A look at the current smartphone market to help you make an informed decision for upgrading
IT’S a brand new year and already there have been new smartphones released onto the market. Here is a comparison of the best products currently available.
IT’S a brand new year and already there have been new smartphones released onto the market.
Upgrading from you current device can be an exciting time, but it can also be a little confusing with all of the options available.
To make your choice easier, we have taken a look at some of the leading smartphones currently available for purchase across a couple of different price brackets.
MID RANGE
Oppo R9s — $598
• 16MP front facing camera
• “Six-string” antenna design chooses the best for 4G and Wi-Fi signals
• Very similar to iPhone
There is no need to spend more than $1000 for a premium smartphone, with Oppo offering high-end specs for just a fraction of the cost.
Just like its predecessors, the R9s has been designed to be the perfect device for selfie lovers and includes 16MP front facing camera, with a large f/2.0 aperture and Oppo’s Screen Flash technology for quality images in low light conditions.
An all new Sony IMX398 sensor has been exclusively designed for the smartphone’s rear facing 16MP camera, which combines with an extra wide f/1.7 aperture to capture 40 per cent more light than the previous models — this will improve lowlight shooting and noise reduction.
The 5.5-inch R9s is eerily similar to the iPhone in design — both with its all-metal body physical appearance and the design of the app icons and fonts.
It has a 1080p display, 8-core processor, 4GB of RAM memory and 64GB of on-board storage, which can be expanded to 256GB with a Micro SD card.
The R9s further enhances the performance with a “six-string” antenna design — operating on six frequency ranges, which dynamically chooses the best for 4G and Wi-Fi signals.
The device’s 3010 mAh battery and VOOC Flash Charge technology will offer heavy users enough charge for the day, while the fingerprint recognition system will become faster over time as it constancy refines its image of the user’s fingerprint.
Unfortunately, the R9s doesn’t include the latest Android Nougat operating system — it comes with Google Android Marshmallow 6.0.1.
This means you don’t get new features such as running two apps side-by-side, Android’s built-in virtual reality platform or Google Assistant.
The R9s also lacks waterproofing and doesn’t have a Near Field Communication chip required for touch-and-go payments on retail terminals.
Overall, Oppo is the perfect phone for anyone not wanting to drop a motza on a new device, but still wanting quality.
Read a full review of the R9s here.
Samsung Galaxy A Series — from $649
• 16MP front facing camera
• IP68 water and dust resistance
• Convenience of Samsung Pay
Samsung’s first phone of the year is ready for release and it has promised it does not have the same battery responsible for the exploding Galaxy Note 7.
Despite being a mid-range product, the Galaxy A series delivers the key features that Australians expect from a premium smartphone, but without the hefty price tag.
Similar to the Oppo, the A Series has 16MP from and rear facing cameras, which have both been designed to work in lowlight conditions.
A bonus feature of the phone is the ability to change to location of the shutter button when using selfie mode by pressing and holding on the screen.
The Galaxy A Series has up to 32GB on-board storage, with microSD expandable storage able to take the phone to 256GB.
In terms of display, the A Series offers both 5.2-inch and 5.7-inch Super AMOLED full HDdisplays.
Both devices have 3,000mAh and 3,600mAh batteries respectively, with fast charging capabilities via the USB-C port found on the bottom of the phone.
As a point of difference to the Oppo, the Galaxy A Series has IP68 water and dust resistance — resistant to a maximum depth of 1.5m. for up to 30 minutes and protected from dust, dirt and sand without extra covers.
Through Magnetic Secure Transmission and Near Field Communication technology, the device is also able to make mobile payments, which is another point of difference from the Oppo.
Overall, the phone might be slightly more expensive than the Oppo, but the added features should make this less of a concern.
HIGH END
Huawei Mate 9 — $999
• Dual-lens camera with great depth-of-field
• Massive 4000 mAh battery
• Machine learning algorithm for user habits
Huawei’s Mate 9 pushes more into the phablet market with its massive 5.9-inch display, which comes complete with full HD resolution.
The device has a rounded metal body and curved edges that blend perfectly with the glass display, which comes fitted with a screen protector for extra durability.
Similar to most Androids, the display only features navigation keys — the physical home button/fingerprint scanner is located on the back on phone.
As is the case with the Google Pixel, the fingerprint scanner can be programmed to open your notification panel by pulling down with your finger.
The Mate 9 includes a Leica rear-facing dual-lens camera with a 12-megapixel RGB sensor and 20-megapixel monochrome sensor.
By combining separate RGB and monochrome sensors, the Mate 9 is able to capture the finest of details and vivid colour signals.
One of the best features of the dual camera is a shallower depth of field, which enables you to set the focus point to make subjects stand out
Impressively, the camera will allow you to refocus photos after the fact, giving you the freedom to shoot first and tweak later.
The front-facing camera shoots in 8MP and autofocus to help with selfies, while the Mate 9 also supports 4K video recording.
The Mate 9 has a massive 4000 mAh battery, which blows Galaxy S7 Edge’s 3600 mAh Google Pixel XL’s 3450 and iPhone 7 Plus’ 2900 mAH battery out of the water.
Huawei also offers the ability to “supercharge” the device from zero to full in just 90 minutes.
One of the most exciting features of the device is Huawei’s machine learning algorithm, which promises to analyse users habits to allocate processing resources accordingly.
The phone also has a feature called “app twin”, designed with the ability to duplicate the same app for two different logins — think of having different apps for your personal and work Facebook accounts.
Another good app is “Phone Clone”, which scans a QR code from your current device and copies the content and layout to your Mate 9.
Overall, if you are looking for a premium smartphone that wont break the bank, this product is for you.
Read a full review of the Mate 9 here.
Google Pixel — from $1079
• Includes Google Assistant
• High quality camera
• Pull down notifications from fingerprint scanner
When Google announced it was killing off the Nexus and focusing on its own line of in-house smartphones, the world watched with anticipation.
The tech giant designed, engineered and branded the Pixel, with HTC in charge of building.
At the core of the smartphone is “Google Assistant” — the world’s most powerful voice-and-search service.
Google Assistant is an AI bot using machine learning and the tech giant’s search database to complete a wide array of tasks.
Even more impressive is the fact it gets smarter and more personalised the more you use it.
While having a similar appearance to the iPhone 7, the 5-inch device has its fingerprint scanner positioned on the back of the phone.
This is a great position for unlocking the phone with ease and it can also be used to pull down your notification panel, which is a nifty little feature I have grown to love.
Despite not offering microSD expansion, the pixel comes in both 32GB and 128GB storage capacities, with the ability to use the Pixel’s USB Type-C connector to connect an expandable storage device.
The battery life of the Pixel isn’t the best, although it is more than sufficient and fast charging makes things less stressful when you are in a hurry.
As the name suggests, Google has put a focus in the camera of the device and it shows.
The Pixel offers a 12.3MP rear camera and a 8MP forward facing camera.
Both cameras are impressive, offering sharp, vibrant and colourful images — even in low light.
Pixel also offers the ability to shoot 4K video, with the gyroscope and software combining to steady the video.
Unfortunately, unlike other new releases on the market, the Pixel has not been made waterproof and the glass is also very fragile.
Overall, this phone highlights best of what Google has in store for the future and while it might not be flawless it is well worth your money if you are looking for a quality smartphone.
Read a full review of the Pixel here.
Sony Xperia XZ — $999
• Water resistant
• 23MP camera
• New curved design
There is no denying this is an aesthetically pleasing smartphone, which is a welcome change from Sony’s previous bulky Z range.
While largely keeping Sony’s signature rectangular shape, the XZ has a much curvier body than its predecessors.
Sony has also opted to have the fingerprint scanner on the side of the device, which is very practical.
One of the more impressive features of the device is the fact it has been waterproofed with an IP68 rating — meaning it can be fully submerged in up to 1.5m of water for up to 30 minutes.
In terms of software, the Sony Xperia XZ runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Sony’s own lockscreen, settings menu and other features overplayed.
Eventually, the phone will move to 7.0 Nougat Android, although there is no word of when this might happen.
The XZ charges via a reversible USB-C port, although the 2900mAh battery isn’t the best compared to other devices on the market.
With only one single speaker, the playback of audio from the phone is less than impressive too.
When looking at the XZ, the real hero of the device is the 23MP rear camera, which includes triple image sensing technology for capturing movement and colour.
The camera also has manual settings for greater control for those more avid photographers and a shutter button on the side of the device allows for great underwater pictures.
The smartphone also features a 13MP front-facing camera, which has Sony’s renowned 1/3.06 lowlight sensor and a 22mm wide angle lens for capturing more in shot.
Overall, the phone simple to use, quick and has one of the best cameras on any smartphone currently on the market.
Read a full review of the XZ here.
LG V20 — $999
• Removable battery
• High quality audio
• Dual display
With two rear cameras, a removable battery and a stylish aluminium chassis, LG’s V20 is a surprise contender in the smartphone market.
What sets the V20 apart from its competition is it has a main 5.7-inch LCD and a smaller display at the top of the device for notifications.
The phone only ships with 64GB of storage, although a microSD can be added if needed.
Similar to other devices on the market, the V20 has its fingerprint scanner located on the rear of the device, although it doesn’t offer the pull-down for notifications feature seen on the Pixel.
LG put serious effort into sound, with the V20 able to offer HD audio recording from three intelligent miss and Hi-Fi recording for background noise reduction.
Playback has also been improved, with B & O Play partnership ensuring the Quad DAC Chipset offers cleaner playback and high quality sound.
While the V20’s forward-facing 5MP camera isn’t the best on the market, the device does include dual cameras on the rear — a 16MP standard lens and an 8MP wide-angle lens capable of capturing up to 135 degrees.
The V20 has also added advanced image stabilisation technology for sharper shots, although the overall quality is not as good as other phones on the market.
As mentioned earlier, the phone includes a removable battery which means you can carry a spare instead of a bulky power pack.
Unfortunately, the V20 offers no waterproofing, although it does include a pre-applied screen protector.
Overall, the device is sleek, sexy and easy to use, with audio being the star of the device.
Read a full review of the V20 here.
iPhone 7 — from $1079
• Water and dust resistant
• Dual speakers
• New camera system
The iPhone 7 might have been largely considered to be one of the more underwhelming releases of the year, but this doesn’t mean Apple didn’t bring some cool new features.
One of the best features of the iPhone 7 was the fact it had been designed to be water and dust resistant.
In order to include this feature, Apple removed the physical home button and the headphone jack — the later being the most controversial move from Apple.
The tech giant said it was pushing people toward wireless technology and showcased its own AirPods, although customers are still waiting for them to become available.
For those not wanting to go wireless, Apple included wired headphones designed to fit the Lightning port and a 3.5mm headphones to Lightning adaptor in the box.
Although, charging the iPhone and listening to the music at the same time requires an adaptor that has to be purchased separately.
The iPhone 7 also includes a new camera system and while it doesn’t offer the capabilities of the dual camera system included on the iPhone 7 Plus, it does have some improvements.
The 12MP rear camera now has a larger ƒ/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilisation, which both allow for better lowlight photos and videos.
Additionally, the new Quad-LED True Tone flash adjusts colour tones according to the colour temperature of the room and is 50 per cent brighter than its predecessor.
There is also the inclusion of stereo speakers at the bottom and top of the iPhone 7, which allow for two times the volume of iPhone 6s.
Overall, the phone isn’t a drastic change from its predecessor, so if you only use iPhones, it might be better to wait for the 8.
Read a full review of the iPhone 7 here.
What is your phone choice? Continue the conversation in the comments below or with Matthew Dunn on Twitter and Facebook.
Originally published as A look at the current smartphone market to help you make an informed decision for upgrading
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