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How To Choose The Right Phone For You:
The time is now, you’re ready to upgrade your rusty old phone to something with a little more elegance, maybe a new Samsung, or perhaps you’ve heard of Huawei being mentioned recently, or do you go for the newer model iPhone?
This is a challenge that we all have to face, and there are so many factors in choosing the right phone, it’s easy to be paralyzed and just go for the model up from what you have.
That’s why in this post we are going to make it easier for you, by going through the important factors of how to choose the right phone for you.
A mobile phone in 2019 is not only used for calls and texts, but browsing the web, in fact, 52.2% of all website traffic was through mobile in the year of 2018, and this is set to rise in the coming years.
Your mobile houses a camera, often a good one at that. As well as an entertainment system, such as Netflix to keep you entertained on the train to work.
We are using our phones more and more and if you are anything like me, you’re checking the ‘Digital Wellbeing’ feature regularly to try and kick that social media habit.
So, how do you choose the right phone for you?
Well, let’s get started…
Budget
Firstly and most importantly, you’ll want to set a budget for yourself, there is no point spending £800 on a brand new top of the range phone if you are working on a building site, or if you use your phone to call your gran once a week and the rest of the time its locked in a dusty cupboard.
You have the option of either purchasing the phone outright (SIM-free), or taking out a contract deal from one of the big networks, such as EE, Vodaphone, Virgin and more.
The good thing about taking out a mobile phone contract is that often providers offer flexible terms, which allows you to choose from 12, 24 and even 36 months.
This means you can spread the cost of your mobile phone over a long period of time.
However this does come at a price, and you can often end up paying a lot more money if you spread the cost for too long. Sometimes it may be better for you to purchase the phone outright if you are someone who rarely uses the phone it can be a good idea.
This means paying for the phone, then purchasing a SIM-only contract or going Pay-As-You-Go, which is often, much cheaper than taking the phone out on a contract, as you own the phone and only need data, minutes and texts.
Budget is the key factor in buying a phone, as you don’t want to cripple yourself financially by taking out a super expensive phone if you cannot afford it.
However, if you can, then you will see the benefits of a high-quality camera, beautiful display for viewing content and often-great battery life.
However, having a low budget does not mean that you are going to get a worse phone in some cases, there are phone likes the Huawei P Smart 2019 which are incredibly cheap, yet very powerful phones which bring a lot to the table.
We would always recommend doing a little research before choosing the right for you, as it is easy to jump the gun and opt for the latest and greatest smartphone, but this can come with consequences later on down the line.
Which Operating System Do I Choose?
When it comes to choosing an operating system, it can be hard to know which way to turn.
The two main competitors here are iOS, which are used on Apple devices, and Android, which are used on Samsung, Huawei and other devices.
iOS devices are typically more expensive, as Apple makes them, these are iPhones and often come with a hefty price tag.
This is why you need to consider budget, as often iOS devices range from between £400 – £1300 at the top end. On the other hand Android devices can be obtained for much less, from between £100 – 1200.
Considering other devices you own is a great place to start, as if you down own and iPad or an Apple Mac you may want to opt for an iOS device for much better integration between devices.
If you are someone who owns Google and Microsoft tech, an Android operating system could be the better choice for you.
Choosing the right operating system is an important part of how to choose the right phone for you, it is the foundation of the way your phone runs and operates.
Try to think about which features you would like on your smartphone.
For example, iOS offers exclusive features like Siri, Facetime and has iCloud support. Whilst Android offers Google Now, Google Drive, Cloud Storage and home screen widgets that are customizable.
Apple Pros:
- Extremely easy to use – getting used to the Apple OS is incredibly simple, a couple of hours using the phone and you’ll be well on your way to being fully set up with all of your favourite features.
- Secure – The Apple operating system has a huge budget behind it, Apple is constantly updating the device with the latest security patches to ensure to intruders can gain access to your phone.
- Apple Store – The Apple Store is a hub that contains some amazing apps, from handy navigation maps, to your favourite games. All of which have been vetted beforehand to ensure they are safe for us.
Apple Cons:
- Expensive – One of the biggest downsides to Apple devices are that they are extremely expensive, the saying “you get what you pay for” springs to mind here but Android users may disagree.
- No Expandable Storage – Another downside to the might iPhones is that they offer no expandable storage, this can be frustrating if you are someone that uses your phone for work, as once your phone is full you are forced to upgrade or delete files.
Android Pros:
- Easy To Use – Generally Android devices are easy to use, getting set up takes no longer than 20 minutes and the Android interface is incredibly user-friendly.
- Customisable – This is arguably one of the best things about the Android operating system, being to customize your theme, to changing your keyboard and much more.
- Universal Phone Charger – Android devices use the already established micro-USB, this is used in many devices whereas the Apple lightning connector is for Apple devices only.
Android Cons:
- Not as Secure – In the past Android devices have been known to be more prone to attacks, Google has really ramped up the security on their operating system but we do not feel they are as secure as Apple devices.
- Overheating – This can be a common problem especially among the cheaper Android devices, we noticed in some of our mobile phone reviews when gaming on the cheaper devices, they would often overheat and force us to quit the game.
- Lag – Android devices are often associated with lag, on the cheaper models especially. This is because they are not as streamlined and do not have a great caching system like Apple devices.
Both Apple and Android devices offer great operating systems, but it is down to you to weigh up the pros and cons and decide which is going to be the best option for how you use your phone.
We personally love how secure Apple devices are; constant security patches on Apple are great, ensuring that nobody gains access to your phone.
However we personally own an Android device, the Samsung Galaxy S10 to be exact.
This is because we love how customizable the operating system is, and it caters to our gaming needs much more than an Apple device can.
Do I Need A Waterproof Mobile Phone?
This may seem obvious, but checking to see if the mobile phone you are interested in has an IP rating is an important part of how to choose the right phone for you.
Especially if you are using the phone outdoors or are someone who uses their phone in the tub.
If you’ve ever bathed your phone in rice thinking that after 24 hours it’s going to magically come back to life, then you need to be checking the IP ratings.
An IP67 waterproof rating means that your phone can be dropped into a body of water up to a meter for half an hour, whilst an IP68 rating allows the phone to be submerged in up to 1.5m of water for the same 30 minutes.
Granted, most mid-high end phones have at least an IP67 rating in 2019, but we do advise checking as if your phone does take a dunk, you’ll wish you had.
How To Choose The Right Network Provider?
Choosing the right network provider is another major part of how to choose the right phone for you.
It is easy to give this one a miss and just opt for the provider with the cheapest deals, however each offer different perks that may sway your opinion on the network.
Here are some of the benefits of each provider:
EE:
- – Swappable Benefits:
– Music Data Pass
– BT Sports app
– Video Data Pass
– Roam Further Pass
– UK’s best network 5 years running
O2:
- – Access to event tickets up to 48 hours before release
– Customisable plan
– 36 Month Contracts
Three:
- – Generally very cheap
– Travel benefits
– Great value for money
We do recommend checking out each UK provider’s benefits, as some of them could be extremely beneficial to you; we are with EE and find that their BT sports app is fantastic for watching football.
Checking the mobile provider’s coverage in your area is essential, this can be done easily on the provider’s website by simply typing in your postcode, you will get an accurate reading of how strong the signal will be in your area.
Rootmetrics are an independent body that tests each network regularly for coverage, reliability and more.
EE has been voted the best for 5 years in a row, with Vodaphone and 3 closely behind.
However, these networks do charge a premium rate for their services, so this needs to be taken into account too.
With networks such as 3 and Sky often offering much cheaper deals than the likes of EE.
Choosing The Best Phone Around Your Lifestyle:
When it comes time to upgrade, sitting down and thinking about what you love most about your phone, and what you would like most about a new phone is important.
Mobile phones have become an important part of our lives in the modern age, which is why making sure we get the handset which is going to benefit us most is critical.
Are you someone who uses your mobile phone for gaming?
If so they you may want to opt for a phone with great performance specs, such as the OnePlus 7 Pro or Apple iPhone XR.
Or maybe you love to binge Netflix whilst you’re on the commute to work?
Then the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus or iPhone XS Max could be more up your street.
Mobile phones with a bigger screen size often drain battery life quicker, so opting for something with an OLED and a big battery is a great idea if you like to watch YouTube and Netflix on your phone.
These are all important questions to ask yourself when it comes to choosing the right phone for you.
Often we find that the camera is a critical part of choosing a phone, as we all love to be able to use our smartphone to take photos of loved ones or pets.
The smartphone camera has replaced the need to invest in an expensive DSLR, as the likes of Samsung, Huawei and Apple phones all have fantastic cameras built-in nowadays.
Another big part of choosing the right phone for you is the battery life, there is nothing worse than taking your phone out on a morning and it being flat by tea time.
If this is you then opting for a phone with a big battery could be important, the Google Pixel 4 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10 could be great options for you if this is the case.
Summary
With so many phones to choose from it can be a daunting task finding the right smartphone.
Often we are tieing into a one, two or even three-year contract with network providers for these handsets so it is important to try and make the best decision.
Each phone is slightly different and offers different benefits and perks, but weighing them up against how you use your phone on a daily basis and keeping it in the budget can be a hard task.
We hope we have made it the choice easier on choosing your next phone, and if there is a device you have in mind feel free to check out our mobile phones reviews as we may be able to help you in deciding if this is the next phone for you.