Bea Beltran Tech 01.03.2023 08:Jan AM EST

8 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Smartphone

Smartphones nowadays are designed to only last for so long before it becomes obsolete, so you'll find yourself upgrading after a few years. There are things you could be overlooking when you choose a smartphone to purchase, so here are the mistakes you should avoid.

What Do You Need it For?

It's important to consider what you need a smartphone for. For instance, some phones tend to be more expensive because of qualities that favor certain purposes. If you're buying a phone solely for texts, calls, and emails, you could be overpaying for features you don't need.

If you tend to use your phone for photography, then you should look into phones with unique camera features along with good camera quality. If you want a phone for gaming, then you should buy one with better RAM to avoid game lags.

Keep Away from Trends

You might not need the latest models from leading smartphone manufacturers, but you buy them anyway because of all the hype, as suggested by TechNave. You should consider whether the high-quality features you're paying for are actually going to be used often. Otherwise, it's a waste.

Compare Prices and Features

It's not very often that you buy a new smartphone, so you should take the time to research different brands and models. After that, you should compare which has the best to offer paired with its price.

Some stores provide free accessories for each smartphone purchase and some offer discounts. You should also look into the original price of the device, so you'd know whether the discount is legitimate or if they just marked the original price down to make it seem like a big discount.

Check for the Audio Port

There are people who still prefer traditional wired earphones or headphones, and a lot of smartphones being released no longer come with a headphone jack. Without an audio jack, you'll need an adapter for your charging port or wireless earphones to connect via Bluetooth.

It's Not All About the Camera

If you want to buy a smartphone for photography purposes, then maybe the camera plays a huge part in your decision-making. However, the function of a phone is more than just the camera that comes with it, as suggested by Gizbot.

If you're going to use your phone for multiple apps, you have to have to consider the other components as well. For example, you might want a better processor when you're going to open many apps at a time. Otherwise, your phone would start to lag since it can't take the load.

Check the Reviews

There is always some poor fella who purchased a seemingly good-quality phone without doing their research, while some are greatly satisfied with the product they bought. Either way, a lot of people post their reviews online. Read their reviews of the item for unbiased assessments.

Look Into Later Models

Just because a model was released two years ago doesn't mean it's no good. Oftentimes, the models that follow them have nothing much to offer other than small upgrades. Older models tend to be cheaper, and they'll have the functions that you will need too if not more.

Don't Forget the Operating System

All the best components you can get will be useless if your operating system can't keep up. Make sure that the phone you're buying has or can update to the latest OS the brand is using. A lot of problems can arise with an outdated OS.

For instance, you will no longer get patch updates to fix bugs in your operating system or security measures to avoid malware. There are also apps that only work in the most recent OS, so you might have difficulties navigating through them if you can't update the OS or the app.