The first and most important thing to remember whenever u are going to purchase - NO MOBILE PHONE IS PERFECT. Yes, this is a universal truth. You cant get a phone in the market(whatever may be its price) which is the best in each and every department. Not a single company will offer u a product which is beyond your expectation in every aspect. U have to sacrifice one feature for another. Just take an example of Xiaomi; they generally offer very good mobiles in very competitive price but u have to compromise with its camera in most of the cases except a few. Talk about Samsung, u will get good phones but with somewhat higher price and in mid range segment they will not give u all the Sensors. But bear in mind Samsung provides much better after sales support than most of the Chinese manufacturers. So be ready to compromise a few things every time u purchase a mobile phone.
So here are some of my tips for buyers which I will share from my own experiences -
1) Understand your needs first. Think which of the features u will explore most in the cellphone and which features are not that much important for u. Prioritize your needs and then proceed.
2) Select a budget. Be flexible to some extent when fixing it, mean to say select a range like Rs. 10, 000-12000 etc. Dont be tempted by seeing expensive, feature rich phones in your friends or neighbours’ hand coz buying a phone is not any competition, it is firstly to fulfill your needs. There are some very good phones in every price range, so dont be impatient or frustrated. Yes I know having an I Phone 8 or X means a status symbol but that is not made for everyone. If u have that budget, go for it, otherwise research more to find the best fone in your price range.
3) If you prefer brand value and peace of mind(read after sales support) then choose the old players in the market like Samsung, Nokia(yes, they are back again), HTC, Apple etc. Yes they will sometimes even charge u exorbitant prices but they will give much better service-support too. Particularly Apple is excellent in after sales service. Samsung is also good in India compared to others.
4) This is the age of online shopping. We get the products delivered to our doorsteps and also get a good price deal online often. So decide whether to buy from online or from local shops. Yes offers are more lucrative online but dont forget u are always in dark what product will u get until it reaches you, or may be worse if u will get it at all. Dont ignore your local shops because there too u can get a good bargain if the owner is known to you, like your friend etc. U will also have a chance to feel the device in your hand in time of purchase.
I will recommend buy from local shops or showrooms if u are buying any big brand devices. Opt for online shopping for lesser known brands whose products are not available offline.
Dont forget to check the availability of Service Centres in your locality whenever u purchase a cellphone online from lesser known brands, particularly the Chinese ones. Be assured, after sales service of most of the chinese manufacturers are horrible almost everywhere in India. Before online purchase, visit their sites and search for Service Centre list.
5) Money is hard earned, isnt it?(may be not for everyone, but for most of us). So do some research before shelling out a few thousands. Ask how? Listen friend, resources are everywhere.
First, visit the Manufacturers’ website. Every company has its own website having list of available products with main specifications.
Secondly, go to some renowned websites dealing with cellphones. Best is GSMArena. It has list of almost all models of all major manufacturers over the world. If u can find, go through their product reviews. There are other numerous good websites to read reviews like TechRadar and many more.
Thirdly, and the most popular one - see Youtube videos. There are lots of videos for almost every Smartphone in youtube. See the Unboxing videos as well as Reviews. Concerning foreign youtubers, visit Marqueos Brownlee, Android Authority, The Verge, Austin Evans, Ericca Griffin, Sakitech, Supersaf etc. For’desi’ reviews and unboxing of cellphones, I always recommend’Geekyranjit’. He is an excellent reviewer.
Fourthly, see if any of your friends or relatives using the same phone u are going to buy. Ask them about their real life experiences. Inquire for pros and cons and then decide.
6) Myths busted: Dont always get overwhelmed by seeing raw specs. What does it mean? Read below carefully-
i) Octacore Processor is nothing spectacular if it is not clocked at higher frequencies. Even many times you will find that a Quadcore is outperforming an Octacore in Antutu Benchmark or Geekbench because the former is clocked at higher frequency. But the flip side is, the more higher clock speed a mobile processor has, chances of overheating rises.
ii) 4000 mah or higher capacity battery does not always ensure a better SOT( screen on time) or better power efficiency. Power efficiency of a battery depends on Processor architecture, Screen brightness, background apps, Connectivity types(wifi or mobile data), Screen size along with screen resolution(powering a 2k screen needs more juice from battery than a full HD screen) etc. and lastly users usage pattern. Yes of course it is true the higher the capacity of the battery the better, but dont get too much excited about it.
iii) So 8 GB RAM amuses you? Yes me too. But is it absolutely necessary? May be not always. If the fone is running on stock android, 4GB will suffice. For mobiles running a custom skin on stock android like MiUI for Xiaomi, Touchwiz/Samsung Experience UI, Zen UI of Asus, EMUI for Honor etc. which are generally resource hungry in nature, 6 GB will be better. 8GB, well most cases it will be overkill. But yes, it will be futureproof.
iv) 20mp camera can be very inferior if lens optics is not good. Megapixel is not all for camera. U will notice maximum flagships are coming nowadays with 12mp. Aperture size, focal length, lens quality varies from fone to fone and they matter a lot. Some of the good manufacturers of mobile camera lenses are Leica, Sony, Karl Zeiss etc. Look for them if u want a very good camera fone. So. NEVER listen to the megapixel myth. Watch the youtube videos and see the camera samples taken by reviewers and then decide.
Dual Camera is a buzzword now. Different companies implement them differently. Three trends are prominent - secondary camera with Monochrome sensor, secondary camera with 2-3x Optical zoom and secondary camera with Wide angle. I personally love the wide angle variant implemented first by LG. U decide what u like most.
I would like to remind you that smartphones today are not just phones, they are convergent devices. It is not just a medium of communication; being an entertainment hub it is our regular companion and the most important gadget of our life perhaps. There are so many aspects to consider before buying a smartphone that can become overwhelming. So be very patient, identify your needs, then fix your budget, do some research and then buy.
Yes I know that u are already tired by now if u are still reading this line. But I cant help but discuss in details because this is my favorite topic and I have a deep passion for smartphones or more correctly for mobile phones. So, if u find this review to be helpful to some extent, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.