Nowadays, we wouldn’t be seen anywhere without our mobile phones, so much so that it is now hard to imagine a time when we weren’t continuously connected to our friends and family or the worldwide web. Last year it was estimated that more than 1.38 billion smartphones were sold globally, which is only expected to increase with this coming year.
However, there are a range of smartphones from household names such as Apple, Samsung, and Google competing for a spot in our lives (and hands). Regardless of whether you’re upgrading your existing phone or purchasing a brand new one, selecting the correct mobile phone for yourself can be a challenge.
With every model boasting different features, camera specifications, and sizes to outshine its competitors, end-users must determine what features will be beneficial to them to make the appropriate purchase.
Failure to do so can lead to individuals potentially being tied into a long-lasting contract with a phone that isn’t suitable for them, which everybody wants to avoid. Here’s our comprehensive guide for picking the best phone for yourself in 2022 so that you get the best product for your needs and budget.
Choice Of Operating System
The battle between Android and Apple’s iOS systems has been raging since it feels like the dawn of time and will undoubtedly continue for many years to come. Choosing the best phone for yourself boils down to whether you’re Team Android or Team iOS; both are excellent operating systems, but of course, much like anything, they have their pros and cons.
If you’re the type of person who enjoys having a customizable telephone experience – then you’ll probably want an Android operating system. On the other hand, if you’d like software that is constantly supported with updates for an extended period and simpler to use, then you’ll probably prefer an iOS operating system.
However, both operating systems have limitations; with an iOS operating system, end-users cannot customize their home screen and can’t sideload internet-based applications if they are not available in the official application store. Whereas Android users don’t have helpful iOS features such as iMessage, no adware, and regular software updates make sure that software bloat is lessened considerably.
We could talk about the differences between operating systems all day, but if you’re interested in a complete list of differences between iOS and Android software, consider looking at internet guides or asking a salesperson in-store.
Compare Prizes
Arguably one of the most important aspects to consider when purchasing a new phone is the costs, as depending on whether you intend to buy the phone outright, pay-as-you-go, or take out a plan; the prices can vary accordingly.
Naturally, prices tend to go up depending on the brand, memory size, camera quality, display size, and the type of plan your chosen phone provider offers you. Due to this, we recommend shopping around for providers and not selecting the first deal that you are offered (no matter how good it may sound!).
Comparing prices from a list of providers is the only way to guarantee a good deal for yourself; otherwise, failure to do so could result in you paying over the odds for a phone or plan that you could have got cheaper from another provider.
Some providers even offer perks, discounts, or exclusive benefits for those who opt for their services, such as Lebara. They provide a range of services for existing and potential clients and even offer free SIM cards in the UK made for use with a plan or a SIM-only network.
For more information, look at their website or consider contacting them directly for a complete list of their services or follow their blog for more phone-related topics.
A Good Size
Long gone are the days when we’d walk around with handhelds the size of our pockets; nowadays, the average display size for a smartphone is between 5-5.6 inches, and they only continue to grow. Considering the size of our phones may have been a novelty in days gone, whereas now we live in an age where most content and media are consumed through our smart devices.
Not only for leisure either, but many individuals also now use their phones to work while out of the office, therefore making the display size of our handheld devices extremely important. We recommend opting for a mobile phone with a display screen size of 5.5 inches or above, as this will allow you to enjoy all the benefits of your new phone with ease.
Whether you intend to use your new gadget for gaming, to stream, or while you’re working, having a larger screen is beneficial so that you can engross yourself in what you’re doing. Depending on which model you opt for, most smartphones come equipped with the latest screen technology such as LCD, OLED, or Super AMOLED, fitting the device with better contrast, darker blacks, and crisper images.
The latest screen technology further heightens your entertainment experience since many smartphones have different power-saving options such as ‘true black,’ which disables all the black pixels on your device so that you can continue streaming without any interruptions.
Look At The Battery Life
We use our phones for a variety of jobs these days and texting or calling, from navigation to internet browsing. When we purchase a new smartphone, it’s essential that the battery life can withstand our daily usage.
Ultimately, it’s within your best interests to only consider mobile phones that’s battery life can withstand a whole day of use as it’s an inconvenience to have to keep charging it throughout intervals of the day.
On average, it is estimated that people in the UK spend an average of 4.8 hours on their phones per day. So if you consider yourself a heavy user of your phone, we recommend using this average to determine which smartphone has the best battery life for your daily needs.
You could choose this by asking the salesperson at your local technology store, or you could research the smartphone models that best pique your interests on the internet and see what other end-users have to say about the phone’s battery life.
Consider The Amount Of Storage
“There is not enough available storage to take a photo,” We’d wager that most of the people reading this article right now have experienced the frustration that the latter statement induces. Therefore, to avoid this, the amount of storage a mobile has is also a consideration when browsing for a new phone. These days the latest smartphones have storage options ranging from 16GB to 256GB, suitable for casual smartphone users to the heaviest users.
Generally, most end-users, regardless of how much time they spend on their phone, opt for an amount of storage that is around 64GB so that they have an adequate amount of space to keep your personal data such as messages, emails, photos, etc., yet still have the flexibility to download apps without the fear of running out of storage space. It’s also worth finding out whether the options you have in mind have alternate storage methods if you find yourself running out of room.
Many smartphones these days offer end-users cloud features or expandable memory storage as a source of backup if they use all their mobile’s storage space. Having this option as a backup is valid for end-users to protect their data in worst-case scenarios, so ensuring that your new mobile has these features is also essential.
