Best phones to take back to school

Phones, like laptops and notepads, can make great study companions. They just happen to make calls and send Snaps too. Here's a list of phones to help you succeed in the new school year.

While excellent, the Samsung S8 is more expensive than a small car. For a midrange price with similar premium touches, the Samsung A8 and A8 Plus will be your go-tos once Samsung officially makes them available in January.

Damn. You've forgotten your laptop and your backup notepad, but at least you have your LG Stylo 3. With its built-in stylus and 5.7-inch screen, you'll look like you're actually taking down notes, not playing a Pokemon emulator. Best Buy and Boost Mobile sell this phone for AU$120.

I'll have a flat white with a side of CNET's current best budget phone to go. The Moto G5 Plus comes with Android 7.0 Nougat, Google Assistant, a really good camera and 4K video. It feels like a much expensive phone than its AU$339 price tag from Officeworks.

The Moto X4 is a phone that's just right for anyone looking to spend some of their pocket money, but not all of it. Its two rear cameras, onboard Amazon Alexa voice assistant and a 5.2-inch screen skew it toward the premium end. JB Hi-Fi is selling it for AU$699.

See that? That's one beautiful blue, squeezable body, at a bargain price. The HTC U11 Life has the flagship U11's squeezable sides that quickly bring up your favourite app, one for taking notes, for instance. This is the phone to grab for good looks. Look for it when it launches in Australia, which HTC confirmed it would do, possibly running with Android One.

The Apple logo blares in lecture theatres from everyone's MacBooks, so why not go for the iPhone 7 as well? Especially now that the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X are encouraging price drops. The iPhone7 is AU$799 on Kogan.

But what about those slowed batteries? Apple is attempting to make amends. It's making replacement batteries cheaper and creating software that tracks battery health. Keep calm and battery on.

If you're so sleep-deprived from school that you keep forgetting to charge your phone and accidentally dropping it, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active is for you. It has long battery life, shatter resistance and a durable body. Hope you like the army look. You can get it for AU$539 on BecexTech Australia.

If you really want an iPhone but not the price, get your hands on the iPhone SE, Apple's cheapest of the line. It's retro, fast, pocket-friendly and has a solid camera. Kogan has it for AU$499.