How to choose a Smartphone

Choosing a smartphone is a difficult task as market is crowded with lots of players offering similar products. In this post we will discuss about things you need to consider while buying a smartphone.

Operating system

Android, iOS and Windows are major OS player in smartphone market. Apple iOS is most well developed smartphone OS and offer a very rich app store, the only downside is that iPhones are overpriced.

Android on the other hand has equally good app store and offers customizable launchers and widgets also it is open source, only problem is that entry level android devices tend to get laggy with use.

Windows has a very fluidic and dynamic interface which works equally good in low end devices, the number of apps is lesser but most popular apps are available on windows too.

Price

Talking about price both android and windows have entry level cheaper options available to choose from while apple iOS does not.

Processor

A processor handles everything that your device does and its efficiency is measured in clock speed i.e. GHz. Today smartphones have dual, quad and octa cores (processors) put onto their SOCs (system on a chip). If you run a demanding process like a HD game it only runs on a single core (processor) so a device with lesser cores but higher clock speed/processor would performer better.

Processor make is also important factor. Qualcomm Snapdragon series, Cortex series, Intel atom and Mediatek processors are major players in processor manufacturing. Processors with same clock speed from different manufacturer have different performance.

GPU (Graphic Processing Unit)

The very vital and mostly ignored are GPUs. These are the processors dedicated for rendering graphics. A good GPU is essentials for playing games and for running HD content smoothly. Some popular GPUs used today are from Snapdragon Adreno series, ARM Mali series and Imagination Power VR series.

SOCs (System on a chip)

SOC is a microchip with all the necessary electronic circuits and parts for a given system. It includes processors, cache, GPU and other components put into single chip. The kind of SOC your device uses will affect its performance.

Benchmarking results

Benchmarking results show how your device performance stand in the crowd and these results can be accessed from internet before you buy that device. So Google out benchmarking result of Smartphone you are planning to buy.


RAM

All programs and processes need RAM to run. System essential processes always take up some part of your ram. So the more RAM you have the better will be performance. A minimum of 1 GB ram is recommended.

Internal memory

Your OS resides over internal memory and some system integrated apps also takes up a part of it. Minimum 8 GB of internal memory is recommended.

Display Quality

IPS LCD and AMOLED are best display technologies available. Also screen resolution and dpi are important factor, the more the better. Check for viewing angles also.

Screen size

We recommend screen sizes between 4-4.5 inches. Smartphone with screens size bigger than this are not suitable to carry.

Camera

Don't go for higher megapixels. A 5 MP camera with good lens will take a better picture than 8 MP camera with low quality and flash is a must have. A 1 MP front camera is sufficient.

BATTERY

Everything goes in vain if your battery is not capable enough. A minimum 2000 mAh battery is recommended.

BRAND

A brand that has good reputation and has easily accessible service centers should be preferred.

Check for SAR (Specific absorption rate) value

Smartphone’s with high SAR value are not good for your health. SAR value should not exceed 1.6 W/kg. The lower the SAR value the safer it is.

Check for Reviews

There are lots of websites out there that offer unbiased reviews. Another great source for reviews is YouTube.