Points To be Consider While Buying A New Smartphone

Smartphones these days have become an integral part of our lives. We use them for communication, taking pictures, saving documents on the cloud, internet browsing, and even as a power bank to charge other smartphones.

But then, with the wide variety of smartphones available in the market, it is never easy to decide which one to pick. It is always tough deciding the one that may suit our needs best.

Before choosing any smartphone you should get your priorities straight first. A smartphone is basically a computer you carry around in your pocket that allows you to perform various tasks. This can be anything from ensuring that you're able to remain connected with the outside world to sitting in a darkened room playing your favorite games. But how does one actually use your smartphone every day?

India is the second-largest smartphone market in the world, and it is still growing at almost 30% annually. Today, you can get smartphones at price points ranging from Rs.5,000 all the way up to Rs.90,000. The sheer number of choices can often leave you confused. Hence, making a decision then becomes an exercise involving spending hours on the internet, researching various features and offers.

To help you with your decision-making here is a step-by-step smartphone buying guide you should consider when buying a new smartphone:

Smartphone Buying Guide

Build Quality

The build is all about the durability of a smartphone. The smartphone market is largely divided into metal and plastic builds for phones. You may even find glass-coated panels, but it isn’t advisable to use such phones if you are susceptible to dropping your phone often. While glass-based phones can shatter, metal and plastic-built phones can sustain drops from 2 to 3 feet, while the glass-based handset is sure to shatter. And do always check for the type of protection on your display. Like a corning gorilla glass of at least version 3 or above. 

Display

For those who like to receive news updates or simply get lost in the HD graphics of the latest Android games, you should really consider a smartphone that is equipped with a display of at least 5.7 inches. For those that use the smartphone mainly for WhatsApp or to read Facebook posts, a smaller screen will be more than sufficient.

As for the display technology, there are two main types in Android: LCD and AMOLED. The main difference between the two lies within the projection of sunshine. In theory, LCD screens tend to be brighter and display content better when in direct sunlight, while the AMOLED display offers sharper contrast and more saturated colors. In practice, however, with the passage of time and the arrival of new technologies, the difference between the two is becoming less noticeable. That said, Full-HD, FullHD+, or QHD resolution for images is almost always impeccable.

Processor

The processing power of a smartphone varies from one device to another depending on several factors such as OS version, UI, bloatware, and more. If you are a heavy user who needs to edit images/videos/documents online/ play heavy games/ stream videos or often uses apps in split-screen mode, then smartphones with Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 series(SD710, SD712, SD730, SD730G, and the latest SD765G) MediaTek Helio G Series(G80, G85, G90, G90T) should make multitasking fluid for you. And if you are looking for a flagship-grade processor then go for the latest SD865, SD865+, and slightly old SD855+ from Snapdragon & Samsung's Exynos 990, Exynos 9825, Exynos 9820, Exynos 980 won't let you down in any case regarding performance. 

Camera

There is a lot of hype surrounding in-built cameras on phones with brands trying to outdo each other by offering more megapixels. Don’t let this fool you. By itself, a camera with more megapixels doesn’t result in better images. Apart from megapixels, good quality photos are a function of factors like ISO levels, aperture as well as the speed of auto-focus. If you are likely to take a lot of pictures, then go for a phone with a 12 or 16 MP camera that has an aperture of f/2.0 or lower, for good results even in low light. If your use of the camera is not likely to be heavy, a phone with an 8-12 MP camera and aperture of f/2.2 should be fine for you. Do check the given link if you looking for a perfect camera smartphone for your price bracket. 

Battery

Are you the kind of user who is likely to have multiple apps open simultaneously? Do you see yourself being a heavy consumer of video-streaming apps or playing games? Heavy online usage tends to drain batteries faster. If you belong to this category of users, then it is better to go for a phone with a long-lasting battery

Storage Capacity

When you're scoping out your next Android, check the ram and internal storage, but not just what it says on the sticker. Take a look at how much space the preinstalled apps take up. Although you can use a MicroSD card to expand your smartphone's storage capacity.

At the same time, before you opt for a model with 128GB or 256GB of internal storage, think about how much you'll actually use. Are you using your smartphone as an external hard drive for your computer by saving movies, music, files, and heavy apps? If the answer is no, you're probably ok with 64GB. As a general rule, considering smartphones on the market, it is advisable to opt for at least 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory.

Cost

Last on our list, but probably the first factor to consider if you have a limited budget is definitely the price. What do you want to spend on your next smartphone? Is it worth it to use all your salary or is it perhaps appropriate to limit yourself and choose something cheaper but equally powerful and in step with the times? The choice is yours, but be aware that for any price range there are some devices better than others so, what do you look for in a smartphone? 

Conclusion

Are there any features that can be a deal maker or breaker when it comes to selecting a new smartphone? Let me know in the comments below and share with your friends if you like the article.