5 tips when buying a new smartphone

Buying a new smartphone can become very complicated, so in this article we give you 5 tips so that you know what to pay attention to.

Whether you get a new device every year with a new subscription, or buy a smartphone once every five years, there are always a lot of factors involved in the selection process. To make that process a little easier, we are listing some important aspects of that process today. These are 5 things to keep in mind when buying a new smartphone.

Tips when buying a new smartphone

If you are going for a new device, there are of course all different factors that you have to take into account. Price is an important factor, but not something we can give concrete tips about. After all, we can’t look in your wallet. It is also difficult to say whether a smartphone is worth it. That is so dependent on the model, that in such a case it is best to use an existing review.

Ecosystem

Besides price, the ecosystem is another fundamental aspect of the smartphone. You basically have two flavors: iOS or Android. Obviously iOS is from Apple and many users swear by it. iOS is streamlined and accessible, but also limited and closed off from many features and third-party apps.

Android is open source, which means that every manufacturer makes its own ‘shell’ around it. As a result, each sub-version of Android is slightly different. In general, Android is extensive and gives the user many options, but can also be experienced as opaque and erratic.

Display – OLED vs LCD

The display is also an area where some tips for buying a new smartphone apply. There are a lot of seemingly different display technologies available. On the other hand, as we emphasize in the OLED vs LCD article, those two are the only two terms you need to know. All other additions are pure marketing.

In principle, an LCD screen is cheaper than an OLED display, while the service life of the former is also somewhat longer. OLED can then produce a better contrast.

Storage area

Storage space is another thing that you shouldn’t overlook too quickly. After all, there is nothing more annoying than not being able to install an app because there is no more space. Fortunately, there are many cloud services that can accommodate other storage-hungry content such as photos and files.

Nevertheless, it is useful to have a good amount at home. Anything under 64GB I would stay out of the way. In addition, it is very useful if your smartphone has expandable memory. Insert an SD card and you’re hundreds of gigs richer.

Battery super/not important

Some other important (conflicting) tips when buying a new smartphone: the size of the battery is incredibly important, but you don’t have to pay attention to it. That, of course, requires some explanation.

A 5000mAh (milliampere hour, unit for battery size) smartphone battery will theoretically last much longer than a 3000mAh battery. That’s true, but it depends a lot on the health of a battery and what you do with it.

If you choose a smartphone with a gigantic screen, a large battery is essential since the display usually requires the most energy. If the device has a small display and a large battery, you can count on a long battery life. Furthermore, one manufacturer can do more with a small battery than another with a large one; that differs per company and per model.

Then there is the charging speed (expressed in watts). There are smartphones that charge with 160W, but usually you can expect about 30W. The higher the wattage, the faster the device is charged (relative to the battery size).

Support

Finally, there is one more thing that you should always take with you when buying a new phone: support. First of all, the why. Smartphones usually get software updates for about three years and that is extremely important. Not only do you get new features for a long time, but you also get something behind the scenes, namely protection. Hackers are learning more and more about vulnerabilities and manufacturers regularly seal those leaks. So you want to stay protected for as long as possible.

Unfortunately, it varies a lot how many updates you get. Budget devices can sometimes count on only 2 years, while Apple recently announced that a six-year-old device still gets the next operating system. So before purchasing a new smartphone, check what the manufacturer promises in terms of updates.

Those were some of the most important tips for people who are planning to buy a new smartphone. Did we miss some essential tips? Then let us know in the comments.