These
days, the power and functionality in a palm-sized smartphone would have taken
up an entire storage room in the 1960's. Today, your cell phone is a constant
companion, a pocket-sized link to the news, entertainment and social circles
that color your world. It's your office assistant, your bank, your game, your
book, your radio, your music player, your source of entertainment, your bible,
your qu'ran, your weight loss monitor and
so much more.
That's why it's so important to find the right mobile phone that
best fits your needs.
I therefore recommend that you consider the following
factors:
1. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO USE IT FOR?
Do you want to use
your phone just to make calls and receive calls? Or do you need your
phone to send text messages only? Alternatively, do you want to use your
cellphone to take pictures? Browse the internet?
The thing with
smartphone technology these days is that there are so many phones in the market
and they are all the 'best' at one thing or the other. Some phones have the
best cameras, the best internet browsers etc. In choosing your mobile phone,
focus on what you want to use it for. If you understand exactly what skills and
capabilities you'd like to see in your new phone, it'll help you avoid paying
too much for features you don't want or need.
For a good balance, we like the Samsung Galaxy Note 4,
Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, Huawei Ascend Mate 2, Nokia Lumia 1520. For
iPhone loyalists, consider the iPhone 6 Plus. For monetary considerations try
the Tecno Phantom Z and the Blackberry Z3.
2. WHAT'S THE BATTERY LIFE?
With many smartphones
having dual-core, quad-core (hardcore any time soon?) processors and big
screens, smartphones have never been more powerful–or more power hungry. Yes,
specs and apps matter, but what good are they if you’re looking for a charger
by midday?
One way to tell how
much battery life your smartphone will provide on a charge is to take a look at
the battery capacity. Typical phone batteries start in the neighborhood of
1,700mAh and go all the way up to 3,500mAh. Generally, the closer you get to
3,000 mAh (milliamp hours) — or above the better. In The Laptop Mag battery
test, the Huawei Ascend Mate 2 topped the list and lasted for 14
hours and 43 minutes. Other phones that put up a good showing in the test
include the Sony Xperia Z3 (12 hours , 9 minutes), Nokia Lumia 1520 (11hours,
28 minutes), Samsung Galaxy S5 (10 hours, 50 minutes), HTC One M8 (10
hours, 50 minutes), and Apple iPhone 6 Plus (10 hours).
3. DOES SIZE MATTER?
All pun intended. Big-screen
phones are growing on shoppers. In fact, phablets (phones with displays 5
inches or larger) now account for about 20% of all smartphones sold in the
Nigerian market. Bigger phone screens give you a lot more real estate for
watching movies, playing games and enjoying photos. The trade-off is that the
phone isn’t easy to operate with one hand, tends to be heavier and can be a
tight fit for front pockets.
Large (Over
5.1-inches): So-called "phablets" (phone + tablets) have
bigger screens, which provide a generous viewing area and easier on-screen
typing. But they can be bulky.
Standard Size (4.5 to
5.1 inches): The mainstream size for flagship phones like the Galaxy
S5, Nokia Lumia and HTC One.
Compact Size (Below
4.5 inches): Many phones, including the 4-inch iPhone and the 4.3-inch
HTC One Mini provide smaller, more pocket-friendly form factors.
4. WHAT OPERATING SYSTEM SHOULD YOU
USE?
If you're buying a smartphone, the operating system
can make a big difference in how you use your device. At the moment there are
four major operating systems vying for your attention. Here's a brief overview
of what each one has to offer.
Android
Open source platform
that allows third-party developers to create apps and tools
Designed as a
consumer- and social network-centric platform
Easy to customize to
match your needs and tastes
Over a million apps
available via the Google Play store
Apple iOS
Integrates iTunes app and Safari
mobile Web browser
The same technology powers all
Apple devices for seamless communication between Apple devices
Thousands of officially approved
apps available via the App Store
BlackBerry
Created for business users for
easy access to e-mail and text messaging
Updated BlackBerry 10 operating
system creates a more interactive, user-friendly experience
Ideal for international use
Windows Phone
Personalized, user-friendly
experience that communicates seamlessly with Microsoft computers and other
devices
Easily customizable touch-screen
interface
SkyDrive app allows
easy management of documents, photos and videos
5. CAMERA
A phone's camera
depends on a whole host of variables. Though you might think that more
megapixels is better, that's not always the case. You can get sharper images
from a 5-megapixel camera than from an 8-megapixel shooter, so it's better to
concentrate on other specs such as the quality of the lens as well as the
camera sensor.
6. STORAGE & EXPANSION
Given that you’ll
store everything from photos and music to videos and apps on your smartphone,
opt for as much internal memory and upgradable memory as you can. We recommend
you choose a device that has a microSD card slot.
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