Mobile phones in this generation have become an indispensable phenomenon. It will be so boring talking about the usefulness of a smartphone in our everyday life. We all know that there are no single criteria for choosing a mobile phone. In my article today, I will be discussing strictly 14 new phones buying tips. In other words, these are factors you ought to consider before buying a new mobile phone. Previously, I talked about precautions to be taken before buying a used phone. People have ignorantly purchased a phone that didn’t give them the desired satisfaction. In order for you not to be the next victim of this kind of wrong decision, we have prepared a list of things you need to take into consideration before you get your next brand new phone.
Luckily, our tips will be useful for people of all races and language. Just get a seat as you read this insightful article on new phones buying tips. M
Especially Relevant
14 new phones buying tips: Factors to be Considered Before Buying A New Phone
We are still on the theme “what will I be using my phone primarily for?” just that this time around, we are talking about the general factors that should guide you in buying the best phone for yourself or someone.
1. What kind/Type of Phone do I really Need?
Making the right phone buying decision transcends loving a particular brand. Your interest in a particular phone must corroborate with its usefulness to you. In other words, you should pre-determine that you need a particular phone before buying it. To achieve this goal, draw a list of the features that you expect from your desired phones. Examples of such features include: Is the phone ruggedly built? Can it survive when dipped into the water? what is the sunlight legibility of the screen? How long can it go on a single charge?. Is the OS intuitive and User-friendly? What happens when I accidentally break my phone?. Can the phone’s camera take vivid pictures?
2. Learn About your Next Phone’s Features and Specifications
To start with, before venturing into buying any phone, visit reputable phone review websites like “www.gsmarena.com”, phonearena.com the likes to acquaint yourself with the features and the specifications of the phone you have in mind. These big sites You will see only brand-name phones.
3. Is the Phone a Class or Image Purchase?
Are you buying the phone for your Image and or Brand?. Have you ever wondered why most celebrities and athletes opt for the latest mobile phones from the most popular manufacturers in the world? Well, even a rich man that hardly ever explore the features of a phone will most likely buy the latest flagships. As of now, we have at least 5 leading mobile phone manufacturers. If you are not using a phone from any of these makers, you are likely not using a phone of class and images. Some of the brand name phones that are currently trendy include Apple iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S series or Note series, Huawei P Series, Sony, LG, Pixel and so on. When you see Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo, Federer, Serena, Drake Pdiddy, Dr Dre, you are likely to find either an iPhone or a top android on them.
4. Does the Phone you are planning to buy have a Warranty?
Warranty claims are very essential in modern technology. Obviously, mobile phones are evolving and by extension, they are getting more fragile. You can’t afford to buy a $1000+ phone which will break down on you within a few weeks of usage. Therefore, before you buy your next new phone, ask the manufacturers for their warranty policy. Also, make sure you read every line of the warranty terms and condition. proceed only when you are satisfied.
Furthermore, if you reside in the USA, don’t buy a phone that only has a warranty in China. Be guided accordingly.
5. Which kind of Operating System do you want your Phone to Run?
We all have our various comfort levels with various mobile operating systems. Is it Android, iOs, windows mobile OS?. without wasting much of our time, it is so obvious that we now have two major mobile operating systems out there. These are Android and iOS. others are okay but not on par with the two earlier mentioned. You either belong to either of the camps or both. I use both.
Android dominates worldwide sales of smartphones, and for good reason. You’ll find many more choices than iOS when it comes to design, display sizes, specs, capabilities and price. Plus, Android is an open OS.
iOS 12 offers all sorts of enhancements. For example, Siri offers proactive suggestions to save you time, and the Notes app is a lot more robust. The Maps app finally offers transit directions too. The biggest reasons to opt for an iOS device include its ease of use, access to OS updates from day one (unlike Android) and ability to work seamlessly with Apple devices (such as the iPhone and the Mac) Apple iPhone is in a class of its own. Apple’s App Store tends to get the hottest apps and games before Android, partly because developers have an easier time targeting a smaller set of devices that have similar specs.
6. How Good is the new Phone’s Processor?
A good processor inside a phone should translate to faster open-time for apps, smoother gameplay and quicker photo editing. However, you don’t have to pay attention to clock speed. It’s better to look at the performance results in online reviews and tech sites like gsmarena.com, or via benchmarks such as Geekbench, which measures overall performance.
Among Qualcomm CPUs, the Snapdragon 855 processor is the class-leading chip, offering twice the overall performance and efficiency versus the Snapdragon 845 plus it supports 5G network. This results in more speed but also longer battery life. You’ll also get 40% faster graphics and speedier camera performance.
7. New Phones buying Tips with Respect to “RAM”
Here’s an easy way to look at smartphones’ RAM, which is critical for multitasking(that is running several apps at once and switching in between them). Try to avoid handsets with just 2GB of. On mid-tier devices, 2GB is good and standard. But you’ll find up to 12GB on the latest flagships. Samsung galaxy s10+ 5g and the 1TB version both offers 12GB RAMs. The exception is Apple, which uses 4GB of RAM in the iPhone Xs Max though the lesser amount doesn’t seem to impact performance.
8. Is the Phone’s Battery Life Good Enough For You?
Many factors — including the screen size, processor and operating system — determine how long a smartphone lasts on a charge. However, shoppers looking for the longest endurance possible. You should check the specification of the batteries online for reviews on sites such as “gsmarena.com” before buying the phone. For example, Huawei P20 PRO/P30 Pro have 100hours endurance. Galaxy Note 9 has 97hours, Galaxy s10+ has 92hours. Surprisingly, note 9 has 4000MAH battery capacity as against the 4100mAH on the s10+. In other words, don’t make your decisions based mainly on the phone’s battery capacity. Check the battery endurance test before you buy!
Many sites offer battery test so you can predetermine this before purchase. It goes without saying that any phone that lasts longer than 9 hours of uninterrupted web surfing is more than acceptable, but greater than 10 hours is better. Galaxy note 9 offers 12hours, s10+ delivers 11hours of web surfing while Huawei p20 Pro gives an industry leading 14hours of web browsing.
9. The Screen Size and Resolution
Although bigger screens are in vogue, you’ll still find a wide variety of display sizes. And size is only part of the story. Small Screen (Less Than 4.5 Inches): The main reason to buy a small-screen smartphone is for its compact design,
Medium Screen (4.5 to 5.4 Inches): This has become the smartphone sweet spot, with such devices as the iPhone 6s (4.7 inches), the HTC 10 (5.2 inches), the Galaxy S7 (5.1 inches) and the LG G5 (5.3 inches) in this size range. Most phones in this category are fairly comfortable to use with one hand.
Large Screen/Phablet (6.0 Inches or More): Smartphones with displays larger than 5.5 inches, such as the 6.5-inch iPhone Xs Max and the 6.4-inch Galaxy Note 9, are often called phablets because they are tablet-like in size. The screen size depends on the degree of visibility and reaches that you demand from the phone.
10. Display Quality
The size of the screen is only one consideration. Pay more close attention to a smartphone’s resolution, brightness, color quality and viewing angles.
The sharpest displays have a quad-HD resolution, or 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, including the Galaxy S10 and the iPhone Xs Max. However, a full-HD panel with 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (1080p) — such as those on the iPhone 6s Plus — shows plenty of detail. The more quality your phone is, the more vivid and crisp the graphics. Make sure that the smartphone you’re shopping for has a panel that’s bright enough for you to be able to read it outdoors in direct sunlight. Currently, Samsung produces the brightest screens with the super/dynamic AMOLED panels.
11. When shopping for a new phone, take note of the Design
Defining a good or bad smartphone design is highly subjective, but if you care about build quality and aesthetics, look for a unibody aluminium design. Sadly, dues to the Q1 wireless charging technology, many phone makers are now switching to the glass body. You can still find the unibody aluminium on phones like the iPhone 6, 6plus, 6s, 6s plus, 7 and 7 plus and the HTC 10. The Galaxy S7’s and newer glass-and-metal design is particularly attractive, especially the S7 Edge with its dual curved display. People who prefer a smartphone with a removable battery should opt for a device such as the old Samsung galaxy phones prior to the release of Galaxy S5 or new LG G5.
12. Internal Storage
Given that some games can easily take up more than 1GB — not to mention how many high-res photos and videos smartphone owners are capturing — we highly recommend opting for as much internal storage as possible that will satisfy your need. The minimum on most handsets, like the iPhone 6, is 16GB, but more phones (such as the Galaxy S7) are coming standard with 32GB. We recommend 32GB or more.
If extra memory matters to you, you can buy a phone with 128gb of internal memory or one with a microSD card slot. A microSD card can help expand your storage. It’s available on phones such as Samsungsung smartphones before galaxy s6, the Galaxy S7, the LG G5 and the HTC 10.
13. The Phone’s Camera Architecture
We are now in the era of Quad rear camera lenses as evidenced with Huawei p30 Pro. Personally, I am crazy about a clear picture. This simply means being obsessed with any smartphone with a first-grade camera. We have now arrived at a point in smartphone evolution where the camera matters more than the processor, especially since most people use their phones as their primary shooters. More and more smartphones boast cameras with at least 12 megapixels. Huawei P20 and p30 Pro were launched with a 40mp camera sensor. Don’t go by numbers alone. Instead, pay attention to image quality, aperture, pixel size, speed and features.
In 2019. the Huawei P30 Pro offers the best cameras on any phone. Their Qual-pixel cameras offer lightning-quick autofocus and take great pictures in low light. They also included a wide-angle with autofocus. You can read up my article on the comparison between the phones with the best cameras in 2019 from the link above.
14. Wireless Charging or and Power share charging
With myriad competing standards and a lack of direction from both smartphone makers and the carriers, wireless charging is more of a nice-to-have feature than a must-have at this stage. The idea is to place your device, such as the Galaxy s5, s6 S7, on a compatible wireless charging mat. While it may be convenient, wireless charging likely won’t take off until the technology is built into everything from cars to furniture — or if Apple decides to adopt it.
Samsung introduced a new charging method with the galaxy S10 series whereby you can use your phone as a wireless charging pad to charge other Qi-enabled phones and accessories. Huawei jumped on the feature with there latest flagship the P30 Pro. Huawei calls theirs “the reverse wireless charging”
15. Fingerprint Security or Face Recognition
Popularised by the iPhone’s Touch ID sensor, fingerprint security on smartphones makes it easier to unlock your device. You can also use Touch ID to buy items in the App Store and real-world goods via Apple Pay. The sensor in the iPhone 6 was a bit sluggish, but the iPhone 6s’ fingerprint reader is faster.
New Phones Buying Tips for People living in the Underdeveloped Countries of the World
1. What Kind of Job do you do?
In Africa and part of Asia where we have low per capita income, we have the most strenuous and menial of jobs. Unfortunately, these jobs are also being carried out in a harsh environment. There are people in the army, Police, labourers, factory workers, carpenters, manual borehole drillers, mechanics to mention but a few. If you do a job that constantly requires throwing, lifting or jumping or any action that shakes your body vigorously, I have just three advice for you;1. it is either you purchase a rugged phone with the cheapest price possible(e.g Nokia 3310), 2. buy a phone and buy a military grade protective case along with it. or 3. only access your phone when you are done with the day’s job
2. The Weather & Climate in Your Location
I will focus on two weather extremes; hot and sunshine. if you love visiting the swimming pools or beaches, you as a matter of necessity requires a phone with IP68 waterproof rating. If you shall be encountering water or rain unavoidably and you want your phone to last long, please buy good brand-name water resistant phone
. On the other hand, if you work in extreme heat and you do not want your phone to explode, buy a phone without no known temperature issues. Apple iPhones do a good job of dissipating heats better than any known android phone. Avoid any phone that has been established to have overheating issues. For example the likes of Samsung galaxy s6 and note 7.
Finally, if you must buy an Android, please whenever you are working under high temp, off your data, off your Bluetooth, don’t play HD games, don’t play HD videos.
3. Consider the Built Quality of the Phone As well
Go for a rugged phone as against a phone that is built like a toy. A good example of an expensive phone built like a toy is Samsung galaxy s,s2, s3, s5 and s5, s6 edge. on the other hand, examples of phones built with high-quality durable materials are all iPhone(except 3g, 3gs, 4, 4s, xs, xs max, x, 8, 8plus).
Furthermore, 98% of all high-end HTC phones are durable by design. I also prefer anodised aluminium body to glass body. Unfortunately, we will be having more of glass in the future. When both are dropped, the impact is felt more on the glass. A well-built phone must be firm and compact all round. it must not be squeaky.
4.BATTERY CAPACITY
In fact the longer your phone can stay on a single charge in Africa(especially Nigeria) the better for you. This is because of the erratic and unstable power supply. This is one of the most important prerequisites.
5. Buy Only A Fully Factory Unlocked Phone
This is more apparent when you buy a foreign-used phone. Before bringing it to Africa, please ask the seller /giver to help you perform a full carrier-unlock on it. It should not be selective of local sim card. Now I will go over
Bonus Tips
If you want to turn your phone into a game console, buy a tablet or a phablet.
If physical keyboard matters to you buy a blackberry with one or buy a tablet and buy the keyboard for it separately.
- Opt for an iPhone if you want a phone that’s easy to use and gets both the hottest apps first and the timeliest software updates.
- Android is better if you want more hardware choice and more control over the user experience.
- Get a phone with a 5-inch screen or smaller if one-hand use is important. Get a bigger screen if you like to watch a lot of videos and play games.
- The camera has become the most important smartphone feature. Pay attention to specs like pixel size (in microns, bigger is better) and aperture (lower numbers are better) and ignore the megapixels.
- If you want the most speed for games and multitasking, buy an Android phone with the latest CPU and RAM.
- Don’t settle for a smartphone with less than a 3,000 mAh battery if endurance is really important.
- 16GB phones are a rip-off unless you’re going to store most of your photos and files in the cloud. Get 32GB or more of storage if you plan to download lots of games or shoot 4K video.
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