Which mobile phones are best and what you should know before buying a phone or tablet?
An elementary guide for those who plan to get a mobile device, with the main technical specifications that they must take into account. Differences between operating systems and tips on display, camera, storage and battery. which mobile phones are best
Those without any elementary technical knowledge generally go by price as the main metric.
In this article we share with readers the main features and requirements that we must take into account, so as not to be disappointed later and ensure that the phone or tablet meets our needs as much as possible.
We do not mention any specific brand or model.
Main technical specifications for a mobile
Mobile operating systems
All modern phones have an operating system, which makes them somewhat similar to a computer.
The vast majority use the following systems, ordered by popularity and availability. which mobile phones are best
Android
Android is a free operating system, with many different distributions created by device manufacturers.
Many free applications are available to install directly from the internet or download and install manually.
Android devices, unlike other systems, we can fully manage and explore all their content. which mobile phones are best
To copy files to or from your phone or tablet, just connect them with the USB cable to a computer.
iOS
iOS is the operating system used by all Apple company devices, such as the famous iPhone and iPad.
It is famous for its quality and safety, but it is a proprietary system, so we cannot make changes to the system, at the risk of losing the warranty and rendering the terminal unusable.
Many free applications are available, but we can only install them from the Apple store via the Internet.
To explore the inside of the devices in this system and install the applications, we are forced to install the iTunes program on the computer, which is always very complicated for many.
Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile
Windows Phone is a Microsoft operating system for mobile devices, released in October 2010. It has only two versions (7 and 8) with various updates.
In January 2015, the future successor was announced: Windows 10 Mobile, a system for mobile devices with screens smaller than 8 inches. which mobile phones are best
Operating system versions
The version of the operating system that comes with a mobile device allows us to know if it is of recent manufacture, which is very important for its compatibility with the available applications and is also related to the hardware resources of the device.
In the market we sometimes find mobiles at low prices, which have been stored for years, which are not worth buying, which we can identify by the version of the operating system they include.
✔ Information about the versions of the iOS operating system used by Apple devices (iPhone and iPad), can be found at other article: All versions of Apple’s iOS operating system
Mobile screens
Currently, portable devices with large screens are used to facilitate Internet browsing and photo viewing, although the excessive size can make the device uncomfortable to carry.
Cell phones are considered devices whose screen has a maximum of 5.5 inches, measured diagonally.
Phones with screens 6 inches or larger are called “phablets.”
Devices with screens from 7 inches to 12 are considered tablets.
The quality of the screen is given by the precision of the touch and its resolution.
In cheap and poor quality devices it becomes difficult to select small objects and they have little sensitivity.
There are different types of screens such as LCD, IPS, Amoled and the famous Retina, but there are two main technical parameters that tell us the most about the quality of the screen: PPI (pixels per inch) and HDPI (pixel density).
Read more detailed information: Screen measurements and resolution of mobile devices
Mobile cameras which mobile phones are best
We all want a mobile camera with acceptable quality.
For that we are traditionally guided by megapixels, although this does not always necessarily indicate the quality of the photographs or videos. which mobile phones are best
What do the megapixels of a camera indicate?
A megapixel is a million pixels (points), it is the unit of measurement to indicate the resolution of a photograph.
On a phone whose screen has an HD resolution (1920 X 1080 pixels), the minimum resolution of the photo to be seen correctly is approximately 2 megapixels.
That is to say that a 2 mpx photo on a phone or on a computer monitor should be seen correctly, without pixelation (blurred frames).
The example image below demonstrates that a quarter section of a photo taken on a mobile phone (1600 x 1200 pixels), which has an 8 megapixel camera (3264 x 2448 pixels), should be viewed on a laptop HD monitor. or computer perfectly, with no pixelation and no blurry areas.
The advantage of being able to take photos above that range is that we can zoom (enlarge) or crop them, without the result on the screen losing quality.
More megapixels does not necessarily mean better quality photos. which mobile phones are best
We must bear in mind that a photo that has 12 or 16 megapixels does not mean that it is better than one of 8.
In many current mobile devices, the megapixels of the camera are a “big lie”.
The traditional method of knowing them is to multiply the width of a photograph in pixels by its width by height. However, currently any software image can be enlarged in size.
There are other factors that are decisive in the quality of a camera, such as:
– The size of the sensor. The surface where the image is captured, the larger its size, the better.
– Focus speed. which mobile phones are best
– The ability to take good photos in low light conditions.
The most demanding looking for a good mobile camera should opt for a dual camera, although they should also make sure that it includes saving photos in RAW format, although a mobile camera will never be a professional camera.
How to test a phone camera?
1- For an 8 mpx camera, take a photo in a place that is not well lit.
Then enlarge it twice, checking that there is no pixelation.
2- Take another photo of a landscape, placing a finger of your hand in the center, located 10 centimeters from the lens.
Focus it by touching the screen and check in the result that the finger is clearly visible. which mobile phones are best
Capacity and storage system in mobiles
The capacity of mobile devices has been increasing over time and is an important requirement due to the gradual increase in internet bandwidth and the ability to download and save large files such as videos.
Also cameras with a good resolution generate large photos (between 4 and more MB).
Storage capacity is measured in GB (Gigabytes).
16 GB is enough as internal memory for a phone or tablet (there are devices that offer up to 128 GB), but the ideal option is that the device has a slot, to be able to add an external memory card (usually microSD). which mobile phones are best
Network connectivity which mobile phones are best
Any phone of acceptable quality today must offer support for EDGE, GPRS, GSM, HSPA+, UMTS, 3G and 4G (LTE) networks, in addition to the traditional Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Those that accept the Wi-Fi protocols : 802.11n (2.4 Ghz and 5.4 Ghz) or 802.11ac, indicate that they are modern.
Some mobiles support NFC networks.
Many Chinese copies of famous mobile models that are striking in their resemblance do not include Wi-Fi.
Mobile battery capacity which mobile phone which mobile phones are bests are best
The battery life is the main dissatisfaction of those who own a portable device.
Most modern smartphones consume a lot of power, mainly for the screen, media playback, and Wi-Fi.
The trend over the years has been to make them thinner for ease of use, which reduces the thickness and therefore the capacity of the battery.
To the extent that the screen is larger, we must ensure that the device has a battery with sufficient capacity.
Battery capacity is measured in milliamperes per hour (mAh).
A mobile with a 5-inch screen and a battery with a capacity of less than 2000 mAh should be connected to the charger almost constantly. which mobile phones are best
However there are many others, but this is a simple guide for beginners.
Finally to decide determine taste and economy.