Overview
Smartphones are our new best friends. They are our constant companions and hence it is only logical that you do some research before investing in one.
With so many smartphones available, it is natural that you might find it difficult to choose one. To help you with this dilemma, we bring you some features that you might want to look into before buying a smartphone.
Operating Systems: Android, Ios or Others
- Android –It is cheaper and offers more variety and features than IOS. Being an open OS, it lets you customize widgets and launchers, choose from trendy keyboards and robust multitasking.
However, when the new version arrives it takes many months to get updated on your smartphone.
- iOS – All latest iPhones run on this iOS version, which offers new enhancements like suggestions to save your time and the Note app. The main reason one should opt for iOS device is for its usability, OS updates itself and works seamlessly with other Apple devices such as Mac and iPhone.
Apple App Store gets the hottest apps and games sooner than Android. Also, they have a wide array of accessories.
- Windows Phone – They offer an interactive interface with Lives tiles giving required information without even opening the app. The most appealing features are Continuum and universal apps, which allows developers to create one app on Windows 10 on the desktop and mobile. Continuum permits you to use Windows 10 Mobile on the desktop with a compatible dock. This platform won’t kick-start until it launches a Surface mobile.
Screen Size
Size is just a part of the story with a wide variety of display sizes with bigger screens being in trend.
- Small Screen (Less than 4.5-inch) – Small screens are very easy to hold. Internet browsing, watching movies and gaming has made small size seem lacklustre.
- Medium Screen (4.5 to 5.4-inch) – Many affordable smartphones come in this size range and are comfortable to use with one hand, depending on the placement of buttons.
- Large Screen (5.5-inch or more) – Smartphones with larger displays i.e. more than 5.5-inch are usually called phablets because of their tablet-like size. It is largely preferred for gaming purposes, watching videos and reading eBooks.
Display Quality
Always pay attention to smartphone’s resolution, colour quality, brightness and viewing angles. Quad-HD resolution gives the sharpest display with 2560 X 1440 pixels, a full-HD panel with 1080p is able to show plenty of detail. Displays with 720p that are part of budget phones can show less clarity in movies or text.
Always check that the smartphone you are opting for has bright panel, which enables you to read even in direct sunlight. Also, having a wide viewing angle is important as you will want to share your screen with others and have seamless playing area.
Design
If you are looking for aesthetic build & quality, then unibody design is what you need. For some style quotient, go for smartphones with glass-and-metal design or metal rims, some high-priced smartphones have now come with a dual curved display. New innovative smartphones come with a removable battery, which allows you to give other features increased functionality with extended battery life.
Camera
Most people use their smartphones cameras as primary equipment. Hence, many phone brands boast of cameras with more than 12MP, but don’t be fooled by the numbers. Always check for picture clarity and quality, pixel size, aperture, shooting speed, focus, colour brightness, and other add-on features. Look for optical image stabilization feature in a high-pixel camera as it reduces blur and gives a good low-light performance.
Processor
The processor acts as the brain of the device and helps open apps faster, quicker photo editing and smoother gameplay. Single core processor may lag your phone while multitasking and they also slow down games, video player, and apps. The multicore processor enables you to do multitasking like checking email, chatting, playing the movie, etc. simultaneously.
Among Qualcomm CPUs, the Snapdragon 820 is the fastest chip, giving overall twice the efficiency and performance of Snapdragon 810. Offering more speed with longer battery life.
RAM
A good way to judge a mobile is by seeing how much RAM it carries. Earlier smartphones with 1 GB RAM was enough for the earlier apps. But now with upcoming updates, new apps require more space, which means it will take more time to get started and directly shows the strength of RAM. Flagships of many brands have been launched with 4 GB Ram to give you smooth and seamless smartphone experience.
Internal Storage
We highly recommend opting for as much internal memory as you can get. Experiencing that even games take up around 1GB space – with high-res graphics, photos, and videos everyone is capturing, it is better to be well-equipped in terms of memory. There are some brands that come with 32GB as their inbuilt memory, may be expandable or not. MicroSDs come to your rescue to give you max expandable memory up to 2TB. In short, more is better.
Battery Life
Battery life is a specification that determines the phone’s staying power. Opt for a smartphone with more than 3000mAh battery power, for better battery life. We consider any phone that runs more than 8 hours of 4G LTE surfing is good enough.
Other Features
- Wireless Charging – Wireless charging is not a necessary feature. The idea is to place the phone on the charging mat, which charges the phone quickly. While it may be convenient, wireless charging is still a feature of the future, unless this is built into everything from cars to furniture.
- Fingerprint Security – This is also a feature that is getting popularized with time and demand. It gives utmost security, preventing a breach of your privacy.
Above mentioned are the basic features that you should consider before buying. But choose those features that you require the most as it will have a direct influence on the smartphone costing.
Other Related Buying Guides
Buying Guidelines for Smartphones, Buying Guidelines for Tablets, How to Buy a Mobile Insurance