Roundup: Best deals on last year’s Android flagships

Now that Samsung, LG, Sony and Alcatel have announced their flagship phones for 2016, its competition won’t be far behind. HTC is expected to announce the One M10 soon and Huawei will unveil the P9. While new phones are exciting, perhaps even better news is that last year’s best phones are now available at lower prices, and they’re still great smartphones.

Devices like the HTC One M9, Xperia Z5, Moto X Pure and Galaxy S6 are still more than capable of standing their ground against today’s newest arrivals. With most devices being incremental (but still welcome) upgrades on last year, there’s no real downside to choosing a cheaper, slightly older alternative. You may not have the bragging rights, or knowledge that you have the most powerful device available, but you’ll still have a brilliant phone and your wallet won’t be as light.

We’ve found discounts on virtually all of last year’s best phones, including the Xperia Z5 which only landed in the States a few weeks ago. The Moto X Pure which launched at the end of last year is a little cheaper, and the HTC One M9 is available at less than half of its original price. Check out the discounted flagships below:

HTC One M9

Although a little underwhelming, it’s hard to overly criticize the HTC One M9. It’s an incredibly well-made phone with a powerful processor and sharp screen. What’s more, it’s really responsive and looks fantastic. As a bonus, you can now pick one up for less than $300. You can snag a refurbished Sprint-locked model with signs of wear for just $200, or an unlocked, manufacturer refurbished AT&T version for $289. For a new model you can get one for $346 from a trusted eBayer as long as you don’t mind waiting for shipping from Hong Kong.

Samsung Galaxy S6

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 started off at a pretty high price when it launched last year. Even at its discounted state, it’s not as cheap as perhaps some of the other competitors are, but you can still grab one for less than $500. Multiple colors of the unlocked 32GB are available for $472 on eBay with 2-day shipping. Similarly, Amazon is selling them for between $475 and $500 with free shipping. If you’d like to save a couple of dollars, the white model is currently $469.99 at B&H.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

As you’d expect, the S6 Edge is still more expensive than the regular S6, like it was at the time of launch. The difference in price now is roughly $75. B&H has the S6 Edge unlocked (region specific) model in white, emerald green, platinum gold or black sapphire for $549. If you don’t mind taking a manufacturer refurbished model, you can acquire one for $499 on eBay.

LG G4

The LG G4 was one of last year’s unsung heroes. Despite not adopting the popular all-metal builds, the G4 still lead the way when it came to camera performance. The manual controls were so easy to use, and the ability to save RAW format meant images came out fantastic. After the V10 launched, the G4 dropped in price and is now available in multiple colors for $375 on eBay or between $375 and $379 on Amazon.

Huawei P8

Having just launched the Mate 8, and the P9 launch incoming, the Huawei P8 is available with a healthy discount. At $339, it’s great value for the money given its hardware quality. You will need to check your carrier’s bands, however, to make sure that the device is compatible. On the LTE front, it supports bands 1, 3, 4, 7, 38, 39, 40 and 41. So, no band 5, 12 or 17.

Sony Xperia Z5

Although it launched last September, the Xperia Z5 only landed in the US a few weeks ago, and has already seen a price drop. Arguably, at $599 it was already too expensive. Now, you can grab the phone with 32GB onboard storage in white, black, green and gold for a more palatable price of $539.

OnePlus 2

OnePlus recently dropped the price of its most powerful handset permanently to $349 (down from $389) and it’s available without an invite. With its full HD screen, 64GB storage, great camera, solid metal frame and interchangeable rear shells, it’s one of the best looking and best specced phones available.

Moto X Style/Pure

At $399, the Moto X Pure from last year was already one of the best value-for-money handsets available. But that price got you the bog standard 16GB model with no customization. On Amazon, you can pick up the 32GB black model for that same price ($50 discount) or get the bamboo-coated version for $425. Or, if you don’t want to spend that much and don’t mind having a slightly used model, a trusted seller on eBay is selling great condition 16GB versions for $100 off their new retail price.