Smartphone Shopping Tips

Are you currently in the market for a new smartphone? Are trying to figure out which one you should get? With so many different models and brands being released pretty much every month or so, trying to decide which one to purchase can sometimes make you want to pull your hair out. If you’re planning to buy a smartphone for your own personal use, however, there are a few factors you should take into consideration before you make a decision.

Which Features Are Most Important to You?

Deciding on which smartphone to purchase can depend on a number of important factors. First of all, you need to consider the features you are looking for in a smartphone. If you are only planning to use your phone to talk, text, email and chat, you may not need a very high-end smartphone in order to accomplish these feats. Virtually any smartphone on the market today can provide you with these basic functions. You will not have to spend a huge amount of money if these are the only features that are most important to you.

If you happen to be one of those people who use their smartphone as their main camera, GPS device, MP3 music player, video player and media streaming device, then you’re going want to purchase a higher-end smartphone with a lot more bells and whistles. These higher-end phones are going to be a bit more expensive than the lower-end models. So if you like to keep up with the latest technological trends, you should be prepared to spend a significantly higher amount of money on your next smartphone.

Smartphone Operating Systems

Now, which Operating System do you prefer? Apple uses a platform called iOS on their iPhone smartphones. Microsoft uses a Windows OS, Blackberry has its own OS and of course, Android is another very popular Operating System.

There are hundreds of thousands of applications you can download and run on your smartphone. Many of these apps depend on the OS you are running on your device. Not every app is available for every OS. Some of the apps you can get for your iPhone are not available for an Android, Blackberry or Windows smartphone, and vice versa.

Smartphone Specifications

Most smartphones on the market can offer you all of the standard features like, talk, text and email capabilities, SMS messaging and chat functions, camera functions, video recording, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. The lower-end smartphone models tend to have all of these features, but they offer smaller LCD screen sizes, slower processors, very little internal memory, and only a rear camera with lower resolution.

Higher-end smartphone models often have features like larger screen sizes, higher camera resolution (front and rear), super-fast processors, and more internal phone memory, among various other advanced features and functions. Again, these are going to cost significantly more than the lower-end phones, but if you want all the extra bells and whistles, you’re going to have to pony up the dough for them.

Who is Your Service Provider?

Depending on which company provides your cell phone service, you will either need a CDMA or a GSM smartphone. Companies like Sprint and Verizon have CDMA networks, while T-mobile and AT&T use GSM networks. Some phones are locked to specific companies, while others are unlocked and can be used with any carrier whose service is compatible with the phone’s specific network type (GSM or CDMA). Also, you’ll need to decide whether to choose a contract plan or a prepaid plan. Depending on which company provides your service, some contract smartphones will not work on prepaid plans.

All in all, there are a lot of factors to consider when you’re trying to decide on the right smartphone. Basically, choosing a phone with the right price range, specifications and features that meet your specific needs is the best way to go.