While the big flagship smartphones keep getting more and more expensive, something completely different is happening down the budget end of the range: they're getting so much better. Here are a selection of phones that'll give you everything you need in a smartphone, all for less than $400.

Low-cost Android handsets are everywhere. If you're after a name-brand then you have plenty of options with options at a variety of different price points. The Motorola Moto E5 is a competent unit that ticks enough boxes to make it worth a look. Here's what I found.

Motorola's smartphone business has been through some challenging times. After the mobile phone business was spun off, it landed with Google who later sold it to Lenovo where it sits today. And while other brands have garnered plenty of attention, Motorola has continued to create some decent Android handsets. The Moto G Plus is the company's flagship smartphone and it's a great phone that won't break the bank.

Remember Motorola? The former telecommunications giant is launching two new Android smartphones into the Australian market tomorrow and they actually look pretty interesting. The Moto Z and Moto Z Play come with a range of modular add-ons ranging from a Hasselblad camera lens to a 70-inch movie projector. Here are the specs, pricing and availability details.

Brief news items of note for Lifehacker readers, including: Get 50% off TorGuard VPN and proxy services, summer beauty tips from up-and-coming Aussie models, why the Motorola Moto X Style is the best Android phone yet.

Motorola has revealed three new phones for the Australian market: the Moto X Style, Moto X Play and Moto G. We have the pricing and spec comparisons of the handsets for you.

Android: Motorola's stock camera app is pretty great, but could be better. XDA developer GodofPsychos has released an APK that unlocks advanced settings, giving you way more control of your stock camera.

It's a never-ending battle working out which version of Android a particular carrier-supplied phone can be updated to. Motorola's latest effort should make it a little easier to pick which Android update applies to your phone.

Both Nokia (the Windows Phone 8-equipped Lumia 820 and 920) and Motorola (new RAZR models) launched phones in the US overnight. We know that Telstra will eventually get the RAZRs, but not how much they'll cost, and Nokia isn't disclosing any Australian release plans or pricing. Australian release delays are hardly unusual, but in this case there's a particularly clear issue: the forthcoming new iPhone.

Overnight, Motorola launched three new 4G LTE RAZR phones in the US. Australia is doing pretty well out of that lineup: we're getting two out of three, with the baseline RAZR HD and RAZR M going exclusively with Telstra.

Motorola, the smartphone manufacturer famous for its locked bootloaders and difficult-to-root handsets, has finally released an official tool for unlocking the bootloader of its Android phones.

Google's CEO, Larry Page, has announced that Google has officially acquired Motorola Mobility. The process started last August but the deal is now done.

If you're in the smartphone market, then you are truly spoiled for choice. Not to be left behind, Motorola Mobility has announced an all new Android phone and it resurrects the popular RAZR brand.

A quick note for anyone previously tempted by the Motorola Xoom: Telstra has dropped its outright buy price from $840 to $648. Telstra has also added the Acer Iconia Tab A501 to its lineup; that one goes for $696.

A fortnight ago, Dick Smith was selling the Motorola Flipout for $99. Now Kmart has the square Android phone at $79 until August 31. Like the previous deal, it's on Vodafone but you can remove the network lock online.

Google acquired Motorola Mobility for $US12.5 billion this morning, the result of which is twofold: Google may use Motorola to make its own "official Google phones", and Google is looking to acquire the patents that Motorola holds to defend Android from lawsuits and challenges from competitors like Apple and Microsoft.

Telstra and Optus are both selling the 3G version on contract, but if you want a no contract experience, the Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi Android tablet goes on sale in Australia today for $689.

The Motorola Xoom tablet has only been on sale through Telstra for a fortnight, but Telstra is already promising a fairly speedy upgrade to Android Honeycomb 3.1 before too long. On the Telstra Exchange blog, Telstra says the 3.1 update will be rolled out in July.