Here are our rankings for the best mobile phones around, currently available in Australia.


Number 20: Kogan Agora 5-inch



20. Kogan Agora 5-inch Dual-Core smartphone

Entrepreneur Ruslan Kogan has made millions by bringing cheap Chinese gadgets into Australia under his Kogan brand name.

The company's first proper smartphone isn't remarkable for its features list or performance - although it performs well enough in both spaces - but for its bargain basement price.

At $149, you get a 5-inch smartphone rocking a dual-core processor, and featuring twin SIM card slots to let you blend business and leisure in a single device.

Considering that the original Samsung Note - which the Agora mimics rather well - costs four times as much as this phone, it's hard to pass over the Kogan, in spite of its weaknesses.

Quick verdict

Far from perfect, the Kogan Agora is still a mightily impressive phone. The fact that Kogan has managed to cram some decent specs into a device that only costs $150 is a miracle.

Kogan Agora 5-inch dual-core smartphone review
Number 19: Motorola Razr M



19. Motorola Razr M

Despite being bought out by Google, Motorola has been a little slow turning from smartphone minnow to powerhouse. The RAZR M is one of the best handsets the company has to offer, but it doesn't have enough to crack the top 15.

Exclusive to Telstra, and singing on the national carrier's 4G network, the RAZR M is a versatile handset. It's screen is relatively small for most modern Android handsets at just 4.3 inches, and lacks resolution at just 540 x 960.

But it makes up for this by being comfortable in the pocket, and having a user interface that's both simple and enjoyable to use.

Motorola's Smart Actions is also a welcome feature, automatically adjusting settings on the device based on certain user-set criteria.

Quick verdict

While we're waiting for a Google-owned Motorola to come out and wow us with their insider understanding of the Android operating system, we have handsets like the RAZR M to keep us going.

While it can't compete with the top tier phones like the iPhone 5 or the Galaxy S3, it does offer plenty of features at an attractive price.

Motorola RAZR M review
Number 18: Nokia Lumia 620



18. Nokia Lumia 620

The first batch of Windows Phone 8 handsets had a lot going for them, including a pretty premium price tag. Now, a few months later, Nokia has delivered an affordable Windows handset to the Australian market.

As you'd expect given the budget nature of the handset, some aspects of the phone have been sacrificed to hit the sub-$300 price point. The biggest sacrifice being battery life, with the smaller handset just not holding enough juice to get you through a day.

The smaller size of the phone also makes typing and messaging a little cramped. But what you do get is a responsive handset with expandable storage and a very underrated operating system.

Quick verdict

Make no mistake, there are better Windows Phone devices on the market. But at the price point the Nokia is selling at, it's still a solid offering for the budget conscious, and a great introduction to the Windows Phone platform.

Nokia Lumia 620 review
Number 17: Samsung Galaxy Nexus



17. Samsung Galaxy Nexus

The first 'Google phone' to come without the search giant's branding, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is meant to be the device that preaches the power of Ice Cream Sandwich to the awe-struck Android masses - and now it's now been updated to Android Jelly Bean.

Of course, now we have the quad core power of the Google Nexus 4 to marvel over, complete with Android 4.2 this is a phone that's not as interesting to us any more.

The screen still looks fantastic though as it's 4.65-inches with a resolution of 720 x 1280, giving a ppi of 316. It really is super sharp. We would have expected nothing less, with Samsung's mobile displays among the best out there, but it's cracking for internet and video.

Quick verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is mostly buoyed by the presence of Jelly Bean, but the high-quality screen, slim chassis and fast processin