A Beginner’s Guide to Buying a Smartphone
A Beginner’s Guide to Buying a Smartphone
Brandon Miniman is the Editor-in-Chief of Pocketnow.com, a smartphone website that features the latest hardware reviews, hands-on video and industry news.
You’ve probably noticed the ever-increasing variety of smartphone choices out there now. Phones today come in multiple different forms, have price points for every budget, and include feature sets tailored to the meet the needs of everyone from tech-experts to grandparents unfamiliar with newfangled gadgets. If I were to go about choosing the perfect smartphone, here’s what I would do:
1. Pick your carrier. Do you mind paying a bit extra for services and hardware if it gives you the flexibility of going without a contract? Or are you open to signing a contract if it means you’ll save more? If you’re in favor of the latter, choose your carrier wisely; each carrier has its pros and cons, and these depend on a number of factors like 3G vs. 4G coverage, data speeds and plans, and devices available. Laptop Mag recently published a great overview of 4G speeds on different carriers nationwide.
2. Pick your operating system. Do you like the
flexibility of Android and its wide range of devices? Do you want the
Xbox Live, Zune, and Microsoft Office integration Windows Phone 7
offers? Perhaps you’re an Apple evangelist and only the iPhone will do.
Or maybe the simple and secure messaging experience that a BlackBerry
can provide sounds more what you’re looking for.
3. Pick your price. Assuming you’re going to be
signing a new two-year contract, figure out how much you want to pay.
You might want to consider spending more on a device that will last
longer so you don’t find yourself sitting on obsolete hardware in six
months. Keep an eye out for temporary sales and deals on these big
ticket phones – timing your upgrade could save you a bundle.
4. Pick your form factor. Now that you know how much you want to pay and what operating system you’d like to spend the next two years with, you need to decide what sort of form factor you want. If you’re going iPhone, you only get one choice. But Windows Phone 7, BlackBerry, and Android have all kinds of styles to choose from. Do you want a big screen and don’t mind a heavier device? Maybe having a physical keyboard is a necessity, or perhaps you don’t mind using a touch-screen phone. You’re going to want something you’re comfortable using for an extended period of time, especially if you plan to make heavy use of it.
5. Pick the device. After you’ve limited your choices, consider when the device was first released. The newer, the better, as older devices tend to be less likely to see software updates in the future.
And that’s it! Remember that all phones have a learning curve, so even if you’re unsure about your new phone at first, you’re likely to warm up to it pretty quickly. Just give it some time.
You’ve probably noticed the ever-increasing variety of smartphone choices out there now. Phones today come in multiple different forms, have price points for every budget, and include feature sets tailored to the meet the needs of everyone from tech-experts to grandparents unfamiliar with newfangled gadgets. If I were to go about choosing the perfect smartphone, here’s what I would do:
1. Pick your carrier. Do you mind paying a bit extra for services and hardware if it gives you the flexibility of going without a contract? Or are you open to signing a contract if it means you’ll save more? If you’re in favor of the latter, choose your carrier wisely; each carrier has its pros and cons, and these depend on a number of factors like 3G vs. 4G coverage, data speeds and plans, and devices available. Laptop Mag recently published a great overview of 4G speeds on different carriers nationwide.
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4. Pick your form factor. Now that you know how much you want to pay and what operating system you’d like to spend the next two years with, you need to decide what sort of form factor you want. If you’re going iPhone, you only get one choice. But Windows Phone 7, BlackBerry, and Android have all kinds of styles to choose from. Do you want a big screen and don’t mind a heavier device? Maybe having a physical keyboard is a necessity, or perhaps you don’t mind using a touch-screen phone. You’re going to want something you’re comfortable using for an extended period of time, especially if you plan to make heavy use of it.
5. Pick the device. After you’ve limited your choices, consider when the device was first released. The newer, the better, as older devices tend to be less likely to see software updates in the future.
And that’s it! Remember that all phones have a learning curve, so even if you’re unsure about your new phone at first, you’re likely to warm up to it pretty quickly. Just give it some time.
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