It is simply impossible to imagine everyday life without a mobile phone, using the Internet, playing games, watching videos, all these possibilities are contained in only one device. The possibilities of modern gadgets are endless, and choosing the best smartphone in 2020 is not an easy task. Perhaps a few years ago, when these devices first appeared on sale, and there was not much to choose from, such problems did not arise.
But now the modern market for mobile gadgets is replenished with the latest high-quality devices every six months, and many of us do not know exactly what parameters to pay attention to in 2020. To figure out how to choose the right smartphone, inexpensive but good, so as not to overpay for unnecessary functions, our experts will help, who tried to reveal the main points that you should pay attention to when buying.
Content
What do you need a smartphone for
Answer this question for yourself before proceeding with the choice of a good smartphone, since the selection process directly depends on the purpose of using the gadget:
- If you need a device only for calls and sms communication, then all the devices cope with these functions perfectly and you should not overpay for famous brands and cool functionality.
- You often communicate on social networks, make video calls, or read books, you at least need a stable Internet (preferably 3G and 4G, in addition to Wi-Fi), a bright and contrasting display and a good front camera.
- Love to play games, watch high definition movies and work with a lot of applications? Choose a smartphone model with a powerful processor (at least 1.5 GHz and 4 cores), 2-3 GB of RAM, a capacious battery (the more the better, for a 5-inch smartphone from 3000 mAh), a high-quality large-size display with high resolution.
- For selfie lovers, those who travel a lot and want to capture all the most interesting moments with their camera, phones with excellent optics (from 16 MP), complemented by various features such as autofocus and optical image stabilization, are suitable.
Summing up a small summary, it is worth noting that when buying a smartphone for ourselves, we often give preference to well-known brands for which we sometimes overpay a lot of money. We, in turn, can say with confidence that Chinese smartphones whose price and quality are at a good level can be bought for a reasonable price without losing performance.
Criteria for choosing a good smartphone
You can independently decide which smartphone to choose by examining several main technical characteristics. The choice should be based on the following criteria:
- display;
- operating system;
- CPU;
- memory;
- video accelerator;
- camera;
- battery.
If you want to buy a smartphone but the price-quality ratio is worth at least watch a video review about your chosen model before buying, read reviews on the forums. If this is not enough for you to finally decide for yourself which smartphone company to give your preference to, then you can always come to the store and use the phone you like!
Display
Today, due to the wide variety of phone models with different screen types, it is sometimes very difficult to decide which display size to choose for your smartphone. It is the display that we pay attention to first of all when we want to buy a smartphone, this is the first thing that catches the eye when you take it in hand. There are not many small devices with a diagonal of 3-3.5 inches on sale anymore. They are best suited for calls and sms. But if we are talking, for example, about a good Samsung smartphone, and not about a simple cell phone, then you should still make the most of the capabilities of your device. The optimal size is 4-5 inches. Anything above can already cause discomfort, but many users prefer large-sized devices (from 5.5 inches). In this case, it is recommended to look especially closely at the resolution of the gadget. Of course, the higher the resolution, the better. For example, Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) indicates a high-definition picture. However, in terms of parameters, it is rather an expensive flagship, so if you want to buy 5 inch smartphone the optimal choice is the HD-format resolution - 1280 by 720, and the price will definitely suit you.
The technical characteristics of the display also indicate the type of matrix, for example, TFT, IPS, Super Amoled or Retina (in Apple phones). If the model you like has a TFT matrix, it is better to abandon it right away, since this is an outdated technology used in budget smartphones. The last two matrices provide a high-quality image, but have a significant impact on the cost. Thus, IPS is the best option, it is this matrix that is used in most devices of the middle price segment.
Watch a detailed video about the types and technologies of screens!
operating system
The three main competing platforms to choose from are Android, iOS and Windows Phone. Android is currently considered the most requested and most user-friendly system, followed by iOS. Smartphones on Android are regularly updated and provide more options for their users, they have a clear and simple interface, a lot of different chips that modern users like.
Windows Phone has not yet gained a sufficiently large audience of users due to its somewhat intricate structure, although it is successfully and actively developing. Still, I would like to note that the Windows Phone system was originally formed more for computers than for smartphones. And if, for example, you download a song or any other file from the Internet, then in Windows you will search for a long time in which folder it was downloaded. Also, there are few applications in Windows, and if you find the application you need, then it will most likely be paid.
iOS is more about securing user data and is 100 percent the most secure operating system in the world. Of course, you will need to spend a lot on a smartphone with this OS.
If for you the first place is the ability to have complete control over your gadget, install any applications (including from unofficial sources), customize the appearance of the OS at your discretion, choose Android, it is more understandable to a simple user, and inexpensive good smartphones for Android is a huge variety. If you are more worried about the safety of personal data and are willing to pay a decent price for it, iOS is more suitable for you.
CPU
The two main characteristics of a processor are the number of cores and the frequency. With more than 4 cores, the phone discharges much faster. And there is a need for such characteristics only if you choose a smartphone for games with high demands. It is desirable that the smartphone has the ability to temporarily disable some cores from work when they are not needed, and, conversely, use all the hardware power when launching demanding games, programs, etc. You can find out about this ability of the phone from the review of a particular model.
As for the firms that manufacture processors, the abbreviation MTK - MediaTek - is most often found in inexpensive smartphones.Such a chip is the cheapest and has not very high performance and speed. The Kirin brand is found only in Huawei and Honor smartphones. Intel and Exynos are present in the most powerful and expensive devices (the price-quality ratio of the smartphone will be appropriate), but Qualcomm Snapdragon is what you need, it shows good performance and low power consumption, 5 most popular mobile processors (in increasing power):
- Snapdragon 730G
- Snapdragon 845
- Snapdragon 768G
- Snapdragon 855
- Snapdragon 865 (Most Powerful - 2020)
The number of cores of the phone does not always mean that it will work 8 times faster. First of all, you should pay attention to the frequency and then to the quantity.
Interesting video about mobile processors, you need to know!
Memory
RAM and built-in memory are two very important characteristics that must be taken into account when choosing a mobile phone.
The operating system is responsible for the speed of the smartphone, the ability to run several processes at the same time, etc. If there is too little of it, you will not even be able to start the game, videos in good resolution, or they will work slowly, with constant braking. On a model with 1 GB of RAM, you should pay attention only if you do not play games and do not work with a lot of open applications. At the moment, a good gaming smartphone should have at least 2 GB of RAM, and preferably 3 GB.
Internal memory is a kind of storage device for storing various system and user data. After installing an application, some of the files are in the internal memory. If this is too small, you will not be able to install many programs or games, or you will have to uninstall something to free up memory. If you are an active user, you should choose a smartphone with at least 64 GB of internal memory. At the same time, remember that part of this volume is already occupied by system data, so in fact you will get about 63 GB at your disposal. You can improve the situation a little by buying a memory card, if a slot for it is provided in the phone, but not all programs move to the SD card, take this into account when buying a smartphone, checking this information with the seller.
Video accelerator
First, you need to figure out what a video accelerator is, which is also called a graphics processor. Unlike a conventional processor chip, it only processes graphics data. For example, with a poor video accelerator, the device will not "pull" a game with beautiful 3D graphics. The best smartphones are equipped with the following video accelerators:
- Mali-T880;
- Adreno 640;
- Adreno 630.
These manufacturers offer a wide range of graphics chips for phones, mid-range and low-cost smartphones. In order not to be mistaken in the choice, it is recommended to study in more detail the pros and cons of a particular accelerator, and then decide whether to buy such a smartphone or not.
Camera
The main indicator of camera quality is resolution, measured in pixels. As a rule, the front module of a smartphone is much weaker than the main one, since it is intended mainly for video calls and recently popular selfies. For the image from the front camera to be clear enough, it is worth considering devices with a resolution of at least 5 megapixels.
A good camera of the basic type in a smartphone can have a resolution of 20 megapixels, but the cost of such a device is rather big. Photos of quite good quality can be taken using 13 megapixels. It is also important to have additional functions:
- automatic focus (improves the clarity of pictures);
- flash (significantly improves the quality of shooting);
- image stabilization system (preferably optical - allows you to take high-quality photos and videos in motion).
Important! A large number of pixels in a camera's characteristics is not always a sign of high-quality shooting - you should pay attention to the additional capabilities of the camera. For this read our rating of camera phones!
Battery
If you want to get the most out of your phone without sitting around an outlet with a charger all day, then a lot of attention should be paid to the battery. In this case, it all depends on the size of the display (its resolution) and the operating conditions of the gadget.
Smartphone with a diagonal of 4-4.7 inches, used in medium activity mode, drains rather slowly. The display is the one that consumes the battery the fastest. So, if the phone has a diagonal of about 5 or 5.5 inches, and you plan to use it quite actively, then the battery capacity should be at least 4000 mAh - the higher this figure, the better. For those who are looking specifically for smartphones with a powerful battery, we advise you to look our rating.
Important! The more productive the device and the larger its screen diagonal with a high resolution, the more energy it needs to work, and, accordingly, the more powerful and durable battery.
Useful Tips
Have you chosen a cool, high-performance smartphone, but not satisfied with its performance? Slow performance and fast battery drain are among the most common problems. This is not uncommon, so it's a good idea to check out some valuable tips.
To prevent the battery from draining quickly
If your smartphone runs out of power quickly, use the power saving modes, of which there may be several. After activating this mode, the smartphone turns off unnecessary modules, processor cores, wireless communications and other components that quickly drain the battery. If there is no such function, follow these tips:
- Do not set live wallpaper as a screensaver on your desktop.
- Turn off Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, and other wireless connections if you are not using them at the moment.
- Reduce the brightness of the display to a minimum - this is how the smartphone keeps charging for a long time.
- Turn off vibration.
What to choose for screen protector?
Film (matte, glossy, mirror) is a cheaper option, but protects only from scratches and light impacts, is difficult to stick, may slightly deteriorate the image quality and lower the screen sensitivity.
Protective glass is more expensive, does not affect the sensitivity of the sensor and the quality of the picture, it can protect the screen not only from scratches, but also from impacts. If your smartphone is worth a lot of money, it is important to choose high-quality glass with high shock resistance.
How to speed up your smartphone?
Over time, it becomes noticeable that the smartphone began to work much slower, errors appear, crashes from applications, etc. This happens for various reasons, most often due to the accumulation of a large amount of unnecessary data in the phone's memory. To solve this problem, there are several ways, both radical and the simplest, that every user can cope with:
- Install an application designed to clean your smartphone, optimize its performance, and use it regularly (about races a month). For example, CCleaner, Clean Master are good programs that have proven themselves worthy.
- From time to time, check the data storage for the presence of third-party folders, files (sometimes they remain after uninstalled programs and clog the system).
- Remove any unused programs.
- Clear the application cache (it slows down your smartphone and takes up RAM).
- Rebooting the system temporarily speeds up the device.
- Please update your firmware regularly.
Which company to choose a smartphone
The question of which company is better to choose a smartphone, as a rule, does not arise - in search of a good mobile phone, many tend to brand manufacturers with a good reputation. To some extent, this is true, but lately, many Chinese firms have released many high-quality, noteworthy new products.They are not inferior in characteristics to smartphones of well-known companies, but differ in a more affordable price. The most popular firms over the past year have become:
- Xiaomi;
- Huawei;
- Samsung;
- Oppo;
- Apple.
Summarize
Now, as soon as you decide to purchase a mobile phone, you can choose one yourself. There is nothing complicated in this - it is enough to carefully study the technical characteristics. But, first of all, you should decide for what purpose you buy it, so as not to overpay money for unnecessary functions. It is quite easy to choose the right inexpensive but good smartphone in 2020, the main thing is to approach this issue by examining all the most important details.
