Best prepaid phones

As much as we love talking about the latest and greatest new toys on CNET Australia, we know that there are a dozen good reasons not to buy the best new smartphones. Signing long-term contracts is a big commitment, especially when the bill can be well in excess of AU$50 each month.

The alternative is to pick up a brand-new prepaid model. This used to mean choosing a virtually featureless handset, complete with amazing extras like an alarm clock, a calculator and everyone's favourite game, Snake.

But times have changed a lot, and today's prepaid range looks quite a bit like the top end of the market, only smaller and with processor speeds matching the phone's lower price tag. This is a great opportunity for the tech-savvy shopper to snap up a fully featured smartphone for less than AU$300. Prepaid phones are available through all of the telcos, plus electronics retailers like Dick Smith, Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi.

Below is a list of all of the handsets that we've reviewed that are currently available outright with a prepaid SIM. Do note that some of these reviews are older than others, so the RRPs listed will be higher than the price the phone is sold for now.