From camera, screen resolution, storage and software updates finding the right smartphone can sometimes be daunting but can be made simpler with the right information.
Getting the right smartphone involves you figuring the right blend of features and hardware for you. Those who usually agonize over spec sheets before making decisions can raise can bear witness.
To save you the mental stress, here is a guide to help you make this big decision a little easier.
Battery
Does the manufacturer brag about longer battery life or does it support fast charging?
You don’t want to fret over where to charge your phone especially for people in countries with epileptic power supply.
Lifecycle
Is it old and refurbished or new? There are pros and cons to both.
It can be tempting to buy a refurbished or older-model smartphone to save some money, but most times it ends up being a “penny wise pound foolish” situation. There are a few things to consider before you do. If the phone is too old (typically 2-3 years) it might soon stop getting important software updates, including security patches. However, if you’re just sending texts and checking e-mail, a refurbished or older phone could be a perfect fit.
Display
If you’re like most of us, you’re going to spend hours every day staring at your smartphone screen. Make sure you pick one that’s bright enough to see when you’re outdoors, and sharp enough where text doesn’t look blurry while you’re surfing the web.
For a large screen, don’t go under a resolution of 1920 x 1080p, better still, look for the sharper 2560 x 1440 Quad HD resolutions.
Storage
It is frustrating when trying to decide which apps to keep and which to delete because you’re running out of storage space.
It is recommended to buy a smartphone with at least 64GB of storage, or more if you plan to download music and movies. Apps take more spaces. You can store your files in the cloud Apple Photos, Google Photos, Windows drive or any other platform that offer such a service. Some Android smartphones also offer “microSD” card slots that allow you to boost the storage space.
Camera
These days, people rate smartphones first because of the camera.
If you like sharing pictures with friends and family, make sure you’re buying a phone with an awesome camera resolution. Budget phones don’t usually have great cameras, so consider spending a bit more if this is important to you.
Performance
People who enjoy playing the latest graphically intense games on their phones should consider this as they will need more horsepower. If that’s you, take a good look at the phone’s chipset and RAM. You’ll need the fastest-processing cores and the most RAM you can afford.
Frequency of updates
Software updates pack performance tweaks, security patches, bug fixes, new features and a lot more, so it’s important to know how quickly your phone is likely to receive them. Devices like iPhones and Google’s Pixels receive to the latest software as soon as their respective parent companies push them out. If you’re mulling Android devices from other manufacturers, you’ll need to wait for another round of review before the update actually gets pushed out. That’s why it’s worth taking some time online to find out what a smartphone maker’s community thinks about update speeds.
Choosing a new smartphone can feel daunting, but if you have a solid sense of your budget and priorities, it can be a straightforward process. The baseline is just to take your time to do some research before parting with your money.
