8 Features & Factors to Consider Before Buying any Smartphone or Android Device ( No. 4 Will Shock You) in 2022

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Using the latest and the best smartphone is the trend these days with lovers and users of smartphones across all brands be it (Tecno, Infinix, Xiaomi’s Redmi/Realmi/MI, Samsung, Oppo, Apple’s Iphones, Gionee, Itel, Nokia) devices just to mention a few.

The undeniable fact is that all these devices have almost all their features in common but the differences now lies with the quality and efficiency of the electronics components used in fabricating these devices.

And most times during the production process, these companies would like to cut on budget based on the kind of device to produce and the region to which these devices will be shipped to. Take for example the Transsion Holdings Company that is to say the company responsible for the productions of smartphones brands like Itel, Infinix, tecno etc. their marketing strategy is focusing solely on Africa market, which you all  know likes cheaper product that could perform almost every functions and task effectively hence the need to settle them. Remember though that Transsion Holdings Inc are currently making waves in Asia especially in India with a plethora of Infinix and Tecno phones.

Other brands like Xiaomi; Redmi devices, Samsung’s A’s and M series, Oppo devices, Realmi, gionee M series, almost entirely focuses on Mid-range devices with fantastic features especially the Redmi Note series.

High end premium devices are always expensive but with the greatest features some of the brands in these line of production includes the Samsung Note and Ultra series, Mi note and ultra Series, Iphones series etc

Without further ado lets cut to the chase.

So what are the Key and Major Features or factors  to Look Out for Before Buying A Smartphone?

1. CHIPSET: Mobile phones especially smartphones runs on microprocessors also called chipset. A chipset or System on Chip SoC as it is widely called is the heart and brain of your smartphones. Infact smartphones so-named because they operate at a higher level and at a given short period of time.

This Chipsets are responsible for the smooth running and overall operation of your device without freezing or lagging during operations. Truth be told a good chipset can generate extra aura of joy to an individual while a bad chipset could frustrate your life entirely when it comes to that. 

Which is why it is our number one factor to consider in choosing or purchasing a smartphone that could smarten your life. We have processors from Brands like Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, the Huawei Kirin processors, the Mediatek Processors, The Apple’s Processors etc.

The  following are list of great processors and their range of operation and cost factor

 So any device fabricated using any of these processors should be considered a great device based on performance and operations

 

 So any device fabricated using any of these processors should be considered a great device based on performance and operations.  👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

2. RAM AND STORAGE: 

A good processor without sufficient RAM to support it is as good as nothing which is why RAM storage is also an important factor to consider before purchasing a smartphone especially in terms of multitasking. With heavy android apps from developers nowadays, it is difficult to obtain a smooth operation on an android phone with a 4GB RAM NOW.

RAM meaning, Random Access Memory is a temporary storage unit responsible for storing data being worked upon by a smartphone. so anytime you operate or launch any android app whatever is being carried out is stored in RAM pending final storage which eventually will land on your INTERNAL STORAGE.

Aside that the internal storage also determines the amount of data files, apps, photos, videos you can save into your device and hence its contribution to the functionality and speed of your device.  

3. CAMERA QUALITY: 

Yea, you can attest to the fact that more than average users of smartphones these days consider CAMERA megapixel size and feature as an important factor too. Because the stress.and cost of walking to a near bye studio or moving around with a professional photographer could be very expensive. 

And today there are great smartphones that can give you value for money when it comes to camera quality. am talking about brands like Xiaomi, Iphones and samsungs. 

So a decent camera should give you what you want. some of the camera mega pixel sizes include the following:

1.     108MP Camera (found in Xioami's MI NOTE 10 etc)Used by High end devices and expensive

2.     64MP Camera ( Found in devices Like Redmi Note 9Pro, 8Pro; Infinix zero 8; Tecno Camon 16             Premier etc) Used by Mid range High end devices Moderately expensive

3.      48MP Camera (Found in devices like Redmi Note 9S, Note 8, Note 9, Infinix Note 7 etc) used by             mid range devices with a fair price level

4. The 32MP, 20MP, 16MP, 13MP, 8MP , 5MP and 2MP cameras mostly used as front facing cameras or selfie and also used by the lower end devices with prices not greater than $112 or N50, 000.00.

But remember most times the number of pixels doesnt matter much it depends on the UI configurations and optimization because a high megapixel could end up giving you a poor output picture if not correctly optimized.

4. BATTERY CAPACITY AND CHARGING SPEED:

Realistically, as an African especially a Nigerian all other sections could be ignored in terms of Features required to be considered on a smartphones before purchase, but am telling you the battery section cannot be overlooked due to the poor nature of our power supplies.

Although since the past years, smartphones makers have also realized this. Hence you could barely see a mobile device with a battery capacity or level less than the 4000mAh size capacity, that’s a boost.

We have recently and surprisingly seen Samsung with a battery capacity of 7000mAh, Xiaomi’s with a battery capacity of nothing less than 5500mAh capacity, Infinix, Tecno, Oppo with similar trends too. So in all; these days, battery shouldn’t be a problem. And with the advent of smart power banks that also supports 18W charging speed you are covered.

 

Furthermore, Since battery capacities are higher now, another challenge is battery charging speed. I believe that we are in the 21^st century. and we should be able to move with the latest trends of innovations and speed. Some of the aforementioned devices brands are in the habit of calibrating their devices charging speed at just 10W in 2020? Common guys, we have move past that. Almost all Xioami’s devices  supports at least 18W Quick charge which is why I derive special love for them. But other brands need to catch up please.

Xiaomi NOTE 11 PRO plus now supports upto 120W quick charge 4.0 getting fully charged from 0-100% in less than 20 minutes. This is absolutely stunning.

So battery capacity along with charging speed should be a factor to be considered in the end if we are going to enjoy our devices in Africa. 

5. SCREEN DISPLAY, SCREEN SIZE, SCREEN TYPE:

Display Screens today are playing a vital role in the choice of getting a smartphones. Lets delve deeper. Do you know that smartphones screen now has something called SCREEN REFRESH RATE and SCREEN TOUCH SAMPLING RATE?

A refresh rate is the number of times your monitor updates with new images each second. For example, a 60 Hz refresh rate means the display updates 60 times per second. A higher refresh rate results in a smoother picture. Redmi note 10 pro has upto 120Hz screen refresh rate.

But in recent years more specialized, high-performing smartphone's screen have emerged that support 120Hz, 144Hz and even 240Hz refresh rates.

A metric called the display's touch sampling rate determines how often it senses where you're currently touching the screen. OnePlus's new 8 Pro promises 240 Hz refresh rate, which means that 240 times per second, the display registers where your digit is making contact with it.

These are some of the latest innovations in screen departments and most of the mid range devices by default are manufactured with 60Hz screen and touch refresh rate. Currently we are having mid rangers with 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rates too.  

More so, screen sizes are becoming bigger and better plus a better screen to body ratio. At least a screen in the region 6.3 inch display upto 7.0 inch display is not a bad idea because personally I love larger screens due to movies, games etc.

More importantly You should know that screen display quality matters a lot and AMOLED SCREENS are the best and the most expensive to purchase or repair. Next to this a a Full High Definition (FHD) LCD screens. Next to it is just HD LCD screens, and the least is just LCD display just to mention a few.

Aside these we have screens pixel display sizes ranging from, 240p, 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p, 2440 pixels etc. The better your screen quality display the better its content and functionality.

In 2020 some brand are still using 720P and a pure LCD screen as a display. You might not notice this but it is very important and most brands have upgraded their screen display level of quality at a cheap price. while some are still milking its users with poor quality screens. Think about this eye opener and act accordingly.

6. BUILD QUALITY & PROTECTION: 

This section could be ignored but to me build quality entails a lot about a device especially when you are with folks, guys, buddies etc. the smartness, feel and look of your device should be captivating, premium to feel and mind-blowing  even with your little budget for a device.

We have gone past the era of an entirely plastic or even metallic bodies. We now have Brands using Corning Gorilla Glass 2, 3, 5 and even 7. With a beautiful build quality that at weddings you wouldn’t feel shy exposing or showcasing your device. I love the Vibe whenever I brought out my Xioami device at occasions, honestly it feels great.

7. EXTRA FEATURES OR Miscellaneous:

Added to this department are extra features like IR blaster for remote control, NFC, Bluetooth version, USB ports used (at least USB type C), the speaker quality, Sim slot + SD card slot etc. I just feel you should pay attention to this too because it is necessary but not important as they could be ignored but for me? NAHHHHHHH

8. UI or ANDRIOD VERSION: 

Some Couple of OEMs are in the habit of not using latest android version on their newest and latest devices. surprisingly, some would do that but the android version a device debuted with would probably be its last as there wont be a monthly updates of security patch and bug fix. 

Some devices UI is not even intuitive and well optimized enough in terms of user friendly and multitasking oriented. But at least there are some list of UI’s that are making waves in this regard e.g android one, MIUI, Oxygen OS etc.

So as a user try to look out for this before purchasing a smartphone which is supposed to become smart as the name entails.

Conclusively, I wrote this post because a friend asked me this particular question and I felt the need of making a post about it to assist as many as I could in making the right choices and decisions when it comes to smartphones purchase and value for money.

I believe with your little budget you should be able to enjoy the greatness of smartphones even in the 21^st century as technology is advancing on a daily basis.

 

Drop your comments and contribution below and do ensure you share this post with your friends as I will be updating this post and several others in this category as new technology unfolds.

Thanks guys and stay safe!!!