Christmas is less than three weeks away and there’s still time to nail the perfect tech present with the help of the Tech Guide 2024 12 Days of Christmas Gift Guide.
Today we’re focusing on smartphones.
Be sure to come back and check out the different categories we’re covering over the full 12 days of the Christmas gift guide.
Here are Tech Guide’s 12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas:
Day 2: Smartphones
Day 3: Wearables/smartwatches
Day 4: In-car gadgets
DAY 5: Gaming
DAY 6: Tablets/e-readers
DAY 7: Drones/Gadgets
DAY 8: Smart/IoT devices
DAY 9: Headphones/speakers
DAY 10: TVs/Blu-Ray/4K
DAY 11: Appliances
DAY 12: Computers
DAY 2: SMARTPHONES
iPHONE 16 AND iPHONE 16 PRO – From $1,399
The new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro have several improvements – the most prominent are Camera Control and improvements to the cameras themselves and, of course, Apple Intelligence.
The camera improvements span both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro with the latter seeing the most improvement.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max has retained its grade 5 titanium design which makes it lighter yet more durable.
The iPhone 16 is made of aerospace-grade aluminium while the colours have been created with a new infusing process on the rear glass panel.
GOOGLE PIXEL 9 PRO – $1,449
Google announced their 2024 flagship smartphone line-up just a week ago. This year they launched four new Pixel 9 devices, the Pixel 9, the Pixel 9 Pro, the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
With their respective availability being staggered in the coming weeks there will be reviews trickling out so it will be difficult to keep up. We suggest you keep your eye on TechGuide for reviews as they are published.
First cabs off the rank are the Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro XL – their ‘traditional’ Pixel-sized and specced phones.
HMD SKYLINE – $899
HMD Skyline is packed with fantastic camera capabilities thanks to its 50MP selfie camera and 108MP Hybrid OIS triple rear camera. The 50MP selfie camera comes with autofocus and eye-tracking to ensure the sharpest of selfies, and with the in-built ‘selfie gesture’ tech, users only have to make the universal peace sign (or one of three other hand signs) to activate the camera.
But it doesn’t stop there, a like the HMD Fusion, the HMD Skyline not only comes with Gen 2 repairability, but also has the iconic HMD Digital Detox mode, encouraging its users to take mindful pauses from their screens and digital lives and to be present in the moment.
The HMD Skyline is the phone for the content creator who wants to be able to both capture and live in the moment.
Available from Amazon, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Officeworks (online only), Big W (online only)
OPPO FIND X8 PRO – $1,799
Oppo’s Find X8 Pro smartphone delivers a flagship experience across the board with its camera, performance and battery life.
The new Find X8 Pro also sees the introduction of ColorOS15 which includes several Oppo AI features.
The device has a 6.78-inch Infinite View display with a trim 1.9mm bezel and quad curved glass front and back.
It has a 120Hz refresh rate with 1600 nits peak brightness with HDR content coming through it up to 4500 nits.
HMD BARBIE PHONE – $199
Available from JB HiFi, Harvey Norman, Big W, Officeworks, Telstra, Amazon, IMAGERY
The perfect summer accessory, the HMD Barbie™ Phone brings a burst of nostalgia and a splash of glam to your everyday life in the form of a retro flip phone. Its features include calling, texting, all while living in the real world without digital distractions.
Ideal for the accessory conscious, the HMD Barbie Phone brings back replaceable covers coming with two alternative cases: the brightly coloured swirls of the 1992’s iconic Totally Hair Barbie™ doll and a vintage ‘shooting heart’ design.
Available from JB HiFi, Harvey Norman, Big W, Officeworks, Telstra, Amazon
SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD6 – $2,749
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 continues to lead the way as the premium foldable but this time out it has not only got its unique form-factor, but it has been enhanced with Galaxy AI as well.
As we saw in January with the Samsung Galaxy S24 series – the addition of Galaxy AI made an excellent smartphone even better.
The same can now be said for the Galaxy Z Fold6.
The hardware has matured to become even thinner and lighter while increasing its durability.
And the novelty of being able to open the device and reveal a larger screen has certainly not worn off.
NOKIA 3210 – $129
It is the mobile phone that defined a generation. And now, 25 years on from its original release, the legendary Nokia 3210 is back in Scuba Blue, Grunge Black and Y2K Gold.
‘Dumbphones’ are making a comeback as people look to return to simpler times and the reimagined Nokia 3210 is here for it boasting a sleek retro design.
It comes loaded with all the essential features you’d expect from the OG feature phone, including a 2MP camera with flash (and torch!) and a long-lasting 1450 mAh1 battery that won’t die on you when you’re partying hard.
And if that wasn’t enough, feel like beating your old top score on Snake? Yes, it’s officially back!
Available from JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Officeworks, Big W and Amazon
BOOST MOBILE REFURBISHED PHONES – From $259
Get your hands on big brands including Apple or Samsung, but at a fraction of their original prices as high quality refurbished smartphones continue to deliver great value.
Including new models like iPhone, iPads, Samsung, Google Pixel and more, Boost Mobile refurbished phones offer great savings on near new devices, a perfect gift-giving for all who are looking for an upgrade.
All refurbished phones sold through Boost Mobile go through a stringent 72 point check to ensure the device meets their high functional and cosmetic standards.
Each refurb comes with a 12 month warranty and a 30 day satisfaction guarantee.
Available at https://boost.com.au/
HMD FUSION – $499
The latest to the Australian market from Human Mobile Devices (HMD) and wrapped in an uber-cool industrial-chic shell, the HMD Fusion is the pinnacle of mobile phone design. A customisable experience delivered through a series of interchangeable outfits enables consumers to tailor their HMD Fusion to their style, wants and needs.
Whether you’re a selfie queen with the Flashy outfit or an avid gamer leveling up with the Gaming outfit, there is an outfit to fit every personality.
As with the HMD smartphone range, the HMD Fusion is designed with FIY (fix it yourself) front of mind.
Equipped with Gen 2 repairability, HMD makes it easier than ever to repair a smashed screen, depleted battery or damaged charging port.
Simply pop open the device, unscrew the screen or replace the battery, and put it back together using an iFixit kit, and you are good to go!
Available from JB Hi-Fi
GOOGLE PIXEL 9 PRO FOLD – $2,699
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is making its long-awaited appearance in Australia this year and after using it for the last week I can easily say that they have hit the ground running with a phone that can rival even the mainstays of our foldable device market.
Starting at $2,699 RRP, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold sits atop the pricing pile of the Google smartphone lineup and when you get two phones in one it is easy to see why. Available in Obsidian and Porcelain the phone is a great looking foldable, mostly following the design language Google has switched to this year.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a smartphone that looks incredibly similar to the Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro released just a few weeks ago.
The front of the Fold looks a lot like the Pixel 9 and that is because it has the exact same 6.3-inch display on the front as the Pixel 9, albeit with bigger bezels.
MOTOROLA RAZR 50 ULTRA
The new Motorola razr 50 ultra is a folding phone with the largest external display you’ll find on any phone of its kind.
It has a large 4-inch external display so you can easily access apps and features including accessing photos and navigating your music.
On the inside is a huge 6.9-inch pOLED display which now incorporates a redesigned hinge to make the device easier to open and close with one hand.
And for the first time, the Motorola razr 50 ultra incorporates AI through the Google Gemini app.
GOOGLE PIXEL 9 – $1,049
After years launching two devices, Google has stepped up this year announcing four Pixel 9 phones, the Pixel 9, the Pixel 9 Pro, the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 go on-sale today, with the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold set to arrive next month – so keep your eyes on TechGuide for the reviews as they’re published.
The Pixel 9 is the base model for the series, including the new Tensor G4 processor but scaling back on the display, battery and of course only using a dual-camera system on the rear.
MOTOROLA 50 EDGE PRO – $999
Hello Moto! Motorola had been enjoying a resurgence of sorts with its line-up of entry level and mid-tier Android smartphones and its new Edge 50 Pro continues that success.
The Moto Edge 50 Pro, priced at $999, is on the more premium side of the range and it blends design, technology and features to come up with an impressive device.
On the design side, Motorola has really put in some effort to make it look slightly different than your regular smartphone.
For a start it has a soft touch rear panel with the camera bump that look like it is rising out of the surface.
OPPO RENO 11F 5G – $599
Oppo has always offered attractive and innovative smartphones and its new Reno 11F 5G continues that story with a sleek design and a host of features that you would use every day.
It has a near borderless 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED display that’s capable of displaying more than a billion colours and HDR10+ certified.
It has a 93.4 per cent screen to body ratio.
Images, apps and websites look great on the screen – you’ll never get tired of looking at it.
The display can also adjust its brightness to adjust to your eyes in the dark or in the brightest sunlight of the day.
There was only a couple of occasion where we needed to adjust the brightness but usually the Reno 11F 5G handled the situation brilliantly on its own.
SAMSUNG A16 5G – $349
Samsung has released the affordable Galaxy A16 5G smartphone which punches well above its weight thanks to its impressive features and slick design.
Price to $349, the Samsung Galaxy A16 certainly offers a lot of bang for your buck starting with the 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display (an upgrade to last year’s 6.5-inch screen) which offers natural colour and amazing clarity to enjoy your content.
On the design side, the A16 5G measures just 7.9mm thick – that’s down from 8.4mm in the A15 series.
