Even this year, with September 1 arriving under gloomy circumstances and uncertainty hovering over the school year’s start in the South and North (at least at the time of writing) – for many students and parents, the start of a new school year is a time for renewal, whether it's a new pencil case, a new backpack, or in today’s era, a new smartphone.
While we can't advise on backpacks and pencil cases (but Walla’s consumer channel would be happy to help), we can recommend smartphones. As always, we have chosen not to focus on the current high-end models but rather on more accessible models that are priced up to NIS 2,000, many of which are much less. We understand that the start of the school year is a significant expense. Here are four recommendations that will send your kids to school with a smile on their face thanks to a new, shiny smartphone, without breaking the bank:
CMF Phone 1
If your kids are looking for a phone that will draw attention during recess or if they're tech enthusiasts who enjoy tinkering with hardware, the CMF Phone (1) is the phone for them. This Android phone offers good hardware at an accessible price, true to the more affordable brand from Nothing. Its uniqueness lies in its ability to be opened by unscrewing a few screws, allowing for the replacement of the back or battery.
In terms of technical specifications, it runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 processor with a speed of 2.5 GHz and eight cores. This mid-range processor provides good performance for most tasks, coupled with 8 GB of physical RAM and an additional 8 GB of virtual cache memory. It features a 6.67-inch display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, FHD resolution, and an excellent peak brightness of 2000 nits. It is equipped with a dual rear camera system, including a 50-megapixel main camera and a depth sensor, a 16-megapixel front camera, and a sizable 5,000 mAh battery. Additionally, it has a microSD card slot – a rare feature these days – and supports 5G networks.
It also comes with a range of cute accessories available for separate purchase, such as a carrying strap, a stand, and a card wallet. Note that it does not support NFC if you were hoping to add a payment card. The price is NIS 1,049 for the 128 GB version.
Samsung Galaxy A55
Samsung’s A series was created as a response to the influx of Chinese phones and is priced more accessibly than the flagship S series and the Z foldables (which we recently reviewed!). Here, Samsung emphasizes value for money. The two main sub-series under the A series are the 50 and 70 series, both of which have received critical acclaim. The latest version of the 50 series is the A55, which offers good value:
The Galaxy A55 features a 6.6-inch AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and up to 1000 nits of peak brightness at FHD resolution. Like the CMF phone, it also has a generous 5,000 mAh battery, and the device is water and dust resistant with an IP67 rating, featuring Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back and an aluminum frame – excellent materials for a mid-range device. It also includes a microSD card slot that shares space with the SIM card.
Under the hood, you’ll find a Samsung Exynos 1480 processor with eight cores and a maximum speed of 2.75 GHz. The rear camera system is quite impressive for the price range, including a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 5-megapixel macro lens. The front camera is 32 megapixels for selfies.
Additionally, it features Samsung’s successful and user-friendly One UI interface, Android 14, and is available in four colors. The base version with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage starts at 1,629 shekels, while the 256 GB version with 8 GB of RAM costs around NIS 1,750.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite
Just in time for the new school year, the official distributor of OnePlus in Israel, Selnao, has announced the launch of the Nord CE 4 Lite. This series is one of the more accessible options from the Chinese brand known for strong hardware at low prices. The Nord CE 4 Lite offers similar specs to other models but with a few differences:
It also features a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and FHD resolution but with 2100 nits of peak brightness and a plastic body with basic water and dust resistance (less than the Samsung). The processor is Qualcomm’s mid-range Snapdragon 695, with a speed of 2.2 GHz on its high-performance cores. The distributor highlights some unique features, such as the ability to use the phone with wet hands, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and more.
In terms of the camera, it includes a 50-megapixel Sony LYT600 sensor (used by many) with optical image stabilization and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The front camera, like the CMF Phone 1, is 16 megapixels.
It also excels in battery life and fast charging – the Nord CE 4 Lite offers a 5,500 mAh battery and proprietary 80-watt fast charging technology, which means a full charge from zero takes less than an hour. The relatively attractive price for the storage and RAM – 256 GB and 8 GB respectively – is NIS 1,499. It also features a microSD card slot.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 13
And how could we do a budget phone roundup without mentioning Xiaomi? For students, Hamilton, the official distributor, offers the Redmi Note 13, which comes in several sub-models, from the basic to the Pro+ which costs just over NIS 2,000. For this review, we opted for the basic model, priced at around NIS 1,000:
It includes a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with FHD resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass 3, and a maximum brightness of 1800 nits. In terms of value for money, there are some surprises: the storage is significantly larger than other devices – 512 GB (especially for this price) – and it has eight GB of RAM, plus a microSD card slot supporting up to 1 TB (1024 GB). The processor is a Snapdragon 685, similar to the processor in the previous phone, with a relatively high speed of 2.8 GHz.
Xiaomi also surprises with a 108-megapixel main sensor, with 3x optical zoom, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. The front camera is 16 megapixels. Overall, in terms of value for money, this is a very surprising package relative to the phone’s low price.
Whichever phone you choose, happy shopping and good luck with the new school year!