Tech Guide’s 2016 12-days of Christmas gift ideas – Day 1: Smartphones

By Stephen Fenech On Dec 9, 2016

Christmas is just weeks away and Tech Guide is kicking off its annual 12 Days of Christmas gadget gift ideas to make it easier for you to choose the right tech gift for your loved ones.

Technology gifts will be in high demand in 2016 but knowing what to buy in this ever-changing category can be difficult.

Tech Guide’s 12 Days of Christmas gift guide kicks off with smartphones – an in-demand product that everyone has, everyone wants and everyone needs.

We’ll take a look at the more affordable options that are now available.

Here are the Tech Guide 12 Days of Christmas. Be sure to check back every day for the next category.

Day 1: Smartphones

Day 2: Cameras

Day 3: Wearable/smartwatches/activity trackers

Day 4: Speakers

Day 5: Tablets/eReaders

Day 6: Gaming

Day 7: Headphones

Day 8: Drones

Day 9: TVs/Blu-ray Discs

Day 10: Gadgets

Day 11: In-car gadgets

Day 12: Computers

DAY 1 – SMARTPHONES

HUAWEI NOVA PLUS – $549

Huawei’s entry into the mid-level tier is a compelling one with a sleek design and features you’d usually find on far more expensive devices.

It has a 5.5-inch display with a 2.5D glass that curves nicely to the outside edge of the phone.

The Nova Plus has a sand-blasted metallic rear panel along with a 16-megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation which includes beauty mode and the ability to shoot 4K video.

READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REPORT ABOUT THE HUAWEI NOVA PLUS

LG X POWER – $349

LG’s X Power has two things going for it – it is affordable and has a long-life 4,100 mAh battery to keep you powered up for days.

It has a 5.3-inch screen and a 13-megapixel camera with a 1.3Ghz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot.

LG’s X Power has a battery that can keep up with you and features that make it a compelling package.

ALCATEL POP 4 – $119

Here’s one of the best value smartphones money can buy. The Alcatel POP 4 has a 5-inch screen and is available now through Optus.

The device is running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, has an 8-megapixel camera and a microSD card slot to expand your memory even further.

If you’re looking for a smartphone that delivers true bang for your buck, it’s hard to go past the Alcatel POP 4.

READ TECH GUIDE’S COMPLETE REVIEW OF THE ALCATEL POP 4

OPPO R9 – $599

Oppo has made plenty of noise in the smartphone market in 2016 and one of the reasons for that is the Oppo R9.

It has a 5.5-inch screen and is just 6.6mm thick with a tiny 1.6mm bezel on either side of the screen.

The Oppo R9 is also running its own ColorOS 3.0 on top of Android 5.0 which gives it remarkable similarity to the iPhone’s iOS.

And if you like taking selfies you’ll be happy to know that the front-facing camera has a 16-megapixel resolution and a larger image sensor than the rear 13-megapixel camera.

READ TECH GUIDE’S COMPLETE REVIEW OF THE OPPO R9.

Here are the links to other smartphones Tech Guide has reviewed in 2016:

Here are some of the handy smartphone accessories Tech Guide reviewed in 2016:

Belkin DuraTek Durable Cable

iPocket Drive

PocJox activewear