How to choose a smartphone

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

From the operating system to the battery capacity - what to look out for before buying a phone.

Operating system

Perhaps, when talking about choosing a smartphone, the most often argue about operating systems. Android and iOS proponents have been vainly proving to each other for years which OS is better.

The main advantage of Android is that it runs hundreds of models - for every budget and need. If funds are limited, you can purchase a cheap smartphone with the simplest specifications.

If money is not a problem, in stores you can find a lot of stylish flagships with top-end filling. And for users looking for a balance between performance, quality and price, there are mid-range devices.

But among the iPhones, there are no state employees or devices at an average price. All smartphones on iOS can be safely attributed to the premium segment. For wealthy buyers, limited choice only makes it easier to buy, but for others it can be a significant disadvantage.

The pluses of Android also include greater freedom and flexibility of customization, compared to iOS.

But this advantage is very conditional: an ordinary user often needs a convenient system out of the box without preliminary settings.

Now about the advantages of smartphones on iOS. All iPhones are guaranteed to receive regular system updates for several years from release. All the while, Apple has been rapidly fixing software problems and adding new features.

As for Android devices, most of them are updated with a long delay or do not receive updates at all. Software vulnerabilities and flaws in such gadgets are ignored. Therefore, before buying any Android smartphone, you should go to the manufacturer's website and check to which version of the OS it can be updated. The fresher the latest version available to him, the better.

In the case of the iPhone, only older devices can have problems with updates.

Another advantage of iOS is good optimization. The software and hardware for the iPhone is developed by the same company, so the two components work well with each other. And no third-party vendors interfere with iOS. And since there are not so many iPhone models themselves, it is more convenient for application developers to optimize the code.

With Android, the situation is different. Many brands change this OS to suit their needs: they add a proprietary graphical shell, applications and various functions that are often unnecessary. If the manufacturer does it illiterately, the convenience and speed of work suffer. Fortunately, this happens less and less. Plus, there are lines of smartphones like the Google Pixel that run on a clean, unmodified version of Android.

Screen dimensions and diagonal

There is no point in paying attention to the mass of a smartphone. The difference, as a rule, is no more than 20–40 g, and this does not affect convenience in any way.

The thickness of the smartphone doesn't matter now either. For most devices, this parameter has long been no more than a centimeter. Further flattening of the structure is more harmful than beneficial, because it inevitably leads to a decrease in strength.

When it comes to display size, it all depends on your preference and physiology. Most users can comfortably use the screen with one hand if its diagonal is less than six inches. But for watching videos and surfing the web, such a display may be too small.

If you take a bigger device, it will not be so convenient to hold it, but the screen will be able to display more information.

Now more and more smartphones are being released with a minimal frame around the display or its absence. Obviously, of two devices with the same screen size, it is more convenient where the bezel is smaller. Don't forget this.

To choose the best option for yourself, it is best to hold your smartphone in your hands before buying. Then you will know for sure whether it will fit you in size.

Display Matrix Type

People spend several hours a day with a smartphone, and most of this time they look at the screen. The display is a key element that determines the level of comfort when working with a mobile device, and therefore must be good. It largely depends on the type of matrix - this is the name of the technological basis of the display.

In some state employees, you can find a TN-matrix, which is characterized by poor image quality, as well as small viewing angles. However, this technology is already outdated, and more advanced IPS and OLED have come to replace it.

IPS-matrices are devoid of TN drawbacks and boast excellent color reproduction, high contrast and viewing angles reaching 178 °.

As an alternative to IPS, you can consider OLED screens (AMOLED, Super AMOLED), also known as OLED displays. Each pixel in them is a source of light, which eliminates the need for additional illumination. Thanks to this, OLED displays are unattainable in the reliability of reproduction of black colors, have high contrast and brightness, are energy efficient and have large viewing angles.

A direct comparison will help you choose between IPS and OLED. Take two smartphones in hand, watch the same video, several pictures - and everything will immediately become clear to you.

Screen resolution

The display resolution is the number of pixels it is made up of. And it is this characteristic that makes it possible to breed illiterate people for money.

Manufacturers are constantly increasing this parameter, just to indicate beautiful numbers in the characteristics. But for operation, this has long ceased to make sense. The difference between 2K and 4K resolutions can only be noticed if you bring the display close to your eyes. Plus, a 4K screen will drain your battery faster. So you shouldn't overpay for such high definition.

Choose a device with a resolution ranging from Full HD (1,080 x 1,920) to 2K (1,080 x 2,340). This range is optimal.

Cameras

The situation with cameras is almost the same as with the display resolution: the number of megapixels is not an indicator of quality. A good camera is a combination of hardware and software that are fine-tuned and properly configured. This is why two smartphones with the same sensor shoot differently.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict the behavior of a camera based on its characteristics.

If you want to know how cool and high-quality photos and videos a particular smartphone can take, then look on the Internet for tests of its camera with examples of footage.

In addition, when choosing a smartphone, do not forget about the type and number of cameras. And we are talking not only about the front and main photomodules, to which everyone has long been accustomed. Recently, smartphones are increasingly equipped with four or even five cameras designed for different types of shooting.

Here are the types of cameras you can find in a smartphone:

• Wide Angle - Standard versatile cameras.
• Ultra Wide Angles - Captivating more space, therefore ideal for landscape photography.
• Telephoto - for shooting distant objects.
• TOF cameras are optical sensors that calculate the distance to an object. Used as auxiliary cameras, for example, for face recognition and 3D effects.

Body material

The glass-covered back panel is beautiful but not the most practical option. The fragile material is scratched and brittle, and the aesthetic value of such a solution is overridden by the ability of our fingers to release grease. Not everyone is pleased to contemplate and hold a smartphone completely covered in fingerprints.

The plastic fits well in the hand, especially if the surface is textured or covered with a rubbery compound. It looks cheap and can squeak, but forgives small falls due to its elasticity.

Metal is no longer a premium material. The Chinese have learned to stamp aluminum cases and supply even the most budget models with them. The device looks more solid, but it also glides more. Metal dissipates heat better, which is important for powerful and hot gaming smartphones, but also freezes the battery faster in cold weather.

Remember these advantages and disadvantages of each material. But if you are going to use a case, then most of them will not play a role for you.

Battery

The weakest point of any smartphone is its battery life. A device with a battery of 2,500-3,000 mAh, fully charged at night, with active use, barely survives until the evening.

If you are often on the road, tend to forget things in general and the charger in particular, or for one reason or another are away from the outlet most of the time, then take a gadget with a battery with a capacity exceeding 3,000 mAh. In the case of Android, it is better to target 4,000 mAh and above.

A smart decision can also be to buy a kit from a smartphone with any battery and an additional external battery.

CPU

Almost all modern smartphones are equipped with processors that allow you to run any applications and simple games without any problems. Therefore, most users do not need to get hung up on the chip. It is enough to avoid the cheapest devices.

But there is a caveat: a poorly optimized system can fail even on powerful hardware.

If you are in doubt about optimization or still choose a budget device, check the performance before buying. It is best to take your smartphone in hand and make sure that the programs and the system work quickly and without brakes. If this is not possible, at least take a look at how smoothly the applications and interface are displayed on the device you are interested in in video reviews.

If you want to play, then choose a more powerful processor. Hardcore mobile gamers traditionally choose the current or last year's flagship models. In addition to iPhones, the performance leaders are usually smartphones based on the currently older Exynos and Qualcomm Snapdragon processors.

RAM

Devices with 2GB of RAM can slow down when running a large number of applications. And the volume of more than 4 GB is necessary only for the most demanding games. If you are not interested in them, 3-4 GB will be enough. But manufacturers of Android smartphones are increasingly exceeding this volume, forcing users to pay for the extra gigabytes.

Storage size and memory card slot

The optimal storage size directly depends on what you do on your smartphone and how you store data.

If you listen to music, watch videos and store all information online, do not install heavy games and do not collect a personal collection of applications, then 16-32 GB of memory will be enough for you.

Otherwise, you need to focus on the approximate amount of data that you plan to keep on the device.

The golden decision might be to buy a smartphone with 32GB storage and a memory card slot. Usually, manufacturers raise the price tag a lot on models with increased storage. A memory card of the same size will be much cheaper and can be replaced with another one at any time.

Pay attention to the maximum memory card size that the smartphone supports. It is quite possible that you want to install a 128 GB card, and the device will be rated for no more than 64 GB. This is especially true for budget smartphones.

Number of SIM cards

Many smartphone models can work with two SIM cards at once. This is a real salvation for those who, for one reason or another, use a couple of numbers.

The problem is that very often the second SIM card takes the place of the memory card. And you have to choose what to use at the moment.

3G, 4G (LTE) or 5G

In 2020, two mobile Internet standards are relevant. 3G networks are fast enough for even streaming video. 4G is even faster wireless internet, also known as LTE. Almost every modern smartphone supports both technologies.

However, there are already devices with 5G on sale. The data transfer rates provided by this standard are orders of magnitude higher than those of 4G. In theory, you should be able to download HD movies in seconds.

But the technology is just beginning to be introduced, and its widespread adoption will have to wait for at least another 2-3 years. Therefore, if you buy a smartphone for a shorter period, then 5G support in it does not make sense - 3G or 4G will be enough.