2020 has been a challenging year for us all but the market for phones continues to thrive as always, providing a great selection of some new handsets for you to peruse.
More often than not, these are cheaper but just as functional alternative options to the latest iPhone and there is a nice amount of diversity available but that makes picking one all the harder. If you’re looking for your next phone then look no further as our comprehensive list should give you a good idea of who’s rocking it at the top spot.
Have a read through our list below and see our tech reviews that are sure to point you in the right direction. Please bear in mind that this list is subjective and it’s based on the overall specs of the phones, there may be one that is better suited for your specific needs i.e. better camera or easier user interface. This functions as a guide for you to make a more informed decision.
This list has been extensively researched and curated as we understand the frustration of scrolling through 15 different phones that you don’t care to see.
This is an interesting one and we absolutely have to give praise where it’s due. If you’re looking to replicate that top tier feeling and functionality of a high-end handset without that price tag, then this may be the phone for you.
These phones cost a lot less than the rest in this highly competitive market and that’s why, off the bat, it feels very different in your hand. It sure looks like a smartphone but it lacks the weight and sleek sensual feeling from the materials it’s made out.
With a 5.81-inch touch screen, full HD+, the tactile sensation is a simulacrum of the higher quality models but the polycarbonate finish feels a little more solid and sturdy than the usual glass.
The battery life of this set can get you through the day provided it’s not under heavy use, if you’re the type to listen to music a lot or watch Netflix, then you may find yourself needing a charge boost in the late afternoon.
With a single 12.2 megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing, the quality of pictures is certainly satisfactory. Perhaps not the best on the market but is more than enough if photography isn’t your strong suit and you’re just looking to capture a moment.
This is a $599 AUD budget phone but you have to appreciate that it’s not trying to be anything else. You want one that does the job but doesn’t leave a painful hole in your pocket? Then this one is a winner in our book.
Unique selling point:
Great phone for the price
Samsung has managed to push its way onto this list twice with some outstanding tech. A thin aluminium frame sandwiched between smooth glass and coming in multiple colours, this phone has all the hallmarks of that telltale sleek Samsung style.
The Galaxy S10 is rocking a few nice changes; most notable is the 6.1-inch QHD+ Infinity-O screen. It’s big enough that they’ve elected to move the front-facing camera to the side so as not to get in the way. Praised as “the most colour accurate Smartphone display ever” this screen also hides an interesting little secret; the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.
Unlike a lot of phones which have a dedicated button, this one sports a sensor underneath the glass. That being said, it is a bit harder to get the finger placement right the first time, it takes time to get used to but you’ll get there.
This handset is offering you a triple-lens rear camera, with 16mp ultra-wide lens, a 12 mp regular lens and a 12mp optical zoom telephoto, allowing you to take photos of anything from any angle. Crystal clear pictures of friends or your dinner, the camera is impressive but not quite the king of the hill.
All in all, it’s a great phone but with the price tag of about $649 AUD, if you go for a refurbished one, this one might as well be overlooked for a newer model and a slight price increase.
Unique selling point:
Under-screen ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.
Released in June, the Find X2 Pro offers the elegant high-end design that we know companies can achieve. That’s exactly the stunning standard that they have reached with the X2 Pro. Find X series
Matching the pinnacle of visual vibrancy, the Pro offers a smooth 120Hz refresh rate with the QHD+ and billion colour palettes to show you the best of what phones can do. This phone has an intelligent AI adaptive eye protection feature. Providing the optimal colour temperature and brightness for whatever your surroundings are when viewing.
Full-range speakers in the top and bottom give a much deeper and dynamic bass. This tied in with the O1 Ultra vision engine, watching a film on your phone never felt so immersive.
Let’s talk about the camera for a second, The X2 pro has a 48mp wide-angle, 48mp ultra wide-angle and a 13mp periscope telephoto lens that enhance every picture with depth and, thanks to the Ultra Night Mode 3.0, you can shoot at any time of day to take epic pictures whenever. This doesn’t mean switching between lenses in the settings; they all work in tandem together to create a smooth and easy to use the method of capturing all the important moments.
This phone has earned itself a place in the big leagues but in doing so, it’s got that big-league price tag. This can cost you upwards of $1,395 AUD.
Unique selling point:
Impressive night vision camera.
Coming in at number two we have the gorgeous OnePlus 8 Pro. This is a stellar phone and there is a lot to love about it. Here are some of its most impressive features.
The phone’s design itself provides that same delightful feeling that most high-end phones do. Coming in 3 colour variants of black, green and blue, the style and polish of the model are exemplified through the incredible quality of its screen.
An elegant and straightforward user interface is visible through the 6.78” QHD+ HDR-ready Fluid Display. Offering a 120Hz refresh rate, watching high-quality videos or playing some of the more demanding games are all displayed seamlessly from frame to frame. The Vibrant 10-bit colour display with 1300 nits, allows the screen to be fully visible even under direct sunlight.
Wireless Warp Charge 30 allows for the phone to go from 1% to 50% in just 30 minutes and you are able to charge another phone with Reverse Wireless Charging, allowing you to lend a hand and some charge to a needing friend. At full charge, the phone was able to keep up with its high-resolution display all day. The high-quality screen helps put this in the top 3 with that astonishing charge rate.
This has 4 cameras in total. The 48 MP main camera, the 48mp ultra-wide-angle with 120-degree field of view, a 5MP colour filter and an 8MP Hybrid Zoom 30x digital zoom camera allowing you an extra dynamic experience to shoot like a professional.
Coming in at around $1,105 AUD on average, this was an amazing effort by OnePlus with a very well made phone that’ll keep you viewing your favourite shows in the highest quality all day. An easy recommendation.
Unique selling point:
Superfast charge rate.
Samsung phones have always been the top choice to oppose Apple and this phone is no exception. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus has been designed with customer satisfaction in mind.
Off the bat, you can see the tight, smart and professional look this phone exudes. Coming in a variety of colours, there is a sleek efficiency to its build that is unmistakably Samsung.
On the surface, we found the user interface to be as intuitive and easy to use as always. It offers effortless mobility. You won’t get lost navigating the settings, the design of your home screen is yours to command and the many themes available are easily interchangeable as you could ever need.
With the delightfully smooth, responsive screen and the 120Hz refresh rate, the 6.2-inch and 6.7-inch screens move up past the front-facing 10-megapixel cameras for that extra wide experience.
Truth be told, it has satisfactory battery life. Perhaps not the best but it will get you through the day provided you don’t watch videos on it for hours at a time.
The rear camera is a definite improvement; the former model of the S10 has the same 12-megapixel main camera, an ultra-wide 16-megapixel lens and the 12-megapixel telephoto. The S20 has the same 12MP main and telephoto but is now sporting a whopping 64 megapixel ultra-wide capable of recording in 8K; providing the best cameras in the list.
We found that this phone is a great, well-rounded phone with a lot to offer. The biggest kickback we face is the price of the device. A refurbished Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra from Phonebot will cost you $1,249 AUD, if you can afford this phone, we don’t think you’ll be disappointed with its performance.
| Samsung Galaxy S20 | 128GBMinimal signs of usePhonebot Warranty | Like New | A$849 |
| Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus | 128GBMinimal signs of usePhonebot Warranty | Like New5G | A$1049 |
| Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra | 128GBno signs of useSamsung Warranty | Open Box5G | A$1249 |
Unique Selling point:
Incredible high-quality camera.
That concludes our brief but informative list. If you’re going shopping for a handset after reading this, we hope this has narrowed the search.
