GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL SMART TIPS FOR BUYING THAT
SMARTPHONE
The
budget smartphone segment has grown by leaps and bound. You no longer need to
empty your wallet to get a good phone with all the bells and whistles. However,
keep a few things in mind before you spend your money.
KEEP
YOUR EXPECTATIONS LOW
Most budget users think that a low-cost
smartphone is just a slightly less powerful version of the high-end smartphone
available for double the price. This hypes up expectations, leading to
complaints about disappointing performance. While a few smartphones like the
Xiaomi Redmi Note and Yureka have managed to come close, most other budget
smartphones do not even come close to what the high-end devices offer. Remember
they are called budget smartphone for a reason. Some of the things you will
have to compromise on include screen resolution, processor type and speed, RAM,
camera quality (even though on paper they will match by saying a 13MP camera),
build quality and battery life.
CUTTING
CORNERS
To sell you a smartphone cheap, manufacturers
cut down on little features you won't even notice while buying. So out of the
4GB internal storage, you actually get around 2GB for your use. The 4.7-inch
screen would have a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. In connectivity, the device
would not have WiFi Direct, NFC or the new Bluetooth 4.0. Make sure you check
the features before making the payment. For instance, lack of autofocus in
camera will be an issue if you want to click a lot of photos.
FOCUS
ON HARDWARE
Hardware
specifications are what you need to check thoroughly while selecting your
smartphone. Just because it's a budget phone does not mean it has to be
running on entry-level hardware.Check out the processor (octa cores are easily
available now), RAM (the more the better) and the storage available (expandable
storage is always recommended). Other specifications such as display size and
resolution, connectivity options, battery capacity etc. are the next things to
evaluate. Also, make sure you check out a demo phone before buying to get a
feel of its build quality, placement of buttons and ports.
SOFTWARE INTERFACE
There are phones
running Android, Windows Phone as well as the older BlackBerry devices
available. Make sure you check the operating system version before making a
decision. You do not want to be stuck with a device running an older version of
Android or Windows Phone with no clarity about OS update. Keep in mind that
different operating systems have different hardware requirements--the latest
version of Windows Phone (8 and above) requires lesser processor speed and RAM
as compared to the latest in Android.Check how many third party apps come
pre-installed and if you can remove the pre-installed apps or not as this
affects the phone performance.
AFTER SALES SUPPORT
Most smartphones
come with one-year warranty. However, the warranty is useless if there is no
service centre near by. Check out the company's website to locate the service
centres. Going through various forums to understand the support reputation of a
company is vital. Most companies now suffer from lack of spare parts for the
smartphones.
Karan Bajaj ETW9FEB15
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