How to pick right smartphone

Time get a new smartphone, but which one? 

First, I'd like to thank all of you who took some time to read my previous blog and gave some feedback. This time I'll be covering another device that is purchased 3-5 times more than laptop(I don't know the correct statistics but seeing my friends and relatives, they're still using their first or second laptop but they're currently on their 5th or 6th smartphone).

This blog can be longer than previous one because buying a smartphone is not as straightforward as buying a laptop. Again I'll try to simplify as much as I can for those of you don't understand the "spec-sheet" of a smartphone.

So let's begin. Once again you can use the 3 step methodology I used for laptop shopping but few things here and there would be different. 

Step 1: Identifying your needs

Keyword is "needs", not workload. Smartphone hardware still follow the workload rule but user requirements are more complex when it comes to smartphone users. 

First, let's cover some key attributes of smartphones that consumers care about.

1. Snappy(ness) - It is applicable to all users. No one likes to wait for 2-3 minutes for an app to launch. Also we all absolutely hate it when our smartphone randomly freezes for few seconds.

2. Camera - We live in an era where our social media life is just as important as our real life. We want our photos to be social media ready. Also a great camera module is really important to people aspiring to be a professional photographer but can't afford the professional grade DSLR cameras yet.

3. Battery life - Working professionals need that sense of confidence that their phone wouldn't die on them in middle of an important phone call. Or how would you feel when you're traveling and see something mesmerizing or important but can't take a photo because your battery died? Or you're playing online game with your friends and you have to rush to find your charger and continue rest of your session holding your phone in a weird uncomfortable manner because of charging cable?

These are the three most important features that can determine the success or failure of a smartphone. Infact when someone is asking me for a recommendation and I ask them what do you need, the most common response is "camera achcha ho, battery sahi tike aur performance achcha ho".

Once again, you have to honestly assess what your needs are. Because just like laptops, you can purchase the most expensive model and call it a day. But if you're honest about your needs then you can save a lot of money. 

So based on your needs, you will fall into following categories 

1. The Corporate/office guy : mainly uses their phone for calls, texts, emails and little bit of internet. 

2. The Student/all-rounder : uses for calls, texts, online research, random clicks while hanging with friends, a bit of gaming and videos/movies. 

3. Aspiring photographer : taking candid pics of others, pics pf sceneries, etc. 

4. Hardcore gamer : mainly uses the phone for gaming. 

5. Vlogger/content creator : makes videos for youtube or similar platforms. 

Out of these 5 type of users, Number 1, 2 and 3 overlap, ie, all of them would satisfied with the same devices most of the time. 

Hardcore gamers sometimes overlap with content creators. And content creators sometimes overlap with photographer. 

Step 2: Choosing the right hardware

This step is directly proportional to your budget. I'll use price segments to recommend. And the best of each segment will be an allrounder, suitable for all type of users. 

1. Entry level : ₹5,000-10,000

• Processor : Mediatek is leading in this category. Mediatek Helio G70 provide the best performance. Some other options are also there but they're hard to recommend over G70. Other decent options are: Snapdragon 665, Snapdragon 439.
• RAM : atleast 3GB is recommended. And almost 4GB is available in this segment. 
• Storage : atleast 32GB is recommended. Max 64GB is available.
• Battery : since this segment is not very power efficient, 5000mAh battery phones are recommended.

Best of this segment

Viable alternatives : Realme 5i, Redmi 8, Redmi 8A 

2. Budget : ₹10,000-20,000

• Processor : No clear winner in this category. Champ is decided by the feature set provided. If you ask my opinion, I'd recommend Helio G80, G90T, Exynos 9611, Snapdragon 730G, 720G powered devices.
• RAM : 4-8GB RAM is available. 4GB RAM is recommended for people trying to save money and who don't do something heavy. Otherwise I find 6GB to be the sweet spot.
• Storage : 64 or 128GB, whichever suits you better.
• Battery : Since we have more efficient SOC in this segment, anything above 4000mAh should last a day.

Best of this segment

Viable alternatives : Realme 6 Pro, Redmi Note 9 Pro, Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy M31

3. Budget-Midrange : ₹20,000-30,000

• Processor : This segment is the sibling of budget category with more features. You'll find the same chipset as budget segments, newer replacement of those and sometimes the flagship SOC of last generation. So the options are Snapdragon 730, 730G, 765G(coming soon), Helio P90, P95, Snapdragon 855.
• RAM : 6 and 8GB is standard configuration.
• Storage : 64, 128 and 256GB available. I recommend getting 128GB. 
• Battery : once again 4000mAh or more is recommended.

Best of the segment

4. Specialists and flagship killers : ₹30-55,000

• Processor : You will get straight up flagship processor, Snapdragon 855, 855+, 865, Exynos 990, etc.
• RAM : 6-12GB. 8GB recommended.
• Storage : 128 and 256 GB in majority of them.
• Battery : since these are highly efficient(8nm and 7nm), pretty much any battery capacity is commendable. But higher is better.

Best of this segment

Add caption

All-rounder/flagship killer

Specialists- ROG for gamers and Mi for photography

5. Flagship : no budget restraints, best of the best.

Internal specs are pretty much same as flagship killers, but everything is highly optimised.

Now you might be wondering, why haven't I talked about cameras in any budget segment? Well because no matter how powerful the camera module is, if the software is not optimized enough, it is just bad. Nowadays it is easier to enable Camera2API and install GCam mode, which solves the camera issue to an extent, but that should be the last resort. So how do you know if the cameras are good enough? Well that is the trouble you have to go through. Check out reviews from websites like GSMArena or on youtube. People are making dedicated camera comparison videos to compare the phones in same budget segment. If you're concerned about the cameras then you must invest few hours watching reviews.

Step 3 : Nitpicking

If you're down to fewer options then you can start eliminating with following.

1. Camera : watch reviews and pick according to camera if photography is your priority.

2. Display : if you're in budget and budget midrange section, then you have option for LCD and AMOLED. AMOLED is more vibrant and more power efficient but if it means compromising in other departments then get LCD. Also high refresh rate is in trend. If you can choose higher refresh rate without much compromises, the get it.

3. Charging : some models allow faster charging. Like 0-100% in half an hour. Who wouldn't like that.

4. Widewine L1 certification : this certification allows you to stream HD contents fron Netflix and Prime videos. So if you're movie/series buff, look for that certification.

5. Android version: Always give priority to device that offers latest android out of the box. Most android devices receive at most 2 major version update.

6. Headphone jack : many phones are omitting 3.5mm headphone jack. If it matters to you, don't forget to confirm before ordering.

7. UI/OS : all major brand customize the stock Android with their own skin. They're also responsible for the bloat ware(pre loaded apps) and optimization of camera algorithm. This is personal taste. 

In these steps, GSMArena database is very useful. You can check detailed specs of each smartphone and even compare the specs using their website/app. 

Now it's time to address Apple's iPhones. I didn't cover them till now because they're entirely different ecosystem. They launch 3-4 devices every year. Since pretty much everything is their in house production, their devices are highly optimized. And they provide longer support, upto 5 years. So if you can pay the premium, they won't disappoint you. But again, the mantra of "getting the latest" one is also applicable to them. Do not buy 3-4 years old models because of the cheap pricing. Either save more or get Android.

If you're still reading, you probably understood why there are not many generalized smartphone buying guides. This blog is much longer than laptop guide and still there is one big unknown variable that can mess up the selection process, that is 'the optimisation enforced by the manufacturer'. You will never know how well optimized a device is without getting a hands on experience. Fortunately for us, manufacturers are now listening to consumers and providing patches and fixes. But they're in constant race of bringing the 'first' in a segment. This often results in half baked software. And if you're one of the first people to buy as soon as it hits the market, you might end up with buggy software for first couple of months. 

Usually it is much easier to make a top 10 list in each segment than to write a smartphone buying guide. If you want such list from me, then do let me know.

I didn't do any proof-reading, so kindly point out any mistakes. If this blog helped you then share with other people as well. Leave any other topic in the comments that you'd like me to cover next.

Thank you for reading, have a nice day.