Kogan builds a “flagship” phone for budget buyers

It’s harder than every to choose a phone, and if you’re over what the big guys offer and are curious to see what an Aussie thinks the “flagship” should be, Kogan has something for you to see.

A new phone is on the way for Kogan’s “Agora” line-up which has spanned phones and computers, and this one isn’t like the company’s previous efforts.

It is in that it’s being released by Kogan, at least, but outside of this, the Aussie e-tailer (and owner of the Dick Smith brand) wants to get you on side with a high-end phone from the company, compared to the usual assortment of mid-range and budget options.

But in typical Kogan style, there’s a catch, and this catch is one of price: while being called a flagship, the new phone won’t carrying your typical flagship price.

Called the Agora 6 Plus, it appears named to be a slightly more premium edition of a phone Kogan released earlier in the year, and on April 1, no less.

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Back in April, we saw the announcement of the $179 Agora 6, and this new phone is double the price, with the $349 Agora 6 Plus delivering a larger screen, with 5.5 inches over the 5 inch on the original and Full HD’s 1920×1080 over the HD’s 1280×720 on the original.

“This is the best smartphone we have ever made,” said Russell Proud, Product Manager at Kogan.

“Our customers have been crying out for us to include the same features as the high end smartphones for a reasonable price.”

Inside the phone, you’ll find an eight-core processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, and room to move with a microSD card slot, with Google’s Android 6.0 keeping things good here.

Cameras are also found on this phone — that’s what it’s like with phones these days — with an 8 megapixel front-facing camera and a 21 megapixel rear camera.

One thing does grab us is the fingerprint sensor, because one of these is included in the body, sitting on the back under that rear 21 megapixel camera.

Outside of this, it’s all pretty standard, with Bluetooth 4.2 GPS, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n, and 4G LTE, though a metal body is unusual on a budget phone.

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“The look and feel of the phone is second to none for this price point,” said Proud.

“We think this will compare very well side-by-side with the lauded Samsung Galaxy S7, but for around one-third of the price,” he said.

While we can applaud Kogan’s team for getting a phone with a decent set of features for roughly a third of Samsung’s S7, we think it’s a pretty unfair call for the company to suggest the two are on-par just because the features appear to be close on the surface.

The processor used for the Agora 6 and 6 Plus range may be capable, but we’d be shocked if it held a candle to the sort of performance any current flagship is offering, especially from prior experience with MediaTek processors, of which this is one.

Likewise, the camera and battery life are areas flagships are competing are on this year, and while these could be good, it’s more likely they’ll be ordinary, with differences in screen, software, and so on.

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Still, the price is compelling, and puts Kogan directly against the likes of Oppo and ZTE with the Agora 6 Plus. Here’s hoping for Kogan that it stands up as well as Oppo’s R7 series.

Kogan’s Agora 6 Plus can be found on the Kogan website now for $349.