SMARTPHONE BYUING GUIDANCE

Wanted to buy a smartphone in this new year 2023? Well, it looks like an easy task on the surface but it gets more complicated when you start to research. Unlike a few years ago, smartphones now offer a plethora of features and you simply cannot close your eyes and go for one option without doing proper research. Every manufacturer now offers different camera lenses on every new model, and the processors are getting more and more powerful as well. In this article, we will guide you on how you can buy a smartphone that is the right fit for you.

Purpose/ Requirements :

What do you want the smartphone for? Is it photography, So that you can capture those beautiful travelling moments or birthday parties? Or is it gaming, so that you can crush those opponents in the forthcoming Call of Duty or Apex Legends match?

You need to be clear in determining what exactly you want your phone to do. And almost no phone is perfect. If one has an excellent camera setup, the other will be having a flagship processor, with a great cooling solution. So you have to be ready to sacrifice some parts of the phone which might have the lowest priority for you.

Some requirements for which you might want to buy a smartphone :

1. Cameras – If the camera is the highest priority, look for cameras that have multiple lenses so that you get a different perspective with each lens. Most commonly, an ultra-wide angle lens, a telephoto lens and/or a macro lens will be accompanied by a primary lens. Also, make sure the phones process the photos well using AI algorithms. This differs from brand to brand. For example, the Pixel phones shoot contrast-heavy photos that appear pleasing to the eye, whereas the Nothing phone shoots close to Natural photos, so they look at the subject as it is when you shot it.

2. Performance – Now if you want the best performance out of a smartphone, then look for the SoC (System on Chip). Typically, flagship processors such as the Snapdragon 870 and above, or MediaTek Dimensity 8100 and above give you fantastic performance for the money. You can play games at the highest settings with frame rates as high as 90fps.

3. Software – If you are buying a phone for your parents or grandparents, then it is better to buy a smartphone that has a simple user interface, and doesn’t have a lot of bloatware. Many times, our parents might tap on an unexpected notification, and the ad ends up installing a dozen apps. Stock Android smartphones or an iPhone may be the best bet here.

4. Battery life and charging speed – Now if you want a phone to last longer, there are two sides to this, either you can have a small battery with a ridiculous fast charger, which can top up your phone in 15 minutes, or you can have a big battery, with a slower charging speed. This will make the phone last longer, and the batteries won’t die out prematurely due to the daily use of fast charging. These days, phones also come with battery protection features built-in, so do check for that before pulling the trigger.

Specifications :

Now that we have a clear idea of what to pick for our smartphone, let’s dive into the specifications. On paper, specifications might look a bit exciting, but usually, on-paper specifications don’t translate to real-life usage. So, always check for reviews before buying a smartphone. This tells us the previous experience of the person who has actually used the smartphone, so you have a clear idea of what to expect, the pros, and the cons.

The specification sheet will give you a basic idea of the smartphone, and extra benefits such as IP67 rating for water resistance, wireless charging, stereo speakers, Gorilla Glass protection, etc. which are usually mentioned. This will help you make an informed decision, and will also help you compare two products side by side if you are confused.

Payment Options :

Nowadays, EMI offers are available everywhere. And what’s more, you even get extra cashback on smartphones using EMIs. While it is a convenient way of stretching your budget, we would not recommend it as it leads to a feeling of living paycheck to paycheck. We would suggest you use apps like Hubble, which helps you map out your financial plan, and save and when it is time to purchase, you get brand gift cards that help make your purchase even easier. Moreover, they incentivise your savings with additional 10% cash returns, which makes them better than other cashback out there.

Here’s how the app works:
● Let’s say you want to buy an iPhone, all you have to do is open the Hubble app, and click on the Apple/Croma category that appears on the homepage.
● Now, you will see two banners, Savings Plans with 10% rewards, and Instant Plans with 4% rewards, click on the Savings Plans banner
● Now you will see that with every deposit, you will earn 10 percent cash rewards in 30 days, here’s a screenshot of how it is calculated.

● You can customize the plan as per your liking, with the monthly deposit and tenure set according to your needs. The cash rewards will be added to your account 1 month after every deposit and when the tenure ends, you can generate gift cards for the purchase.
● These gift cards can be redeemed offline or from the brand’s own website.
● In case you want to stop the plan midway, you can do that too, and the rewards earned up to that period can be used to make purchases.
● Moreover, you can use this amount to purchase, anything from the brand, not just what you saved for.
● Also, in case you change your mind to purchase, you can withdraw the deposited amount from your Hubble account without any charges

Budget:

Now that you’ve saved enough and are ready to buy your dream phone, let’s talk about the budget. Smartphones come in a wide range of prices, starting from as low as Rs 7,000 to as high as over Rs 1,00,000. So, in order to avoid confusion, we’ve divided the smartphones into different price segments, and what you should expect from each price segment.

Budget (Rs 7000 – Rs 12,000) – In this segment, you will get the basics of a smartphone, such as a good 32GB internal storage, up to 4GB of RAM and a full-HD display. The SoC is decent enough to do normal tasks like web browsing, clicking occasional photos etc.

Mid-range (Rs 13,000- Rs 25,000)- This is the most popular segment in India, here you get a few additional quirks such as an AMOLED display, fast charging, stereo speakers and a powerful SoC. The camera is also decent, and on the upper end, it is good enough to give you social media-ready shots. You may also get some extras such as an infrared scanner and a big battery.

Upper midrange (Rs 26,000- Rs 45,000) – This is also a popular range, where you get better build quality, good haptics and an overall decent experience. The cameras get better too. On the upper end of this price range, the photos from the ultrawide camera are excellent to share on social media. You may also get some niche features such as triple microphones for voice clarity, water and dust resistance, and a bright, vivid display with a 10-bit colour gamut and HDR10+ support.

Premium (Rs 46,000 – Rs 55,000) – In this segment, you will start to get almost all the features that a smartphone is touted to have. From an IP68 rating for water resistance to wireless charging and a metal frame, you get a very different experience compared to smartphones in the previous segment. Not only that, the SoCs are top-of-the-line, such as Snapdragon 8+ Gen1, and you get video recording options up to 4K at 60 fps. You also get a third camera, which is a telephoto lens, that helps you with far-away shots. Other than that, it is a standard affair for all Candybar smartphones.

Ultra premium (Rs 56,000 and above) – This is the top-end segment, where you will find smartphones pushing the limits of what the small form factor can fit in. Be it foldable displays, 50W superfast wireless charging, or RGB-coloured back panels, you get to experience what no other smartphone offers below this price segment. You also get longer software support, as people may keep their smartphones for a longer time with them.

After-sales service

Now, people buy smartphones thinking that their units may not have any defects. That is usually the case, but you may never know when you have a bad day. You might get a defective unit, break your screen while riding or get water damage. This is where after-sales service comes into the picture. Not only the experience of the smartphone repair is important, but the price of the spare parts also plays an important role. Do check and get an idea of the pricing of spare parts from various brands and make your decision accordingly.

Warranty:

Here is the final piece of the puzzle which you have to take into consideration when buying a smartphone. Usually, most smartphones have 1 year of limited warranty. In this, manufacturing defects are taken care of and labour charges are waived off from the company itself. Recently, brands like POCO have started to sell phones with 2 years of warranty, which gives you an additional piece of mind. E-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart also give you options like extended warranty and damage protection, so if you are buying a very expensive phone, we would suggest you to consider having a look at this too before finalizing your purchase. And that’s it from our end. We hope you have gotten a good idea of what factors you should consider when buying a smartphone.

Thank You .... :)