Best mid-range phones in Australia

LG Velvet

(Image credit: TechRadar)

2. LG Velvet

Premium styling at a mid-range price point

Specifications

Weight: 180g
Dimensions: 167.2 x 74.1 x 7.9mm
CPU: Snapdragon 765G
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 128GB
Battery: 4,300mAh
Rear camera: 48MP + 8MP + 5MP
Front camera: 16MP

Reasons to buy

+
Gorgeous design
+
Brilliant display
+
Fantastic audio

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited zoom capability
-
Poor ultra-wide camera

Easily the classiest phone in its price range, the LG Velvet offers impeccable styling that rivals that of the top flagship phones of the year – and at the very reasonable RRP of AU$899.

Boasting similar specs to the excellent Motorola Edge (despite being AU$100 cheaper), LG Velvet acts as a turning point for the South Korean electronics giant, in that it is abandoning its established G and V series smartphones in favour handset lines that are directly aimed as specific kinds of consumers.

So who is the LG Velvet for? One look at its beautiful design and it's clear that LG Velvet is aimed squarely at the fashion-minded individual. Consider yourself a bit of a style-guru or influencer? This phone's for you.

Witness, for instance, the phone's gorgeous rear camera setup, which pushes back on the current smartphone trend of enormous camera bumps in favour of a tasteful ‘raindrop’ triple camera array.

Unlike the Motorola Edge, which has a plastic back, both the LG Velvet's front and rear are adorned with curved glass, which means it feels incredibly comfortable in the hand. Its FHD+ OLED display also delivers fantastically bright and vibrant colours, along with deep, inky blacks. 

Thankfully, it has specs to back up its ravishing looks, sporting the same Snapdragon 765G processor that powers the aforementioned Motorola Edge. That means you'll get terrifically snappy performance along with the ability to connect to 5G networks.

In terms of its photographic capability, LG Velvet offers very impressive snapshots with its 48MP primary sensor (particularly in low light situations), though admittedly its ultra-wide photos leave something to be desired, with most shots lacking detail and looking smoothed out. 

That said, its selfie camera is excellent, offering a wide range of portrait effects and adorable Snapchat-style filters for your face. 

One thing the LG Velvet does lack is the excellent Quad DAC audio feature that's been present in every LG handset since the G4. Luckily, it's been replaced by a new mode called LG 3D Sound Engine, which offers more or less the same effect as Quad DAC, in that music sounds louder, fuller and more immersive. 

If you're in the market for an incredibly stylish phone with impressive specs and features to match, the LG Velvet just might be the smooth operator you've been looking for.

Read our LG Velvet review
See the best LG Velvet outright prices

TOPICS
Stephen Lambrechts
Senior Journalist, Phones and Entertainment

Stephen primarily covers phones and entertainment for TechRadar's Australian team, and has written professionally across the categories of tech, film, television and gaming in both print and online for over a decade. He's obsessed with smartphones, televisions, consoles and gaming PCs, and has a deep-seated desire to consume all forms of media at the highest quality possible. 

He's also likely to talk a person’s ear off at the mere mention of Android, cats, retro sneaker releases, travelling and physical media, such as vinyl and boutique Blu-ray releases. Right now, he's most excited about QD-OLED technology, The Batman and Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga.