How to Buy a Smartphone: Everything You Need to Know

April 23rd, 2012 by LAPTOP Editors  

How Good is the Camera?

8-megapixel cameras are standard on higher-end smartphones, but you’ll also find some models with 5-MP sensors in the value range and as high as 16-MP on the high end. But while the number of megapixels matter, so do other features, such as the quality of the lens, how quickly your camera starts and captures photos and how well it handles low light. If you can, play with the smartphone in the store to see if it’s good enough to stand in for your dedicated digicam. Or check out our smartphone reviews. 

If you care about video quality, opt for a smartphone that can shoot 720p HD footage. You’ll find 1080p shooters on the most premium handsets. A good camcorder will deliver not only sharp but smooth-looking footage both outdoors and indoors. The best cameras can avoid grainy images even in dim conditions. 

Right now, the best camera phones out there are the iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S II and HTC One series. Apple’s device is fast and offers excellent results under almost any lighting conditions. The Galaxy S II delivers bright images along with great-looking video. And HTC’s dedicated imaging chip inside the One X and One S is super-fast, letting you snap four frames per second. The Galaxy Nexus is also very fast, but the image quality is hit or miss.

More: Smartphone Camera Shootout: HTC One S vs. iPhone 4S

Smart Phone Buyers Guide

Next Page >>


Comments (11 Responses) 

Our Related Content

From Other Sites

Related Deals

 

11 Responses to “How to Buy a Smartphone: Everything You Need to Know”

  1. Joseph Says:
    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!

  2. Charles Says:
    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.

  3. guezati hicham Says:
    April 9th, 2011 at 5:40 am

    2 rue said gandouz alger algerie

  4. ayoub Says:
    April 12th, 2011 at 3:42 pm

    thank’s

  5. ayoube bouzine Says:
    April 27th, 2011 at 4:34 am

    antariya 1 reu 2 hay mohamadi casa blanca maroc

  6. khadeja Says:
    May 4th, 2011 at 8:05 am

    from where can I get it

  7. mohammed Says:
    May 15th, 2011 at 6:23 am

    Thank you

  8. Norm Brooks Says:
    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?

  9. Debby Says:
    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?

  10. Bob Harvey Says:
    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

  11. Phil T Says:
    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.

Leave a Reply

Featured Sponsors