Smartphone Buyers Guide

A buyers’ guide to smartphones

When it comes to gadgets then the smartphone is one of the must-have essentials for anyone wanting to stay connected, no matter where they happen to be. These amazing little devices have revolutionised the way we use our mobile phones by combining traditional handset features with powerful business and home computing features.

Previously, smartphones were generally the sole preserve of business people but now that there are countless models to choose from you’ll easily find a handset that suits your own needs. Better still, competition is helping to drive down prices while also meaning that touchscreen smartphones now come with even more impressive technical specifications than ever before.

What to look out for in a smartphone

There are now plenty of manufacturers who produce smartphones and choice seems to grow on a daily basis. Key players in the marketplace are electronics giants like BlackBerry, Apple, HTC, Samsung and Palm. Of the other leading handset manufacturers, Nokia is a prime example of a company that has done its best to stay on top of this tidal wave of handsets but has lost ground due to the stiff competition.

Nevertheless, Nokia and the likes of Sony Ericsson, LG, Motorola or Acer all have models that really mean business in the world of the smartphone. What’s more, while the phone itself can be one thing that you may have a brand preference over, the other thing to consider is the operating system that it is running on.
Manufacturers like Apple, BlackBerry and Palm all have their own bespoke OS onboard their phones.

However, there has been massive growth in the popularity of the Google-developed Android operating system and sales of phones with this system running are now overtaking the likes of the Apple iPhone in the States. Adding a little bit of colour to proceedings is Symbian, the OS used by Nokia on some of its smartphones and following that up is Windows Mobile, which is due to be replaced by an entirely new
mobile OS from Microsoft at the end of this year.

Performance versus looks

Of course, it’s reasonable to expect any smartphone to deliver decent performance, and any of the operating systems mentioned above will deliver the goods on most counts. Personal preference will come into play when deciding which one is best for you and that’s something also reflected in the design of a smartphone.

The touchscreen handset is now the dominant force in the market with onscreen keyboards and, in some cases, slide out QWERTY keyboards too.

Again, usability if a big deciding factor on which model to go for, and it’s not until you try one of the many smartphones on the market that you can usually determine whether or not you’ll get on with it. Convenience is the watchword for most people when it comes to having a decent handset, so alongside the screen, battery life and camera, you’ll probably want to be able to carry out all of your tasks with ease.

The Apple iPhone has a lot of fans because of its user-friendliness but there are many other smartphones on the market now that’ll do similar tricks and often for a lot less cash. Lookout for a decent mobile internet experience and what sort of connectivity is on offer, although 3g phones with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and all the rest of the connectivity toys are commonplace nowadays. Don’t forget music and movie playing applications, GPS, plus assorted other goodies that will bump up the usable life of your new acquisition.

Power to the people

One of the main issues with modern smartphones is their power and performance. Battery life is often a big issue on some devices, and you’ll need to have a charger handy for many. Added to that, all of the toys onboard mean that you’ll be putting the processor and memory through their paces too. So, as with buying any other gadget, look to get as high a specification as your wallet will allow. There’s nothing
worse than buying a phone and then realising it is too underpowered.

Now that apps are becoming increasingly commonplace on all sorts of smartphones, not just the Apple iPhone, the demand for more powerful specifications is increasing all the time. Storage is another area that is growing on smartphones, and while your out-of-the-box handset may not come with a huge amount most models can be upgraded, often with the likes of a microSD card.

Get connected

If time is tight then you’ll find that a free comparison website like Broadband Genie is probably the best way of picking through countless deals, offers and payment plans that are available today. You’ll be able to compare different models of smartphone, while weighing up their technical specifications, and then go on to get an idea of what’s involved on the payment front.

There are so many different variables involved in deciding on which mobile network to go with that it can be the trickiest part of the process. It’s a good idea to go to the respective providers websites and check the coverage levels you can expect using a postcode checker. From there you should be able to see whether you’ll get a 2G or 3G signal and also weigh up if you’re better off tapping into Wi-Fi as found in many hotspots like airports, cafes and bars up and down the country.

Finally, read up on the terms and conditions of any package that you go for, paying particular attention to data usage, including how much you can download and upload from your new handset. A little time spent doing this before signing on the dotted line can end up saving you cash if you pick the right deal after making an informed decision.

About the author: Chris Marling writes on behalf of www.broadbandgenie.co.uk, the independent comparison website for broadband, mobile broadband and smartphones.

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