A New Smartphone on the Way? 4 Crucial Purchase Advice You're Ignoring

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 When searching for a new smartphone, there are numerous factors to take into account. There are a number of other commonly discussed phone specifications, such as the camera quality, battery size, charging speed, etc.

Making your purchasing decisions primarily based on hard specs, however, might not be the wisest course of action. Other advice is available to assist you in finding the greatest goods at the best price while still fulfilling your needs.

You're Probably Missing These 4 Smartphone Buying Tips

To assist you in making the best choice the next time you're in the market for a new smartphone, we've included some less-discussed buying advice below.

1. The New Mid-Range or the Old Flagship?

Most consumers would pick the newest smartphone over an older model if given the opportunity. In the complex world of smartphone marketing, newer does not always equal better. So, which of a freshly released mid-range gadget and an older flagship is the better choice?

Indeed, the specifications of flagships are what give them their name. A new mid-range smartphone may not always perform as well as an older flagship. The camera, chipset, and build quality could all be improved.

For instance, the 2020 Samsung Galaxy Note 9 was still a more alluring alternative even after the release of the mid-range Samsung Galaxy A71. If you had $400 to spend, you could purchase the older Note 9 or the newer Galaxy A71 from eBay for a comparable cost. How did the two phones compare, though?

The glass body of the Note 9 felt more luxurious than the A71's plastic finish did. The Note 9's Snapdragon 845 chipset outperformed the A71's Snapdragon 730, which was newer but less potent. Although the A71 had better image processing hardware and sensors, a few extra camera capabilities, like the Note 9's optical picture stabilisation, made it a viable option.

It's not exclusive to Samsung. Even in the same year, Oppo and Xiaomi both offered vibrant mid-range phones that fell short of their more seasoned flagship competitors. In comparison to the 2020 Oppo Find X2 light, the 2018 Oppo Find X still has a number of advantages. Similar to how the 2020 mid-range Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite fell short of the 2018 Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, so did the 2019.

This still occurs; it is not a historical occurrence. One of the best mid-range Android smartphones available today is the 2022 Samsung Galaxy A53, although it still lacks the high-end capabilities that Samsung's previous 2020 flagship, the Galaxy S20 Ultra, offers. which is good? Two years after its release, the S20 is still available for a hefty discount. This is not, however, a blanket endorsement of more established flagships over more recent mid-range gadgets. But it is unquestionably a decision worth thinking about.

But the distance between mid-range and flagship gadgets is closing. Progressively appearing on mid-range devices are features hitherto thought to be too expensive to implement on mid-range phones. Additionally, you might get stronger batteries, better camera software, and longer software support with more recent mid-range devices. If you need more information on the subject, read our in-depth new mid-range vs. old flagship phones comparison.

2. What Should the Price of a Smartphone Be?

How much should you spend on a smartphone in an era where prices have surpassed $1,000?

You should anticipate a base-range gadget that can comfortably handle the essentials for less than $250. Guarantees of durability are required. NFC, wireless charging, or a water-resistant rating are not available, though. Along with fewer RAM and internal storage, you might also have to contend with a processor with a sizable performance disparity.

Unless you don't need them, a fingerprint scanner and a chipset that can handle basic gaming are required for smartphones between $250 and $350. The absolute minimum amount of RAM you should allow is 4GB, while more is preferable. Ideal storage for this price range is at least 128 GB, however that isn't always the case.

If you have between $350 and $500, you should focus on the so-called flagship killers. With these smartphones, you get a gadget that has a premium feel and incorporates as many flagship features as is practical.

Smartphones priced between $500 and $700 should have some of the greatest specifications available. Devices at this price point ought to have more amazing features than just the minimum requirements.

Any purchase beyond $700 should focus on actual flagship models. You may still find flagships from well-known Chinese companies like Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo that can compete at lower pricing, even though flagships from phone manufacturers like Samsung and Apple are often priced beyond the $1,000 level.

However, it's critical to understand that, with a few notable exceptions, most flagships priced over $1,000 are overkill and frequently crammed with unneeded features. To help you choose your price range, you can refer to our comprehensive advice on how much you should pay for a smartphone.

Should You Take Into Account Less Well-Known Brands?

The uncertainty around lesser-known businesses is what causes people to be afraid of them. You receive some semblance of quality and durability assurance when dealing with household names like Apple and Samsung. As a result, you rarely consider the lesser companies whenever you need to get a new smartphone. But you're not getting it.

Brands like Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo will surely provide the most value for money if your budget is limited. With them, you may obtain the most of what the high-profile flagships have to offer for a considerable discount.

Consider the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, which outperforms the Galaxy S21 in a few performance parameters while costing roughly half as much. No, it isn't always the best gadget, but it provides by far the most value for the money. In the mid-range market, the Xiaomi Note 10 performs better than the more well-known Samsung Galaxy A53 while costing substantially less.

Outside of the US, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo are popular brands. Therefore, there is little to be terrified about. Other lesser-known manufacturers, however, can provide excellent value for money with some durability assurance on even smaller budgets.

Therefore, when looking for a new smartphone, don't just consider the Pixel 6A, Samsung Galaxy S22, or iPhone 13 Pro. There are outstanding devices like the Nubia Redmagic 7S Pro, which can handle hard gaming, the Oppo Reno 8 Pro, which provides amazing value, and the Vivo V23, which has a powerful selfie camera.

4. You Shouldn't Blindly Trust the Reviews

The review platform is one of the top resources for researching smartphones. There are entire websites and YouTube channels devoted to reviewing smartphones. The opinions of reviewers are used by millions of consumers to make knowledgeable purchasing decisions.

But it's important to go beyond what smartphone critics have to say. Even though reviewers aim to provide honest assessments of products, smartphone manufacturers occasionally intercede. Companies might indirectly affect reviews in a variety of ways.

They use specific strategies to make sure prominent smartphone reviewers either say too little about particular aspects of their product or do not review them at all. It may turn out that those specific characteristics prevented you from purchasing the product. In addition, they employ "review embargoes," a technique that prevents smartphone reviewers from thoroughly analysing particular items for a predetermined amount of time. Usually, they have just enough time during this period to ship a sizable amount of the goods.

In this approach, even if a smartphone receives negative evaluations, a sizable amount of them have already been distributed. You're not alone if you're baffled by how businesses can control reviews to such an extent. Offering reviewers free samples of their items, often weeks before they go on sale, is one method they accomplish this.

In return, they can provide a frank assessment of their product, subject to some restrictions, such as adhering to a review embargo. No, this does not imply that you shouldn't believe reviews; on the contrary. It can be a good idea to also keep an eye out for reviews from peers who have actually tried the product. This is only one of the good reasons to get a smartphone a few weeks after it is released.

Examine More Than the Specs Sheet

The specifications of a smartphone are a wonderful location to get an idea of how the device will function. Making a thoughtful purchase selection, however, involves far more factors.

You must take into account the less-discussed factors we've provided in this article if you want to get a smartphone that suits your demands at the best price.