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Finder's reviewers have extensively tested and reviewed every phone on this list, including 5G compatibility for Australia's growing and expanding 5G networks.
Our editorial team chose the phones in this list on a weighted balance of features, quality and our experiences when testing them, compared to other phones available in the market. The selection and order are not based solely on review scores.
Samsung was first to market in Australia with a 5G phone, and if you're going to pay a premium for one, the phone to buy right now is the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Not only do you get 5G compatibility, but you also get one of the best camera phones on the market, along with an expansive 6.9-inch 120Hz display, Samsung's unique S-Pen for both creative and productive purposes and a whole lot of processing power too.
The flip side to that is that battery life isn't immense, and that's something that 5G isn't likely to help much with either, especially if you want to leave it in 120Hz mode most of the time – which, trust us, you really do. Like Samsung's earlier S20 Ultra, the much-hyped "Space Zoom" digital zoom feature isn't worth using unless you like washed out, pixelated photos too.
You can read our full review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra here.
Samsung's been busy in 5G, but Chinese maker Oppo is rapidly approaching it in terms of the sheer number of 5G-capable handsets it has in the market right now. Its flagship is the highly appealing Oppo Find X2 Pro 5G, a fast and very capable phone that combines excellent telephoto and low-light shooting with 5G, very fast wired charging and a high refresh rate display. While it does come in a more sedate black finish, there's also an option for a very ostentatious orange vegan-leather finish if you prefer.
Like the Note 20 Ultra, battery life is going to be impacted by 5G data rates, and while that superfast wired charging can help, its lack of wireless charging isn't all that welcome. Video shooting is limited to 4K only, and it's a fixed storage phone with no microSD expansion possibilities too.
Read our full Oppo Find X2 Pro review here.
The Galaxy Note 20 is the more affordable of Samsung's Note line, but it's a good 5G option in its own right if you want to save a few hundred dollars while still getting 5G access and a nice array of camera modes to boot. You don't get the high refresh rate screen, and the camera optics aren't quite as shiny as on the Note 20 Ultra, but you get a phone that's easier in the pocket – both physically and on your wallet – in return.
Read our full review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 here
The new trend in 5G phones is for mid-range priced devices built on the Snapdragon 765G platform. With a common CPU architecture, there's not a lot in performance terms between most of the Snapdragon 765G phones for apps or 5G performance, but Oppo's Find X2 Neo stands out for having some really fun cameras and very good battery life, which is a vital component of any 5G handset.
Like other Oppo phones, you're stuck with its ColorOS launcher on top of Android, which is a bit of an acquired taste with some unusual application permission issues to deal with. Oppo doesn't tend to push wireless charging much, and it's missed here as is the inclusion of a good quality in-display fingerprint reader.
Read our full review of the Oppo Find X2 Neo here.
Vivo is yet another brand from the same Chinese megacorp that owns Oppo, but where the Find X2 Neo impresses on general camera quality, the Vivo X50 Pro brings a different game to town. It features a primary sensor sitting on a camera stabilisation gimbal built into the phone itself, which is quite a different take on what you could do with mobile photography.
It's exceptional for video shooting, making the Vivo X50 Pro 5G a good choice for social media types who need 5G to upload their latest short clips, although we did hit some inconsistencies when shooting stills with it. It's also lacking water resistance as well as a headphone jack, which is problematic.
Read our full Vivo X50 Pro 5G review here.
Oppo has not only been pushing a lot of 5G phones, but it's also been pushing the idea that 5G handsets don't have to be super-expensive. For some time now, the Oppo Find X2 Lite has been the cheapest 5G phone you can directly buy in Australia, even though it's running on the same Snapdragon 765G as the other mid-range 5G competitors that cost $200 or more than it does.
That means it mostly runs apps at the same kind of pace, which is great, but the trade-off is in the quality of the onboard camera and overall battery life.
Like all of Oppo's phone ranges, you've also got to like its ColorOS overlay on top of Android too.
Read our full Oppo Find X2 Lite review here.
LG's flagship 5G phone for 2020 in Australia isn't priced like a flagship phone at all. Instead, the South Korean phone maker has delivered the LG Velvet as part of the pack of phones using the Snapdragon 765G at a sub-$1,000 price point. That means it has the same 5G chops as other Snapdragon 765G phones, and LG's pick of premium features as well. This includes water resistance not found on other 765G phones as well as a real headphone jack, although that's somewhat mitigated by the lack of a Quad DAC on board, something that used to be standard for LG's phones and beloved by audiophiles.
The LG Velvet has dual-screen capability, but one of the ways LG's kept the cost down locally is by not offering that accessory. It does feature a triple-camera array, but one that's not quite as nice as its competitors.
Read our full LG Velvet review.
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