How to Choose a Mobile Phone

One thing that everyone can say about the mobile phone market these days, no matter how much experience they have in it, is that there are certainly a lot of choices to be made when buying a new phone.

Here are a few quick steps to take before buying a phone, to make sure that you’re getting the right phone for your lifestyle.

1. Determine your budget

This step is very important. Top of the range smartphones these days are insanely expensive, and if that’s the kind of phone you want then you need to make sure you can afford it. Basic handsets are still available at relatively low costs, but you need to check that the phone includes all the features you want access to. Your budget may also affect whether you opt for a contract or pay as you go phone.

2. Think about what you will do with the phone

After deciding an approximate figure for how much you’re willing to pay for a phone (or realistically, how much you can afford), you can begin to think about what you want to be able to do with it. If you want to email from your phone, you may consider a handset with a full QWERTY keyboard.

If you enjoy social networking, be sure to get a smartphone that can download and install Facebook and Twitter apps. Phones running Android and Apple’s iOS have a great range of apps to download from their respective app stores, but the Windows Phone Marketplace is also a contender.

3. Decide how long you want the phone to last

This is especially important if you’re getting a contract phone. Often long-term contracts (for example 18 or 24 month deals) will offer you a “free” top of the range handset, or at least one that is generously discounted.

You can of course ditch the handset you get and buy a new one after a year or so, but that’s an extra expense. Think about picking a handset that will last as long as possible without you feeling the need for an upgrade.