Smartphone volume in Pakistan was around 12.4 million in 2023 and is expected to increase in 2024. A smartphone has become essential as more people buy them every year. Yet, many find it hard to choose the right one as per their requirements. It is not an easy decision to make like choosing between Apple vs Android phones. Don’t worry if you are having the same problem. With a passion for mobiles and years of experience in buying and selling smartphones, I have gathered some of the most important things to consider when purchasing a smartphone in this guide.
So, let’s start with the first and the most important one.
Price is the Key
Before any other factor, price is the main thing you need to consider. Everyone has a budget and if ignored, it can lead to confusion and disappointment in the end. To avoid this situation, consider making a budget range. For example, set a minimum and maximum range that will help you select the best options in a specific price category. After deciding, you can visit OLX’s Mobile section and use its price range filter to check multiple options and get the best deal.
Check Its Build & Design
What is the first thing that everyone notices on a mobile phone? It’s design, right? That’s the reason why it is such an essential factor no one should miss. Some phones have flat sides while others come with curved ones, some have more of a boxy shape but the others are more rounded from the edges. I love the boxy shape with flat edges but it varies person-to-person.
You will find phones with glass and plastic rear sides along with numerous color options and designs. The glass one looks and feels premium but is prone to breakage more than the plastic while the plastic rear may look and feel cheap.
The camera module is one of the key elements in the design as it gives a phone its character. Remember the iconic iPhone’s triple camera setup at the rear or flagship Samsung’s quad camera setup? They have become a unique identity of a phone. Moreover, some phones come with round modules while others have rectangular ones, so it is a personal choice to make.
Build quality is also important as you will find most of the cheap or budget-friendly phones with plastic frames and plastic backs without any water resistance. However, the flagship and pricier phones come witha glass back, metal frame, and good dust and water resistance. It means these are the benchmarks of a good quality phone you should consider.
Choose the Right Display
Choosing the right screen size is something that everyone should do carefully. There are different sizes of smartphones and even the flagship phones like the iPhone 16 series and Samsung S24 series come in multiple-screen size models. It is because some people have smaller hands and others have bigger ones. More importantly, some people like to grab a smaller phone whereas others prefer a larger screen for a bigger display.
I like the smaller phones as they are easy to carry but I have also used larger screen phones and consuming content on them is much more fun.
After that, you should pay attention to the display quality. If I had to choose between AMOLED vs LCD, I would go for the AMOLED if my budget allows it. Also, the screen resolution matters as the higher resolution display means crisp quality. Another important thing in the display is its speed which is essential for a smooth experience while gaming and even scrolling. Conventionally, we had most phones with a 60hz display but now the game has changed and plenty of options are available in 90hz, 120hz, and even 144hz. You can also see the features like HDR, always-on display, etc.
Chipset & Processor: Performance is Everything?
For most people who love gaming on their smartphones, performance is indeed everything. The main factors affecting performance are the chipset, processor, RAM, and memory type. As per the current ratings, the best chipsets are MediaTek Dimensity 9400, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (Gen 4), and Apple A18 Pro with AnTuTu scores of 2,656,227, 2,800,003, 1,819,443 respectively. Check out the chipset ranking and AnTuTu scores when you are purchasing a mobile phone for gaming.
RAM is also an important factor in the overall performance so if you have multiple options, choose a variant with higher RAM. Paying attention to the storage type is important as it is directly linked to the loading times. iPhones mostly come with NVMe storage type which is some of the fastest ones. Many other phones come with UFS storage types but you need to pay attention to their generation. UFS 4.x is way faster than the UFS 2. eMMC is the slowest among all so it is better to avoid that if you don’t have budget constraints.
Do you know that the gaming performance is also dependent on the cooling technology? Yes, you read that right! For example, if two mobiles have the same chipset & processor, RAM, storage type, and operating system but one has better cooling technology, it will likely perform better. Phones heat with intense gaming can affect the performance, so a phone with good cooling technology will be less hot and provide sustainable performance.
A Camera is Your Best Friend
When I say a camera is your best friend, I mean it! Most of us like to take pictures when we go out with friends, and family, or just travel alone. It helps us capture the most valuable moments of our lives so why compromise on that?
If you are a parent, imagine your kid is standing for the first time and you have taken a photo quickly but it is blurry or isn’t looking good due to poor indoor lighting conditions. That moment will never come back and this could be avoided if you had a phone with a better camera.
For youngsters, imagine that you run into your favourite celebrity let’s say Babar Azam for example, if you ask to take a selfie. He doesn’t have much time and allows you only one selfie, but when you capture it, it is blurry or grainy. Your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is gone leaving you with not so not-so-impressive picture just because of a low-quality camera.
So what to consider when choosing the right camera phone? Well, it is a very detailed topic and I will try to cover it in another blog. But the main things to consider are the camera’s sensor size, aperture, megapixels, optical zoom capability, optical image stabilization, HDR, lens and camera sensor manufacturers, and ultrawide angle cameras for selfies.
Pay Attention to Storage
This one is self-explanatory as no matter if you are a gamer or capture a lot of photos and videos, you are going to need storage. First of all, you have to identify your needs. It can be done by seeing the storage of your previous phone and getting a phone with double storage this time. Like if I had a 128GB phone last time and the storage was full most of the time, I would go for a 256GB or a 512GB phone this time as it will fulfil my current needs and might also be enough for the next 2 years.
Keep in mind that some apps take a lot of storage and some camera phones that produce very high quality and high-resolution pictures and videos make larger files compared to the others. So, if you have the option to get a phone with expandable storage, it is great, otherwise, go for a large storage capacity phone.
Don’t Forget the Battery and Charging
Most phones have 4,500-5,500 mAh batteries these days but that doesn’t mean all will provide the same battery backup. I have noticed that most phones with 5,000 mAh battery capacity provide different backup times even with the same usage. It is important to see the claimed battery backup time and compare it with the other phones.
In terms of charging, fast-charging phones are the need of the hour in this fast-paced world. Gone are those days when a 10W charger used to charge a phone in 1.5-2 hours was considered okay. Nowadays, many phones come with 33W, 45W, 67W, and even over 100W fast charging support reducing the time to charge a phone significantly. Go for the fastest one in your budget after considering the other factors.
Security is Essential
Nowadays, fingerprint sensors and facial recognition have become common. Only if you have a very tight budget, you will have to pay attention to them, otherwise, they come in most of the phones. So, you have to look for some other security features like a built-in App lock option, secure gallery option, and promise of security updates. Many companies provide the duration of security updates for some phones so keep searching for them.
Brand is Important
A rational user might not look at the brand name but most of us are not rational, right? We have our brand preferences so why not make it a factor when choosing a mobile phone? Many people love the iPhone while others love Samsung’s flagships like S24 Ultra, Galaxy Foldable phones or Google Pixel phones for all-around gaming and camera performance. You will also find many that like Xiaomi & OnePlus for their flagship-level specs and features but lower prices. Some people also prefer to buy Oppo & Vivo phones due to their styles and camera features at mid-range prices. Budget phone shoppers might like Infinix, Tecno, Poco, or Realme phones.
If we talk about the most popular brands in Pakistan as per November’s 2024 statistics, Infinix has the highest market share (17.28%) followed by Samsung (14.92%) and Vivo (13.35%) respectively – (Source: Statcounter). So, which brand do you like the most and why do you like it?
Which Operating System Do You Like?
Everyone has their own preferences for operating systems. Some like iOS due to its clean and intuitive UI, better safety and privacy, consistent updates even for older devices, and Apple’s ecosystem. Other people like Android due to customizable themes, interfaces, numerous apps, and Google’s built-in features. Even phones with Android OS have multiple other operating systems as per brand like Samsung One UI, Xiaomi MIUI, Oppo ColorOS, Realme UI, Huawei EMUI/HarmonyOS, etc. Each has its unique set of advantages and disadvantages but at this level, it is more about personal preferences as the base OS will be Android (except for Huawei).
What Connectivity Options Does It Have?
Considering connectivity options while choosing a phone can be an important factor for some people. Most of the phones come with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS connectivity options. Some of them also come with NFC technology that enables cashless and wireless payments and some other features as well. You will also find Infrared connectivity in some phones (Xiaomi offer it in most of its phones) by which, you can control devices using your phone as a remote.
It is also important to see the USB connectivity option as USB Type-C 2.0 is slower than the 3.0. Moreover, you will also have to choose between 4G and 5G mobiles. 5G mobiles are pricier generally and many in Pakistan avoid them as 5G isn’t available yet. But it will soon be available so an investment in a 5G phone might be fruitful in coming years.
PTA Status Check is Crucial
Without PTA approval, you can’t use mobile sim services on your smartphone. So, it is important for you to Check PTA Status of your mobile phone. Many new phones have PTA-approved marks on their boxes but still, check after purchasing as some people had this issue of getting a new phone that was not PTA-approved.
These are some of the factors that I think are the most important when purchasing a mobile phone. Some factors have more importance for specific people compared to others so pay attention to the ones that are crucial in your decision-making.
What factors do you think are the most important ones when purchasing a phone? Share in the comment section below.
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