Android 9 Pie

Astell's A&norma SR25 takes on a slightly different approach to hi-res media players, with an angle on pricing and design that might leave OCD people turning their head.

Some phones are glass and shatter easily, while plastic phones can crack. But with the Telstra Tough Max 3, Australia's largest telco is vying for customers that prefer a phone to survive.

Phones that unfold into tablets is one way to interpret the foldable, but Motorola's new RAZR folds small for a big cost.

Phones with glass backs may look pretty, but they can also shatter when dropped. Not Telstra's latest, though, which is built to survive a little more rough and tumble.

If you only had $500 to spend on a phone and wanted solid value, a new player in the mid-range makes a good case with the Realme XT

If you're looking for a phone that hits the mid-range well, the Oppo Reno Z might just sit well, offering a solid take and solid value for the $500 mark.

If the year's phones haven't been as amazeballs as you had hoped, the Samsung Galaxy Fold raises the bar, bringing individuality back to innovation.

There's yet one more phone player in Australia, as TV maker TCL joins the local market competing in the mid-range spot.