Checking out the latest YouTube review by your favorite reviewer?

Depending on your favorite reviewer’s thoughts on hands-on experience in making a purchase decision is more or less the same every time. There are so many options and so many reviews which makes more difficult in picking up your next smartphone. So how do you even choose one when you are ready to take the plunge in order to buy one? Let me help you out from this dilemma. In order to keep this moving forward let’s start with some things to consider

  • Budget
  • Features
  • New/Unboxed/Refurbished
  • Longevity/Upgradability
  • The wow factor

Budget:

When you are looking for a smartphone that doesn’t going to burn a hole in your pocket I suggest to plan a budget beforehand and try to stick to it. In fact, fix a budget and try to find a device that is priced less than your budget if possible so that you can invest in decent headphones and accessories for your new phone as most of today’s mobiles doesn’t come with one.

Feature:

Remember! On a tight budget, it is impossible to find a device with features that tick all the boxes that you are interested in. So, look out for a device that excels in a category that you need most, for example, if you are the one who captures a lot of photos choose a devices that have a good rear camera, if you are the one whose priority is not charging your phone often choose a device with a better battery performance. Emphasising on one feature doesn’t mean to neglect other things but choosing according to our priorities is the key to making a good choice.

New/Unboxed:

There are tons of options these days even in a budget category with ‘almost’ flagship like features. Always prefer for a new device unless you are itching to try a last year’s flagship and taking a necessary risk which you can bear. Unboxed devices are becoming a trend in India which is almost as new ones if you buy them from a reputed seller. Buying last year’s flagship has its perks like getting an update even when it is technically released last year. These devices can also come with a warranty sometimes. Though unboxed devices are ok to use I strongly suggest retaining from refurbished ones.

Storage:

Apps on our mobile device these days are bulking up in size which effects in user available storage in a phone. Buying a 16Gigs phone with SD card option thinking that you can save everything to SD card is never going to help as the operating system takes up a major chunk of the space left with a very little storage for your Apps. Choosing a minimum of 32Gigs storage option helps not only in storage capacity but also in overall device performance.

Longevity:

Not every one of us can afford a new device immediately after buying one. Most tend to use our mobile devices at least for a year and then move on. Buying a powerful device that can with a hold for that long with timely updates is always recommended. Having your device up to date android is also a key factor in its performance. If you are capable enough you can always look on our website or forums like XDA for other custom ROMs and other interesting things to do.

The Wow Factor:

In disregard to features, some of us opt for unique devices may it be for its different design or a special unique feature that is not available in any other devices in the market deserting features, the condition of the phone are just for that one special design or feature. Features like secondary display, the thickness of the phone or a catchy design. These kinds of phones are great conversation starters and are for the people who treat their phone as a fashion accessory rather than a mobile device. By buying such kind of device may let you down in other departments but hey! What can I say, you made your statement.

These are just a few things to start considering when you are planning to buy a new mobile device on a budget. Apart from these other things being tried out the phone in your hand if possible, see if you like the design, usability and options in person, check the durability of the device. Don’t go too much into numbers (benchmarks scores, processor speed etch.) a normal user will be fine with 2-3Gigs of RAM if you are a power user plan at least for 3Gigs of it. And as a pro-tip never ever cloud yourself with a single manufacture and most importantly be sure that you have all your needs fulfilled right out of the box.