WhistleOut Awards 2020: Best Phone Design

Best phone design FY19/20 - Samsung Galaxy Fold

The Samsung Galaxy Fold isn't a phone most people should buy, but it's a phone unlike any other. It offers undeniable proof that foldable smartphones can be good. Great, even.

It's an innovative, well thought-out device that's surprisingly polished for a first attempt. Even as a first generation product it comes close to achieving the foldable ideal of a device that can replace both your smartphone and a tablet.

Looking to the future

Some quirks and questions around durability prevent it from being a rational purchase, but this doesn't detract from Samsung's achievement. The Galaxy Fold is a convincing argument that foldable phones are a worthwhile endeavour, and a wonderful glimpse of the future.

It's for these reasons and more we've given the Galaxy Fold our gong for best phone design for FY19/20.

For more information about the Samsung Galaxy Fold see our detailed review, or find out the other winners of the WhistleOut Awards 2020. If you're interested in buying a Samsung Galaxy Fold then you might find a deal on sites like eBay.

About the Awards

The WhistleOut Awards recognise the telco businesses that have consistently provided Australians with the best plans over the last year. The awards also highlight the best promotions and phone products released during that period.

WhistleOut’s mission is to help Australians find better phones and internet, and make better telco decisions. We know it can be a complicated and confusing industry with so many providers, plans and products that it’s easy to get lost and difficult to know who to trust.

That’s where the WhistleOut Awards come in. They aim to cover the different types of phone and internet use cases that apply to most Australians, and show which providers have most consistently offered the best plans over 12 months (July-June). The awards also acknowledge the best phones that have been brought onto the market over the year, and provide a great starting point for anyone looking to make a smart telco change.

Judging Criteria

The WhistleOut Awards are aimed at finding the best providers for different phone and internet needs on a national level.

We have reviewed the biggest cross section of providers possible, including the top 10 service providers in each category, many smaller providers, and the full range of phone manufacturers available in Australia.

The WhistleOut Award categories for phone and internet plans are judged by awarding 3, 2 and 1 points to the providers of the three best plans in each category on a monthly basis, (July 2019 - June 2020). The award winners are the providers with the highest number of points at the end of the 12-month period. In case of a tie, winners are chosen based on the number of 1st positions, then 2nd positions, then 3rd positions they achieved in that category over the course of the year. A provider can receive points for multiple plans in a category if their plans best match the award criteria.

The two exceptions to this judging process are the Best Promotion awards for Mobile and Internet. These awards are given to the single best promotion over the 12-month period as judged by WhistleOut’s in-house panel of experts.

The WhistleOut phone awards are judged by our team of editorial experts who have reviewed the majority of new phones brought out over the last 12 months. Key judging considerations include price, performance, battery, screen, camera, design and the overall user experience.