Smartphones are finding their way into almost every part of this technologically-fueled life. Today, many people are now purchasing smartphones, so the number of options is increasing. However, choosing the best mobile phone from such a wide range of options can be confusing.
Think about this, a great mobile phone needs to keep you informed and entertained, and it also has to take the place of a camera. Even better, the phone has to have enough battery to get you home. Unfortunately, it can be hard to find a model that has all these properties. This is the reason why you need to spend your money and time wisely to choose mobile phones from Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi. This article explains how to choose the best mobile phone.
Smartphone processor
A smartphone processor is a component that is responsible for most functions on the phone. It’s like the brain of the phone system, and you can find some processors that come with AI capabilities to make your smartphone smart.
A good processor allows your mobile phone to function properly and it can also enhance other factors. For instance, there is image processing that comes in two variants for Samsung phones. One has the latest Snapdragon while the other has Samsung’s in-house called Exynos processor. Some users claim that there is a clear difference in the processing power of these two variants. It seems the Snapdragon is snappier and has great image-processing abilities.
Therefore, when you decide to buy a smartphone, it’s important to understand what processor you’ll be getting. This is because the performance of the phone directly correlates with it.
Apple processors are pretty known for their strong computing power, snapdragon processors can come closer to the Android realm. You can also find lower-powered processors for budget and mid-range devices like the Snapdragon 730G and Snapdragon 730, and MediaTek Helio G90T. These are suitable if you are on a budget and decide to sacrifice some power to save cash. But make sure that you should buy these phones with the mentioned processors as they can drive down costs a little.
Smartphone RAM
When it comes to smartphone Ram, keep in mind that this is a system memory that smartphones utilize to keep data that active apps are using. The operating system always uses a part of your smartphone’s RAM to keep it running.
You need to have enough RAM so that the phone can have a larger number of applications running in the background. This can significantly affect your multitasking experience. But you can find some smartphones that are breaking all barriers, meaning they can have even 12 to 16 GB of RAM. Now, this is perhaps what you need, especially if you’re planning on switching many apps simultaneously.
So if you don’t use your smartphone that much and only utilize it for texts, calls, light browsing, and WhatsApp, then a smartphone with 3 to 4 GB RAM can be ideal for you. For power users, you need something that is about 6 to 8 GB.
The operating system
When it comes to the operating system, it comes down to having either iOS or Android. No doubt, the option can be a more complicated one than you can ever think about because both operating systems have significant advantages and disadvantages.
However, if you’re someone who likes playing around with your phone and customizing it to meet the content of your desire, then Android can be a good choice. On the other hand, if you like everything simple and a powerful operating system that gets regular software updates and gets support for an extended period, iOS should be your option.
It’s worth noting that Android can be almost as powerful, though not as simple as iOS. The good news is that the current version of Android is much simpler to use than the previous ones. You should remember that iOS as an operating system can be quite limiting.
For example, it can be impossible to sideload apps from your internet if the App Store doesn’t have them. Also, the split-screen mode isn’t available on iPhone, you can’t customize the home screen, and it’s impossible to utilize launchers to fully change the appearance of your phone.
But iOS has several advantages as well like FaceTime, iMessage, and constant software updates. Even better, iOS offers minimal bloatware and there is no adware.
User interface
You also have to remember that several smartphones have their user interface. Samsung has One UI 2, which has improved significantly from its TouchWiz days.
OnePlus comes with OxygenOS which is a clean skin that resembles closely to the Android. Xiaomi phones have MIUI which is considered to be an ad-fest, though it’s well-optimized. All these interfaces are designed to improve user experience, so make sure that you try and experience these user interfaces before purchasing the phone to see if it works for you.
A good display
Smartphone display sizes are always increasing and continue to be pushing the boundaries of what you would expect a smartphone display ought to be. You can find a wide range of sizes with some even reaching up to 6.9-inches.
But in this period when content is increasingly being consumed on these mobile devices, it may be a good idea to have a large display size. So you should find one with a display that is at least 5.7 inches to allow you to access media and play games seamlessly.
You can find display types that are AMOLED and LCD. AMOLED displays refer to those that have OLED or Super AMOLED. Many Samsung phones have Super AMOLED which has darker blacks and better contrast. Besides, they can help with saving battery because they can turn off the black pixels on the device to show true black color.
Aside from these, you can also find mobile phone displays with various resolutions. There is Full HD and Full HD + Quad HD. Although QHD offers crisper images, there is little difference between QHD and FHD, especially if you’re not familiar with the display types.
It also a good idea to have screen protection on your mobile device. Currently, many smartphones are using Gorilla 5 and 6 for screen protection. These offer reasonable protection for your glass, and it’s also important to have a case for your phone.
The storage space
You can find lower-end models of mobile phones with a standard 64GB and between 128GB and 512GB for high-end models. Because there is a regular sharing of apps and technologies, many people are now importing GB of data from previous mobile phones to the current ones. Therefore, enough storage on your mobile phone is important.
It’s a good idea to have a mobile device that has at least 128GB and above. This is because these devices can provide adequate space to keep your data and download apps to satisfy your needs. Also, you should check out for phones that have expandable storage.
An excellent battery life
Many flagship smartphones have a standard battery life of about 6 hours and above of screen on time. Hence, if you can find a mobile phone with a higher capacity, it means it can allow you to power through, especially if you’re a heavy user.
Flagship mobile phones and some mid-range mobile phones can also get up to 8 to 10 hrs of screen on time, which is excellent. Ideally, it’s good to have a phone that you can use for at least one entire day of intensive usage. Therefore, make sure to check battery tests online when buying a mobile phone. You can also try and research if the mobile phone you intend to purchase has a modest power-saving mode.
Camera quality
Nowadays, multi-cameras are increasingly becoming quite common and mobile phones with only one rear camera are rare. You can have a primary lens designed to get the highest MP count, a wide-angle shooter, and a portrait lens. And, you also get a couple of extras added by some manufacturers like Time of Flight sensor, color filter lens, and macro lens.
Perhaps, many people enjoy having a wide-range lens as it gives enough images that you can now take on mobile phones. When the portrait lens is done well, it can also produce spectacular shots. But if this trend is not right for you, then you will be in safer hands having older phones with a single primary lens or even newer ones, such as the iPhone SE 2020.
Smartphones are also using pixel-binning, this can turn four or more pixels into a single big pixel to add more clarity and detail to the images. So you can now avoid the 108MP sensors because they can be quite rough on the edges combined with autofocus and image fringing problems.