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Mobile Buying Guide
Not so long ago, mobile phones were only used for texting or calling people. Nowadays things are very different though, there’s a lot more choice on the market which is good for consumers, but this can often lead to confusion too. Don’t start looking for a mobile phone until you’ve asked yourself these few questions:
What will I be using the mobile for?
The type of mobile that you should buy will depend on what you want to use it for. If you’re just going to be using it to stay in contact with people then you buy just about any mobile and you’ll be fine. There are plenty of really cheap (£20 or less) mobile phones that would be perfect for you. However, if you want to download apps, play games or listen to music then you probably should purchase a smartphone. Years ago smartphones were very expensive but these days you don’t necessarily have to buy an iPhone if you want to download apps.
Mobile phone manufacturers have realised that there is demand for cheap smartphones which is good news for anyone that wants a smartphone without paying too much for one.
Will I be calling/texting a lot?
If you use your mobile a lot then you might be better off going on a monthly contract rather than buying a phone and then topping up your phone all the time. If you sign up to a yearly contract or whatever you could get the phone that you want for free or get a good discount off it. If you don’t really use too many minutes or texts then you’ll be better off buying the mobile off contract and then topping up whenever you need to.
Next, you need to decide what features matter the most to you. If you’re on a tight budget then you won’t be able to get all the features you need so try to write down which ones you really want, and which ones it’d be nice to have. Here are some features that you should take a look at before purchasing a mobile:
Display – If you use your mobile to surf the web, watch videos, look at pictures etc. then you need to make sure that the display on the mobile is very good. You don’t want to be looking at all of your photos if the display on the mobile is terrible, do you? Look for a phone that has a high screen resolution as this usually gives you a good idea of the quality of the screen. If you really want a top quality display then you should purchase a phone that has AMOLED display, these screens are amazing compared to other screens that are on mobiles.
Design – Before you decide on what phone you want to buy, try to test it out. Hold it up to your ear to see if it’s comfortable, write a message on it to see if you can type easily on it (especially when it comes to touchscreen mobiles), will it fit in your pocket, will the phone break if you let it fall once or twice etc.
Camera – If you’re always taking photographs or recording videos then you’ll want to get a mobile that has a good quality camera. Some phones have 8 megapixel cameras but anything that’s around 5 megapixels would be more than enough for most people. Think about it, when you get a phone that has a decent camera you’ll never have to carry around a digital camera with you ever again!
Battery Life – Don’t forget to find out how long the battery will last before handing over your hard earned cash for a mobile. Battery life is even more important if you’re going to be buying a smartphone since some apps do use up a lot of battery.
Operating System – There are loads of different operating systems on mobiles now. The most popular operating systems at the moment are iOS (Apple), Windows and Android. There are advantages and disadvantages of each of these different operating systems so it’s really up to you deciding which operating system you should look out for when you’re shopping for a mobile. Everybody likes certain operating systems for their own reasons, so there is no “best” operating system.