In today’s world, smartphones are no more considered as a luxury item, but an essential product we need at every point of our life. Modern technology has made it possible to bring a wide range of innovative smartphones at affordable prices.
Buying a smartphone and that also the best one as per your budget and requirements is one of the most challenging tasks with so many options floating around with lucrative offers online and offline for the buyers.
You can still start the process of choosing the best one, following some easy steps. Here they are:
1. Think about the purpose of buying
The first question you should ask yourself while buying a smartphone is – Why do we need that smartphone. Your answer will help you choose the best smartphone based on your requirements. For example, an online seller night need a smartphone with maximum storage capacity as he or she might need to send or receive many images on a daily basis, a teenager might need a cell phone with high-quality camera to use for social media or games, a writer might need one smartphone with specific ram and long battery life to continue writing etc.
2. Decide on a budget
This is a vital point. You need to decide the amount of money you think you can afford to invest in your smartphone. This depends on your financial and other conditions and of course, a personal factor. While deciding on the budget, you need to remember three things:
# The first thing is that one-time investment for a quality product might save your money for future expenditures of repairs.
# Many smartphone companies are selling products at cheap rates, but the durability and functionality of these phones might be questionable.
# If you are a person who keeps on changing the smartphone every year, then you might look at the price factor from another point of view.
3. Choose the operating system
The fundamental differences between different operating systems, Android and iOS, are their usabilities, ability for customisation, security and price factors.
Although both the operating systems promise to be user-friendly, Android is more popular as most of the smartphone manufacturers opt for this, whereas iOS can only be used on Apple smartphones. You should thoroughly gain knowledge about the features of each operating system before you make the final decision.
4. Determine the features you want in your smartphone
The features you want in your smartphone depends on your operator, usage and familiarity with the smartphones.
Most of the smartphones come with standard features like a mobile browser, internet connectivity, memory space, application download facility, camera, video etc. However, there are many more modern and unique features which you might need based on the purpose of your usage. List all the features you think you would require to be available in your smartphone.
5. Decide the size and weight of your phone
Most people tend to overlook these features in a smartphone, but these are equally important as these two factors depend on the users of smartphones. If you are looking for a phone which could easily slip into your pocket, then you should go for small or medium-size ones, but if you are comfortable carrying your smartphone in your hand all the time, then you can opt for a bigger size. The same way the weight of a phone will reduce or increase your comfort in carrying your smartphone.
6. Check the battery life
The longer the battery life, the happier the user gets- this is the truth. We cannot compromise our talk time, chatting, gaming and using cycle media and to prevent interruptions, we need a long-life battery for our smartphone.
The battery life on a smartphone is generally from 7 to 18 hours, and in the long run, a 2000mAh smartphone can last up to 1.5 years. Now there are many other options available in the market based on the MAh factor you will be able to select the one with long-lasting battery life.
7. Consider storage capacity
You should look for a smartphone, which allows you to store apps, photos, videos as per your requirements at any time.
Check RAM feature in this case.
Please note that unlike some Android phones, phones don’t allow storage expansion with MicroSD cards.
8. Check the quality of the camera
The picture quality of a smartphone depends on the brand and the product. While checking the camera of a smartphone, you should look for a smartphone with the right amount of Megapixels, Zoom and lens features, large screen size and availability of different modes.
9. Check the Processor
The Processor of a smartphone is the CPU of the device. It takes care of the smooth running of the operating system. The better the Processor, the better the functionality and speed of your smartphone would be. The A8 processor is considered f to be the best Processor in iOS and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 in Android phones. There are other active Processors available for Android phones.
10. Decide the company
This might put you in a fix for a short time. Research and Review – This is the only option which can help you. Some well-known smartphone companies in India are MI, Oppo, Viva, Samsung, and Apple etc.
11. Shortlist 3 to 4 products
You need to make sure to research on some of the best smartphones either online or based on word of mouth of friends and family. Keep in mind your budget. Nothing comes close to Google in this case. Google out the best of the trending smartphones and reviews of them. Then shortlist a minimum of 3 products you think would be suitable for you.
12. Compare and Analyze
After you shortlist a few smartphones, now it’s time to compare each feature and analyse how it can help you. Your priority list of features (discussed in step 4) should be in front of you. This method will help you to choose the best smartphone as per your budget and requirements.
13. Decide whether to purchase online or offline
Now it’s time to make the big decision – whether you wish to buy it online or offline. A few pros and cons of purchasing online smartphones are below:
Pros
Easy availability of product description and features
Option to browse through different shopping site to get the best of the deals
Availability of reviews and ratings of the product
Cons
Inability to test the features like camera quality and sound etc.
Inability to avail the warranty facility easily in case of damage.
Buying from a showroom or a retailer will help you avoid the two cons mentioned above. Although it might not guarantee the best of the deals, you would be able to touch and test the product before buying and can get the phone repaired easily in case of any defect during the warranty period.
Buying smartphones might not seem too simple, but little extra time you would invest before buying the best smartphone for yourself might help you save your time and money in the future. After all, we always look for the product with excellent value for money.
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