Buying a Smartphone: The Complete Buying Guide
How to Buy Your Smartphone Wisely
Smartphones have now become the nerve of our fast-moving lifestyle. Be it used as a communication tool, an entertainment medium, or even a productivity assistant, the right phone is paramount in making that difference in your entire life experience. However, finding a perfect one from such innumerable options in markets is really a very tough deal.
We shall take you through step-by-step the buying process for the perfect smartphone, what to look out for, and how you’ll make the best decision.
1. Define Your Budget
Now, this is the time all the latest phones are showing up in the market. So, before that let’s define your budget. As you know, a smartphone comes in an array of prices—from very affordable options to high-end flagships.
Budget Phones
These budget phones are absolutely ideal for those who look for just a very basic phone at an economical price. Budget phone ranges from $100 to $400, and with a good camera, ample amount of battery life, and an interactive screen.
Mid-Range Phones
The mid-range phones have a balanced price with the performance level. It ranges from $400 to $800, providing high-end features, such as better cameras, processor, and RAM.
Flagship Phones
Flagship phones are directly from the manufacturers, providing the best to customers in terms of technology and performance. Generally, it costs more than $800, and well-featured by premium build quality, high-resolution displays with other flagship-specific features like 5G, high-end camera, fast charging, among others.
2. Operating System: iOS vs Android
One of the most important decisions when buying a cell phone is the OS. There are two major OSs, which are: iOS – by Apple, and Android by Google, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
iOS
iPhones run on iOS. If you want something smooth, highly optimized experience with regular software updates, then iPhones are the one to go for. iOS is easier to use, and if you already use other Apple products, like a MacBook or an Apple Watch, iPhones are going to be much more integrated with that.
Android
Android is much more diverse in terms of choice from various manufacturers, so you can easily find a device for your specific needs and budget. Android is also more customizable with a much more personalized interface to your phone and much broader selection of apps. Also, the price range for Android is available at every level.
3. Screen Size and Display Quality
Among the several things that one should look at when acquiring a mobile phone is the screen. A good display improves the view of video clips, games, and other contents.
Screen Size
Smartphones range from 5.5 inches to about 7 inches. All of these depend on you, personally speaking. A higher screen will mean watching more multimedia, and more things done on the screen, which, 6.5 inches and above, in addition to the smaller ones, are used for devices compact enough, and smaller enough to be held with one hand.
Display Technology
Searching for good screen phones; however, an AMOLED/oled screen is far more colorful and has blacks that show far better than an LCD will. If you like brilliant displays that are sharp, AMOLED or OLED probably suits you.
Resolution
The higher the resolution, the sharper the image. Mid-range phones usually have full HD+ at 1080p, but most of the time, 4K in high-end phones and 1440p or also known as QHD found in higher models.
4. Performance: Processor and RAM
It makes performance change your experience while using an application or gaming and multitasking with your phone. The two major elements that determine whether your phone operates well depend on the processor and RAM.
Processor
The SoC or System on Chip, that is the heart of your phone. For instance, there are high-performance processors that Apple’s A-series offers and Snapdragon from Qualcomm and then there’s Samsung’s Exynos chip, which gives tremendous speed combined with excellent energy efficiency.
RAM
RAM allows your phone to be able to multitask. For most people, 4GB to 6GB of RAM will be enough for everything you need to do, though if you’re going to be doing a lot of gaming, video editing, or running resource-intensive apps on your phone, you are going to want a phone with 8GB of RAM or more.
5. Camera Quality
The camera is probably the most significant thing many are considering in the choice of phone for their selfies, photography, or simply for uploading them to their social network. A good camera must be providing an appropriate boost to your mobile experience.
Rear Camera
The primary camera should have at least 12MP or 48MP for excellent picture quality. Mega-pixels are not related to the quality of the images because a higher mega-pixel sensor may poorly perform in many ways, especially regarding its size, aperture, and how it is optimized.
Secondary Cameras
Most of the recent smartphones come with more than one camera, which means a wide-angle and macro with a depth sensor. The wide-angle lens captures more from your surroundings within a frame, and with a macro lens, allows you to take highly detailed close shots.
Selfie Camera
Front cameras also saw many leaps and bounds improvements lately. If you are among the majority who take loads of selfies or video calls, go for a phone which must carry at least a 10MP front-facing camera. These days, many flagships even have dual front cameras to give you even greater depth and portrait shots.
6. Battery Life
The most important factor in the selection of an appropriate mobile phone is the long battery life that would allow you to use the phone all day long without having to recharge it multiple times throughout the day.
Battery Capacity
This is usually measured in milliampere-hours and represents the capacity of the battery. Phones with 4000mAh or larger batteries should easily last till the end of the moderate use for the whole day of use.
There is then, of course, the capacity apart from which, the power from the phone also affects how long the battery would be useful. Newer processes consume less energy, so they can tolerate smaller capacities of a battery to last longer.
Fast Charging
Look for the support of fast charging or, at least, wireless charging if often you are on the way. Some phones provide supersonic charging that fills its battery up to 50% of the capacity in just a matter of 30 minutes.
7. Storage Options
This also covers a major aspect since you store much of your photos, application, and videos in this. Most smartphones present it with a storage space from 64GB to 512GB or more.
Expandable Storage
Some Android devices have microSD card slots—so you can actually expand your memory. Very useful if you will have loads of files or simply keep your phone’s performance smooth and free up that internal memory.
Cloud Storage
This is useful when you are out of space, and you can store all your photos, videos, and documents on cloud services like Google Drive, iCloud, and Dropbox without using the storage capacity in your phone.
8. 5G and Future-Proofing
Most of today’s modern smartphones support the availability of 5G networks along with the introduction of 5G networks. While not available in all areas, there’s one reason to future-proof your device for faster download and upload speeds in the near future.
9. More Features to Consider
Water and Dust Resistance
If you’re prone to dropping your phone or using it in outdoor conditions, consider a phone with an IP rating (Ingress Protection). An IP68 rating means the phone can withstand being submerged in water for a limited time.
Fingerprint Scanner or Face ID
For added security, many phones now come with fingerprint scanners or Face ID technology. Both provide quick and secure ways to unlock your phone.
Custom Features
Some brands offer unique features such as Samsung’s One UI, Xiaomi’s MIUI, or Oppo’s ColorOS, which offer additional customization options, UI enhancements, and specific features.
10. Brand Reputation and After-Sales Support
Finally, consider the brand’s reputation for quality and after-sales support. Reputable brands like Apple, Samsung, Google, and OnePlus offer reliable customer service, software updates, and warranties that ensure your device continues to perform well for years.
FAQ:
1. Best budget phone? What do you want it for? For you, the best budget phone will be whatever fits your needs and desires. Some popular options include: the Samsung Galaxy A series, the Moto G Power, or the OnePlus Nord N100—they all give tremendous value for the price.
2. Should I get a higher megapixel camera phone? Not necessarily. Megapixels do not necessarily mean more picture quality. Whether a camera is good or not, even at low megapixel rates, depends on the sensor size and much more upon how well the software optimized the aperture.
3. What is the minimum that should my phone’s battery should hold? With mid-range usage, a smartphone could last an entire day and much more with a battery at 4000mAh. As usual, this depends entirely on screen-on time, types of applications used, and power-friendly hardware.
4. Is 5G too much for now? If you come from a place that is not covered much by 5G, then 5G doesn’t matter much to you, at least for now. Since the network will change, this 5G-enabled phone will prepare you for what is coming next.
5. Can I increase the capacity of my phone’s storage? Some Androids come with an expansion slot for a microSD card through which you can extend very easily. Most new models of iPhones and other types of Androids do not; therefore, you really have to get enough onboard, if you feel the need for it.
This should not be a nerve-wracking experience to choose the right phone. First, find out how much you are willing to spend; next, think about the type of operating system you want to use, what you’d want in your phone, and who are reliable brands.