However, before going through all that you have to first analyze and introspect as to what are the things you want from the device and the price you are willing to pay for it. While you are at it you must be practical and logical about striking a balance between the features you want and the price you are willing to pay. Once you are through that, it will be a lot easier to skim through the phones that offer those features within the budget you have allocated for the same. You can easily do that by going through a couple of good online shopping websites. They offer the option of using a number of filters, to shorten the list, which goes a long way in saving time and effort that you would otherwise have required for this whole exercise. Let's take a look at the things to consider before buying a smartphone.
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Operating System
There are a number of operating systems in the
market today. However the top three Operating
Systems of today are Google’s Android, Apple’s
IOS and Microsoft’s Windows Phone. You must
consider the pros and cons before deciding on
any one of them.
It is anybody’s guess that Android has the lion’s
share of the market in terms of sales and is
apparently the most customizable platform of
the lot. The launch of Android Kitkat 4.4 adds
new dimensions to the Operating System and
offers smoothest android experience ever.
Android also offers highest number of apps
through the play store.
While the IOS of Apple is second to none and
offers the most polished and sophisticated look
and feel of the lot and with the I phone 5S and I
phone 5C being launched with the latest version
of the Operating System IOS 7 that has given
new meaning to the word premium. The IOS
tends to get the hottest apps and games even
before Android as it is easier to target the
similar specced devices running the IOS.
However, the IOS only comes with the Apple
phones and tablets and does not have the kind
of variety enjoyed by Android.
Windows Phone Operating System is still
evolving and lags behind the IOS and Android in
terms of number of apps and sales. However, it
has a long way to go and is probably a good
choice for people looking for the best camera
phones. The Nokia Lumia series phones are all
windows phones and are arguably the best
camera phones in the market today.
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Hardware Configuration
So far I discussed about the software part, now
let’s move on to the hardware part or the
hardware specifications like the processor and
RAM. Now in order to decide what kind of
specifications you need or want, you should first
know what all you want to use your smartphone
for. It is imperative that you know what all you
will use your phone for; browsing internet, e-
mails, editing documents, playing games,
watching videos or movies, listening to music
etc.
Once you have a fair idea you can decide
whether you want a high-end premium phone, a
mid range phone or a budget phone and can
take it further from there. If you want to play
High definition games on your phone, you may
want a processor of highest grade like the
qualcomm snapdragon 800 and at least 2 GB of
RAM to go with it. On the other hand if you will
only be using it for browsing internet and e-
mails etc besides basic telephonic functions,
than a dual core processor and 512 MB of RAM
may suffice.
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Internal storage and Expandable Memory
A smartphone is as good as the amount of
memory or storage it has. You may buy a
smartphone with the best hardware
specifications but if it does not have enough
memory, it may not be able to satiate your
appetite. Therefore you must emphasize on
getting a smartphone with enough internal
storage and probably with a provision for
expansion through a SD card. Now the question
is how much is enough? Well the answer to that
lies within you.
You have to ask yourself as to how many apps
you will use, whether you will use it for listening
to music or watching movies and would want to
have your collection on your phone. Depending
on all these things you may choose how much
memory you will need. Most of the
smartphones have internal memory ranging
from 2GB to 64GB, while some of them offer
expandable storage through SD card.
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Screen size and Quality
When it comes to size of display or screen,
different people have different perspectives.
Some may want a screen size that would easily
fit into the pocket and could be easily used with
one hand and yet should be sufficiently big for
enjoying videos. Some others may want a large
screen irrespective of whether it fits into the
pocket or not. While some might want a phone
with a small display which is easy to handle.
Besides the size the quality too has an
important role to play. A smartphone with low
resolution may not be able to play those HD
videos you have, while those videos may not
look good on a smartphone with a large screen
in excess of 5 inches but a low PPI of 200
something. You must look for a smartphone that
offers the right balance of screen size and
screen quality within your budget. You may
sacrifice a Full HD screen for a QHD screen to
get a bigger screen or vice versa
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Pricing and Budget
The budget could be the biggest spoilsport when
it comes to taking a final decision. You must
ensure that you do not overspend. While you
should also make sure that you do not
compromise on important things for a small
price differential. You are the best judge of how
long you plan to use the device and must make
an informed choice based on a comprehensive
research, which you do not regret at a later
stage.
Moreover, you could also make use of various
price comparison sites like mysmartprice.com to
get the best price a particular device is available
for at various online stores. You could also use
the lowest or best price so derived as a
benchmark to negotiate the price with your
neighborhood store guy.

well said!

Good Morning.

Please you were oblivious of BlackBerry OS.
The new 10.3.981 is sui-generis, very cool. It now installs android apps faster than its predecessors.

I prefer it to android OS any day.

Those using it can testify.

Thanks.

Regards,
@ccm_poet

Pls i'm gettin smart phone 1st time. My specs: android,rugged,dual sim,lasting battery,good in built memory and expandable,pocket and budget size (15-20k),durable,gud camera,etc. Pls advice

Nah, d first thing is to make sure u are smart. Dont eva let ur phone outsmart u.