10 Quick Tips to Consider Before Picking a Smartphone

By Anuj

| Published: Sunday, February 15, 2015, 10:03 [IST]

When people ask us which smartphone is best for their needs, we generally struggle to answer. That's because the market is flooded with so many smartphones and price ranges to suit those different types of handsets.

10 Quick Tips to Consider Before Picking a Smartphone

Buying a new smartphone isn't simple anymore. After all, a smartphone is like a full blown computer. There are so many factors to consider including display size, performance, camera, and more. But there are some common factors you should consider, regardless of what kind of smartphone you are searching for.

Check out our list of 10 things that you need to consider before picking a smartphone of your choice.

10 Quick Tips to Consider Before Picking a Smartphone

If you are looking to buy a new smartphone, one should make sure you get a screen that is comfortable to glance at. Big screen smartphones are popular in India, as they give a lot of more real estate for watching movies and playing games. For instance, the 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is honestly a great device for playing games.

Meanwhile, a smaller display size should be just enough for your daily needs. Say, an iPhone 5S, for instance, is a compact smartphone without compromising on features.

10 Quick Tips to Consider Before Picking a Smartphone

There are three main operating systems (OS) to choose from. Google's Android remains one of the most popular mobile OS of all time. Compare to iOS and Windows, there are so many hardware options from several top-notch manufacturers. Plus, the Google Play app store offers more local apps than any other rival platform.

Apple's iOS is a fluid OS but it's restricted to the iPhone. Windows is yet another option in the handset market. The platform is fairly new, but it definitely offers the best native software experience, thanks to the built-in MS Office.

10 Quick Tips to Consider Before Picking a Smartphone

A handset's processor is usually considered the brain of the device. A fast one will obviously enable you unlock your device to the fullest. The most powerful state-of-the-art chip for Android Qualcomm's Snapdragon 801. This CPU offers unmatched multitasking and high powered graphics.
The Snapdragon 410 is found on cheaper handsets.

Interestingly, the chipset also offers 4G LTE connectivity. Other than Qualcomm's Snapdragon SoC, you'll find the MediaTek processor, which offers fairly decent performance. For iOS, Apple A8 chipset inside the iPhone 6 offers 64-bit power.

10 Quick Tips to Consider Before Picking a Smartphone

Today's high-end devices offer 3GB to 4GB of RAM, while lower-end to midrange phones get away with 1 GB to 2 GB. If you consider yourself a heavy user, then probably consider a smartphone with at least 2GB of RAM.

10 Quick Tips to Consider Before Picking a Smartphone

Next, look at the screen resolution. The display size of the smartphone definitely matters a lot. As of now, 2K screens (2560 x 1440 pixels) are the sharpest you'll find on smartphones. However, we've seen smartphones with 720p displays, such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G, are as good as any other premium device.

10 Quick Tips to Consider Before Picking a Smartphone

Storage is an important factor when you consider a new smartphone. The majority of bargain-priced smartphone come with 8GB of native storage. If money is no object and you want the bigger storage available then consider buying a smartphone with either 16 or 32GB of on-board storage.

The idea of expandable storage is also gaining popularity. So it would better to choose a smartphone that offers an expandable storage.

10 Quick Tips to Consider Before Picking a Smartphone

The quality of both the camera sensor and the images is important. Even though the iPhone 6 has an 8MP camera sensor, but its new sensor allow for bigger pixels, incredible shots. At the same time, front facing cameras are becoming popular.

10 Quick Tips to Consider Before Picking a Smartphone

Determine how long the battery is expected to last under normal use. The average phone lasts 7 hours. Always consider a smartphone with bigger battery life. In general, look for 2,800 mAh or more

10 Quick Tips to Consider Before Picking a Smartphone

Look for a smartphone with an array of connectivity options. They are very important. Smartphones need to have access to wireless communication, including Wi-Fi connectivity, 3G and 4G. Make sure your next smartphone offers 4G connectivity.

10 Quick Tips to Consider Before Picking a Smartphone

While buying a smartphone, there are a lot of things that need to be taken into account. However, it's hard to ignore the retail price of a smartphone. Smartphones don't come cheap, but some are certainly more expensive than others.