If your old smartphone is suddenly causing trouble or has become too slow, you know that living without a reliable phone is almost a nightmare. Thankfully these days, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get a great new phone. Before you spend a lot of time researching phones, take a minute to read below. Knowing the basic steps on choosing a new phone will help you to pick the ideal device in no time.
Determine your budget and price
Before searching the Internet and visiting numerous stores, ask yourself how much exactly you’re ready to spend when choosing a new phone. If you have a low or average income and you aren’t obsessing over the latest technological trends, you’re probably like most people who smartphone shopping — no need for really fancy stuff.
Of course, you’ll need a device that allows you to make calls, chat on social networks, take photos, watch videos, or play popular games. And if you don’t need your phone to perform some other complicated operations, then why pay extra money when choosing a new phone?
Pick an operating system
These days, there are only two leading operating systems left: Android, and iOS. There are still some older Windows Phone devices out there, but Microsoft is no longer in the mobile phone OS business, so it’s smart to stick with Android or iOS. They each have their own peculiarities:
Android. Google’s Android OS has gained considerable loyalty among phone makers. Even though Apple’s iOS is now popular worldwide, the number of Android devices in use and on the market worldwide is still far higher. As such, the Google Play store offers millions of apps, so there are apps suitable for all needs and tastes.
Also, Android’s exceptional accessibility allows phone makers to add in their own innovations on top of Google software, so if you get an Android phone that is not plain “stock” Android, you can expect the phone maker’s unique “skin” on top of Android. A skin usually includes unique fonts, design themes, built-in apps, and app widgets. Even then, you can still easily customize your phone experience.
iOS. Apple’s latest iOS version has incorporated lots of vital improvements from Apple. These include faster speeds, multi-tasking, better battery life, and improvements to the Control Center. Also, Apple finally lets you customize the look of your home and lock screens — at least with your choice of background photo or design.
Apple also occupies a leading position in apps, by offering iOS users a huge variety of high-quality apps and gripping games. Though with that quality, do expect to pay just a bit more for iOS apps than similar or equivalent Android apps, on average.
Find your ideal screen size
For many people these days, screen size is definitely one of the top considerations when choosing a new device. If you mainly need a phone just to get in touch with friends, then pick the small one as it’s convenient to use just with one hand.
But if you want to watch movies, play screen-heavy games, or get the most from mobile-friendly sites like NativeCasinos, then think about a larger screen size. When you’re in a store comparing phones, hold and try out different sizes of phones. And if possible place them over your pocket, even if you can’t actually place them in your pocket. Also pay attention to the brightness and sharpness of colors, viewing angles, as well as the general picture quality.
Opt for more memory
You’re going to store loads of information on your gadget — from photos and music to application and videos — so it’s utterly vital to choose the phone capable of storing that much data. The more memory your phone has, the better. Although 16 or 32 GB is still enough for casual phone users, it’s smart to get at least 64 GB of memory if you plan to store lots of apps, photos or video.
These days, more memory won’t add too much to your overall cost, especially if you’re thinking of getting an older or refurbished phone. For example, you can get a new 2020 iPhone SE with 64GB of memory for $400, or an older 64GB iPhone 8 for well under $300. And there are tons of equally priced or cheaper 32GB or 64GB Android options. You just need to define your price and your needs.
Think about the camera
Most smartphones made within the last few years allow you to take high-quality photos — and some higher-priced models can easily substitute for professional cameras. If collecting or sharing photos is important to you, don’t be stingy and spend some money to buy a smartphone with a better camera. For instance, the Samsung’s latest Galaxy S10 produces flawless pics even at night.
But if you can’t afford a thousand bucks on a phone, you can still find lots of mid-range phones between $300 to $600 that have excellent, high-resolution cameras. As of mid 2020, the new iPhone SE, the Google Pixel 4a and the OnePlus Nord boast some of the best cameras in this price range.
Take your time
No one claims that choosing a new phone is easy. It’s an extremely individual thing, and only you can decide what is the best option for you. If you’re going to spend a lot of time with your new phone, invest some time in research online or in stores, and find out all the pros and cons of the models you like.
