Mobile Buying Guide

Buying a new mobile can be a complicated process for people who are not very tech savvy. There are numerous great smartphone options out there which can make it difficult to choose the right mobile. Fortunately, there are a few important factors that can help you decide which smartphone model is suited for your needs. So, we have compiled this smartphone buying guide that includes important things you need to consider before buying a new mobile. 

 

This mobile phone buying guide will help you understand the factors that you should consider before deciding which smartphone to buy: 

Brands

When purchasing a new phone, brands have become a very crucial determining factor in everyone’s decision-making process. The brand which a particular phone is associated with can set its reputation in the market and hence, affect its sales and demand. 

 

Today, you will find top brands such as Apple, Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and more dominating the market. People prefer specific smartphone brands and stay loyal to them for the quality experience that they offer. With various preferences and priorities in mind, you might find yourself choosing a brand that excels in living up to your expectations. 

Camera 

A camera is a very important part of your smartphone. After all, you will capture your sweetest memories on your phone. The camera hardware consists of features such as megapixels, its lens, a selfie camera, set-up and stabilisation features. The camera software includes the HDR (high dynamic range), various modes of capturing images, focus features, etc. 

 

The presence and quality of all these features is an important parameter of deciding whether or not your brand new smartphone camera is a good one. Features like an ultra wide lens, 4K video quality, and optical image stabilisation can enhance your filming and photography experience exponentially.   

Screen Size

This is an important tip on the mobile phone buying guide. Depending on your preferences, the screen size of your phone can make or break the deal when it comes to picking the right smartphone. If your phone usage pertains strictly to basic social media and browsing, a 4.5 inch screen should be ideal. 

 

However, for heavy utilisation like e-reading, split-screen usage, video editing, gaming, and more, a screen measuring 6 inches or more should offer a smooth and stress-free experience. Another quality tip under the mobile buying guide is to have the right resources that protect you from screen damage expenses. For instance, you could get the CPP Fonesafe Lite (Mobile Screen Insurance) at just ₹649 and save yourself from the unforeseen costs of a broken phone screen. 

Display 

Your phone’s display or the screen is also an important factor as you will be using the screen to enter your commands through the touch-based sensors and view the phone's display output. Usually, OLED screens are considered to be the best when it comes to picture quality, but phones with OLED screens can be expensive. 

 

Phones with regular LCD screens, but good resolution and high brightness, can also be considered. Most importantly, make sure the screen has high-level Gorilla glass so that your screen does not break too easily. If you are worried about the screen breaking too easily, you should consider buying the CPP FoneSafe or CPP Mobile Protect cover to insure your phone’s screen and other parts. 

Refresh Rate

The refresh rate of your smartphone refers to how many times can your phone’s screen display update its quality per second. This is calculated in Hz (hertz). The higher the refresh rate of your cell phone display, the greater your viewing experience will be.

 

Basic phone usage like calling and browsing through the internet/social media doesn’t require a refresh rate of more than 60Hz. 90Hz is perfect for basic gaming, emailing, heavy browsing, etc. If you are someone who indulges in intensive gaming, video editing, and movie-bingeing, 120Hz and above should be the ideal fit for you. 

RAM  

A phone’s RAM or Random Access Memory refers to a phone’s capability to multitask and run several applications or programs parallelly. The higher the RAM of a phone, the more smoothly it can multitask while a number of applications are running simultaneously. 

 

Modern high-end smartphones have RAM of around 8-12 GB. When buying a new smartphone, make sure the phone has RAM of at least 6-8 GB for it to function smoothly. However, Apple smartphones perform much better with lower RAM specs as they are built to be more optimised.

Processor 

The processor of your smartphone allows it to carry all of its functions. It’s important to pick a smartphone with a fast processor as it will ensure that your phone is capable of carrying out all tasks at very high speeds. 

 

Apple phones have A-series Bionic processors whereas Android phones are powered by processors from Snapdragon, MediaTek, Dimensity, Exynos, and many more. 

Storage

If you are someone who stores a lot of data on your phone such as photos, videos, music, heavy applications and games, then you will need a phone with a high storage capacity. If you need space for all the above, you should choose a phone with a minimum storage of 256 GB. 

 

However, if you only use your phone for messaging, calling, email and browsing the internet and do not use too many heavy applications or store media on your phone, a storage of 128 GB should be plenty. 

Operating System

There are mainly two operating systems available to choose from when you are buying a smartphone. The Apple iPhones come with an ultra-smooth and convenient iOS operating system. On the other hand, Android phones come equipped with ‘Android’ operating systems, which are more useful for people who like to customise their phones heavily. 

 

If you want a fast, intuitively easy-to-use operating system with very few complicated features, iOS would be the right choice for you. However,  if you like tinkering with your phone and installing custom ROM and other software, an Android operating system would be a better option. 

Now that you understand all the important factors that need to be considered from the smartphone buying guide, you can make an informed decision based on your budget and needs. Remember to buy your phone from a reputed smartphone brand that offers a warranty and good after-sales service. The battery life of a phone is also a factor that needs to be considered. Most importantly, get a mobile insurance plan such as the CPP FoneSafe, CPP Mobile Protect cover to keep your brand new mobile financially covered against theft and various kinds of damages.