Your Guide to Buying a New Smartphone

Today’s market is heavily saturated with numerous makes and models of smartphones. When you go to purchase a new phone, how do you know where to start? This guide from the experts at CPR Cell Phone Repair will help you when you’re considering buying a new smartphone.

6 Features to Consider When Buying a New Smartphone

From size and specs to compatibility options and price, there is much to take into account when you’re considering buying a new smartphone.

Operating System

Perhaps one of the first decisions you need to make is what operating system you like, which will dictate your phone options.

Android: Google’s Android OS supports a wide variety of phones, including Samsung, LG, Pixel, and HTC. Thanks to widgets and other tools, this OS is completely customizable and provides fairly straightforward functionality.  

Apple iOS: Apple’s iOS offers consistent, simple, and intuitive operations. The iOS includes Apple’s voice-controlled assistant, Siri, which can interpret and perform a number of user requests. Plus, there is a huge selection of apps, gaming options, and content supported by iOS.

Camera

For most people, smartphones have eliminated the need to carry cameras. And with social media, we’re snapping and sharing photos more than ever before. This means that the quality of a smartphone’s camera could be a big deciding factor in the purchase.

These days, a lot of smartphone cameras are outfitted with at least 12 megapixels, but there are many other measurements to scrutinize. The wide aperture of Google’s Pixel phones lets you capture perfect pictures even indoors or in low light conditions. Note if the phone has dual front and rear cameras, like the current iPhones, which allow for 2x optical zoom and true portrait modes. If you plan to watch or shoot video on your smartphone, look for those with a 4K resolution.

Size

Do you gravitate towards a ‘bigger is better,’ or a ‘less is more’ mentality? The size of the smartphone you should buy really comes down to personal preference.

However, there are a few other things that you should consider when it comes to the size. Smaller screens, like Google’s Pixel 3, speak to compact design, easily allowing the phone to fit in your pocket. Plus, petite displays also means that you won’t strain your thumb trying to reach all of the elements on your screen. Larger screen sizes that accompany the iPhone 8 Plus or the Galaxy S10+ are great for streaming videos or reading e-books. And as smartphone technology evolves, manufacturers are making aspect ratios narrower, so big-screens are increasingly easy to operate with one hand.

Price

As it should, the price of a new smartphone will be a deciding factor for many consumers. While some smartphones, like the latest iPhone models, retail for over $1,000, there are also options for budget-conscience shoppers.

Tech Radar recently named the OnePlus 6T the best cheap smartphone of 2019. Other affordable options include the iPhone XR, the Google Pixel 3a and the Motorola G7 if you don’t mind forgoing fancy features in favor of an affordable price tag. Or you could always opt to purchase last year’s models to save some cash.

Battery Life

Given the fact that most of the American public is on their phones all day, every day, battery life is also an attribute to consider. Factors like the phone’s operating system, processor, and screen size will determine how long the battery holds a charge. For the best chance of long battery life, look at phones 3,000 mAh or higher.

In the same vein, phones with fast-charging capabilities let you juice up quickly, so you aren’t tethered to an outlet for hours. For Android phones, look at those that support the Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0. Fast charging is also available with iPhones, but like most else Apple makes, these chargers are sold separately.

Cutting-Edge Technology

If you like to have the best of the best when comes to gadgets, there are other key features to consider.

Fingerprint/Facial Recognition: Enhanced biometric technology uses physical characteristics like fingerprints and human faces to unlock phones.

Wireless Charging: When outlets aren’t available, smartphones that allow for wireless charging via a compatible charging mat are an attractive option.

Near Field Communication (NFC): NFC technology, like iPhone’s Apple Pay, lets you transfer files over Bluetooth or WiFi to initiate secure payments and purchases, quickly.

Not ready to relinquish your current phone just yet? At CPR Cell Phone Repair, we completely understand. That’s why we offer fast and affordable fixes for all kinds of smartphones, tablets, computers, and other devices. In addition to offering free, no-commitment estimates on services, our repairs also come with a limited lifetime warranty. Find a CPR store near you here!

This blog post was most recently updated on May 29, 2019.