Australians who have bought a mid range or flagship Android phone that isn’t a Samsung model have little or no choice when it comes to buying quality cases and accessories from a reputable Australian retail store or online shop.
Sure some Ausdroid readers will be happy to buy a no name case from AliExpress or Ebay and wait a week or two for it to ship from China but frankly speaking this isn’t good enough.
Samsung Australia’s accessories store sets the standard for Australian Android phone manufacturers with 99 different cases available across their current and past flagship and mid-range phone models. That’s not even counting all the other Samsung phone accessories like fast chargers, cables, power packs etc.
If non-Samsung Android phone brands like OPPO, LG and TCL are going to design slippery all-glass phones they also need to make it easy for people to buy a quality, tough case for their new phone. Speaking of OPPO, they have had an Accessories section on their Australian site for several years where you can buy more of their proprietary super fast charging cables, adaptors, power banks and car chargers but there’s only one case for one model. That’s a start but more case choices there please OPPO.
This is the kind of thing that all of the other Android phone manufacturers need to step up to the plate and provide.
As an example there’s Samsung’s Korean counterpart LG. They don’t sell any phone accessories online in Australia. LG recently launched their new high to mid range Velvet phone which we reviewed recently.
As buyer “Stevie” commented on the LG Australia website a few days ago, it’s great that LG includes a free soft case but they:
“Have been searching for accessories all week, not much to find at the moment”
I managed to find one reputable Australian phone accessories website Mobile Zap which sells five different LG Velvet cases from good manufacturers like Olixar, Ringke and Spigen. Besides that the only options are a few no name cases of unknown quality imported from China via Ebay etc.
In terms of new entrants to the mid-upper range phone market there are good signs from TCL Australia. VP and Regional Managing Director, South East Asia & Pacific, for Alcatel/TCL Mobile Sam Skontos mentioned to Ausdroid during a recent briefing for the newly launched TCL 10 Pro and 10L that his company was considering launching their own Australian website for phone accessories and product bundles. Hopefully in the near future that means Australians will be able to buy TCL phones, tablets etc and accessories easily from a trusted source because if an Australian buys a TCL 10 Pro or 10L today there are literally no phone case accessories available on sale for these models from any reputable Australian physical or online retailer.
It is about time that phone manufacturers start thinking of after-sales service which should include providing accessories to use their products to their best ability — and that should include a decent case so the new phone isn’t broken on the first slip of the hand.
What do you think of the current situation where most Android phone brands have poor Australian retail availability of quality cases and accessories compared to Samsung’s excellent effort?
Have a TCL Plex, love the phone but absolutely zero cases available anywhere…hugely frustrating
I purchased a newer a mid-range Nokia ($399aud) from JB Hi-fi earlier this year in the Canberra Centre store. Sales guy told me I had to go online and find a retailer when I asked for a case. I found a case on eBay (not many available at the time) which took 10 days to get delivered from overseas. In that two weeks I dropped my new phone – with the smallest crack forming on the screen as a result. The crack unfortunately means the sensors at the top of the phone don’t function properly anymore. I could have lived… Read more »
I order mine from this chinese website taobao and though you need to understand Chinese or have a friend help you register it is like $20 for 500g and slightly more for 1 kilo always arrive in just 6 working days no issues I always order phone cases from there they are cheap and hundreds and hundreds of choices so many omg I bought may and they are cheap as well.mine’s oppo find 2 x Neo
having to buy a phone case through a non english website is not a real solution for most Aussies
I dont think the manufactures of other phones are to blame. The big stores are only interested in selling products that move.. if its on the shelf and not selling its wasted space…
Why sell oppo accessories when there a very small player in Australia. You could blaim the telcos for not selling other brands they flog Samsung n Apple for the same reason, demand..
It’s true the big retail stores are mostly interested vin selling Apple and Samsung
That doesn’t stop the other phone makers like OPPO, LG, TCL etc selling accessories on their own sites or supporting a particular Aussie online retailer to be their official accessories partner
The problem with that, Neerav, is most manufacturers only release cases in thoroughly boring black or white. No variety.
Accessories, apart from earphones, you’ve been lucky to see any, on the manufacturer’s sites.
As a consequence, we wind up _having_ to go to the kiosks in shopping centres just to see if there is _anything_ for our phones. Because otherwise, it’s a case of throwing money at ebay in the, often vain, hope that what’s in the pic will actually measure up to the pic, on our phones.
I just got my ROG 3 phone case and screen protector delivered from Chyna.
I find it pretty disappointing that you can never get a case from a local shop here. Even when the phone is stocked locally.
Although, we are currently in stage 4 so maybe something changed?
Where did you buy your ROG Phone 3? Been looking for one myself.
Local stockist (Sydney) with a huge range even for mid low range is Gadgets4geeks.com.au
MobileZap is stocked in the UK BTW.
good tip thanks
Personally my preference is for HTC, presently I have an HTC u11. I have no intention of using Apple phone EVER!
The u11 is a business grade phone, I don’t know of any other one that can accommodate up to 2tb micro SD! Unfortunately HTC announced that they were not going to be manufacturing a similar grade of phone, absolute pity!
So the search for a similar grade device continues.
Well I must be the exception. I had a range of different brand Android phones and never had any problems getting cases for them from Australian sellers Ebay and of late Amazon Oz. I like the leather/leather look cases and have found just what I want, with delivery normally within a week.
Samsung and Apple have always been the phones to have with accessories and cases and stuff in mind , and it has been this way for years. Even trying to get things like screen protectors for even some other big players has often been a big chore in my experience , and that very consideration is always on my mind when I am choosing my next phone . Having to order stuff from overseas rather than just being able to wander into a phone shop and browse through case s or accessories you can buy there and then on the… Read more »
Meh. Online cases are great. More range, and cheaper.
Yeah , but no disrespect Jesse , sometimes you order cases and then when you get them delivered because you could not try them on in the store you find they may not be all you where hoping for. There is nothing like being able to look at them on the spot in person . not to mention if you buy your expensive phone today and find the shop that sold it too you does not even have a case for it , so after hours going from store to shop you can’t find anything and you have to then… Read more »