Top 10 Things You Should Consider while Buying a Smartphone

Today smartphones have become a necessity rather than a luxury. We don’t only use it to talk to each other but also we perform so many other tasks with it, such as money transactions, banking, storing important documents and files, capturing photos, listening to music and watching videos, and so much more. Naturally, when you start looking for a smartphone, you should choose one carefully. Here are a few important factors which you should consider while buying a smartphone.

1. Phone Size

The first important factor you should consider is phone size comparison. You should first decide whether you want a big phone, a small one or a size in between. A big phone is convenient when you want to watch the texts and videos clearly and in big size. But a big smartphone can be inconvenient while storing it. Your shirt’s or pant’s pockets may not accommodate a big phone. You may even find it inconvenient to hold it in your hand and while texting. In that case, you may prefer a smaller size phone. But if you want to achieve the best of both worlds, a medium-size phone is perfect.

2. Build Quality

To find how durable the smartphone is also very important. Smartphones are either made of metal or plastic. You will also find some handsets with glass-coated panels, but they are very limited. If your usage is rough, you should prefer a metal or plastic handset, because they can sustain drops from 2-3 feet whereas glass-paneled handsets are bound to crack after a drop.

3. Processor

A smartphone’s processing power differs from device to device based on many factors including OS version, UI, bloatware and others.

If your usage is heavy and you need to often edit documents/images/videos online, stream videos, play games a lot or frequently use apps in split screen mode, smartphones with Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 or Snapdragon 820/821 might be perfect for you for multitasking.

If, on the other hand, you’re a light user, a handset with MediaTek processor is right for you.

4. OS Version/User Interface

The OS version and User Interface are very important factors that you should consider while buying a smartphone. These are the interfaces that you’ll need to interact with every time to access anything. Therefore it should be simple and easy to use.

If you just want the most basic experience, you can purchase a Motorola handset, Nexus/Pixel smartphones or even an Android One device. However, different interfaces such as EMUI, Samsung TouchWiz, Xperia UI, ZenUI or others come with more attractive features to sort apps and more options in styles the companies think would be friendlier for users.

However, smartphones by OEMs also offer bloatware and certain apps that you may never use. Therefore it’s recommended to try a handset before choosing it.

5. Display

The size and resolution of the phone’s display should be chosen depending on how you use your phone. If you’re in a habit of downloading movies, editing photos and videos or streaming videos, you’re better off with a display size from 5.5” to 6”, full-HD or QHD resolution.

6. Battery

The usage of a phone’s battery varies from user to user according to the way they use the phone. For a heavy user who often plays games, streams videos, works on apps, or does similar activities, will need a smartphone with at least 3500mAh battery or above. On the other hand, for an average or light user, a 3000mAh battery would be enough for a full day.

7. Storage

A huge part of the storage of a smartphone is occupied by the OS and the apps that the device comes pre-installed with.

Even though they mention the storage as 16GB/32GB/64GB or more, it’s not exactly as mentioned. If you can live with less number of apps on your phone, 32GB storage is fine for you.

However, if you like to have a huge number of apps, you should prefer 64GB or 128GB variants. Another option is to buy a 16GB model that supports a microSD card.

8.

Display

Understand that a phone’s camera need not be better if it just has a higher number of megapixels. It needs several other specifications as well, such ISO levels, camera aperture, autofocus, pixel size and more. A 16MP rear camera need not be necessarily better than a 12MP camera. Same is true with the front-facing camera.

Higher number of megapixels only means that the size of the picture would be bigger, which looks sharper when seen on a small screen. An expert photographer might want a camera with a 12 or 16MP sensor under f/2.0 or lower aperture for quick shots in low light, whereas a casual shooter may be happy even with an 8 or 12MP camera with f/2.0-f/2.2 aperture.

9. Security/Additional Features

Due to increased incidences of smartphone thefts and personal information thefts, most smartphones of today come with excellent security features like fingerprint sensors, trackers or even iris sensors. The sensors can be used not only to lock/unlock the phone but also as a password to access important files, apps or documents.

10. USB Port/Headphone Jack

You should also consider ports/jacks as an important factor, although secondarily. Today’s smartphones come with both micro-USB and USB Type-C ports. Switching to USB Type-C port is recommended not just because it’s easy to plug in but also because it’s future-proof.

Smartphones are coming up with more and more sophisticated features. It’s a good idea to first think upon how you’re going to use the phone and then look for a phone that will be helpful for all your tasks. Happy shopping!