Learn How To Choose Mobile Phone Like a Professional

Choosing a mobile phone is always a complicated moment for every lover of mobile technology. We all like to get the most out of our investment, we want to enjoy it as much as possible in May.

The difficult choice of a smartphone

Today, the market has evolved to the point where there are so many good quality phones, which paradoxically make it really difficult to choose a good option. The good thing about this is that it does not matter if you do not choose your best option, the bad thing is that you may spend a lot of money on a mobile whose virtues (for which you are paying) may not be in your preferences.

Thinking about it, a year ago I started a guide of monthly recommendations for each budget (yes, last February there has not been, but because there have not been major changes since January) in what I have tried to explain in a simple way which is the better mobile and why. Normally they are articles that have not been well evaluated in the comments because for certain users, their preferred option is not on the list (although we will continue to do so).

When one is dedicated to it, there are many people who end up asking if this mobile is good or what I buy for 200 euros. If you are a user who does not want to eat your head a lot, I recommend monthly guides, but if you want to learn how to choose mobile phone like a professional, this is your guide.

Make a table of preferences, and value the most important

No, having the best processor for the lowest price does not make one mobile superior to others. Yes, smartphones are real computers in the palm of your hand, but power is not everything, or at least it should not.

To this day, any mobile phone has the necessary power to be fully functional, but there are many more factors. Having a good screen, camera, battery or sound are some of the most important, but when it comes to the truth, even small aesthetic details can make a difference.

Take a paper (or a Google spreadsheet, an Excel, etc.), and think,  why do I use my mobile phone in my day to day? What do I enjoy the most?

Sort that list of mobile uses in priority. The use made by someone who spends the day sending emails and using Google Maps (where the battery matters first, and performance in second) will not be the same as someone who spends a lot of time at home, playing video games.

Once you have your priorities clear, start to write down what you think will be the characteristics that most interest you. If you play video games, your priority will be in the power. If you watch many videos, it will be more important for you to have a good screen and sound, while if you are one of those who are listening to music all day, you should focus your priorities on the audio.

How much do you intend to spend? Choose your models wisely

Once you are clear, think about how much money you want to spend on your new mobile. The easiest to have referenced is to look at our recommendations, or even take a walk through online stores such as Amazon, PC Components or Phone House. Find your price, and start searching.

You must keep in mind that certain preferences can raise the price exorbitantly. If you love mobile photography; for example; keep in mind that you will have to spend a much larger budget than other preferences (for example, phones with “good battery and cheap” if they exist in the market). Be realistic with your budget, it is possible that there are preferences in which you have to resign yourself to “the best that is possible”.

Keep an eye on the present, and another in the future

Even if you have very clear preferences, it is always worth valuing some points that we do not think are of interest to us, because maybe we just do not think that we are going to need them. Anyway, it seems silly to download series on your mobile phone until you try a large-screen mobile phone with lots of memory. It is not that it can happen, it happens.

It’s one of the things I’ve learned recommending mobile. Suddenly a person asks you for recommendations to use WhatsApp and social networks, and at six months he tells you that you recommended him badly because he can not play next-generation games on his mobile phone that was not chosen for that purpose.

In the doubt between a technical tie between two phones, stay with the one that offers more extras. Especially if that extra is the resistance to water because although we are not going to submerge the phone, it is great protection against accidents.

Eye to the Chinese super-girls, for better and for worse

The figure of the buscachollos is real (nicknamed sometimes, as brothers-in-law). No matter which mobile you choose, he has found in a Chinese website a Zuk / Xiaomi / LeEco that you have not heard of in your life, which costs half of your mobile and has a much more powerful processor.

These mobiles exist, and they must be considered in an election. The advantage of opting for them is that we will have good level components at the lowest possible price. And hey, they’re fine, but always consider that they have a hidden cost.

Even that mobile takes a month to arrive and above, you have to pay customs. The software with which the mobile arrives may have to be modified (changing the ROM), which if you do not know, it can be a headache. Finally, the guarantees can become a lottery.

There are many disadvantages that we have to pay to save us a few euros. Depends on each one will deserve more or less the penalty. Of course, if you are a little lost in choosing a mobile, we advise you to avoid this route, because, in the end, it can bring you more discomfort than benefit.

The reviews, a great ally

Blogs (like this one you are reading) or YouTube channels are excellent tools to know the strengths or weaknesses of a mobile. When choosing a mobile, there is a novice error that many people make, and it is to think that one mobile is better than another because it has better specifications or higher scores in performance tests. In fact, some manufacturers take advantage of it, exaggerating specifications.

The final experience with mobile is much more complex than a dossier. In the end, the experience of use is not something that can be measured, but rather part of the sensations. It is one of the objectives that we follow when it comes to making analyzes, going beyond what brands promote.

Do not close in a single analysis, whether ours, the one of Engadget, online media. Each user profile has its observations, and seeing several reviews (or the conclusions of each one, if you do not want to invest too much time) can provide you with points of view that you have not contemplated.

Remember that if someone you know has a cell phone that interests you, you can ask them. Invite him to a soft drink/coffee/beer, and take the opportunity to ask him.

Do not you trust? Test in a physical trade

The next step after looking at several reviews is to go to the real world, and contrast all those experiences read with your own. Stores like Mediamarkt, or Phone House have some of the best mobiles there, connected in a stand where you can try some of their functions.

I confess that when I go for a walk in shopping centers, I like to go through the counters to browse those mobile phones that they have. The truth is that in a stand you can not try all the features, but it helps you to see the quality of the panel, the added functions of the system or the design and quality of construction. There are mobiles that look much better in real life than in photographs.

A very positive point of physical commerce is immediacy because if you take time after a mobile, you try it and you like it you can take it on the spot, without waiting for it to be sent to your home. You also have the danger that you end up buying on impulse. It is not bad to take your mobile if you want it already but think twice.

Take advantage of your rights as a consumer

You have had enough of making screens, see reviews, try it in store, you are already completely decided that you have chosen your ideal mobile. You buy it, and you discover that you are not super happy, that there is a small detail that brings you from the nerves. You have not seen it in any review, and it bothers you to have spent so much money on something that does not offer you what you expected.

It happens to many people and is more common than you think, and fortunately, it has a solution. The normal thing in online commerce is that you have 14 days to return the product if you do not convince yourself, although some physical stores also offer this possibility.

Find out before you buy about the store’s return policy. If you have doubts, buy your mobile, write down the deadline to return it and intensively test all its functions. The most likely thing is that you end up staying because you have learned to choose correctly, but you are sure that you can return it if you have made the wrong decision.