm) periscope, and improves the selfie module to a 42MP sensor and 17mm ultra-wide lens. It has a better screen too with a higher pixel density and an LTPO panel. It costs flagship money, but it’s a rare small flagship. Check out the Google Pixel 9 vs. 9 Pro article for more.
Small phones aren’t for everyone, so there is the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL – same hardware as the Pro, except for the larger screen (6.8” vs. 6.3”) and battery (5,060mAh vs. 4,700mAh) with slightly faster charging to boot (37W/23W vs. 27W/21W). We have a detailed comparison for more.
Despite a solid discount, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is some $150 more expensive than the Pixel 9 Pro XL. It has a 200MP main camera (1/1.3”) and 50MP 5x periscope (111mm), here is how those compare to the Pixel cameras.
If you’re looking for a sub-$1,000 flagship, the OnePlus 13 qualifies thanks to a small discount. It has the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset as the Galaxy and it runs circles around the Tensor G4. The triple 50MP camera includes a 1/1.43” main sensor and a 3x (73mm) telephoto. The large 6,000mAh battery supports 80W wired and 50W wireless charging. We have a OnePlus 13 vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra comparison for more details.
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