What characteristics should you pay attention to when choosing a new smartphone

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Rely on yourself, not on the persuasion of sales managers.

1. Modem and antennas

Of course, you can call and access the Internet from any smartphone, but not all of them do it equally well. The modem is responsible for the quality of wireless communication and, given the introduction of 5G, this is one of the characteristics that should be paid special attention to.

The modem affects the maximum data transfer rate, both over cellular and Wi-Fi. Its specifications determine the ability to work in certain networks in other countries and support for two SIM cards. In addition, the latest modules are more energy efficient, which means they consume less battery power.

The number of antennas is equally important. The more of them, the higher the speed and the stronger the signal. Usually there are two or four antennas. So, 4 × 4 MIMO (iPhone XS and XS Max) implies four simultaneous data streams, while 2 × 2 MIMO (iPhone XR) means only two.

And despite the fact that all smartphones use the same new Intel XMM 7560 modem, due to the smaller number of antennas, the iPhone XR loses twice in data transfer speed. This is especially noticeable with a poor signal level of one or two divisions.

Unfortunately, it is rather difficult to compare modems from different manufacturers due to the scarce information. But still try to clarify their specifications in the devices you are looking at.

Wait for the tests, find out the number of antennas, supported frequency bands and the number of sim cards. After all, it is these differences that will really affect everyday use.

2. Degree of protection IPX

The level of protection of a smartphone or any other gadget according to the IPX standard shows how protected they are from moisture and dust. The classification of penetration levels is established and regulated by the International Electrotechnical Commission.

The first digit after IP means the degree of protection of devices from solid particles (dust): 0 - not protected in any way, 6 - completely dustproof. The second figure shows the resistance to penetration of liquids (water): 0 - have no protection, 8 - prolonged immersion in water. So, IP68 means complete protection against dust and moisture.

However, moisture resistance is interpreted differently by different manufacturers and the eight in IPX8 does not always mean the same degree of protection. Therefore, you need to look at the data on the depth and time of immersion in the liquid indicated in the characteristics of specific smartphones, and compare them.

3. Charging speed

For everyone who charges a smartphone once a day in the evenings, this parameter is not very important. For those who constantly move during the day and have a limited amount of time, it becomes crucial.

Charging speed, especially wireless, depends not only on the smartphone, but also on the power adapter. For successful operation, support for the fast charging standard must be in both devices. All manufacturers use different technologies, but you can be guided by the power of the adapters and the charging time.

As a rule, the specifications of the smartphone indicate the charging time to a certain level, as well as the power of the supplied power adapter. It is indicated in Watts (W, W) and is the product of voltage (V, V) and current (A).

For example, if the adapter's output voltage is 5 V and the current is 2 A, then the power will be 10 watts. If the voltage is 9 V, and the current is 1.67 A, the power will be 15 watts. Of course, the higher the power, the faster it charges.

4. Neural processor

Last year, manufacturers began equipping smartphones with AI systems powered by neural processors. By analogy with graphics chips, which are responsible for processing graphics, they are designed for computations that involve machine learning.

Neural processors allow you to recognize objects in a photo, automatically adjust shooting parameters and sort images in the gallery according to various parameters. Other examples of AI use in smartphones are voice recognition and data processing in augmented reality applications.

All top-end gadgets have processors with some degree of AI. For example, Apple has this Neural Engine in the A11 and A12 Bionic chips. It is difficult to compare AI engines from different manufacturers, but the fact remains: newer flagships work much faster due to data processing without uploading to the cloud.

5. HDR support

HDR technology provides a wider range of colors on the screen, making the picture richer, more voluminous and, more importantly, more detail in the brightest and darkest parts of the frame. But to enjoy it, you need special content and support for the HDR standard by a smartphone.

Several options for implementing the technology are now available. The most popular, mainly due to its openness, is HDR10. The more advanced Dolby Vision requires licensing and is therefore less common. Although it surpasses HDR10 in terms of color and contrast.

For example, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 uses HDR10, while the iPhone XS supports both HDR10 and Dolby Vision. To complicate matters, not all HDR-enabled apps work with any HDR smartphone. However, with current models, most likely, there will be no problems.