Updated March, 2016
Which smartphone to buy?
I wrote this article at the start of 2015 and this is an update of the article. I must say in 2016 not a lot of factors will change in deciding which phone to buy. However it is worth noting some of the new things that will help you make a better decision when buying a smartphone.
Let’s start by looking at what makes it difficult to decide which smartphone to buy. 10 years ago phones had less attributes, the deciding factor was mainly the price and brand. In those days you knew if the phone was in your budget range and was a good brand like NOKIA, MOTOROLA or ERICSSON you were going for it with less doubt. Meanwhile in 2016 phones come with a number of attributes including the camera, design, processor, memory and operating system. Some of the attributes are technical and if you are less of tech person you will easily get confused and end up going for a random phone because everybody is getting one. Gadgets lose value fast hence you need to be sure you pay a good price for a good phone that will meet your needs.
The list below will break down factors you need to look at when buying a smartphone. These factors will eventually help you decide which smartphone to buy:
Range & Budget
Phones range from Entry level to Mid-range to Low budget to flagships and today there are phablets. This is a good starting point to choosing a phone, knowing what level of a smartphone you need or can afford. These two factors work together. If you don't know what range you want, your budget will tell you. How much you are willing to spend will help you know what range to look at. Entry level includes phones like: MTN Steppa, Nokia Asha, Huawei Y, Galaxy Pocket/Star/Trend3 and more phones with similar attributes as these listed phones. Mid-range to low budget we are looking at phones like: Galaxy Mini, iPhone 5c (We could soon be including the rumoured iPhone SE), SONY XPERIA Compact/M/E/ C, HTC One Mini/Desire/Huawei Ascend P6/LG G Beat, just to name a few. And lastly flagships, these are the kings of the mobile game. That's where the real battle happens, on the flagship level. These are the phones that set the trends for the mobile industry, the list comprises of Galaxy S6 & S7/Note 5/HTC One M9/iPhone 6 & 6s /Xperia Z5 /LG G5/ LUMIA 1050. Let us not forget the Phablet range. Phone + tablet = Phablet, these are the largest phones mostly with 5.5" display/screen or bigger. In this range we have the likes of Galaxy Note, iPhones 6 Plus, Lumia 1520, SONY Z Ultra, Nexus 6 and the likes. After determining your budget which will lead you to the range you can now move forward and start looking the operating system.
Operating System and Apps
Operating Systems are still important in the mobile industry. Many will go for a specific phone because it runs an Operating system that they like. Previously Apps would lead you to a particular OS. For example if you need BBM on your phone, you were obviously lead to BlackBerry OS. Blackberry now support Android Apps, and have some devices that runs Android. Meanwhile Microsoft develop Apps that can run across multiple platform. Apps like One Drive that offers cloud storage and access to MS office online. Apps may be available on most platforms but the overall experience of the any OS still counts. This is why you will have to identify which OS you like the most. The big 3 Mobile Operating Systems include: Android, iOS and Windows Mobile. Many big brands like Samsung, LG, HTC, SONY and Huawei run Android which makes Android more trendy. Meanwhile LUMIAs and some HTCs run Windows phone and iPhones run Apple's exclusive OS, the iOS.
Knowing the OS you like will lead you to a specific brand or brands to choose from.
Brand
Many people prefer certain brands for different reason. For some it's because of the brand quality, the design and for some they just like a brand because it is trending. Others will choose a certain brand because they want to own something unique. I don't know how you select brands but whatever works for you can guide you towards choosing the right phone.
Screen Size
Over the past 2 years bigger screens have been dominating. Phones come with different sizes and it really matters what your screen size is. It does not necessarily have to be big. If you are like me and you care how your phone feels when you are holding it and using it, then you have to go for something smaller like a 4" or 4.5" or 4.7" display to ensure a good experience of using the phone. Have you tried typing with one hand on a 5" or 5.5" screen? not so much of a great experience hey? I like to be able to hold my phone with one hand and type with a thumb which I find easier and faster. If you want a device that you can use to watch movies and videos and get a better experience then go for a bigger screen, a 5" or bigger. If you want to use your phone for tablet purposes then go for a phablet like the galaxy Note, Ascend Mate7 or iPhone Plus.
Memory Processor
Memory and processor will determine the speed of your device. If you care a lot about mobile gaming and you like to multi-task with your device by opening many apps at the same time then you should consider phones with bigger processors and those are your flagships. You don't want your phone to freeze on you while gaming.
Storage
If you need lots of space to store music and movies or other files you should consider a 32GB+ phone. You can also get a memory card to add your storage. The same applies if you want to use your device as a camera you are going to need a lot of storage to store your images. However you can create cloud storage and use it to store you files.
Cameras
Some people just buy a smartphone because of the camera pixel. Other care more about great selfies. If you are a selfie person you will consider buying a smartphone with front and rear camera with better screen resolution and pixels. Nowadays you do not really need to walk around carrying a digital camera unless if you are a journalist or something. Even journalists are starting to appreciate smartphones as a great tool for broadcasting. On a Ted Talk a Journalist Bruno Torturra spoke about how smartphones make an impact in Livestreaming and Broadcasting. Flagships are the best options for high-end cameras.
Design
This is a new attribute I have added on the list. I would like to believe that there are many people like me out there that are concerned about design more than anything else.
You might have also seen how much efforts mobile company's have put into improving the looks of the phones they manufacture. Take a look at the new phones from Huawei and Samsung. Look at how much they have improved the design.
They have joined the likes of HTC and Apple into designing phones with premium looks and feel. They have also increased the range of colors. Meanwhile LG and Google Nexus have their own unique looks and feel. Microsoft has kept the same looks from NOKIA on the LUMIA.
So which phone should you buy? Well that is entirely up to you. Using the guidelines in this article will lead you to making a better decision. Know your budget, the brand, the OS and know what are the primary features you need from the phone and you should be able to a better decision.
Thank you for reading!
If you feel this article is useful and can help other people please share:
Back to Top
