The entry-level smartphone market is so big these days that basically every company out there wants a slice of the sales pie. Everyone from HTC, Nokia and Samsung to Asus, Motorola and Xiaomi accept devices on sale in the $200 price segment, some of which are decent and others which require a bit more shine.

One company looking to increment their exposure worldwide and grab a slice of that sugariness entry-level pie is Kogan. For those of you outside of Commonwealth of australia, you've probably never heard of the name 'Kogan'; for the Aussies reading this commodity, yous'll probably be familiar with their low-cost electronics, specifically televisions, which they sell through their online-only store.

Kogan has dabbled in the mobile phone market a few times, but the Agora 4G is their showtime real push button into non only the Australian market, but worldwide. The Agora 4G is available from their online shop in most countries effectually the globe, including the United states, where it retails for but $219. This places it in very shut company with handsets like the 2014 Motorola Moto G, and the recently-reviewed Asus Zenfone 5, admitting for a $50 premium.

Kogan Agora 4G - $219 unlocked

  • 5.0", 1280 ten 720 LCD brandish (293 ppi)
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC
  • 1.two GHz quad-core CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, 1GB RAM
  • 8 GB internal storage, microSD card slot
  • eight MP photographic camera, 1/3.2" sensor, 1080p video
  • 2,500 mAh, 9.five Wh bombardment
  • LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth four.0
  • Android 4.4 'KitKat'
  • 135 grams, 9mm thick

The Agora 4G is a Kogan-branded telephone, although it's actually manufactured by BenQ'southward ODM division, as indicated by a pocket-sized BenQ logo on the back of the handset. The phone's standout feature is its 5.0-inch 720p display, paired with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC. On the dorsum you lot'll find an viii-megapixel camera, and inside is a sizable 2,500 mAh battery.

The specifications of the Agora 4G are very similar to the newly-appear Motorola Moto G, which means that execution needs to be perfect on Kogan'southward end to go information technology to compete. The Agora has a leg up in that it supports LTE connectivity, but will that exist plenty for it to secure the greenbacks from a prospective buyer?

Design-wise the Agora 4G is banal and uninspiring, offer the necessities without going overboard on style or ergonomics. The handset is a basic rounded rectangle, with glass protecting the large display on the front, cheap plastic effectually the edges, and a soft-bear on removable back cover. It's a basic combination that y'all could easily apply to whatsoever generic smartphone.

In amalgam this smartphone, BenQ have attempted to add a flake flair to the black slab design through a few blood-red highlights, which can be found in both speaker grills and around the photographic camera lens. It's a nice touch, but not plenty to lift the Agora 4G into the same aesthetic category as Nokia's entry-level devices, for instance.

The build quality of the Agora 4G isn't anything to write domicile well-nigh either: the majority of the device is fabricated from plastic, which is cheap and unappealing. The dorsum cover is a slightly different kind of plastic to the sides, coated with a textile that'southward softer to bear upon. Information technology feels reasonable in your hands, although information technology has a habit of getting easily coated with greasy fingerprints.

The back cover is removable, revealing the microSD card slot, micro-SIM carte slot, and… well… a giant piece of metal. Despite the fact the dorsum cover can be removed, at that place'due south no removable battery to be found, with the nine.five Wh jail cell sitting behind the slab of metal. This is pretty disappointing to see, and makes the removable dorsum cover most pointless.

Capacitive touch buttons are used for the main navigation controls on the Agora 4G, with BenQ deciding to backlight them, unlike with the Asus Zenfone five. Above the display, which occupies 66% of the front end panel'due south surface expanse, you lot'll find a two-megapixel forepart-facing photographic camera, the in-call speaker and some sensors.

For some bizarre reason, the power button on the Agora 4G is along the top border of the handset, beside the 3.5mm headphone jack. For a 5.0-inch smartphone with a height of 143mm, the power button tin can be a tad awkward to press; I'd prefer it if information technology were located on the correct edge, roughly where the volume rocker is currently found. There'southward null on the device's left edge, while the microUSB port is on the bottom.

Similar the design, the display isn't anything to write home about. The console is a five.0-inch TFT LCD with a resolution of 1280 x 720, which equates to a pixel density of 293 PPI. Just on specs y'all'd say this is a decent mid-range console that is more than than enough for a sub-$250 device, and in some cases this is truthful. However the use of a depression-stop IPS brandish makes its quality junior to that of its competitors.

The main outcome with the Agora 4G'due south display is that information technology's not as saturated equally either the Moto G's or the Zenfone v's. I'1000 non expecting flagship-like color accuracy or quality, just the Agora 4G'south panel appears less vibrant than its competitors. This leaves photos and other imagery looking a flake underwhelming compared to what you'd expect.

That said, the white balance exhibited by the display is good, and you fifty-fifty have the ability to modify it in the device'south settings. Turning on "low blue calorie-free fashion" reduces the blue level of the brandish, making it appear much warmer than usual. There are three levels of low blue light style, each with increasing warmth, which could come in handy when reading stuff on the handset at night. Other than that, I'd leave it disabled for the majority of usage.

While the Agora 4G's brandish is more than than brilliant enough for indoor usage, it can exist hard to read when outdoors. Full brightness only doesn't seem to cut information technology, with the panel seemingly lacking whatever sort of reflection-cutting layers. Viewing angles aren't terrible, but there is a noticeable reduction in clarity when the brandish is viewed at off-normal angles.

I was impressed with the clarity of the Agora's display, which can be put down to its 720p resolution. More and more manufacturers are including Hd panels with their entry- and mid-range handsets, replacing qHD and WVGA units, which is great to see. Of course it's no 1080p or 1440p, but text looks well-baked and more often than not fantastic on this display, and photos have enough particular in them to satisfy.

The display'south size will also entreatment to a number of people, with most options in the price range of the Agora 4G including smaller or lower-resolution panels. The obvious exceptions are the Zenfone 5 and Moto G that I've mentioned before, both of which pack similar 5-inch displays. How the Agora fares in other aspects will be critical if it's to beat those devices.