Smartphones have evolved quickly, which is why you’ll want to make sure you know exactly what you’re buying for your money. Sometimes people are looking for a phone that has great battery life. Other times, people want the most affordable option. Regardless of your situation, there are a number of things that you should consider before buying a new smartphone.
Processor
The processor essentially dictates how fast you’ll be able to browse the web, type out emails and updates, play games and use demanding apps. And while more doesn’t always mean better, a smartphone with a slow processor will often feel sluggish, so it’s definitely important to make sure you have a decent one.
RAM
RAM, or Random Access Memory, is a key feature for any smartphone these days. Your phone relies on RAM to store files and applications in an effort to keep things running smoothly. Typically, you want to aim for 2 GB of RAM or more.
Here’s how this works – let’s say you’re listening to music, playing a game, and taking photos at the same time. Without enough RAM, your phone will have to hang up on one of these programs in order to run the other ones.
Display Size
What size phone do you want? It may sound silly to ask, but the answer really depends on what you plan on using your phone for. For instance, if you watch a lot of movies and TV shows on your phone, or play challenging games that require more screen space, then a larger display is probably worth paying extra for. If you just want to check your email and text friends, though, larger phones might seem unnecessary.
Storage
Storage has less to do with the performance of your smartphone and more to do with how much you can store on it. Think about what you need to store (pictures and movies) and how much space those things take up. If you’re really concerned about storage, though, you should consider a cloud service like Apple iCloud or Google Drive. These services allow you to save content online without taking up any space on your device.
Battery Life
While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all number to look out for, there is one measurably important factor that goes into battery capacity: milliamp hours. Capacity is measured in milliamp-hours — which basically refers to the size of the battery. Unfortunately, this is a metric that doesn’t really suggest how long a phone will last on a charge.