GEAR OF THE YEAR
THE BEST SMARTPHONES
BEST OVERALL SAMSUNG GALAXY S9+ From $1,349 | samsung.com/au
There are a number of factors that put the Samsung Galaxy S9+ ahead of the competition in its category, from its incredible QHD+ 18:9.5 AMOLED display, to its powerful Exynos 9810 chipset. However, it’s the way that Samsung has truly listened to its customers and addressed pretty much every issue levelled at the S8 range (while also making other big improvements) that makes the Galaxy S9 Plus our current pick for best smartphone.
BEST BUDGET SMARTPHONE MOTOROLA MOTO G6 $399 | motorola.com.au
The G6 deftly balances its price with the features and performance you’d expect from a modern handset in this class, topping the G5 Plus in every way. Many of this year’s upgrades would be worth the dollar-difference alone, but when combined with the performance boosts on tap, it’s easy to recommend forking out the little extra for the G6. Fans of Motorola’s mid-range phones will find the Moto G6 to be a very attractive prospect.
BEST BIG-SCREEN PHONE SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 9 From $1,499 | samsung.com/au
Though one could argue that most of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9’s improvements over its predecessor are relatively minor, each one has been made in an effort to provide the best possible experience for users. It offers offers the most storage and the best performance of any Android handset, along with a massive battery. In short, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is the kind of smartphone that all others should be striving to match.
BEST PHONE CAMERA GOOGLE PIXEL 3 XL From $1,349 | store.google.com
The Google Pixel 3 XL marries the best camera phone we’ve ever tested with a sizable, albeit controversial colour-rich 6.3-inch OLED screen. Its 12.2MP rear single-lens camera outperforms dual- and triple-lens smartphone cameras. We found its photos more consistently usable than photos from Samsung, Apple and Huawei’s camera phones. Even digitally zoomed-in pictures looked better, thanks to Google’s machine-learning camera software. Perfect for power users who wants a big screen with the best camera.