Editor's choice smartphones
Our Editor's Choice smartphone selections.
Our Editors Choice selections are a rank of the top smartphones based on review scores by the Good Gear Guide editorial team.
This is the best of the best, products personally chosen by the Good Gear Guide editorial team as being excellent or ideal purchases.
Smartphones on this list include some of the most popular phones on the Australian market, like the Apple iPhone 5, the HTC One, the Samsung Galaxy Note II and Sony's Xperia Z.
We've also included one of the most popular Android phones of all time, the Samsung Galaxy S III, along with the Google Nexus 4 and Nokia's excellent Lumia 920 Windows Phone.
1. Apple iPhone 5
The iPhone 5 is without a doubt the best iPhone Apple has produced, but anything less would have been a failure. The iPhone 5 is stunningly thin and light, has an excellent screen and an outstanding, best in class camera. ...
Review Date: 2nd Oct., 2012
2. HTC One Android phone
The HTC One is one of the best designed phones we've ever used. It has an outstanding display and offers fast and smooth performance. However, its battery life is below average, its new camera technology isn't a revolution and the ...
Review Date: 4th April, 2013
3. Sony Xperia Z Android phone
Boasting a 5in, full HD 1080p display, excellent performance, good battery life and water and dust-resistance, the glass-clad Xperia Z is easily the best smartphone Sony has ever produced. It's only let down by a poor quality loudspeaker and a ...
Review Date: 27th Feb., 2013
4. Google Nexus 4 Android phone
There's no doubt about it, the Nexus 4 represents outstanding value for money. The lack of 4G and no expandable memory will push some potential users elsewhere, but the combination of an excellent screen, an attractive and well constructed design ...
Review Date: 3rd Dec., 2012
5. Samsung Galaxy Note II Android phone
If you can handle the large size of the Galaxy Note II, Samsung has produced arguably one of the best smartphones on the market. Outstandingly smooth performance, an improved S Pen and excellent battery life combine to make the Galaxy ...
Review Date: 16th Oct., 2012
6. Samsung Galaxy S III Android phone
The Samsung Galaxy S III may not have deserved all of the hype that came with its release, as this is an evolutionary smartphone rather than a revolutionary one. Regardless, Samsung's combination of impressive hardware and excellent, intuitive software makes ...
Review Date: 4th June, 2012
7. HTC One X Android phone
The HTC One X features a superb design, a fantastic display and offers excellent performance along with some very well designed software. Poor battery life and some annoying inconsistencies in software are downsides to an otherwise excellent Android phone.
Review Date: 11th April, 2012
8. Samsung Galaxy S III 4G Android phone
The Samsung Galaxy S III 4G takes all that we loved from the original Galaxy S III and adds 4G network capability. It certainly achieves impressive, super fast data speeds on the Telstra and Optus 4G networks and the latest ...
Review Date: 22nd Oct., 2012
9. Samsung Galaxy Note Android phone
The Samsung Galaxy Note is an interesting device that’s been designed as an all-in-one smartphone and tablet. Whether it holds any appeal will depend on you getting your head (and hands) around its mammoth size. If you’re comfortable with the ...
Review Date: 8th Nov., 2011
10. HTC One XL Android phone
The addition of LTE 4G connectivity adds a new dimension to the HTC One XL. Fast mobile data speeds combined with an outstanding design, an excellent screen and good overall performance make the One XL a great smartphone. Poor battery ...
Review Date: 21st May, 2012
11. Motorola RAZR HD Android phone
The Motorola RAZR HD's big battery definitely lasts a little longer than many of its competitors, giving it a slight advantage. This is a well-built smartphone with some intuitive software but the RAZR HD's industrial look and feel won't strike ...
Review Date: 8th Oct., 2012
12. Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone
The Nokia Lumia 900 is without a doubt the best Windows Phone device on the market. We love the superb design and build, the excellent performance and the slick look and feel of the Windows Phone OS. However, the Lumia ...
Review Date: 15th May, 2012
13. HTC One S Android phone
The HTC One S certainly doesn't look or feel inferior to the flagship One X. A lower resolution display is the main differentiator, but the One S makes up for that with a design that's more comfortable to hold and ...
Review Date: 2nd May, 2012
