Best smartphone guide: how to choose the right one 【2020】

When it comes time to buy a smartphone, we tend to look at many different makes and models. It is important that we take a number of aspects into account in this process. In this way, it will be much easier for us to find the phone that best suits what we are looking for and we will not spend more money than necessary.

Index of contents

Important points when choosing a smartphone

Next we will give you a series of specifications that can serve as a guide. Since the process of searching for a smartphone can be somewhat complicated, especially considering the enormous number of phones that are currently available.

We recommend reading our smartphone guides classified by range:

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All these guides are updated to the day and include tables, real prices and explain all the benefits of the terminals. Do not miss it!

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Budget: How much should I pay?

One of the first things we have to keep in mind and ask ourselves is how much we are willing to spend. Setting a budget is extremely useful, as it will help us limit the search for devices. Also, we avoid buying a phone that is too expensive that we are not going to get the most out of. Therefore, you should consider how much money you have available to spend on this device.

Related to this is if you want a free phone or a contract with an operator. The free phone is usually more expensive, but it gives us the freedom to change operator and rate whenever we want. So we can find the best promotion for us. Buying a device with a contract with an operator may be cheaper in some cases, but not always… since we are normally obliged to contract certain rates (which are not usually taken full advantage of, for example, of many GB which we don't get to spend or unlimited minutes when we call very little) and pay monthly fees over the phone.

When determining the budget, it is important to know what use we are going to give to the phone. There are users who are glued to their smartphone all day for work reasons and need a very complete phone, which must bet on the highest ranges on the market. But if you are going to make a fairly common use (calls, browsing…) it is not necessary to spend so much and the mid-range also gives us very good options.

Operating system: iOS or Android?

Most people usually know what operating system they are looking for, because they are usually clear about the brand they want to buy. But if it is your first phone or if you are doing a deep search to buy your new phone, it is good to ask yourself which operating system is best for you. Each one offers us a series of advantages and disadvantages, which are good to know.

Android

The good thing about betting on an Android smartphone is that we have a large selection of brands available. So there are many models and a wide variety of prices so we can much better choose something that best suits what we are looking for. In addition to a greater variety in terms of phone design.

Another point of importance is the operating system itself. As it is an open source initiative, we have more customization options available, and more will come with the new version of Android later this year! This allows us to change some things so that its use is much easier for us at all times and something that for some users is essential. Although a negative aspect is that it depends on the brand and model you buy, the updates may take time. To prevent this, you can bet on brands or smartphones that use pure Android (Google, Nokia…) and thus you will receive updates faster.

Android has the Play Store as the place to download games and applications. The selection available is very wide (maybe too much), but the problem is that quantity seems to be valued more than quality. So, more than once some malware sneaks into these applications and ends up affecting users. The good part is that Google has more and more control systems that regulate this.

iOS

Apple iPhone models make use of this operating system. The selection is more limited in terms of price and design, except for the iPhone X, which is very different in design. But they are more expensive phones than most Android. So you do not have so much to choose from, although you take devices of exceptional quality.

Also, Apple phones are usually the first to receive games and applications. So you can enjoy before them. It also stands out for its security, since you hardly hear security problems on the company's devices. Another aspect to consider.

If you already use some other product of the brand, such as a Mac, then the iPhone is a good option, since the synchronization between devices is great, as well as very simple. What will allow you to work with greater comfort at all times.

Design and display

The design of a smartphone includes many aspects. For example, the materials with which the phone is made are varied, and have a direct impact on the final price of the device. The cheapest and simplest models on the market, on Android, use plastic as the main material. Thanks to this, they are very accessible in terms of price, although the quality leaves much to be desired in many cases.

Most devices usually make use of a metal body, which is more resistant in case there is any knock or fall in addition to having a higher quality finish. It is what we are going to find most often.

In the high range we are seeing a lot of the glass body, generally with hard glass with Gorilla Glass. They are devices that have a much more luxurious, very premium finish, but that are significantly more expensive. In addition, despite being a hard glass, they are much more vulnerable to shocks or falls. So in addition to a cover, the recommendation is to have insurance to avoid problems.

It may compensate us in many cases to pay a little more for having a device made with better materials and that will resist more since it will last us longer and will give us less problems.

Screen and screen size

Source: 9to5 Mac

The screen is another aspect of great importance when we go to buy a smartphone. Both the quality of it, which can vary greatly between models, and the size it will have. Again, the use that we are going to give to the device has a great influence.

If we focus on the screen size, we can divide the devices into three categories:

• Less than 5 inches: They are compact models, reduced in size that makes it very easy to carry and store anywhere. In general, they are usually lower range phones, and much cheaper. The selection of phones with this size is not the widest, in fact, there are fewer and fewer. Between 5 and 5.5 inches: We can define it as the average size today. Most mid-range and low-end phones tend to bet on a size in this range. In addition, thanks to the 18: 9 screens you get more out of it, making them appear larger. They are a good combination between a phone that is easy and comfortable to hold in your hand, with a screen that offers a good experience. Over 5.5 inches: In many cases they are known as phablets. We find a wide variety of sizes, in some cases over 6 inches. They are much larger models, and if they use 18: 9 screens, they give us an immersive experience. It is usually a size reserved for the high or medium-premium range. Ideal for consuming content or playing on them. They are generally more expensive in terms of price.

With the resolution of the screen the same thing happens, that we can divide it into various categories. Since we usually find certain resolutions on the market today. So it is good to know what they are and what they have to offer or how they differ:

Source: BuildFire

• HD (High definition): This is high resolution, which without being a poor image quality, is something we see in the simplest models on the market. Although it is also losing some ground to other options that meet much better. Full HD (1920 x 1080): It is an option that has been gaining a lot of presence and many consider it as the minimum that we must accept when we are looking for a new smartphone. It offers a good treatment of colors and we can enjoy a good experience while consuming content. Full HD +: A step above the previous one that gives a somewhat better experience in terms of quality and color treatment. We are seeing more and more models with this resolution, and not only in the high range. Within the mid-range there are already models that make use of it. Quad HD and 4K: These resolutions are the highest quality that we can find today, although the selection of phones that use them is not the largest. There are few models, always high-end, that use it. Surely with the passage of time they will open a gap in the market.

The materials with which the panels of the phones are made are various. The most common are the IPS LCD, OLED, AMOLED or SuperAMOLED. The last three are usually the most expensive, and we find them regularly within the high range.

RAM, internal storage and processor

RAM is an essential aspect to take into account, since a large part of the operation of the smartphone depends on it. Therefore, the lower the RAM, the greater limitations we will have when performing various tasks. Most devices in the current midrange typically have 3 or 4 GB RAM. Thanks to it we will be able to carry out several tasks at the same time without any problem.

Many high-end phones still use 4GB of RAM, although in the past year we have seen a jump to models with 6 and even 8GB of RAM. They are much more powerful models. If you are looking for a gaming smartphone, then it is of key importance that the phone has the largest possible RAM because an activity like playing consumes many resources.

As for internal storage, we find many options today. From 16 GB to models with 512 GB. The most common is that we find models with 32 or 64 GB. An amount that should be enough to store everything we need. But the most important thing in this sense is that it is possible to increase this amount with a microSD card. Since if so, it does not matter too much the amount that comes natively, we can always expand it and forget about the problem.

In the case of the processor, if we focus on Android phones, we find two main brands. These are Qualcomm (with its Snapdragon processors) and MediaTek (with Helio and MTK processors). The first is a brand whose overall quality is better, although it must be said that the new Helio processors have a great performance.

But, in general, a device with a Snapdragon processor will give us a better performance. The Snapdragon 400 and 600 family are mid-range, the second is more powerful. While the Snapdragon 800 family is the high-end, with 845 being the most recent and powerful in this regard. Now they have created a new series with the 700, which reaches the medium-premium range. If we are looking for more power, then it is better to bet on this brand.

MediaTek has been gaining presence, although its processors focus on the mid and low range. They do not offer the same power or good performance that we have in Qualcomm processors. But they have improved a lot over time. So if we choose a model with a processor like Helio P60, we will not have problems.

Camera Every day more important

With the passage of time it has become one of the most important aspects in smartphones. In addition to having noticeably improved. As is normal, depending on the budget we have, the quality of the cameras will be different. Although generally they are getting better.

In the high-end and many mid-range phones, we find ourselves increasingly with a dual camera at the rear. They are usually a combination of lenses, with a wide angle and another sensor. Or RGB sensor and another monochrome sensor, it depends on each model, but they are usually the most common options. Thanks to this we have a higher quality and we can get more out of the camera.

Logically, a model with a double camera is usually somewhat more expensive. As it is something that is advancing at great speed, prices are also falling in this regard. If you are a user who uses the camera a lot or gives it a lot of importance, you may want to bet on a model with a larger camera, even if it costs a little more.

As for the front camera, we have seen a great evolution too. There are models that also use a double camera, although it is not as common. A great improvement has been seen in them, especially in models that come from China, a market where the camera for selfies is of great importance. Also, there are now many phones that are introducing facial recognition and it is built into this camera.

Battery

The battery is one of the parts that generates the most controversy in the phone market. We have seen how other components of the devices have evolved, but in the case of batteries there has been no such development. Luckily, the higher efficiency of the processors helps to avoid excessive battery consumption in many cases.

The ideal would be a battery of at least 3, 000 mAh, which allows us to be able to use the phone throughout the day. If the smartphone in question has a larger battery, better than better, since we can enjoy greater autonomy in the daily use of the phone. There are models of very specific brands such as Blackview or OUKITEL that give us large batteries of up to 11, 000 mAh. They are exceptional models, and without a doubt, they give a lot of autonomy.

With the passage of time, functions have emerged that allow us to get more out of the battery. Options such as fast charging are a good solution, since it allows us to charge the smartphone in a matter of minutes. This is a feature that has become essential in the high-end and is increasingly present in the mid-range.

We also have wireless charging, for which we need a base that allows us to use it. It is a good option to charge the phone throughout the day, for example, while we are at work. Although it is limited to high-end models mostly.

It depends on the use we want to make of the phone, the battery will suffer more and will have a greater importance. Especially you have to be very vigilant in the case of gaming phones because playing is something that consumes a lot of resources and the battery consumption is higher. In these models it is important that they have a large battery and that it will last. If possible, it also has fast charging.

Other features

These are the essential aspects that we have to take into account when choosing a phone, but they are not the only ones. There are also other features that should not be forgotten when looking for a new smartphone. But they may not play such a determining role on the device.

Fingerprint reader and facial recognition

The fingerprint sensor is already essential in most phones on the market, at least in the mid and high range. It is a system that allows us to unlock the phone and thus prevent another person from having access to it. In most models it is located at the rear or on the side, although there are models, mainly in the high-end, that integrate it in the front.

Another system that we are seeing more and more is facial recognition, which gained special notoriety with the FaceID of the iPhone X. Android phones have followed this trend and it is rare that there is no high-end that does not have this system. Each brand implements it in a different way, but the operation and purpose are the same. Identify the user to unlock the smartphone. Thus, a person who steals it will not be able to access the phone.

There are models that have both and others that only offer one of the two options. Which is better depends a little on the preferences and what is most comfortable for you. Since both systems are safe, so there shouldn't be too many problems in this regard.

Artificial intelligence

A technology that is gaining much importance and that is increasingly present. In today's high-end it is almost impossible to find phones that do not use it. It is generally used to power the processor and cameras of the smartphone in question. In addition, also for smart assistants, such as Google Assistant or Bixby.

The use of assistants is becoming commonplace, more in household products, but having the application on the phone is a more and more popular option. It can make using the phone more comfortable and allows us to get more out of it.

Resistance and certifications

The resistance is closely related to the design, of which we have previously spoken. Although it is convenient to check if the smartphone has Gorilla Glass, in the case of the screen. This is a good protection against bumps and scratches. It will save us more than a hassle in many situations. What we must also check are the certifications.

It is common to see IP67 or IP68 certification. They assume that the phone is waterproof and dustproof. So it should be possible to submerge the phone up to a meter in water. It can be something of enormous utility, and it also serves to protect the smartphone and avoid problems. So some of you will find it interesting. But not all models have any of them.

These are the main aspects that we must take into account when looking for a new smartphone. It may seem like a lot, but they will be of enormous help in this process. In this way we will be right when buying the model that best fits what we are looking for.