Smartphone Buyers’ Guide 2013: 7 Things You Need to Know
Apr 3, 2013 03:00 PM EDT by 
The pace of innovation in the smartphone world is moving so fast it’s almost scary. Screens seem to be growing by the minute; processors have gone quad-core (and even octa-core), and a growing number of phones double as TV remotes. That’s why you need to choose wisely when shopping for a handset. The last thing you want is a phone that looks dated a few months after you take it home, especially since most people still sign up for two-year contracts.
Want to avoid smartphone remorse? Follow these seven tips.
1. Pick Your Carrier
Verizon and AT&T continue to lead the pack when it comes to 4G LTE coverage, with the former carrier covering more than 486 markets and the latter blanketing 161 and counting. Meanwhile, Sprint comes in third with 67 markets and counting, while T-Mobile is just getting off the ground with 7 cities. Not surprisingly, Verizon and AT&T also offer the widest variety of handsets to go along with their superior coverage.
But you’ll pay more for this superiority. Verizon charges $100 per month for 2GB of data and unlimited talk and text, while AT&T asks for $110 per month for 4GB of data and unlimited talk and text. The good news is that these shared data plans include mobile hotspot usage. Those who don’t need unlimited minutes on AT&T can spend $90 per month to get 550 minutes and 3GB of data.
MORE: Top 10 Smartphones
However, coverage is only one part of the equation. Unlike AT&T and Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile both offer unlimited data. Sprint customers who opt for 450 minutes can get unlimited data for $79.99 per month. T-Mobile has the cheapest plans of the big four, offering unlimited voice, text and data for $70 per month. Plus, T-Mobile’s payment plans allow users to fork over less money up front for the phone. However, Sprint charges $19 extra per month for mobile hotspot, while T-Mobile customers who sign up for the unlimited data plan will pay $10 for 2GB.
Those looking to save even more money can opt for a smaller carrier such as MetroPCS (set to merge with T-Mobile), which provides unlimited data for $60 per month. Virgin Mobile costs an even cheaper $55 per month.
Bottom Line: It really comes down to how much you’re willing to spend per month. T-Mobile offers the sweetest deal, but its 4G LTE network is just rolling out. And while Sprint also provides unlimited data, its network is also still fairly skimpy. AT&T and Verizon charge more, but if you can afford them, you’ll get better coverage.
2. Choose Your OS
The operating system and software a smartphone uses are paramount, because they define the user experience. The OS also dictates the amount and quality of apps available. Here’s a breakdown:
Android
Google’s Android operating system has become the world’s most dominant platform, and for good reason. Several smartphone makers have adopted Google’s platform and now offer a wide variety of devices in multiple sizes and at multiple price points. But choice isn’t the only reason Android is in the lead. Its OS is more customizable than iOS (for both users and manufacturers), and the Google Play store stocks just about as many apps as does Apple’s App Store, at more than 700,000 titles.
The latest version of Android, Jelly Bean, delivers such welcome upgrades as offline voice typing and Google Now, which learns from your searches to anticipate your needs. Meanwhile, Android partners like Samsung, HTC and LG are adding value to Google’s software with tons of useful features, from camera and multitasking enhancements to apps that turn your phone into a TV remote control.
Android’s biggest weakness is how long it takes carriers and phone makers to update to the latest version of the OS. Malware has been another issue.
MORE: 10 Ways Android Beats the iPhone 5
Apple iOS 6
There are two reasons Apple’s iOS is still so appealing: simplicity and apps. The iconic grid of icons is so easy to use anyone can pick up an iPhone and start using it. At the same time, Apple has layered features on top of its software to make it robust without being intimidating. Most importantly, Apple offers more than 775,000 apps, and the company routinely gets the most cutting edge apps first (see Flipboard, Infinity Blade, Vine, Mailbox, etc.)
And iOS 6 delivers other welcome improvements, such as Facebook integration, Passbook (which aggregates coupons, tickets and more in one place) and Shared Photo Streams. The Maps app has steadily improved, but it still trails Google Maps. Siri is always just a long press of the home button away, ready to answer all sorts of questions, book a restaurant or tell you who won last night’s game.
While we like iOS, it offers a less dynamic look and feel than the Windows Phone, and Android overlays like Samsung provide much quicker access to important settings. Fortunately, when Apple does decide to give its software a fresh coat of paint, you won’t have to wait an eternity for it. Owners of the iPhone can download updates directly from Apple without dealing with a carrier middleman.
MORE: 10 Ways the iPhone 5 Beats Android
BlackBerry 10
The new BlackBerry OS is tailor-made for multitasking on the move. Just swipe up from the bottom of the screen at any time to see all of your open apps. Another highlight is BlackBerry Hub, which aggregates everything from email and BBM to Facebook and Twitter. Last but not least, a redesigned keyboard predicts words and lets you flick up on suggestions to speed up typing.
The associated app store, BlackBerry World, is off to a strong start, surpassing 100,000 apps shortly after launch. You’ll find a wide selection of popular titles, from “Angry Birds Star Wars” and The Weather Channel to Kindle and Slacker. BlackBerry World also includes a lot of apps that have been ported over from Android, but it’s still missing key apps like Pandora, Netflix and Instagram.
In another drawback, the BlackBerry 10′s phone specs lag a generation behind the latest Android handsets, both in terms of screen size and processors.
MORE: 5 Reasons the BlackBerry Bashers Are Wrong
Windows Phone 8
A great choice for first-time smartphone owners and parents, Windows Phone 8 offers a dynamic and user-friendly Live Tile interface that delivers updates right to your phone’s Start screen. You can pin a whole lot of stuff to this screen to help save time, from your favorite people and websites to important notes and music playlists. Kids’ Corner gives parents an easy way to keep their children away from adult content.
On the other hand, Windows Phones tend to trail Android handsets when it comes to cutting edge specs. And while the Windows Phone app store is growing (more than 135,000 options) and recently added Pandora, it’s still missing the likes of Instagram, Flipboard and Temple Run 2.
MORE: 25 Best Windows Phone Apps
Bottom Line: Get iOS if you prioritize ease of use and apps, Android if you crave customization and more features, BlackBerry for better productivity and Windows Phone for an experience that’s more fun and personal.
3. Get the Right Screen Size
Smartphone screens keep getting bigger, but what’s the right size for you? At this point, we would avoid anything smaller than 4 inches. Devices like the 4-inch iPhone 5 and 4.2-inch BlackBerry Z10 are one-hand friendly while providing plenty of real estate for enjoying apps. At the other end of the size continuum are so-called phablets like the Samsung Galaxy Note II with its 5.5-inch screen. It’s more of a two-hand experience, as evidenced by the pen support. But some people find that extra real estate so useful (for Web surfing, watching video, etc.) that they don’t even have a need for a tablet.
The new sweet spot for smartphones is quickly becoming the 4.5 to 5-inch range, which is where you’ll find such handsets as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. You have to stretch your thumb a bit to reach all four corners of the screen, but these phones nicely balance portability with the extra size users crave for gaming, watching movies and even just typing on a larger keyboard.
Bottom Line: Screen size is very subjective, so put that smartphone in your hands before you buy, to make sure both your eyes and your fingers will be happy.
MORE: Top 10 Smartphones
4. Know What Specs You Need
Consumers care more about the user experience and what a phone can do for them than what kind of processor it has, but that doesn’t mean the specs aren’t important. For example, a cutting edge, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor will give you a lot more speed for gaming, multitasking and more than would a dual-core chip. Nvidia’s Tegra 4 processor also promises blazing performance, but it hasn’t yet reached phones.
In terms of memory, 2GB of RAM has become standard on higher-end phones, as has 16GB of storage. If you care about expandability, opt for a handset with a microSD card slot. If you plan on shooting a lot of HD video or downloading a lot of 3D games and movies, spend the extra money to get 32GB, especially if that phone doesn’t have a card slot.
So what about the camera? Don’t be fooled by high-megapixel claims. While a 12-MP camera should give you more detail than a 5-MP model, ultimately the size of the sensor and quality of the lens will play a bigger role in determining how great those photos look. The HTC One, for example, shoots only 4-MP images but captures 300 percent more light than competing phones, giving you brighter photos. Also, pay attention to special features. For instance, the Galaxy S4 can shoot using both the front and back camera at the same time.
Bottom Line: Android phones tend to have the most cutting edge specs, followed by the iPhone. Windows Phones and BlackBerry 10 are about a generation behind.
5. Pay Attention to Battery Life
What good is a high-powered smartphone that runs out of power by lunchtime? Based on the LAPTOP Battery Test, which involves continuous 4G Web surfing on 40 percent brightness, the average phone lasts 6:06. That’s good, but we’ve seen several handsets last 7.5 hours or longer. For example, the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD, which has a massive 3,300 mAh battery, lasted 8 hours and 13 minutes on our test. The Galaxy Note II, which benefits from a 3,100 mAH battery, lasted a whopping 10 hours and 12 minutes.
The size of the battery isn’t everything, though. Keep an eye out for special power-saving features that manufacturers may include. For example, Motorola’s Smart Actions app can extend your endurance by recognizing when your phone is idle and conserving power during those down times. Samsung’s Galaxy line also has a Power-Saving mode. If you want the ability to swap out batteries, make sure the phone you buy has a removable back cover and battery, as opposed to a sealed design.
Bottom Line: Take a look at the mAh rating for the battery, but the most important thing to do is look at our battery life scores.
MORE: 10 Smartphones with the Longest Battery Life
6. Get the Best Special Features
In the new smartphone arms race, designers want to deliver special features that let you do things with your phone you couldn’t before. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S4, LG Optimus G Pro and HTC One can all be used as TV remotes, because they integrate an IR blaster and a dedicated app. Samsung goes the extra mile with the Galaxy S4, offering new Air Gestures, health and translation apps, and the ability to broadcast the same song to multiple S4s simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the iPhone has the Siri personal assistant, Shared Photo Streams and FaceTime, Apple’s own video chat service. Windows Phone fan? Only Nokia offers a PureView camera, which delivers unparalleled low-light performance, and the augmented reality City Lens app. HTC touts Beats Audio for both its Android and Windows phones.
Bottom Line: Do your homework to learn the difference between features you’ll find useful and those you’ll ignore after a few days.
More: 12 Best Features of the Galaxy S4
7. Don’t Be Afraid to Splurge
If you add up how much you’ll pay for your plan over two years, it just makes sense to get the very best device you can afford, especially if you’ll be on a contract. Let’s say you signed up for a 2GB plan on Verizon. After 24 months, you would have spent $2,599, including the cost of a $199 phone, versus $2,499 if you purchased a $99 phone. To us, it’s worth the extra money to get the latest and greatest phone.
However, if you simply don’t have $199 or more to spend up front, you have some options. T-Mobile lets you grab a premium device like the iPhone 5 for just $99 down. Or you could shop around on Amazon or other sites for a feature-rich phone that has been discounted. If you’re more comfortable going through your carrier, consider a device that’s been refurbished or an attractive phone that’s been discounted. For instance, you can now grab the Motorola Droid RAZR M for free on Verizon.
Bottom Line: Spend more up front if you can to stave off obsolescence.
Smart Phone Buyers Guide
- Introduction
- Which OS is Right for You?
- Which Carrier Do You Want?
- How Big is Big Enough?
- What Specs Matter?
- How Good is the Camera?
- Does it Have 4G, and if so What Kind?
- How Long Does the Battery Last?
- How Much Should You Spend?
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March 27th, 2011 at 11:50 am
Unsurpassed hardware design for the iPhone? Are you kidding?
Whenever a new iPhone comes out, it is always behind the curve in terms of hardware.
And for iOS, forgot to mention “terrible, productivity-impeding notification system”, something that is widely criticized by experts and gadget geeks.
And one of the cons for WP7 was “No multitasking for third-party apps”, yet that fact escaped mention in the iOS cons list…
Also, “Lackluster game selection” for Android? What about Tegra Zone and Playstation Suite?!
And this page was last updated February 2, 2011, and the Verizon iPhone is on there, so why are the best devices for Android so old? Why not the Atrix 4G? Or the Nexus S, widely seen by the afore mentioned gadget geeks as one of the best Android phones out there. What about the Incredible S, the Desire HD???
And all of the pros and cons lists include things like “UI not as elegant”, “Gorgeous interface”, “Easy-to-use interface”, says who??!! You can’t just throw your own biases into the mix if this is supposed to be a guide to which OS is best for each person individually.
If this needs to be approved by moderators like the last comment I made on this site, I doubt it will go up, but as long as someone reads this, then let me say, please polish up this post, remove your biases and get your facts straight. I know you may not be a smartphone-centric website, but if you’re going to post buying guides for the average consumer, make sure you know what you’re doing!
April 4th, 2011 at 9:24 pm
While it’s true that notifications seem much slower on my iPhone4 than on my old BlackBerry, and the call quality isn’t as good either. I must, however, defend the iPhone because it’s display is much sharper and more colorful than any other phone available at the time I bought it.
April 9th, 2011 at 5:40 am
2 rue said gandouz alger algerie
April 12th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
thank’s
April 27th, 2011 at 4:34 am
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May 4th, 2011 at 8:05 am
from where can I get it
May 15th, 2011 at 6:23 am
Thank you
August 3rd, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Okay, I’m an old fogie but, when I want to read about the best Smartphone, the very first thing I want to know is, how well does it function as a phone? Good reception? Good audio quality? The next thing would be, how well does it work with WiFi? Can I use Skype for free VoIP calling or something else? How is it with Internet use and display? Bottom line, how well does the phone communicate?
January 12th, 2012 at 10:46 am
if i need to buy a blackberry curve 9300 without the plan,how much will it cost and how do i make my payment?
March 29th, 2012 at 7:08 am
Time for an update?
I rather think this page is too far out of date, at 13 months, to be so prominently featured
April 23rd, 2012 at 6:33 pm
All of this is spot on and great advice! Ideal screen and body size for me is somewhere around the Samsung Focus S with a 4.3 screen. Good camera and video quality is always a plus. I have the Lumia 900 and a big setback is the lack of apps and customization. If I had another chance I would go with Android, Google is doing some great improvements to its ecosystem. Watch out for GS III from Samsung.
October 19th, 2012 at 1:35 pm
I personally feel that it is the OS and thereby UI which is most important in a smartphone. Personally, my recommendation has always been Android in case of smartphones till now. But I doubt Windows 8 might change the whole smartphone game. Most people like Windows on their PCs and if they are habituated to the Windows 8 OS soon whose metro style is similar to Windows Phone tiles, I won’t be surprised if Windows Phone also becomes popular very soon. Android is genuine good and is adopted by every smartphone manufacture be it small or big as it is an open source free OS. Apple is highly restricted with limited choices as they release only one flagship phone in every major release. On the other hand, Windows Phone is more of an underdog as people have associated Windows with desktop OS rather than mobile ones. Windows 8 might change this though as Windows 8 version are quite similar be it on desktops, tablets or smartphones.
November 16th, 2012 at 5:23 pm
Late to the smartphone party, but dumbphone contract is finally up.
Very common possibility: Wife calls and asks me to look something up on the internet or check email while we are talking.
Which smartphones can do this? I heard some can’t.
April 4th, 2013 at 9:43 am
@ H Fied
Any smartphone with WP8 can do that easily. Switch to loudpeaker, tap windows button, open IE / mailbox and there you go. 3 “clicks” only.
And for the article… 4. Know what specs you need.
Go for high specs for Android OS, as it’s very resource hungry.
Go for ANY specs (1GB RAM preferably) for WP 8 and the experience will be buttery smooth.
WP8 phones don’t need 8 core processors to work well, Android needs them
Now think if you need them to eat your battery 
May 3rd, 2013 at 7:51 pm
I`m due an upgrade in June, but I need a phone that will fit into my jeans front pocket and also allow me to sit down comfortably. Problem is that most of the phones with the features I want are way too big.