Once upon a time, the only major phones around were Nokia products. nowadays, though, there are so many brands in the market that buying a smartphone is no longer the cakewalk it used to be.
Our smartphones help us surf the internet, keep in touch with key people, take pictures, store important information, play games, watch movies… the uses are endless. The functionality of smartphones is advancing day by day and the market longs to prey on human wants.
Market providers such as Samsung, iPhone, Huawei, etc. produce different products that abide by the company’s ideology. Confusion is inevitable when it’s time to pick a phone of one’s choice.
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It is therefore vital that you are able to narrow your criteria for a new smartphone before jumping into the market. Write down and understand the tips to consider when buying a smartphone.
10 key tips to consider before buying a smartphone
These tips are listed in the order of their importance.
Reason
There are several reasons to want a new smartphone. Is the old one faulty? Is it no longer capable of carrying out your day-to-day activities seamlessly? Do you want to level up with your friends so you don’t get out of style, or you want a better camera and other miscellaneous functions?
Whatever your reason is, you must know it. The answer will streamline the types of products or brands you should look into.
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Budget
Ever heard of the proverb “Cut your coat according to your size”? It applies here too. Ensure to search for products in response to your budget. Buying a smartphone isn’t wishful thinking. Several products would meet your desired price.
Getting a smartphone with the best features these days will literally “cut your neck”. You might need to compromise in order not to tear your pocket. If wishes were horses…
Some phone retailers offer a gradual payment plan to get the phone of your choice. You will pay a certain amount within a certain period. This is a solution to the above dilemma.
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Battery life
Some phone brands are known for their sub-par battery life. This has led to the predominance of power banks in the market today. Their products are a testament to the saying “You can’t have everything”.
Some of us are busy types and will always multi-task on our phones with lots of tabs open. You would therefore need a phone with strong battery life. The battery of a phone is measured in milliamps/hr. The higher it is, the stronger.
Apart from battery life, one must also get a phone with fast charging technology. You don’t want to charge for 8 hours before getting a full battery.
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Spare parts availability
This is one of the overlooked tips which later happens to be the reason most user sells their phones. They cannot cope with the distance and costs it takes to repair their phones. You might have to wait weeks and months to get a faulty part, and this can result in serious damage to work, education, etc.
It is therefore pertinent that you get a phone that assures easy location of spare parts.
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Camera
The importance of cameras is growing. It happens to be the frontrunner on tips to consider when buying a phone these days. With the dominance of social applications that makes the world a global village, there is a growing hunger for people to update their life online.
Many phone cameras are beginning to give digital cameras a run for their money. They are more handy and motile, especially for social influencers. When checking the quality of a phone’s camera, there are several criteria to put into consideration, e.g;
- Megapixels
- Lens resolution
- Pixel size
- Autofocus
- Imaging stabilization
- Visual effects
- Selfie quality etc.
You don’t have to buy an expensive phone before you get a quality camera. There are several phones with manageable prices that will satisfy your desire.
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Random Access Memory(RAM) and Read Only Memory(ROM)
The RAM of your phone determines how seamlessly the phone would work. it also determines its speed of operation. For people that multitask, you would need a phone with high RAM. There is 2GB, 4GB, 16GB, 32GB and so on. The pressure of your work should determine the RAM you go for.
The ROM is the storage capacity of a phone. It helps store videos, images, files and documents. The higher the ROM, the more load the phone can carry. We have 16GB, 32GB, 68GB, 128GB ROM, etc. This is why you have to know why you need a phone before getting one.
Screen display
Are you one who likes to watch movies, take pictures, play games, etc? Then, the screen display and resolution should matter to you. A display of the size of 5.5 and 6 inches with full-HD resolution should be satisfactory.
Anything larger would be harder to carry around and therefore immobile. Unless there is a need for it, a normal 5.5 – 6 inches should be enough.
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Operating system
Android or iOS. Those are the only options available when it comes to a phone’s operating system. Every phone operates on the android operating system except for Apple. So it’s either here or there.
Although, phone brands except apple ensure to tweak the features of their OS so as to be distinct.
Build (Durability)
The build of phones these days ranges from plastic to metal and sometimes “glass-coated backs”. This isn’t a core tip to consider but can be when you are one who isn’t careful with how you handle your phone. A glass-coated back will break easily.
It is advisable to stick with options in order to avoid stories that touch.
Warranty
A warranty is a written guarantee, issued to the purchaser of an article by its manufacturer, promising to repair or replace it if necessary within a specified period of time. Phones experience issues that are not “user-caused”; they might be software or other related issues, and with a valid warranty, you can fix it for free.
It is important to have a warranty that can cover those issues if they ever happen. Only new phones have a warranty.
Other tips to consider before buying a smartphone
- Audio
- Security
- Repair center
- Brand
Tips to Consider When Buying a Phone: Conclusion
You are duly funded with the right tips to consider before buying a new phone. If you still feel like you can’t decide, it would benefit you to go with someone more inclined on the phone subject so as to ease your affairs.
