Gone are the days when you needed to spend upwards of $400 to get even a decent smartphone experience and twice that if you wanted a really good phone which ticks all the boxes. While flagships from established brands like Apple and Samsung have become even more expensive, the line between a $400 phone and an $800 flagship is fading fast. Make no mistake, it’s still very much there but the slight differences cannot really justify double the price tag in most cases, unless you are brand conscious of course. On the other hand, if you are a sensible consumer looking to get the best bang for your buck, do the following before actually investing your hard earned money into something that you will be using every day for the next two years.
Make a Budget and Prioritize What You Want
If you are not on a budget, then you don’t really have to worry about much as you can pretty much buy the latest iPhone or the Pixel. However, most of us do have a budget and it tends to get stretched as we are exposed to the goodies just a few more dollars would fetch. Make a budget and stick to it; with so many good choices now made available in every price segment, it shouldn’t be too hard.
Once you have fixed your budget, decide if a gaming and multimedia experience is your priority or if you would use it more often to take photos. Some consumers prefer brand recognition above anything and they are willing to sacrifice on everything else for that. Whatever the situation may be, now that you have set your priorities and the budget straight, the list should be much smaller, but not necessarily easier to choose from.
Watch and Read Reviews
Reviews are of the utmost importance before deciding to buy just about anything nowadays. It makes no sense whatsoever to invest into a smartphone without knowing everything about it first, especially since there’s so much information from so many sources available for a consumer to access today.
For example, when I was looking for a dependable web hosting service last year for my blog, I went through multiple SiteGround reviews before choosing it as my web hosting service provider. Similarly, after short listing your preferred models, go through both written and video reviews of the handsets from renowned tech sites to get a feel of how the actual experience might be for you. You might even be surprised at how often the OnePlus 3T outperforms the Google Pixel XL with a price tag that’s several hundred dollars lower than the latter.
Check the Horizon
Buying the flagship Samsung smartphone which was on top a year ago with a premium price this year is not something that you would want to do. Check the internet for news articles and leaks regarding the upcoming handsets before you invest into a new phone. If the phone you just bought gets replaced in a month with a newer, better variant at roughly the same price, while the model you own receives a significant price cut, you won’t really feel good about it to say the least! Unless you are buying a phone with good reviews at an excellent discount, always scour the horizon to see if better things are coming your way soon.
Advancement of technology may have made even the ultra-low budget phones exponentially better than one could have imagined even a few years ago, but that has not made choosing a new phone any less confusing. Nevertheless, if you follow the three steps here, you should be able to buy a new phone without too much confusion or future regret.
