Need-to-know Guide On Choosing The Best Mobile Phone

By Author: Peter C. Williams
Total Articles: 10
Comment this article

These days, the majority of us cannot even imagine not owning a mobile phone, they've become an utter necessity in our lives. But with the huge range of devices now available on the marketplace, it can be a daunting task to figure out which one will be best for you.



The following guide will make your life easier by giving you the top factors to evaluate when shopping around, so you can be sure to get the mobile phone that best suits your individual needs and preferences.



User Friendly


While it's important to do your research on user review and price comparison sites when shopping around for a mobile phone, it's equally vital once you've narrowed your selection to physically give them a test run to see which device best suits your individual tastes. While a mobile can look good and have great features, this will pale in comparison to you finding it difficult to navigate and use in practise. Also, unless you use the phone, you won't be able to know for sure whether there are any other bug bears - test for such factors as ease of making a call, the handling ...
... of missed calls, ease of reading or writing texts, using the music player and camera.



Battery Life


The longevity of a mobile's battery life varies depending on the manufacturer and your usage habits. Two other factors to consider is that some phones take a great deal longer to charge than others, plus different mobile models can give low-battery warnings too early or too late which can be highly frustrating.



Camera Feature


If the camera is an important feature for your mobile phone, make sure it has good lenses plus sensor quality and size, because these have a big say in how sharp and colour-accurate your pictures will turn out. For example, a 3Mp camera phone such as the Apple iPhone 3GS can provide a much more enhanced image quality than a 5Mp camera. Also try out the camera in different, simulated light conditions and test how the camera tackles movement.



MP3 Player Feature


Some mobile phones are designed to really stand out when it comes to playing music. It's a good idea to try out different genres of music, with and without headphones, to fully test the quality and distortion levels across a range of sounds.



Internet and Email


The latest generation of 3G mobile phones make it easier to access and use the internet from a pocket device than ever before. These smartphones have faster speeds than earlier GPRS models and can download an audio track in approximately 90 seconds. The other option for internet on your mobile is WI-FI connection which provides cheaper and faster online access than standard mobile phone tariffs, however currently there are only a few mobile phone models which offer this feature.



Pricing


The cost of your mobile phone will naturally depend on the level of technology you expect and need. Basic handsets are extremely affordable these days - you can pick up a pay-as-you-go mobile phone for less than £10, and even Best Buy standard mobiles can cost as little as £20 on PAYG. For this you'll get such entertainment features as an FM radio rather than an MP3 player, and a VGA (0.3Mp) camera rather than a high-end 8Mp version. For those who mainly use their mobiles for making and receiving calls or texts, this won't be a problem.



Insurance
Mobile phone insurance can be rather expensive - cover will usually costs around £6 a month, which adds up to £108 over an 18 month contract. In the same way as taking up an extended warranty, you could end up paying almost as much as the cost of the device itself. Be sure to read the fine print as there are exclusions on many policies which are not eligible for cover if they should go wrong. It's a good idea to check if your household contents insurance protects your mobile phone instead.



Conclusion


All in all, making the best choice out of the range of mobile phones currently available depends not only on targeting the features that are important to you, but also on your individual tastes and usage habits. Apart from thorough research online, you will save yourself any disappointment by physically testing the mobile devices that appeal to you to see how they actually perform.



About the Author: Peter C Williams: mobile communications consultant and retailer of mobile phones.