Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is here and offers some select but very good offers. We also picked out some deals that aren’t technically part of the sale but are just as good.
First off, Samsung is taking its sweet time launching the new Galaxy A36 and A56. The Galaxy A36 is finally here, available only in 6/128GB configuration at $400. Amazon doesn’t have discounts yet, but it will throw in a $50 gift card for free.
For the same $400 – though without the gift card – you can have the Nothing Phone (3a) instead. It features a better chipset (Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 vs. 6 Gen 3) and a 50MP 2x (50mm) telephoto camera, which isn’t available on the A-series.
The Nothing has a brighter screen with 10-bit colors, but both are about the same size and resolution at 1080p+. The Samsung has better water resistance (IP67 vs. IP64), but charging is surprisingly similar – both with 5,000mAh batteries with 50W charging on the Nothing and 45W on the Samsung. In our tests, the A36 fell behind at the finish line, but showed comparable charge status at the 15 minute and 30 minute marks.
Before settling on the (3a), do check out its sibling – the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is $100 more, but this is with more RAM and storage (12/256GB vs. 8/128GB), which makes the price gap feel smaller. The Pro improves the telephoto camera to a 50MP 3x periscope (70mm) and the selfie camera to 50MP 4K (vs. 32MP 1080p). The rest is essentially the same.
Okay, now on to the Big Spring Sale offers. The vanilla Samsung Galaxy S25 is up to $125 off. We would recommend going for the 256GB variant as the extra storage will come in handy over the long years that this phone will last – Samsung will update it for 7 years (compared to 6 years for the A36 and only 3 OS updates from Nothing).
The Google Pixel 9 Pro is up to $300 off, so you can get the higher storage variants without breaking the bank. The Pixel is slightly larger than the S25, but it has a better telephoto camera – a 48MP 5x (113mm) periscope vs. a 10MP 3x (67mm) lens. The ultra-wide (48MP vs. 12MP) and selfie cameras (42MP 17mm vs. 12MP 26mm) are better too. The Tensor G4 is no match for the Snapdragon 8 Elite in terms of performance, though. The Pixel is also slated for 7 years of software updates.
While it’s primarily a gaming phone, the RedMagic 10 Pro is a great pick for those who want performance (it has an actively-cooled Snapdragon 8 Elite) and a great screen (6.85” 144Hz OLED with an under display camera). There’s also a huge 7,050mAh battery with fast charging (80W in the US) and the awesome battery endurance that comes with it.
iPhones are rarely part of sales and they kind of aren’t today – but Amazon did include an offer for a refurbished iPhone 15 Pro Max. While it’s getting on two years old, it has the chipset and RAM for Apple Intelligence. And you can have it for around $800 with 256GB or 512GB storage.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra with LTE is $250 off and comes with a free 25W charger. While that’s more than the watch can handle (it charges at the fast-for-a-watch 10W), it’s just the right fit for a Galaxy S25 (the S25+ and S25 Ultra do 45W).
Alternatively – or in addition to – the Watch Ultra, you can get the Samsung Galaxy Ring. It’s more discrete and the Samsung app can integrate health readings from both devices, so you can wear the watch while out and about and the ring at home and at night. There is no discount on this one but a $100 gift card instead. Make sure to get the sizing kit first to get a properly fitting ring, the kit is $10.48, but you get almost all of that back with $10 credit towards buying the actual ring.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) is waiting patiently for its One UI 7/Android 15 update. In the meantime, it’s down to just $200 – this is usually Galaxy Tab A territory. The tablet has DeX (but no TV out) and stylus support for its 10.4” LCD (2,000 x 1,200px).
The Tab S10 FE series has been leaking profusely this past week, but the Galaxy Tab S9 FE is still a solid mid-ranger and it’s good value for money now that the 256GB model is under $400. There’s a microSD slot for extra storage (the Tab S6 Lite has one too). You get more performance (Exynos 1380 vs. 1280) and a 90Hz LCD with higher quality (it’s an IPS panel with 2,304 x 1,440px resolution). The battery is bigger and faster to charge too (8,000mAh 45W vs. 7,040mAh 15W).
The larger Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ brings a 12.4” IPS LCD (90Hz, 2,560 x 1,600px) and a 10,090mAh battery (45W), but is otherwise the same as the FE. This one is also available with 128GB storage (the 128GB FE is out of stock), so you can save the $100 and spend it on a microSD card if you don’t need fast storage.
Finally, there is the premium Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+. This one is pricey, even with the $160 discount, but you get a flagship chipset (though an old one) with the Dimensity 9300+ and a 12.4” 120Hz OLED display (2,800 x 1,752px). The microSD slot is still on board, by the way. Anyway, this tablet supports DeX, including video out. The battery is the same as on the Tab S9 FE+.
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