How To Buy a Smartphone: Ultimate Smartphone Buying Guide

Do you want to buy a new smartphone?

Someone asked you which phone should I buy?

And… you are like…. ????

I am sure that’s why you are may be looking for a guide how to buy a Smartphone.

You will get all your answer..your all doubt will be cleared after you reading this article.

This is damn true…

Buying a new smartphone isn’t easy?

Over thousand models out there in the market, it is somewhat difficult to choose the right one.

If you don’t know what things you should exactly consider.

Even, if you are dumped in tech then it’s also a painful task.

Here is a complete guide to what you should be looking for in smartphones. We have explained almost everything.

Where To Buy A Smartphone?

You can buy a phone online as well as offline. So, this depends up to you which will you prefer. But, I prefer to buy from online e-commerce store like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal.

Now, let me tell you the reason behind this.

The main reason is you will save a lot of money as compared to the offline market. Offline market phone price is always higher. Sometimes, you might get a good deal on popular site when they running an offer.

You can also compare the price using chrome extension or be using a comparison website. After doing so you can make your decision where to buy from.

The Complete Smartphone Buying Guide:

Everyone has different needs. That holds true for smartphones as well. However, there are a few basic but important aspects. You should keep them in mind when buying a smartphone. You will benefit from them.

What is your Budget:

First of all, you will have to consider your budget. No matter how much you like a phone, you can not buy it unless you have the money.

Phones are available in different ranges. We have categorized in four sections like Low range, Budget or Mid Range, HIgh End, and Flagship or premium.

Low Range:

Low range phones have a price tag of Rs.4000 toRs. 6000.

In this segment, you will get the most basic features. You will get up to 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal storage. The camera quality is average.

You won’t get good performance as compared to budget or mid-range phones. Battery life will be not good. I won’t recommend buying low range smartphone. Instead of you can add few bucks and get a good budget mid-range phones.

Mid/Budget Range:

Smartphones which are under Rs.7000 to Rs.20000, we can say it’s a budget or mid-range phone. Now, we also divided this category according to their features.

Price range between Rs.7000 to Rs8000, you will not get a good processor, camera, Full HD display.

However, You will get a good feature, the good processor (Not in every phone), sufficient RAM price range between Rs.10000 to RS.12000. Read this guide best phone under 10000. But if you need a good camera phone then you should increase your budget.

Price range between Rs.12000 to Rs.20000, you will get a good processor, GPU, Good camera, almost all sensors etc. Here you can find the best phone under 15000.

If your budget is a little bit high then go for the best phone under 20000.

Note: You will not get everything on a phone. Every phone has pros and cons.

HIgh-end Smartphone:

This category is under price range Rs.20000 to 40000. These phones have up to 4 GB to 6GB RAM. Also, internal storage is increased up to 128 GB, which is a pretty huge storage space. You will also get a good camera. In this price segment, you get an amazing processor, exceptional camera quality, massive storage, and many other features.

Flagship Smartphones:

Flagship smartphones are the best phones from any particular brand. Obviously, these are way too much expensive. But the price is well worth it as you get loads of exceptional features.

More: Why You Need a Graphics Card For Gaming

Operating System:

One thing you should have to decide before buying a phone that is an operating system. There are three dominant operating systems in the market. These are Android, iOS, and Windows.

Basically, we all know that the price of apple phone. So, if you have a tight budget then you should ignore iOS. Now think that do you need an android phone or windows phone.

If you want my suggestion then I will recommend you to buy an android phone. But, it totally depends up to you. Now, just tell me to tell you a little bit about these Android OS, Windows OS, Apple iOS.

Android:

Android is the most widely available open-source operating system(OS) in smartphones developed by Google. According to Wikipedia, 87.8% smartphones runs on Android OS.

The latest version of Android is “Android Oreo 8.0.0” released on 21st August 2017.

iOS:

iOS is an operating system made by Apple. It is available only on Apple smartphones. It is a closed source software.

On the downside, file transfer is more difficult than Android.

Windows:

This operating system is made by Microsoft. Windows smartphones are less expensive than iPhones from Apple.

On the other hand, you would not get many apps. The number of apps is much higher on an Android or Apple smartphone.

Processor:

The processor is the heart of the smartphone. It is so important to choose a processor as per your needs. Give it a good thought. Gigahertz (GHz) is the measuring unit of the processor.

There is another term related to processors which are core. The core is responsible for responding to instructions. It interprets and carries out any instruction. The more core your smartphone has, the better it is.

Quite a few processors are out there in the market. There are four companies make smartphone processor Qualcomm, Apple, MediaTek, Nvidia, and Exynos.

Qualcomm Snapdragon:

The Qualcomm Snapdragon processor is the most popular processor in smartphones. They give stellar performances.

On the downside, they are more expensive than other processors such as MediaTek or Nvidia Tegra. So, smartphones consisting Snapdragon processors are costlier than other phones.

Snapdragon 845 is the latest processor from Qualcomm. It is the successor of Snapdragon 835. Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus will come out with the Snapdragon 845 processor. Xiaomi Mi 5, Sony Experia Z5 Premium, and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 use Snapdragon 835 processors.

MediaTek Processors:

MediaTek processors are also a popular choice in smartphones. They often come with hexa cores or octa cores. As a result, they have a good multitasking ability. However, you will need adequate RAM such as at least 2 to 4 GB. They are cheaper as well, so budget smartphones often have MediaTek processors.

On the other hand, they drain the battery life so fast. Also, they produce more heat than other processors. These two are big cons of the processor.

MediaTek processors are not of good quality in general. I would recommend staying away from them as far as possible.

Lenovo Phab 2, HTC Desire 10 Pro, Moto M, all use MediaTek processors.

Exynos Processors:

Samsung makes the Exynos processors. So, of course, you get their brand name supporting the processor. Exynos processors have octa-core chips inside them.

Exynos 7 Octa 7870, Exynos 8 Octa 8890 are some of the best Exynos processors. Both of them have a 14 nm LPP. These are among the very best quality. Samsung Galaxy J7 uses Exynos 7 Octa 7870 processor. While Samsung Galaxy S7 runs on Exynos 8 Octa 8890 processor.

Apple Processors:

These processors are designed for iPhones from Apple. Apple has four different processor types. These are Apple A Series, S Series, W Series, and T Series. Among them, Apple A10 processors are used on iPhone 6 and iPhone 7.

Nvidia Processors:

Nvidia processors are known in the market as Tegra. They are best suited for gaming. Also, the processor has an amazing graphics processing ability. This, in turn, leads to better gaming. So, if you are a serious gamer, Nvidia processors are perfect for you.

On the other hand, these processors produce lot more heat. They also drain the battery way too fast. It is a big downside to them. In addition, they also cost more than other processors. As a result, their downsides outweigh the benefits.

Tegra 3, Tegra 4, and Tegra 4i are some of the popular processors. HTC One X and HTC One X+ run on Tegra 3.

GPU:

GPU stands for graphics processing unit. It is designed to handle all the graphics processing works. This, in turn, lessens the load on the CPU. As a result, your smartphone performs better. It is particularly helpful for playing games and editing videos. Some popular GPU in smartphones are Adreno 540, Mali-G71 MP20, and Apple A10 Fusion GPU/ Power VR, and Nvidia Tegra X1. Apple A10 is the fastest among all of the aforementioned GPUs, followed by Nvidia Tegra X1.

If you are a serious gamer or want to edit videos often, you should give a good thought to your smartphone’s GPU.

Display:

The display is one other deciding factor in choosing a smartphone. There are two aspects you need to keep in mind about the display. They are panel types and resolution.

Panel Types:

Three panel types rule the market, LCD, IPS, and AMOLED. They both have their advantages and disadvantages.

LCD:

LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. In this screen, the crystals are lined in an array. Furthermore, these crystals are illuminated by a backlight. The Sony Xperia Z uses an LCD display.

LCD screens are inexpensive to make. Therefore, they are a popular choice in smartphone screens. Also, they are extremely easy to use in daylight. So, if you wish to use your smartphone in broad daylight often, LCD screens are your best choice.

On the downside, LCD displays can not reproduce colors as displays with no backlight can.

IPS:

IPS is an updated version of LCD displays. These displays have a far better color reproduction ability than LCD ones. In addition, you can see better even from steep angles on IPS displays. iPhone 5 has an IPS display.

However, they take more battery power than LCD displays. Keep that in mind before making a buying decision.

AMOLED:

AMOLED is another good display type. Samsung uses the AMOLED display on their Galaxy S range of smartphones. They are generally thinner than LCD screens. This, in turn, makes the smartphones sleeker. They have a faster refresh rate as well than other screens.

On the other hand, they do not perform well under sunlight.

Resolution:

Resolution is something to consider as well. The resolutions that are typically seen in today’s smartphones are HD, Full HD, Quad HD or QHD, and 4K or Ultra HD or UHD.

HD or High Definition:

HD displays have 1280X780 pixels on them. The pixels will remain the same, how small or large the screen is. As a result, the same HD resolution will have different effects on every smartphone. It will be better on a smartphone with 5 inches screen than it will be on a 6 inches screen. Moto G4 is an example of a smartphone with HD display.

Full HD:

Full HD is the advanced version of HD. It has 1920X1080 pixels resolution. As mentioned earlier, it will remain same regardless of the screen size. OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3t have Full HD displays.

Quad HD or QHD:

Quad HD or QHD has four times better resolution than HD display. They have a 2560X1440 pixels resolution. Pictures have a far better quality in QHD resolution. Nexus 6P has a QHD display.

Ultra HD or UHD or 4K:

4K or UHD is the best resolution out there. In this resolution, pictures look far superior to other resolutions. Sony Xperia Z5 Premium have UHD resolution display.

Camera:

In recent days, smartphones have replaced the older camera versions. Therefore, you need to think about the camera quality as well. There are three primary features that make or break a camera. They are Megapixels, sensors, and aperture.

Megapixels:

The pixel number of a picture taken by a camera is Megapixels. The megapixels in a way decide the picture quality. Generally speaking, the more megapixels your smartphone’s camera has, the better the picture will be. However, it is not the only factor as many think. It is just a part of it.

If you are not a photo enthusiast, you can buy 8 to 12 MP camera phones. On the other hand, if you are in love with pictures, consider getting a smartphone with 16 MP or more camera.

Sensors:

Sensors also play a role in picture quality. The size of the sensor determines the picture outcome. Your picture will be better if your phone has a bigger camera sensor. In general, sensors have a size of one-third of an inch. However, many smartphones nowadays have bigger ones.

Aperture:

Aperture is the decisive factor in your smartphone’s ability to take pictures in low lights. It is the measurement of how much light gets inside through a lens. The less the aperture, the more light gets inside. Therefore, the picture quality gets better.

If you do a lot of low-light photography, buy a smartphone with f/2.0 or lesser aperture. Otherwise, you can buy f/2.0 to f/2.2 aperture camera smartphones.

Build Quality:

Build quality is very much essential for the smartphone’s durability. Better build quality equals to better durability. Nowadays, there are mainly two types of phone build. These are metal and plastic. There are also glass and leather builds, but they are still at a low quantity in the market.

Plastic:

This is the most widely used build material in the market. Polycarbonate is the plastic type companies use to make the smartphone body.

They are cheaper to manufacture. As a result, the smartphone price decreases naturally. Also, plastic bodies hide scratches and blemishes better.

However, they have some downsides as well. They don’t look so good when compared to metal and glass ones. They are also less durable than metal ones.

Metal:

Metal as a building material in smartphones is increasing in the market. They can withstand drops from two to three feet. It makes them highly durable. Also, they look better than plastic ones. If you want to have aesthetics, they are a better choice for you.

On the other hand, they overheat easily. It can be a problem if you wish to use your phone for long hours. Also, metal bodies can not hide scars. Even if there is a single scratch, it will show vividly.

Glass:

A newer body material in smartphones is glass. Glass bodies look exceptional. There is no match to them in the looks. It gives a luxury feel in your smartphone.

On the downside, they break pretty easily. As a result, they should not be used roughly. Besides, they are available on fewer smartphones and cost way more money than others as well.

Leather:

Leather builds are fairly new to the market. They are mainly used for looks and are seen in a small number of smartphones.

Storage Space:

Storage space is another aspect to think about. Nowadays, we use our mobiles for almost everything. We store music, videos, documents, pictures, important data, all into this one device. So, you need to consider how much storage space you need before you make a final choice.

If you are a person who uses the phone for basic purposes, you can get away with buying a phone with up to 32 GB storage. This holds true for persons who do not use many apps as well.

On the other hand, there are people who use so many apps that take up quite a lot space. If you are one of them, you should consider getting the 64 GB or 128 GB variants as per your need. Keep in mind that the price will go higher the more storage space you choose.

There is, however, another aspect to this. Some smartphones feature a microSD card slot in them. In this option, you can buy a smartphone with less storage, for example, 8 GB or 16 GB. Afterwards, you can buy a microSD card to increase the storage space without spending a huge amount of money. However, not all smartphones have this option. Make sure to check beforehand.

In addition, in many smartphones, you can transfer your data and files into cloud storage. This will clean your smartphone’s storage. You can then use it on for storing more data.

Battery:

Batteries are also an important part of the smartphone. Although there are five different battery types, only two of them rule the market. They are Lithium ion (Li-ion), and Lithium Polymer.

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) Battery:

This is the most popular battery type in smartphones. Li-ion batteries have an ability to retain charges better than others. This is a massive advantage. They are not affected by ‘Memory Effect’ either. Memory effect is when the battery is recharged before it has been drained completely., it remembers the relatively short charging pattern. As a result, they drain quickly and affects performance. Li-ion batteries do not have this problem.

However, they have their own set of disadvantage. They are costlier than other batteries. Besides, they are not compatible with older phones.

Lithium Polymer Batteries:

Lithium Polymer batteries are the best battery out there in the market. They use a plastic casing. This, in turn, makes them safer, less bulky, and sleeker than other batteries. They too, do not get affected by memory effect. In addition, they have a charge capacity that is 40% better than other batteries.

If you are a basic user, even then do not choose a smartphone with less than a 3000 mAh battery. In case you want to use your phone heavily, look for 3500 mAh or more.

Sensors:

Sensors are another factor to consider before you buy yourself a new smartphone. Quite a few sensors are available in smartphones in present days. Some popular sensors are the Proximity sensor, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, and Ambient Light Sensor.

Proximity Sensor:

A proximity sensor is quite an essential feature to have on your smartphone. When you are on a call, the sensor automatically locks the screen when you bring it close to your ear. This, in turn, ensures that the call does not get disconnected. It also makes sure no other disturbances occur due to accidental touch.

Gyroscope:

Gyroscope spots phone rotation. It uses earth’s gravity to achieve the work. Gyroscope works with Accelerometer. It detects rotations like when you tilt the phone while playing games.

Accelerometer:

An accelerometer is used to spot the smartphone’s orientation. It eases many things. For example, with an accelerometer, you can just shake your smartphone to change the music.

Digital Compass:

Digital Compass, as you can guess, works just like a normal compass. It helps the smartphone to detect North. In this way navigating using a map becomes so much easier. Your smartphone will always know which way is North. So, it will auto rotate the map according to that.

Ambient Light Sensor:

Ambient Light Sensor adjusts the brightness of your smartphone as per the light around you. As a result, it saves your battery power.

Fingerprint Sensor:

Fingerprint sensors protect your important and valuable data. Nowadays we keep many sensitive data on our smartphones that we would like to stay personal. With the fingerprint sensor, everything will open only with your fingerprint. Be it your home screen or some important and sensitive data. These days, you can get fingerprint sensor on almost every smartphone, irrespective of the price range. You can read more about Fingerprint sensor.