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Author: The Editor

  • Google Nexus 5X review

    nexus_5x
    Welcome to the Nexus 5X review. It's becoming more common that the top range phone from the last year or two or even three become the mid range models purely due to age but not so the 5X. Made by LG the 5X is the smaller version of the Nexus 6P but updated from the Nexus 5 so its interesting... We're putting this review up now because it has finally become even more interesting due to the price drop, yes the Nexus now has a general retail price under $400AUD from a number of retailers. In terms of construction the Nexus 5X is very good. It has a glass screen and a plastic back and it feels as good as any other 2 piece smart phone. Plastic has the stigma of being cheap but the quality of this one is pretty good. There aren't any panel you can open so it is a solid phone in the hand and very anonymous to look at, unless you have a fancy case of course. In terms of hardware the Nexus 5X has the all the feature of a mid range phone and more including a Hexa-core CPU which we think is pointless as no apps can use it to it's full potential and means that standard Apps like face book are no different in performance to any other phone higher of lower end. However for the price you get a good camera, with laser auto focus and 4K resolution but no expandable memory so 16G of 32G means that you can't actually use it. We have no idea or can justify purchasing a phone with 4K without expandable memory let alone in 2016! In terms of use the the Nexus 5X is pure Android so it is very basic to start with but you can easily customise it with additional interface mods of function beyond that of the iPhone for example, However it is hampered by the lack of standard memory. They say use the cloud! we say who wants to upload and download everything all time especially if you are traveling? Roaming charges will send you broke quickly. The interface is smooth and lag free so no complaints but that requirement to have internet data for everything slows the interface on occasion. The conclusion is once again simple. The Nexus 5X is a great phone with the critical flaw of not having enough memory for the basics of pictures,music and games.  There are a number of better phones selling for the same price from LG and Samsung just to name a few brands, just see the prior reviews. Specifications
    • Google Nexus 5X
    • Network Quad-band GSM Tri-band 3G Tri-band 4G
    • Design Touch screen
    • L147 x W72.6 x D7.9 mm Weight 136 grams
    • Display 5.2 inch 1080 x 1920 QHD IPS
    • Camera 12MP auto-focus LED Flash 2nd forward facing video call camera 5MP
    • Video Camera 4K 30FPS main video camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V4 USB C
    • CPU Hexa core - 1.4Ghz and 1.8 Ghz Separate Andreno 418 Graphics CPU
    • Memory 2 Gig RAM Up to Approx 32 Gig for user
    • Features A-GPS, GLONASS BEIDO, Compass, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient Light Up to 370 hours Standby Up to 17 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx $400 AUD September 2016 (Outright)

  • Samsung Galaxy Core Prime review

     2015_coreprime
    Welcome to the 2016 Samsung Core Prime mobile phone review. With the introduction of the Galaxy S7 series Samsung is refreshing the entire smartphone line up but have left the unchanged Samsung Galaxy Core Prime as one of the oldest models still available.  Yes, the J1 and the A series have been updated! So what is using the Galaxy Core Prime like? We decide to put up this review. When released the Galaxy Core Prime in late 2014 it was essentially a gap model, between the superseded Galaxy S4 and the top range Galaxy S5 model in the line up so its price was around the $390 mark in 2014 but in 2016 it has dropped to a recommend retail price of  $269. There is nothing wrong with the pricing at the time of posting this review. In terms of construction the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime is the same as the Galaxy S4 so its pretty good.  It also looks like a Galaxy S4. There is literally nothing complain about as it feels great for a relatively inexpensive phone in 2016. In terms of specifications (see below) the Galaxy Core Prime is a perfect example of the Snapdragon platform everything is there for wireless connectivity. The screen resolution is on the low side for a 2016 smartphone but average for the price, like wise the camera quality. There is nothing exceptional of the specifications bar the surprise inclusion of NFC for wireless payments and sync. Strangely the Galaxy Core Prime it is missing an FM radio.  We'd love to be about to write up more but there is anything else to point out. In terms of use the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime is surprising quick. The only lag you may experience is if you have data heavy live widgets but nothing to complain about either. The screen quality and size is more than acceptable and so is the brightness despite the relatively low resolution once again nothing to complain about. The only issue is that not every app can be transferred to the expansion SD card that said all your music and photos can be transferred. Overall the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime is a good phone for the price.  It does everything well and reasonably quick with the only problem with the Galaxy Core Prime is it's tiny standard memory, although expandable. Apart from that it is really it's competitors that make life difficult, the price being a key factor since for a mere $100 more you can get an Oppo R7s with much better specifications and currently our favourite budget smartphone in mid 2016. Specifications
    • Samsung Galaxy Core Prime
    • Network Quad-band GSM Dual-band 3G Dual Band 4G LTE
    • Design Touch screen
    • L131.3 x W68.4 x D8.8 mm Weight 130 grams
    • Display/s External 4.5 Inch TFT 480 x 800
    • Camera 5MP LED Flash Video Camera HD 720p @ 30fps 2MP front camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V4
    • CPU Quad-core 1.2 Mhz with 1 Gig RAM
    • Memory Up to 8 Gig available to user MicroSD up to 64Gig
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features NFC A-GPS Proximity, Accelerometer
    • Power 2000 Li-Po mAh battery Up to 12 Days Standby Up to 13 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Under $329 AUD 2016

  • Why a pre-paid mobile phone plan is a great idea in 2016

     2016_lumia950_1
    Which type of mobile phone plan or network plan is an important decision you have to make at some point or other. In 2016 the range of plans have become very different from a mere 2 years ago so if your phone plan has come to an end it's a great time to look at your options. You can continue to use the plan you initially signed up for but it will probably be out of date hence no longer value for money. We believe the pre-paid plan phone option is the best 'plan' to get for many people. Having a Pre-paid plan means that you have to pay in advance periodically, usually 28 days. Paying or recharging within the time period usually means that any unused credit will 'roll-over' or accumulate. Most pre-paid plans in 2016 will have this feature but some still don't for some reason. Pre-paid packages like any other plan have a set amount to call time, txt amount and data allocation. For example: if you purchased a $30 prepaid value and you don't use that amount it will roll-over or accumulate to the next period, so you'll have $60 in your prepaid balance and what ever is left on your call time, txt or data! Since your calls, txt and data are usually not included in this amount the $30 can be used for other things like music subscription of more data or even txt. If you use up your allocation you can always use your credit to purchase more call time, txt or data. Just be careful which pre-paid package you get as some may not be a complete roll over eg. only call time or data but not the most valuable roll over credits e.g. your recharge amounts! After a year or 12 recharges you may end up with $360 in credit and what whatever unused call time, txt or data accumulated over the year. The $360 can be used for other things like Apps on the Google Play store or Apple App Store, music subscriptions where available and even overseas data allowance if you're travelling to a different country. Pre-Paid Best features of Pre-Paid Plans You can buy a SIM only OR get one with a entry level mobile phone. You can purchase a mid-range phone outright and still cost less overall and get more benefits. Unused credit is rolled over every time you recharge for most plans in 2016. Unused credit can be used to pay for Apps and other subscriptions like music or movies. Plans on offer go from 28 days to 365 days before a recharge is due. Worst features of Pre-paid plans The phone handset you are getting is usually very basic to no phone at all. You will need to purchase a decent mobile phone. You need to remember to purchase re-charges every month. You loose everything if you don't recharge each month so can't be late.  

  • Alcatel Pop 5 Review

     2016_pop5_1
    Welcome to the 2016 Alcatel Pop 5 review. It is not to be confused with the POP 3 (5) which is a different model but shares the same chassis. We've had passing glances at the Alcatel phones before but never in-depth due to the models being cheap and not so good. The story of this brand is interesting so do check it out on the internet and you'll understand why these phones are so cheap. We believe the Pop 5 is the first truly competitive Android entry smart phone for entry level users made by the Alcatel the brand. The Alcatel Pop 5 is priced at $119 as a prepaid package. In terms of construction the Pop 5 is very good. The seal between the front and rear panels are perfect, materials used feel more expensive than the asking price. It's the glass front panel and soft finish used by the Lumia phones and the weight that basically make it feel good. There are only touch screen buttons except for the on/off and volume switches  which cleans up the design. The Pop 5 feels great for the price better than our current favourite the Galaxy J1. In terms of hardware the Alacatel Pop 5 has a few tricks for a very cheap smart phone. The screen size is 5 inches and the resolution is 720P IPS which is a stand out and looks very good. There are only 3G and 4G bands which is interesting choice along with the 8MP rear cans 5MP front camera. The numerically low 1.1 Ghz CPU is an interesting choice but we didn't notice any real performance issues. The only missing feature seems to be a dedicated GPU for games but expected at this price level. It is also interesting to note that the Pop 5 appears to be network exclusive at this point in time to the Optus network. The only flaw is the tiny standard memory at less than 4Gig so you will need a separate memory card even before you start using it. Remembering that this is the cheapest smartphone we've ever tested with these specs, the Pop 5 doesn't look like a cheap phone. In terms of use Alcatel Pop 5 has the latest Android 6.0 operating system with minimal changes to the stock experience and as a result works smoothly and relatively quickly. We won't try and over analyse the usage experience due to price ... but officially the Pop 5 works great for such a cheap phone. It is easily better than the Galaxy J1 2015 version we tested at twice the price. Smooth and fast enough for most use, even heavy duty web pages work OK on it. TXT talking and Facebook and other social media sites work perfectly. We have no complaints due its price tag. The conclusion is easy, the Alcatel Pop 5 is an impressive entry level smart phone due to it's RRP price tag of $119 as a pre-paid package. We can't think of another phone to date that is this impressive. It is just about perfect for new smart phone purchasers to start with will be happy but it's not for gamers! Mind you long term reliability could be the only issue you need to consider but at this price we don't think it is an major issue. Definitely try the Pop 5 before making any decision. Specifications
    • Alcatel Pop 5
    • Network Dual-band 3G Quad-band 4G
    • Design Touch screen L141 x W72 x D7.9 mm
    • Weight  160 grams
    • Display 5 inch - 1280 x 720 pixels
    • Camera 8MP auto-focus LED Flash 2nd forward facing video call camera 5MP
    • Video Camera 720p 30FPS main video camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth V4
    • CPU Quad-core 1.1 Ghz
    • Memory 1Gig RAM Up to 4 Gig for user Up to 32Gig micro-SD expansion
    • Features FM Radio with RDS Li-Po 2500 mAh battery Up to 16 Days Standby Up to 8 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx under $119 August 2016 (Pre-paid)

  • Microsoft Lumia 650 Review

     2016_lumia550_1
    Welcome to the 2016 Microsoft Lumia 650 review. The newest entry in the new four model Lumia range is the 650 and it is arguably the best looking of the range too. The main reason is the high end styling and materials that sets it apart from the any other phone in the Lumia range. The Lumia 650 is essentially the mid range model priced under $300 AUD outright and as a result probably the best value in the range. We like the Lumia phones as they usually have the latest hardware on the inside and a solid operating system and reasonably priced. They are also the most secure, since few would target a essentially unique and a relatively small number of phones. The only problem with the Lumia is that there are not very many main stream Apps in the store. In terms of construction the Lumia 650 is just as good as any other phone in price and and beyond which is great selling point. The removable panel fits perfectly and the screen glossy and hard. There are no complaints about how its built. In terms of hardware the Lumia 650 doesn't have any standout features bellying its mid-range positioning. Unfortunately the world has moved one and what was mid-range is no longer. So the Lumia 650 is mid-range in basically the Lumia range rather than the competition. In the real world the 650 goes up against Android OS phones above entry level. In this context there are a few surprises in the specification that includes the option of dual SIM, expandably memory up to 256Gig, 5 inch OLED display withe Gorilla glass 3 and an FM radio. If you take into account the sub $300 price tag the 650 packs a lot of hardware for the price, bettering most Android OS based phones in the category. In terms of use the Lumia 650 is standard Windows 10, so everything is there and easy to use. Performance is good although apps do take longer to load if you've used a faster phone. Despite the relatively low powered CPU it works very well and smoother than like specified Android phones and the iPhone 5s. The Microsoft Lumia 650 is a very good phone just missing 3rd party Apps. That said if you are into the Microsoft Office, Skype, Onedrive, Minecraft, XBOX  and so forth but can't afford the top end Lumia 950 than the 650 is for you. The best model to get is the Dual SIM version especially if you travel so you can still use you normal number and a local SIM for data and call savings. great phone for those who don't want to get distracted by Pokemon GO! Specifications
    • Microsoft Lumia 650
    • Network Quad-band GSM - All Tri-band 3G - All Tri-band 4G - All
    • Design Touch screen L142 x W70.9 x D6.9 mm
    • Weight  122 grams
    • Display 5 inch 720 x 1280
    • Camera 8MP auto-focus LED Flash 2nd forward facing video call camera 2MP
    • Video Camera 720p 30FPS main video camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth V4
    • CPU Quad-core 1.3 Ghz Snapdragon 212 Separate Andreno 304 Graphics CPU
    • Memory 1Gig RAM Up to 16 Gig for user Up to 256Gig micro-SD expansion
    • Features FM Radio with RDS Li-Po 2000 mAh battery Up to 26 Days Standby Up to 16 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx under $300 July 2016 (Outright)

  • iPhone SE Review

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    Welcome to the Apple iPhone SE review. As usual we start with the same phrase, we love the iPhone and loathe it at the same time. It's a great phone platform because there are plenty of Apps to extend the phone's functionality beyond what Apple even imagined. The support is great at an Apple store and online. However on the flip side hardware specifications are not top of the range and most importantly security problems are hidden until the hackers s[read your personal data over the internet! Anyway the newsiest iPhone is their budget or entry level model now simply called the iPhone SE. The iPhone SE is priced $679 AUD for the entry level 16 Gig model so it is not  exactly bargain priced. Apple fans tend to blame parts manufacturers for short falls in performance but of course anyone with a bit of common sense knows that Apple doesn't use the latest hardware because it costs more. It's purely financial decision. Adding the latest tech and gloss over catchup functionality with very good PR. Since the majority of iPhone users are not usually tech inclined the power of the PR and Brand stands. In terms of construction and design the iPhone SE the description is easy! The iPhone SE is exactly the same as the 4 year old iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S on the outside. It is a good design that's modern and relatively sleek but it does look a little cheap in 2016. Apple calls it timeless we call it by its true name - lost design Mojo. The 1000-ish Apple designers are on holidays and the temps are the accountants which is exactly what the you get...  Regardless in the hand the build quality is excellent and the size is very good if you don't have large hands and good eye sight as the screen is a little small. The image or screen quality is very good too but again it is washed out but it does show that the odd sized 1136 X 640 screen is good enough if the pixel density is at least 326ppi. The iPhone 5S design looks OK in isolation and can only be compared with other iPhones and in that sense it's better looking than the iPhone 6 but not as nice as the iPhone 4s. In terms of hardware the iPhone SE is a mix of iPhone 5S on the outside and iPhone 6S  on the inside. Sure not all 6S hardware is on the inside but the key features are so you get 4K video (with Ok quality) but the new camera hardware exceeds the vast majority of regular 'point and shoot' cameras. A faster CPU helps smooths out the iPhone 5S sluggish performance running the latest version of iOS. No improvement on the call quality side as the microphones and speakers of the iPhone SE are really below the standard set by the Samsung Galaxy series and especially the forgotten Microsoft Lumia phones in this price range. You can easily tell the caller has an iPhone by the muffled call quality. Overall though there is nothing exceptional or truly bad apart from the tiny screen and the biggest problem and flaw with the iPhone SE and the entire range is a measly 16G memory as standard which means less than 8G available for phones, music etc.. In terms of use and features we like Apple PR with 3D touch - holding your finger on the icon to see an extra menu has been around for years only Apple has finally caught up. However developing hardware solution is not a financially sound way of doing things. The iOS interface is really good but it is quite complex these days with lots of things to turn and off but still lags behind Microsoft's Windows 10 for phones. Online storage is expensive but the inclusion of NFC is good and the faster processor does help the growing operating system bloat. Apps are now offering the ability to transfer your Apps via logins so you can move from the iPhone without paying for it again so the lock to Apple is slowly disappearing. Is the iPhone still simple to use? Yes. How can you sell a recycled design and a claimed 1000+ designers employed and have PR say that your company is innovative? The answer is No - yet Apple continues to advertise. Nonetheless the iPhone SE is a great little phone with the right specifications in a compact size. The iPhone SE biggest problem is that it is overpriced especially with so little memory to use, especially when trying to take 4K video or the vast majority of 'essential' Apps as the entry level model. In that sense the iPhone SE is a pricing rip off - it is a great time to try another brand to see if you like it.
    • Apple iPhone SE
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Tri-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 4G LTE All
    • Design Touch screen
    • L123.8 x W58.6 x D7.6mm Weight 113 grams
    • Display/s External TFT 640 x 1136
    • Camera 12MP LED Flash
    • Video Camera 4K 30 fps
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V4
    • CPU A9 Dual Core 1.84 Ghz Graphics: PowerVR GT7600
    • Memory From 16 - 64 Gig Less than 8 Gig for the user.
    • Ring tones Purchase or iStudio only and vibration
    • Features 4K video Battery 1624 mAh Up to 240 hours Standby Up to 14 hours Talk Time
    • Price history From $679 AUS 2012 (Outright 16Gig)

  • Telstra Signature Premium review

    2016_signatureprem
    Welcome to the 2016 Telstra Signature Premium smartphone review. The Signature Premium is as it name implies is not an entry level phone or a mid range but aiming its this model at the top range models. The Signature Premium is an Android OS based, rebranded HTC One A9 with Telstra's  own user interface which looks like the minimal Nexus presentation. The Telstra Signature Premium has a recommend retail price at $648 outright and a small handset fee if you bundle it with a plan. In terms of construction the Telstra Signature Premium is very well built. The body is very slick feeling metal and not gaps or creaks to speak off. It's a good looking phone with refined minimalist design theme that makes it look anonymous in the sea of smart phones in 2016. To be completely honest it does closely resemble an iPhone 6.  The most obvious design choice is to recess the fingerprint scanner which we initially though was broken! Top of the range build quality for the price. In terms of hardware the Telstra Signature Premium has good specifications for a Telstra branded smart phone but it not the complete package. The most obvious issues being the small capacity battery and only 1080p display. The Signature Premium packs in a Octa-core CPU topping out at 1.5 Ghz and a decent GPU. It also features a Dolby Audio hardware which means it should sound good and. Back to the AMOLED display, the screen quality is very good but not top end but it makes the iPhone 6 next to it look washed out. The hardware specifications are good but definitely mid-range+. In terms of use the The Telstra Signature Premium very good too. No lag with the navigation, Apps worked pretty fast, response times feeling good. Since it is an Android phone there are so many more ways to customise and use your phone, it plays any video, image or music file format you want, it's fully integrated with the Gmail ecosystem and most of all you can manage your files on your phone not needing to temporary download from the 'cloud'. The biggest complaint is that the graphics and standard backgrounds images are pretty 'cheap' looking. To sum up, the Telstra Signature Premium works really well. It does feel and work like a top range phone but it's not. Definitely better than the iPhone 6S and a better phone than the cheaper Oppo R7S too but not as good as real top range phones like the Galaxy S7 or Nexus 6P. Nonetheless we can recommend the Signature Premium as a phone choice however the price is a concern, priced at $648 outright it is on the high side for an essentially mid-range phone. If free on any of the phone plans and it becomes the recommended choice. The Signature Premium is the best Telstra branded smartphone to date (mid-2016). Specifications
    • Telstra Signature Premium
    • Network Quad-band GSM 3G - Tri-band 4G - Quad-band
    • Design Touch screen L145.75 W70.8 x D7.3 mm Weight 143 grams
    • Display 5 inch 1080 x 1920 AMOLED
    • Camera 13MP auto-focus LED Flash 2nd forward facing video call camera 8MP Video Camera 4K 30FPS main video camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth V4, USB
    • CPU Snapdragon Octo-core 1.5 GHz Andreno 405 Graphics CPU
    • Memory 3Gig RAM Up to 32 Gig for user MicroSD expansion
    • Features Dolby Audio, A-GPS, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Gorilla Glass, Proximity, Ambient Light, Barometer, Fingerprint
    • Battery Li-Po 2150 mAh battery Up to 18 Days Standby Up to 16 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx $648 AUD (outright May 2016) or Phone plan

  • Telstra Signature Enhanced Review

    2016_signatureenhanced
    Welcome to the 2016 Telstra Signature Enhanced smartphone review. The Telstra Signature Enhanced is an entry level Android based smartphone release in June 2016 . It is usually free as part of a plan or can be purchased outright if you are on pre-paid.  The Signature Enhanced is a rebranded LG X Screen phone which is good start if you wanted to rebrand a relative inexpensive Android smartphone. It's outright price for the Telstra Signature Enhanced recommended retail is $360. In terms of construction the Telstra Signature Enhanced is very good. As an entry level phone (for 2016) all the panels feel tight although you can definitely tell that it's not a top end phone due to what seems like a metal frame but feels like plastic. The back is sealed and is a reflective glass (we think) so it feels and looks more stylish than it competitors. Regardless, no complains considering its price tag. In terms of hardware the Telstra's Signature Enhanced specifications are entry level Android smart phone for 2016. The phone is equipped with a Quad core Snapdragon 410 CPU which is essentially the new breed of SOC 'System on a Chip' so it comes will all the network frequencies, Wi-Fi Bluetooth even camera processor all built in. So any phone with a Snapdragon 410 chip has the same capabilities and difference are due to the OS mods, screen, camera lens and design simply put. On the Signature enhanced there is only one thing that sands out is that is the shape of the screen. The top part of the screen is like a tab which essentially shows you the last 5 or so apps you ran. It is handy although in the scheme of things a gimmick but a useful one. In terms of use the The Telstra Signature Enhanced is pretty good given its specifications. There wasn't noticeable lag, smooth interface, apps run quick enough and it's relative slowness can only be noticed after using a faster phone. The Signature Enhanced should also retain it's smoothness even after a few apps have been installed. It is highly customisable since it runs Android OS. No complains given it's price tag. To sum up, the Telstra Signature Enhanced works really well but it is on the edge of the what we'd call a value for money entry level smartphone, a $300 price would probably be the sweet spot for this spec at the time of writing. However the recently updated entry level Samsung J1 is priced under $200 means the 'Enhanced' does have serious competition. (The J1 happens to be one of our favourite cheap smartphones although flawed by a relatively low resolution screen) We would probably buy a Telstra Signature Enhanced ahead of the J1? Probably due to the higher resolution screen and less 'OS enhancements' but we would also like to know exactly whether there is any hidden software as per US networks, Telstra have added to the Signature Enhanced before making the purchase decision. Regardless it's a good entry level smartphone choice in mid-2016. Specifications
    • Telstra Signature Enhanced (LG rebrand)
    • Network Quad-band GSM 3G - All Tri-band 4G - All Quad band
    • Design Touch screen L142.6 W71.8 x D7.1 mm Weight 120 grams
    • Display 4.93 inch 720 x 1280 LCD
    • Camera 13MP auto-focus LED Flash 2nd forward facing video call camera 8MP Video Camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth V4, USB-C
    • CPU Quad core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 410 integrated Adreno 306
    • Memory 2Gig RAM Up to 16 Gig for user MicroSD expansion
    • Features A-GPS, Accelerometer, Nano-SIM
    • Battery Li-Po 2300 mAh battery Up to 16 Days Standby Up to 10 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx $360 AUD (outright May 2016 or free on plans)

  • LG Stylus DAB+ Review

    2016_lgstylus
    Welcome to the 2016 LG Stylus DAB+ (LGK520K) review. New for 2016 the LG Stylus DAB+ smartphone has 2 major features that separate it from the rest begin the DAB+ radio a stylus but there is one more surprise and greatly appreciated that being a large 5.7 inch display! We immediately liked the LG Stylus DAB+ sd it sells for a recommended retail price of $449 outright which is a pleasant surprise. Even more usefully is that the Stylus DAB+ is often package as a free phone on he entry level phone pals. (Note that the this is the LG Stylus DAB+ not a LG Stylus 2 with DAB+) In terms of construction the LG Stylus DAB+ is very well built. feels like its got metal frame but it has a plastic back and very thin. It feels very good in the hand which is a surprise given the reasonable price. Mind you its not as good as the Oppo R7s which is our benchmark in terms of feel for a budget smartphone. No complaints at all in this department. In terms of hardware there has been a little sacrifice to add the DAB+ radio to the LG Stylus. The CPU is a cheaper Quad core 1.2 processor and the screen is only 720p compared to the regular LG Stylus model. We wished that the had given it something faster though. Despite lower screen resuloution it still looks good although not as nice as the the more expensive models but at least the large 5.7 inch screen softens the blow. The speaker sound quality is OK but not high end. The integrated stylus may seem like a gimmick but it you have ever used a smartphone for work you will appreciate the addition. Even Apple is selling Stylus' these days. Overall the Stylus DAB+ has OK sort of specs but more entry level than mid range in 2016. In terms of use the Stylus DAB+ is actually quite good considering the spec (again) we don't expect much from any smartphone with a quad core 1.2 Ghz CPU these days but it adequate for normal use. Normal use being call and tact, whatsapp, Facebook, instagram and so forth not really for the latest Android games. The user has access to less than 16G as standard which is annoying but at least it has microSD expansion.  With a few apps there is virtually no lag to complain about. The DAB+ works well if you are stationery but on the move it is unable to keep up with the frequencies. The DAB+ radio included actually worked quite well but the interface is clumsy as opposed to completely useless was other reviews make ti tout to be. Since DAB+ uses no internet data but has many more stations it is genuinely useful just wish that the reception was able to keep up in the car. In the end the LG Stylus DAB+ is an interesting smartphone, not quite entry level and not quite mid range but suitably priced. Would we get one for personal use, yes we would but not for the DAB+ radio but for the large screen and stylus. The Stylus is also being offered for free on a basic phone plan which given the other choices we would still whose the Stylus DAB+. So there you have it a decent suitably price smartphone. Specifications
    • LG Stylus DAB+
    • Network Quad-band GSM 3G - All Tri-band 4G - Dependent on version
    • Design Touch screen L155 W79 x D7.5 mm Weight 148 grams
    • Display 5.7 inch 1280 x 720 AMOLED
    • Camera 13MP auto-focus LED Flash 2nd forward facing video call camera 8MP Video Camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth V4
    • CPU Quad-Core 1.2 Separate Graphics GPU
    • Memory 2Gig RAM Up to 16 Gig for user MicroSD expansion
    • Features DAB+ Radio, FM Radio, A-GPS, Stylus
    • Battery Li-Po 3000 mAh battery Up to 13 Days Standby Up to 7 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx $449 AUD (outright May 2016)