The ever-changing and consistently evolving technology, specifically in mobile phones has always left us with a big question about
- how to decide what phone to buy?
- what all to consider while buying a new phone?
- what would make my new phone to be future proof?
Let’s get started and try to sort things.
What for do i need a phone?
Today each one of us, young kids, elders parents and even the grand parents have urge and requirement to be connected to this virtual world of social and digital media. The phone is not just a calling n texting device now, it is becoming integral part of life on day to day usage basis. Besides, calling and texting the smartphones come with features like
- emailing
- camera – photography and selfies
- social media apps
- chatting
- sharing
- games
- productivity enhancements
- entertainment device
Now all smartphones of today, be in economy range or budget or high end premium ones, support all of above features. The only difference is which one does which task better. Some might be good for gaming, hence expensive and not so good camera options. Some might have good camera for not good enough for selfies.
Now, you would have to decide and prioritize what is your primary use of smartphone.
How much should I spend on buying smartphone?
Today, smartphones start from as low as 2500 INR or even say Rs. 251 only (which seems feasible only with subsidy from government). Is 2500 INR phone really good and how long it will support future apps and features?
The economy budget phone (2500 – 5000) are good for basic usage and 6-12 months of usage, this is from apps and software point of view only not from the build quality or something. The phones hardware will be intact unless any physical damage like short-circuit, fire, breakage etc., however the apps and memory (ram and storage) might not be enough to install and run latest apps.
The phones in this category would be basic config as 4-5 inch normal qVGA display, quad core processor from not so expensive processor brands, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB storage and 5 – 8 mega pixel rear camera with 2-5 mega pixel selfie camera. This configuration is good enough but with time and your usage behavior you may find it slow and not so good in feature in about 12 months time from storage and speed perspective.
What specifications do I need?
It’s very confusing to understand and decide at the shop counter in font of salesman to compare n decide the technical specifications, like processor, ram, storage, camera pixels and features, battery specs, other sensors and protection features.
- if gaming is at no. 1 on your list, then you need high end processor with good ram and good enough internal memory. The external memory using sdcard is good not essential if you have 16 or 32 gb onboard. Only the high-end processors from Snapdragon or even Mediatek are good for gaming, which combined with good GPU give optimized gaming experience. RAM should be atleast 3 GB for gaming.
- if camera is at no. 1 on your list, high end processor in not really required however low-budget processors are not very well optimized for higher resolution cameras. Hence you will have to opt for mid-budget phones with preferable Snapdragon processors. The camera pixels only does not mean better pictures, it’s other specs and features in the camera and it’s software counter part as well. Like OIS, optical image stabilizer, low light photography, the flash color n specs like dual flash, dual tone flash and the aperture size and frames per second.
Also higher resolution camera needs higher processor and storage space in addition to ram. As the camera would click an image but if takes long time to process and store it, you may not like the pause you will experience, while taking quick shots.
The auto-focus feature is must for you, with good speed i.e. taking less time to focus. This helps in taking good pictures on the go, with less delays n pauses. - if gaming and camera are rarely used features and entertainment is at the top, then higher resolution screen with good ppi (higher the better) and bigger screen size are the concern for you. Also higher storage space for storing media files (songs and movies).
- if it is just to be in sync with the world and be available to your associates and keep up with the technology i.e basically enhancing your productivity, then your choice would be a good enough 5″ inch screen with good dimensions to comfortably fit in your hand. For today’s world and say another 2 years, 2 GB RAM (3 would more comfort) a good basic snapdragon processor a normal 13 megapixel camera with 5/8 megapixel selfie camera, and all this backed up with 3000 mAh battery and storage must be 32 GB. All this would cost you around 10K.
- lastly, if it is for luxury, then nothing matters but only the premium looks and renowned premium brand 🙂
Sorry, if you were looking for some names of phones, no, because brands n specifications n software keeps on evolving every minute. Only this month we saw so many new launches in all segments. and 9K – 12K being the favorite one among the major brands. A few were also launched in higher range like 17-25K but that i assume is not worth spending for a mobile device. Best budget for phone is 10K, however latest features like all those fancy sensors, fingreprint sensor, NFC, IR blaster, Full HD screen, nice 13 megapixel front n rear shooter from using SONY Sensor, you can definitely extend it to 13K max.
Hope this post helps you clear the confusion about what to consider while buying a smartphone.
Happy day 🙂