Five of the best smartphones on the market reviewed in time for Christmas shopping
A SMARTPHONE is a great Christmas gift idea, but shoppers have an obvious question - which one should you buy? Here are a few answers.
CHRISTMAS is just around the corner and smartphones are likely to be a hot commodity.
Whether it's a present for someone else or a treat for yourself, it can be hard to know which phone to pick as there are so many options on the market.
Having tested devices from the major players, we have put together of five of the best options.
OPPO R9 PLUS — $579
• One of the cheaper options
• Good entry level phone
• 16MP front-facing camera for selfies
As far as the smartphones go, the $579 Oppo R9 Plus is one of the more moderately priced options on the market.
But, don’t be fooled by the price as the R9 has good functionality and would be perfect entry level product for a teenager.
The phone’s design is very similar to the iPhone 7 Plus, although its 6-inch display makes it slightly larger.
The screen isn’t the only big aspect of the device, with the massive 4120mAh battery offering enough charge for a whole day of usage — plus, it fast-charges from zero to 70 per cent in just half an hour.
The smartphone uses ColorOS — Oppo’s own operating system — and while easy enough to use, it lacks the certain flair of other products on the market.
Oppo markets the product as a “selfie expert” and its 16MP forward facing camera helps it live up this ploy.
While the rear camera offers 16MP, the quality leaves a little to be desired — especially night shooting.
Even though the device only has a single speaker at the bottom, the audio quality is loud enough for outside playback.
Overall, the R9 Plus is a decent phone for those wanting a basic smartphone that won’t break the bank.
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.
GOOGLE PIXEL - $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.
IPHONE 7 - $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.
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 among this year’s smartphone releases.
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.
What is your phone choice? Continue the conversation with Matthew Dunn on Twitter or Facebook.
Originally published as Five of the best smartphones on the market reviewed in time for Christmas shopping
