On the hunt for a striking new smartphone with a budget-friendly price tag? Iconic brand Nokia and mobile challenger OPPO have each dropped brand-new devices, with both handsets featuring striking colours, hefty batteries and big displays.
Nokia has unveiled a new Peach version of its repair-it-yourself handset, the Nokia G22, while OPPO has announced the next member of its A Series family in the OPPO A18. At $349 and $219 respectively, these phones pack in plenty of features at an affordable price — so read on to for all the details on these cheerfully cheap devices.
OPPO A18: Smooth performance and vibrant design
“We are proud to bring another feature-packed A-Series device to the market, particularly following the 2024 Canstar Blue Smartphone Awards where OPPO was the only brand to score a perfect 5 stars on ‘Best Value For Money’ as voted by Australians,” OPPO Australia Managing Director, Michael Tran said.
OPPO’s latest A Series smartphone continues the brand’s exclusive Glow design, which offers a shimmering dual matte finish and a slim, lightweight body. The OPPO A18 comes with a 6.56-inch HD+ Sunlight Display, which is designed to perform in direct light and offers up to 720 nits of brightness. You’ll also get a 90Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling, along with All-day AI Comfort to help reduce eye strain.
Under the hood, the A18 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, which works alongside OPPO’s Dynamic Computing engine for fast and long-lasting performance. OPPO is promising all-day battery, thanks to the phone’s 5,000mAh battery capacity and intelligent All-day Charging Protection. You’ll also get up to 25 hours of standby power, even when your battery is as low as 5%.
The OPPO A18 includes an 8-megapixel main rear camera, along with a 2-megapixel Bokeh camera, designed for enhanced portraits and bright, natural photographs. Portrait photography is a big focus for the A18, and the device also includes AI portrait retouching, along with other modes including night, time-lapse, PRO, sticker, panorama and Google Lens.
Other key features on the OPPO A18 include Ultra-Volume Mode, which can increase audio output by up to 300%, IPX4 water resistance and IP5X dust resistance and side fingerprint unlock. The device also includes 4GB of extended RAM with 128GB of storage and runs OPPO’s Color OS 13.1 operating system.
One noticeable omission is the lack of 5G connectivity, although you’ll still be able to use the A18 with Telstra, Optus and Vodafone’s 4G networks nationwide. The OPPO A18 is available now for $219 outright through the OPPO online store, JB Hi-Fi, Big W, Harvey Norman (online only) and Bing Lee (online only).
OPPO A18 at a glance
- $219 AUD RRP
- MediaTek Helio G85 processor
- 6.56-inch HD+ Sunlight display
- Up to 90Hz refresh rate
- Double rear-camera setup (8MP main + 2MP Bokeh)
- 5MP front-facing camera
- 5,000mAh battery
- 4GB RAM
- 128GB internal storage + up to 1TB expandable Micro SD storage
- ColorOS 13.1
- Available in Glowing Black and Glowing Blue colours
Shop OPPO phones at The Good Guys
| Phone | Features | Storage Size | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|
128GB | $299 |
Shop now |
|
|
128GB | $369 |
Shop now |
 |
^^View important information | |||
Nokia G22: Perfect peach with a big-pixel camera
If you have a little more cash to burn, and want a bigger and bolder camera system, Nokia’s new So Peach edition of the G22 may tick your boxes. Built with recycled materials, the Nokia G22’s claim to fame is its do-it-yourself repairability, which allows owners to replace damaged displays, batteries or charging ports at home. The device also comes with three years of warranty and monthly security updates, as well as two years of Android upgrades.
The G22 was previously available in Lagoon Blue and Meteor Grey, but Nokia’s new So Peach colour capitalises on what’s set to be the trending hue for 2024. Peach Fuzz is Pantone’s Colour of the Year, so expect to see variations of pastel orange, pink and coral across clothing, homewares and more in the months to come.
The Nokia G22’s 6.52-inch display includes a 90Hz refresh rate, and a sunlight brightness boost with 500 nits of typical brightness — this is another low-cost phone that’s built for outdoor viewing. You’ll get tough Gorilla Glass in front, with a 100% recycled plastic cover on the back. Aside from the screen, the G22 also includes OZO Playback for balanced and optimised audio, whether you’re listening via speakers or headphones.
Nokia has thrown in a big 5,050mAh battery with up to three days of battery life, and the company claims that the G22’s battery can withstand 800 full charging cycles and still maintain 80% of its original capacity. The phone comes with a Unisoc T606 platform, along the with option to turn unused storage space into additional virtual RAM for improved performance.
The G22 boasts a 50-megapixel main lens, plus a 2-megapixel depth and 2-megapixel macro lens in the back. This triple camera lineup gives users plenty of options for bright, bold images, as well as tight shots thanks to the macro feature. Nokia has also included an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, along with a range of photography modes: you’ll get night mode, tripod mode, HDR and AI portraits.
Security features include facial recognition, even with masks on, as well as a side fingerprint sensor. The G22 runs Android 12 and includes 128GB of storage, but like the OPPO A18 this isn’t a 5G-capable phone.
If you’re tempted by Nokia So Peach G22, you’ll be able to buy the device from February 15 for $349 outright. Stockists include JB Hi-Fi, Big W, Harvey Norman (online only), Officeworks (online only), Amazon, TVSN and Yes Distribution.
Nokia G22 at a glance
- $349 AUD RRP
- Unisoc T606 processor
- 6.52-inch HD+ display
- Up to 90Hz refresh rate
- Triple rear-camera setup (50MP main + 2MP depth + 2MP macro)
- 8MP front-facing camera
- 5,050mAh battery with up to 20W fast charging
- 4GB RAM
- 128GB internal storage with up to 2TB expandable MicroSD storage
- Android 12
- Available in So Peach, Lagoon Blue and Meteor Grey colours
SIM-only plans for your new phone
OPPO and Nokia’s new devices aren’t available on telco plans, so you’ll need to combine them with a SIM-only mobile plan. The good news is that you have a huge range of plans to pick from, with no lock-in contracts. We’ve compiled a number of postpaid and prepaid offers in the tables below.
Here is a selection of postpaid plans from Canstar Blue’s database with a minimum of 20GB of data, listed in order of standard cost, lowest to highest, then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Try using our mobile phone plan comparison tool to see a wide range of plans from other providers. This table includes products with links to referral partners.
Here is a selection of prepaid plans from Canstar Blue’s database with a minimum of 10GB of data each month, listed in order of standard cost, lowest to highest, then by data allowance, largest to smallest. If you want to compare a larger range of offers from other providers, use our phone plan comparison tool. This table includes products with links to referral partners.
Share this article