Your smartphone is right up there with your wallet in importance — in fact, it can sometimes double as your wallet. As phones have added more features, they've become an indispensable companion, helping you stay on top of email and social updates, take and share photos and videos, play music and games, and do a whole lot more. So we probably don't have to tell you that choosing the right phone is a big deal.
Our smartphone-buying guide covers everything you need to know before you buy, ranging from the operating system and the screen size to the camera and the carrier. Use this advice to make sure you get the very best handset for your needs and budget. Deciding between Apple's and Samsung's latest flagships? Check out ouriPhone 6s vs Galaxy S7 face-off.
Quick Tips
Read Entire Article: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/smartphone-buying-guide,review-1971.html
Our smartphone-buying guide covers everything you need to know before you buy, ranging from the operating system and the screen size to the camera and the carrier. Use this advice to make sure you get the very best handset for your needs and budget. Deciding between Apple's and Samsung's latest flagships? Check out ouriPhone 6s vs Galaxy S7 face-off.
Quick Tips
- Opt for an iPhone if you want a phone that's easy to use and gets both the hottest apps first and the timeliest software updates.
- Android is better if you want more hardware choice and more control over the user experience. You can also find great Android deals under $300.
- Get a phone with a 5-inch screen or smaller if one-hand use is important. (SeeBest Small Phones for more.) Get a bigger screen if you like to watch a lot of video and play games.
- The camera has become the most important smartphone feature. Pay attention to specs like pixel size (in microns, bigger is better) and aperture (lower numbers are better) and ignore the megapixels. See our Best Camera Phones for our top picks.
- If you want the most speed for games and multitasking, buy an Android phone with the latest Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM. The A9 chip in the iPhone 6s and the 6s Plus is also very speedy. A Snapdragon 615 chip is fine for mid-tier Android phones.
- Don’t settle for a smartphone with less than a 3,000 mAh battery if endurance is really important. And see our list of the longest-running phones based on the Tom's Guide Battery Test (web surfing over 4G LTE).
- 16GB phones are a rip-off unless you’re going to store most of your photos and files in the cloud. Get 32GB or more of storage if you plan to download lots of games or shoot 4K video.
- Verizon is the best wireless carrier for coverage and speed but T-Mobile is the best overall value. MetroPCS is our top pick for discount carriers.
Read Entire Article: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/smartphone-buying-guide,review-1971.html