Smartphones selection by parameters. Meizu: dumping price leaders. Choose a manufacturer: Nokia, Samsung

Buying new smartphone, I want it to be the best gadget for today in terms of all characteristics: inexpensive, but good, with a stylish design, a large screen, with big battery, with two SIM cards, with good sound And great camera. And also that it was the most progressive and contained all the novelties of advanced technologies. Our task is to help you and tell you how to choose the best smartphone in terms of price-quality ratio, what to look for so that it is inexpensive but good, and of course you decide.

What is the purpose of a smartphone?

Before moving on to choosing a mobile phone, you need to decide what exactly it is for. Modern smartphones on this moment serve not only as a means of communication in the form of calls and SMS, they very often replace cameras, camcorders, voice recorders, tape recorders, serve as navigators and can even replace a laptop and tablet if necessary. On phones you can watch movies, cartoons, listen to your favorite music, play Interesting games, chat on social networks, get necessary information. Therefore, it is very important to choose priorities in order not to overpay money for unnecessary features. For someone, the design of the phone is very important, its presentable appearance, someone has technical indicators in the first place. Someone will choose a smartphone with powerful battery, in order to be as much as possible in offline. And for someone, the main thing is a camera with the ability to take high-quality selfies. Avid gamers and fans of watching videos will be attracted by a gadget with a large screen. Music lovers are very picky about the issue of sound. Thus, before giving preference to any particular model, carefully weigh the pros and cons, so that later you do not quickly look for new replacement to your smartphone.

Display

Screen size matters a lot. Someone loves smartphones with large display with the ability to play various three-dimensional games, others like to watch movies on their gadget, it is more convenient for someone to work, read information or communicate on a large screen. For some, the compactness of the phone is important, and for all its versatility, it should lie comfortably in the hand. Each of these questions is self-evident.

Another very important indicator is the screen resolution. Any manufacturer strives to achieve the maximum value. If you take two screens with different resolutions, then at first it can be almost imperceptible, but when viewing photos, videos, the difference can already be felt. For smartphone with screen size up to 5.5 inches good resolution will be 1280 * 720, above 5.5 inches - 1920 * 1080. It is important to pay attention to this indicator in order to enjoy high-quality photos and videos.

An important characteristic is the type of display or matrix. It comes in four types:

• Super LCD- an outdated version that is currently used in Not expensive phones;
• Super Amoled is a great type of display that Samsung uses;
• IPS is the most common matrix option;
• Retina is the best view of the matrix to date. Used in Apple smartphones.

The first step when buying a smartphone is to decide on the choice of operating system. Today there are three mobile platforms, on which all gadgets work:

1. Android is the most popular operating system in the world. About 80% of devices work on its basis. It is developed and promoted by Google. This operating system is very affordable and made user-friendly, everything is thought out here;
2. iOS- this species the best operating system created for Apple phones, and the fact that there are no viruses for it is a plus;
3. Windows is a less popular OS that needs work and has its downsides.

CPU

In order for your smartphone to work quickly, without slowing down and freezing, it is important not to make a mistake when choosing technical indicators. The processor is the main part of the phone's hardware. Processors are manufactured by companies such as:

• Qualcomm, which released such a hit as Qualcomm Snapdragon, which is currently the leader;
• Samsung produces processors for both Apple and its own Samsung phones Exynos 8890, which is currently the fastest processor;
• MediaTek releases MTK processor, which Lately significantly improved their performance;
• Intel produces the same processor as in computers, although they are still quite rare;
• Nvidia.

An important characteristic of the processor is its clock speed, but when choosing a phone, you can not rely only on this indicator. All modern processors have the ability to increase or decrease the frequency depending on the load. Therefore, the characteristics indicate the upper limit. All phones have a clock speed above 1 Hz, in top models it can be above 2 GHz. In addition to the frequency, many factors affect the operation of the gadget, so compare only the clock frequency of different smartphones incorrectly. Better take advantage special program Antutu benchmark or compare gadget performance graphs. However, if you choose a smartphone with clock frequency not lower than 1.5 GHz, then you definitely can’t go wrong. This is currently a reasonable minimum.

Another important indicator of a processor is the number of cores. Following the dual-core processors, four, six, eight and even 10-core processors appeared. It seems that everything is simple here - the more cores, the better, in practice this is not always the case. The phone in its work does not involve the work of all cores. Experts advise choosing a smartphone with four nuclear processor. Its work will be quite enough, while we recommend to prefer processors from Qualcomm and Samsung.

video accelerator

The speed of smartphones in games directly depends on the graphics accelerator. This is a microprocessor, the main task of which is the processing and output of graphics. If in laptops a separate board is responsible for this action, then in a smartphone everything should be extremely compact. In order to understand whether games will slow down, you need to figure out which video accelerator is in the phone. Currently, the most common kernels are:

1. Mali;
2. Adreno from Qualcomm;
3. PowerVR;
4. Geforce ULP from Nvideo.

All these chips have many varieties and are multi-core. The higher the display resolution in a smartphone, the more powerful the chip it needs to process graphics, otherwise there will be slowdowns. For those who are not looking for super-performance, we can recommend the video accelerator of the middle price segment Mali-T720, Adreno 510, PowerVR G6200.

One of the most important characteristics is the memory, there are two of them in the smartphone. When wondering how to choose the best smartphone, you need to consider these two important indicators.

RAM

RAM is often confused with the built-in flash drive, and if the main memory is used to store files, then the RAM contains command data to perform work. The more volume random access memory, the faster applications will launch, the more tasks the device will be able to perform. At the moment, the maximum amount of memory that is used in smartphones is 6 GB. For modern gadgets based on the Android operating system, 1-2 GB of RAM is enough for comfortable work.

main memory

Storage memory is used to store programs and files and does not particularly affect the speed of work. Many smartphones have a slot for expanding memory, which can be increased to the desired specified value if desired. For those who like to play 3D games or to install powerful programs, it should be noted that for the most part, they are loaded into the main memory. This factor is also important to consider when buying a phone.

If you like to take pictures or take pictures, shoot videos, then you need to pay attention to the characteristics of the main and front cameras. Now you do not need to carry a bulky camera or camcorder with you. They are now always with you in your smartphone, it is very convenient and practical. First of all, you need to pay attention to such an indicator as resolution. This parameter is specified in megapixels. This is the total number of dots that make up the image. For example, a photo of an 8 megapixel camera consists of a resolution of 3264*2446 pixels. This optimal resolution for smartphone camera. It was replaced in 2017 by a camera of 13, 16 and higher megapixels.

For selfie lovers, a front camera of 2 megapixels is quite suitable. Resolution is an important indicator, but you should not chase pixels, since the quality is also affected by light sensitivity, sensor generation, its physical size, optics parameters, as well as photo processing by the smartphone itself. It is necessary to take into account such indicators:

• It is worth paying attention to the size of the sensor itself - the larger it is, the better;
• Autofocus allows you to make photos clear, select the desired settings;
• Optical stabilization is responsible for shooting while moving, protects against blurring;
• ISO function - in obtaining high-quality pictures and videos in different lighting conditions. For many smartphones, photo quality deteriorates in the evening;
• The LED flash, which can be dual or xenon, also affects the quality of the shots.

If all the above characteristics are taken into account, then it will be possible to enjoy the process of photographing, getting bright, colorful and high-quality pictures.

Battery

In order for your smartphone to work offline for a long time, you need to pay attention to such an indicator as battery capacity. It is important to consider that larger screens require more power consumption and therefore a larger battery. However, a capacious battery is reflected in the dimensions of the device, the gadget becomes more weighty, although smartphones in 2017 have learned how to solve this problem. The large volume of the battery often does not significantly affect the weight. How powerful you want your smartphone to be, how often to charge the device is up to you. The gadgets of 2016-2017 have a mode fast charging, which makes it possible to restore the full functionality of the phone in a fairly quick time.

Design

Smartphone design will play a significant role in choosing a gadget, and sometimes even the most important. Manufacturers are trying to satisfy their demanding customers and produce smartphones in different color resolutions. In addition, you can decorate your smartphone with a variety of cases, accessories. Of course, the phone should be comfortable in the hand, everything should be comfortable and stylish. For security, modern smartphones have built-in fingerprint scanners.

Which company is better to choose a smartphone

Deciding on a manufacturing company, which smartphone to choose and buy is not an easy task, since today a lot of companies present very successful models in terms of price-quality ratio. All new companies enter the smartphone market, except for long-established ones. We note the most popular gadget manufacturers:

1. meizu;
2. Samsung;
3. Xiaomi;
4. Apple;
5. Huawei;
6. Lenovo;

Chinese manufacturers have proven themselves well, improving the quality of their products every year. It is important not to get lost among the huge variety, prioritize and choose the best and most reliable smartphone.

Rating of the best smartphones for 2017 in terms of price-quality ratio

We have prepared for you the top ten best smartphones for 2017 by the best performance. Which options to consider: budget or more expensive, it's up to you. We advise you to pay attention to the following models:

1. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X;
2. samsung galaxy S8;
3. LG G6;
4. ZTE Nubia M2;
5. Sony Xperia XA1;
6. Xiaomi Mi6;
7. HTC U Ultra;
8. ZTE Blade V8;
9. Huawei Honor 6c;
10. Nokia 6.

Finally

Having become acquainted with important indicators and the characteristics of gadgets, having analyzed and prioritized, we hope that for you the task of how to choose the best smartphone in 2017 will be absolutely simple. Come into the salon mobile phones, consult with the sellers, hold your chosen models in your hands and give yourself this miracle of technology, which is becoming more and more progressive every year.

To date various models There are a lot of phones and when the question arises as to how to choose a phone, many are simply lost.

Yes, online stores have the ability to choose a gadget by parameters, there are even sites that take data from several stores and compare features and prices.

But due to such an abundance of models, an ordinary person simply cannot understand which mobile phone is better and experiences real pain of choice.

To reduce them, below we will look at the criteria by which phones are usually chosen. After that, everyone will be able to understand what he needs and do right choice.

Criterion #1. Budget

Like it or not, everything always depends on the amount of money that we can spend on buying a mobile phone.

Tip #1: Even before buying a new gadget, you should determine how much money you are willing to spend. After that, it will become clear what to expect.

In general, all phones can be divided into the following categories:

The first category includes ordinary phones, without any special features, designed purely for making calls. And if you need a phone just for this, then choose from models that cost up to 1000 rubles.

And the only characteristic that should take place when choosing a dialer is the quality of the connection. This refers to how clearly the voice of the interlocutor is transmitted. And here phones from Fly stand out.

An example of a good dialer is Fly DS105C, which can be bought for 800 rubles. If you characterize it in two words, it will be the words "affordable" and "simple". Indeed, it will be very difficult to find an easier-to-use mobile device.

The battery in it is 900 mAh, which is enough for several days of work without charging (276 hours in standby mode). Its dimensions are only 110x45x14.6 mm - it fits very easily in your hand. There is a radio, an audio player and even a player for videos in mp4 and 3gp format.

In general, an ideal choice for those who have very little money in their pockets and who need a phone purely for calls.

But it's still the 21st century, and if you already buy a phone, you can save up and buy something more interesting. Then you need to pay attention to all the criteria below.

Criterion #2. OS (operating system)

The operating system is in every modern phone.

The most popular of them are:

1. Symbian. This OS today belongs to Nokia and, accordingly, is used only on the devices of this company. Now it is far from being as popular as it was 4-7 years ago. And the following systems on our list are replacing it.
2. Android. Most modern phones run on Android. The OS is constantly updated, improved, while often buggy and does not work the way the user wants.
   At least, this is evidenced by reviews on the Internet, left even in 2016. On the other hand, this system is the most demanded, it is used by Samsung, HTC, Motorola and all Chinese phones That's why they talk about it the most.
3. Apple iOS. A system designed specifically for Apple phones. There is nothing to discuss here - buy Apple phone, get iOS.
4. blackberry OS. Like iOS, designed only for Blackberry phones. This system is the record holder in this list, since it was created back in 1999.
5. Windows phone. The developers tried to make an analogue of Windows 10 for computers with the same multi-colored pictograms of various labels in the form of squares, only for smartphones. Very popular in the West.

Yes, there are many more different operating systems, for example, OS Bada, Palm OS, Open webOS, Maemo and others. But it is better to choose from these five.

And the reason for this is that they are simply supported in our area, that is, if a phone on the same Android breaks down, we will fix it, but it will be much more difficult to deal with a phone on OS Bada.

You will need to look for a master who would understand this issue, and this is very difficult. So, operating systems are defined. Now it remains to understand what OS you want on your cellular telephone.

The operating system should be selected according to the following criteria:

1. The purpose of the smartphone If he is needed business person, who constantly works with documents and wants to customize the interface for himself, then Windows phone, and if for games and all sorts of "gadgets", then definitely Android.
   If reliability is a priority, that is, a person does not care about games, but he wants to get a phone with which nothing will happen (for example, viruses will not beat), then this is Blackberry OS.
2. Budget. If there is not much money in your pocket, but you want to get good gadget then choose Symbian. This OS is aimed at the budget class. But if money is not a problem, then you can spend money on Apple with Apple iOS.
   Android phones are a kind of golden mean.

Tip #2: It's best to look awayAndroid, because today most applications are written specifically for this OS. In addition, phones withAndroidare cheaper thaniPhone, but have almost the same functionality. And, in the end, this is the most popular OS in our area.

Criterion number 3. Phone Power

How powerful a phone is can be determined by the characteristics of the processor and RAM of the phone.

CPU

This characteristic is related to the power of the mobile phone. Processor power is determined by its frequency. It is measured in Hertz (Hz) It is logical that the more of them, the better. Today, 1-2 GHz (GigaHertz) is normal for phones.

In addition, the power of the processor depends on the number of cores, each of which has its own certain number of Hz. Interestingly, even on the most powerful modern smartphones, the number of GHz rarely exceeds 2.5 GHz.

Only Chinese masters stand out, who manage to fit up to 3.5 GHz into a regular phone. An example of such a phone is the ZTE Nubia Z9.

Considering the most expensive models and phones from the budget category, one can notice one interesting feature. It lies in the fact that the processor power on budget smartphones is often greater than on the most expensive ones.

This is quite logical, because manufacturers simply do not yet know a way to make the processor more powerful. Therefore, if it is important for you that the phone is powerful, you can not overpay.

An example of a really powerful device is Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 at 2 GHz in the processor. It costs about 230 dollars.

By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S7 costs around $830 and is 2.3GHz. In Xiaomi, everything else has 32 GB of internal memory, GPS, GLONASS and many others useful features.

The disadvantages of the phone are only a bad camera, a dim display (we will talk about this later) and non-removable battery- if it breaks, you can’t replace it on your own, and this is an additional inconvenience.

But Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is one of the most powerful phones to date due to the next characteristic - RAM.

RAM

Another characteristic that affects power. Measured in gigabytes (GB). The number of GB determines how quickly the system can respond to user actions and process various operations.

So, in Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 these gigabytes are as much as 3. In the same Samsung Galaxy S7 there are already 4 of them, but it also costs an order of magnitude more expensive, as mentioned above.

It makes no sense to choose a phone depending on the RAM, because with a powerful processor, no one will ever put a little RAM in the phone, otherwise the device will not be able to work correctly. The bigger, the better.

Clue: To understand how powerful the processor is, there is handy program entitledAnTuTu benchmark.

In this program, each phone is given a score based on its performance.

So, at the beginning of March 2016, a study was conducted that showed that the most powerful phones have a processor called Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, in second place is Apple A9 (only for iPhone), and the third line was taken by Samsung Exynos 8890.

1. Huawei Kirin 950;
2. Samsung Exynos 7420
3. Qualcomm Snapdragon 810;
4. Qualcomm Snapdragon 652;
5. Apple A8.

Based on this, we can form the following advice.

Tip #3: For a phone to be powerful, it must have one of the processors listed above.

But the problem is that such processors are not installed on budget smartphones. Therefore, here is a hint for those who are looking towards state employees: Qualcomm Snapdragon 615, Mediatek MT6795 (aka Helio X10) and Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 also perform well.

An example of a phone with the most powerful to date Qualcomm processor The Snapdragon 820 is a OnePlus 3 with 4GB RAM. The cost of such a pleasure is 500-600 dollars (so far the model has not yet been published).

Tip #4: When choosing a phone, look at how much it dials in the programAnTuTu benchmark(this information can be easily found on the Internet). This will make it possible to really see how powerful this or that model is.

Criterion number 4. Working hours

How long the device can work depends directly on the battery. Battery capacity is measured in milliamps. Of course, the more, the better.

Approximately in phones with 2 GB of RAM and a processor frequency of 2 GHz, there should be at least 3000 mAh.

This will give the device the opportunity to work for about two days with a small number of games, a lot of Internet use and work with documents. If you continuously play some heavy games, for example, GTA or Nova 3, then a device with 3000 mAh will last for about 6 hours.

But even on the most powerful phones rarely more than 4000 mAh. Yes, there are some "unusual" models with 5000 mAh, but they do not last long. This number of milliamps is just a publicity stunt. This is done to attract customers.

This is very clearly seen in the example of the Bravis Power phone. The phone has 4500 mAh, but there is practically no power and, judging by the reviews on the Internet, the phone works for about 4-5 months. It costs 115 dollars. The combination of such a price and such a battery capacity raises many questions. And not in vain.

From the above, we can conclude the following: if the phone costs less than $ 150, and the battery capacity on it is more than 3000 mAh, this is very strange and such a device is unlikely to work for more than a year.

On the other hand, manufacturers often try to save on this parameter and try to take the processor, RAM and other parameters.

Yes, on budget phones, a capacity of approximately 2000 mAh is allowed. After all, there all other elements do not consume so much energy. Therefore, you can display a certain golden parameter.

Tip #5: The battery capacity should be between 2000 mAh and 4000 mAh.

Criterion number 5. Built-in memory

This setting determines how much data will fit on the phone. Usually, on budget phones, manufacturers try to put no more than 16 GB, in more expensive phones there can be 32 GB and 64 GB.

But, looking at this parameter, you need to consider only one condition - is it possible to use a memory card. If you can insert an additional card, then a small amount of internal memory is not a problem.

But it happens that there is no such possibility, and then it is the built-in memory that will play the main role. True, it is still possible to use cloud storage, but then you will be tied to the Internet - if it is not there, then you will not see your files either.

Therefore, it is ideal that the phone has about 8 GB of internal memory and the ability to insert a memory card.

There is one more thing to say about the memory card. Often, manufacturers make the phone in such a way that it can accept SD cards of 200 GB - 1 TB. But this is more of a publicity stunt than a real extension of the device's functionality.

The fact is that if the phone has too many files, about 100 GB, it will slow down and something will have to be deleted, because even the most powerful processor and a large amount of RAM will not be enough to process such an amount of information.

Accordingly, there is simply no point in too capacious memory cards.

Tip #6: Choose phones with the ability to insert a memory card up to 100 GB.

Criterion number 6. Camera

It is very easy to check how high-quality and clear a photo is on a particular phone - for this you need to take a picture and maximize some part of the picture, that is, use the zoom function.

If the enlarged part of the picture is blurry, it turns out to be fuzzy, then this means that the camera on the phone is not of very high quality. But sometimes there is no way to pick up the phone and “taste it”.

Then you need to look at two characteristics - the number of megapixels and aperture.

Today, almost all manufacturers of phones and cameras are trying to attract people with the number of megapixels. This value reflects how many pixels form the image. But not only this characteristic affects the quality of the picture.

The size of the aperture or relative aperture also affects. The meaning of this quantity can be explained with an example. Imagine that you are in the country, it is raining and you need to collect as much water as possible in some containers.

If you put an ordinary mug with a diameter of 15 cm, then not very many drops will fall into it, and the water will collect slowly. But if you put a large bowl with a diameter of 50 cm, more drops will fall into it and the container will fill up much faster.

In the same way, the aperture reflects how much light enters the camera lens.

Aperture size is referred to as f/size. In the figure you can see the sizes of different apertures. It becomes clear that the smaller this number, the larger the aperture, respectively, the more light it can catch and the better the pictures will be.

Megapixels + aperture

It is interesting that now on the Internet they write a lot about the fact that nothing at all depends on the number of megapixels and only the aperture affects the quality of the pictures.

In fact, this is not entirely true, because there have been cases when developers, using this myth, put few megapixels on phones, and made the aperture large, as a result, the pictures were not of very high quality.

Therefore, it is better to choose phones with a minimum “f /” value and with a maximum number of megapixels. On the other hand, it is very rare to find a telephone with big amount megapixels and a large "f /" value, manufacturers combine these parameters.

According to these parameters, Samsung cameras perform very well. In general, this company has a lot of its own technologies, one of them concerns cameras. The favorite in this respect is the Samsung Galaxy S6 with a 16 MP main camera and a 5 MP front camera.

To visualize this, here is a shot of a night landscape taken on an iPhone 6.

And here is a shot of the same area taken on the Samsung Galaxy S6.

Agree that the photo taken on the Samsung Galaxy S6 is brighter and more saturated. After all, it has more resolution, which allows you to see the smallest details in the picture.

Tip #7: When choosing a camera on your phone, be guided by a combination of megapixels and aperture.

At the same time, you should not pay attention to only one of these parameters, because often manufacturers, trying to deceive their customers, write only the number of megapixels or only the aperture (often the first one).

Criterion number 7. Screen

Everyone wants the picture on the phone to be bright and saturated too. But what to look for to choose such a phone? Brightness and saturation depend on four parameters:

• Diagonal.
• Permission.
• Pixel density.

Let's consider each of them in more detail.

Diagonal

This characteristic reflects the distance from one corner of the screen to the opposite corner. The figure below clearly shows this distance.

The screen size should be chosen depending on why you need a phone:

• for calls and basic functions - 3-4 inches;
• for Internet surfing and reading books - 4-5 inches;
• for games and watching movies - 5-6 inches.

Everything is very simple here.

Permission

Screen resolution is directly related to the diagonal in the following ratio:

• for a diagonal of 3-4 inches, the resolution can be 480x800;
• for a diagonal of 4-5 inches, the resolution can be 960x540;
• for everything else, the resolution can be 1280x720 (HD), 1920x1080 (FullHD) and 2560x1440 (QuadHD).

Of course, the higher the resolution, the clearer the picture will be.

Pixel Density

It is written as PPI (pixels per inch) and expresses how many pixels fit into one inch of the screen. It is clear that the higher this characteristic, the clearer the image should be.

Typically, manufacturers try to make the number of pixels per inch match the screen resolution. So, on screens with a resolution of 1280x720 there can be up to 300 ppi. In principle, it makes no sense to choose a phone depending on this characteristic.

You need to look at the previous two parameters - diagonal and resolution. In addition, the next parameter is very important.

Screen type

To date, the most popular types of screens are the following:

• OLED
• AMOLED and Super AMOLED;
• AFFS.

In our area, you are unlikely to find phones with screens of the last two types, but in the West they are very popular. It is very interesting that of the first three types, models with Super AMOLED screens perform best.

A phone with HD resolution and Super AMOLED screen will look much better than a model with Full HD resolution and IPS screen.

In particular, the viewing angles will be much better. This setting means that you can look at the phone almost at right angles and still be able to see what is happening on the screen. The figure shows a comparison of the two types.

This is especially true for Samsung phones, where a lot of their unique technologies are applied, so Samsung with Super AMOLED is much better than any other phone with Super AMOLED.

However, other screens look quite good, and you should pay attention to this characteristic only if you really care about the saturation and clarity of the screen.

Tip #8: If saturation and brightness are important to you, choose a phone withSuper AMOLEDscreen.

Here is another photo that confirms that it is best to choose Super AMOLED screens.

The leftmost phone here is the Sony Xperia Z Ultra with a TRILUMINOS screen, the second one is Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with Super AMOLED, then comes the Sony Xperia Z1 with the same TRILUMINOS and the last one is the Lg G2 with IPS. It is clear that Samsung looks better than the rest.

Mobile phones are a thing of the past. They were replaced by smarter and more functional smartphones. A smartphone is a very useful and compact device that, when correct use, very helpful in solving various creative and everyday tasks.

For those who do not have time to read the entire article, I immediately give the recommended smartphone models with a brief explanation. Well, you can buy a smartphone at RBT.ru.

The most popular operating system for smartphones is Android. Therefore, I will recommend smartphones primarily on this operating system.

The best manufacturers of Android smartphones are Sony, HTC, Samsung and LG. Good models can be found among the brands Huawei and ASUS. As a budget option, you can consider Lenovo smartphones and quality Chinese Meizu brands and Xiaomi, which, at a low price, have a very powerful filling.

A modern smartphone should have at least a 4-core processor, 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal flash memory. For demanding games, these parameters should be twice as high - an 8-core processor, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal flash memory.

If you need a smartphone mainly to make calls, write SMS and use the simplest programs such as an organizer, calendar, calculator, etc., then, in principle, a smartphone with a screen diagonal of 4 ″ is enough, which will be convenient to use with one hand.

But the fact is that the choice of smartphones with such a diagonal is already very limited, not all of them have enough memory and support for 2 SIM-cards. Therefore, I would recommend paying attention to smartphones with a diagonal closer to 4.5″ (4.3-4.7″). It's still a comfortable size for one-handed use.

If you want to feel all the comfort big screen, then pay attention to models with a diagonal of about 5″ (5-5.3″). On such a smartphone it will be convenient to surf the Internet, play and, in general, do everything else. The only drawback is that using a smartphone with one hand will no longer be so convenient, but most will be able to put up with it. Smartphones with a diagonal of 5 ″ are considered today to be optimal in terms of compactness / comfort.

For games, apart from a fairly powerful filling (8 cores, 2 GB of memory), you should definitely give preference to a smartphone with a large screen 5-5.5″.

If you need a powerful and inexpensive smartphone for gaming, then your choice is Lenovo, Meizu or Xiaomi with a 5-5.5 ″ screen, an 8-core processor and 2 GB of RAM. They are all about the same quality, so choose by design.

If you were thinking about purchasing a compact tablet with a diagonal of 7″, because the screen size of your smartphone is not enough for you, then stop and think again. Two devices are not very comfortable to wear, it may be time to replace your smartphone with a new one with a diagonal of 5.5-6″.

2. What a modern smartphone can do

A smartphone, except for calls and SMS, can be used to plan various cases, remind you of birthdays and other events, read books and office documents, site visits, checks Email, How notebook, alarm clock, stopwatch, timer, voice recorder, translator, calculator, flashlight, flash drive, navigator, for settlements and bank account management, for photo and video shooting, watching movies, music, games, Skype communication, weather forecast, checking and settings network equipment and much more! In addition, using a smartphone is very easy and pleasant. Impressive? Then go ahead and choose the right smartphone!

3. Operating system

The bulk modern smartphones has operating systems Android (from Google), iOS (from Apple) and Windows (from Microsoft).

Smartphones with Android and iOS are more functional, many applications and games are released for them.

Microsoft missed the market mobile devices. Windows smartphones have fewer settings, apps, and games. Due to their simplicity and larger interface elements, they are convenient to use as a phone and simple tasks such as a calendar, planner, etc. They are suitable for those who do not need a phone anymore.

Until now, in some catalogs and flea markets, you can find smartphones with outdated or not very popular operating systems. I will bring them here for general development.

Symbian - was developed by Nokia and is hopelessly outdated.

Bada - was developed by Samsung as a competitor to the upstream Android system, but did not become popular and is no longer being developed.

MeeGo is a system based on Linux based, Nokia's attempt to compete with Android failed.

Nokia X - system on Android based, which features a proprietary shell that is very similar to the rectangular interface of the Metro operating room Windows systems.

BlackBerry is a client-server platform popular in Western corporations, as it allows you to quickly and safely exchange messages between company employees and quickly manage business processes through corporate server. Not popular in Russian-speaking countries.

Buy a smartphone with the latest version of the operating system. Today it is Android 5, Windows 8.1 and iOS 8.1. As for Android, manufacturers support updates to this operating system for only 6-12 months, after which you lose the opportunity to receive new functionality and software. iOS update it is maintained much longer than 2-3 years, so you don’t have to worry much about it. And just get it new version Windows will not work, so it is advisable to focus on the latest version. Going forward, you will only receive security updates and bug fixes, not new functionality.

4. Software shell and proprietary applications

The software shell (Launcher - launcher) is a special add-on on top of the operating system that is used to display home screen, icons and other interface elements. Pure Android has its own built-in native shell and main applications. But many manufacturers, wanting to make the interface of their smartphone more original, more beautiful and more functional, are developing their own shells and additional applications.

HTC Sens is one of the most beautiful, fast and functional shells. Last but not least, thanks to her, HTC smartphones are well-deservedly popular. Also, HTC smartphones have a set of beautiful and light programs.

Sony - uses its proprietary very well-designed shell with a large set of high-quality, useful and fast applications.

samsung touchwiz- not the most successful shell, especially in budget smartphones. It is not very beautiful, not very fast, but in principle comfortable and functional. Samsung smartphones have the largest number preinstalled apps both useful and unnecessary. This makes them slower, and everyone can install the necessary programs on their own.

ASUS - in their devices uses a slightly modified android interface, which looks beautiful in principle, improves functionality and slows down the system less than TouchWiz. Branded applications in them are also two times less than in Samsung.

Nokia - has a shell with large rectangular buttons in the Metro style of the Windows operating system, which is more suitable for owners of large fingers. He also develops his applications for navigation and others.

MIUI is a shell from Chinese developers, the most different from pure android. But it is of high quality, colorful and functional. installed on some Chinese smartphones. But enthusiasts can install it on other smartphone models of popular brands.

GoLauncher is the highest quality, beautiful and functional shell that can be installed very easily on any smartphone. This is probably why it is so fond of manufacturers of budget models that sell their smartphones with it, not particularly bothering with customization (improvement).

In my opinion, it's better to buy a smartphone either right away with a good shell (HTC, Sony), or with a bare android and install GoLauncher yourself (it's very simple). I can also say that in my HTC smartphone the Sens shell quickly ceased to suit me due to insufficient functionality and I installed GoLauncher, which I use for a long time with great pleasure, as it has become more convenient, while nothing slows down and looks very beautiful! In principle, this can be done on a Samsung, ASUS and any other smartphone, but you will also have to disable a bunch of unnecessary programs(this is also not a problem).

When choosing a smartphone, focus on the quality of the brand and the power of the hardware. If you do not want to bother, then take a smartphone with a good shell. If you want to save money and get more fast device then choose powerful iron with the most pure android and, if you want, put your own launcher (by the way, there are a lot of them).

Windows smartphones have their own Metro-style shell (rectangular buttons), which is more convenient for thumb control and is perfect for a collective farmer

Smartphones Apple iPhone have a beautiful, convenient and functional shell built into the iOS operating system.

5. Smartphone manufacturers

Smartphones are made by many manufacturers. I decided to divide them into groups, depending on popularity and quality. Within each group, manufacturers are listed in descending order of preference.

5.1. Popular high-quality Android smartphones

Google does not make smartphones itself, but orders them from well-known manufacturers such as ASUS, Samsung, LG and HTC. These smartphones are sold under the brand name Nexus, they are of good quality and have a clean stable operating system. Plus android updates on these devices will be supported much longer than on all others. I recommend paying attention to them.

Sony is a Japanese brand that always deserves respect high quality and concern for the user. Update the software for their smartphones within 2-3 years, while other manufacturers are limited to 6-12 months. These smartphones have a beautiful interface and a set of excellent branded programs.

HTC- stylish smartphones good quality, with beautiful user-friendly interface, proprietary programs but somewhat hefty cost.

Samsung makes good quality smartphones. There will be no problems with the service. They have a proprietary, but not the most beautiful and fast TouchWiz shell and many preinstalled programs, which makes the smartphone ready for use for all occasions, but slows down its work. This is an option for those who do not want to deal with and bother with installing programs, but simply take it and use it. Although everything is much easier with Android programs than with programs for a computer.

LG is the eternal competitor of Samsung. Smartphones from this manufacturer have good quality, warranty support and are a little cheaper. They can be considered as a worthy alternative.

ASUS is a popular brand that produces good quality smartphones with large screens. But they also may not be stuffed with everything. the right programs. The assortment includes interesting models, which with the help of a special docking station can turn into a tablet.

And the tablet, in turn, smoothly turns into a computer with additional connectors, keyboard and mouse

5.2. Unpopular quality smartphones with Android

Nokia is a brand that has always strived to preserve its individuality. Now owned by Microsoft and produces smartphones with both Windows and Android (Nokia X). In principle, they have a powerful filling, good screens, cameras and sound. But they are not very popular now.

Motorola is a company that tends to surprise with unusual design and creative solutions. Produces ruggedized smartphones, dust and moisture resistant and very thin. But they are not officially supplied to Russian-speaking countries, so there may be problems with service.

5.3. Popular budget Android smartphones

Acer - produces good smartphones that outperform more famous brands in terms of cost. But perhaps not everyone will like their design, as many models have bizarre rounded shapes with red or white accents, which is closer to a sporty style. Although the lineup is gradually changing, but there are no drinking buddies for the taste and color

Lenovo is a very popular manufacturer right now, as their smartphones are different good value price/performance. But they are of average quality and the highest number of hits in service center.

Gigabyte is a reputable manufacturer computer components, but its smartphones can be attributed to a more budget direction. Before buying a smartphone from this manufacturer, read the reviews and reviews, as there are models with problems, in particular poor sound quality.

Fly is a manufacturer of phones that differed in their time original design, low price, but also rather mediocre quality. Now in her arsenal there are surprisingly successful not expensive smartphones with a fairly powerful filling and high-quality body. But their screen resolution is usually lower and there are problems with overheating and glitches in some programs. treat this trademark Be careful, read reviews and reviews first.

5.4. Unpopular budget smartphones with Android

Philips is a proven manufacturer household appliances. It has in its arsenal a small number of smartphones with increased durability and energy saving mode. They are not particularly popular, but for someone it may be important.

Archos is a French electronics company. Her smartphones are of good quality and good design, but are not very popular.

Alcatel is a once popular mobile phone manufacturer. Today it produces smartphones of mediocre quality and is not particularly popular.

5.5. Quality Chinese smartphones with Android

Meizu, One Plus Chinese brands-overgrown in quality to unprecedented sizes, but the price has become on par with Godzilla ... These smartphones are distinguished by their stylish appearance, thin, durable body, powerful filling and good functionality. It makes sense to consider them only as an alternative to the flagship models of famous brands.

Xiaomi is a new Chinese brand from the creators of the popular functional and beautiful MIUI shell, which took all the best from Samsung TouchWiz and Apple iOS. They are distinguished by powerful filling, large screens, bright colors and quite democratic pricing policy.

Huawei is also a developed Chinese brand. It has in its arsenal a wide range of smartphones from budget to flagship. They can be considered as an alternative to more expensive brands.

ZOPO is a brand similar to Huawei, but with less model range. These smartphones look stylish and have an acceptable quality. You can buy a model with a large screen (5-6″) quite inexpensively.

Prestigio are budget smartphones that have a good look, low performance, but a fairly durable case. It can be considered as a gift for a student, he will like it. And if you lose, then you will not be so offended, because this pleasure is inexpensive.

Please note that all Chinese brands may have certain difficulties in after-sales service. There are dozens more, but I recommend limiting yourself to the ones listed here.

5.6. Windows Smartphone Manufacturers

Smartphones with Windows are produced by far fewer companies that have approximately the same high quality: Microsoft, Nokia, HTC, Samsung. As well as some budget brands such as Prestigio.

5.7. iOS smartphone manufacturer

Smartphones with iOS produce itself Apple company under the iPhone brand. They have an uncompromising combination of quality and style, but also cost accordingly.

5.8. Smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry

BlackBerry smartphones are produced by the Canadian company of the same name, but they have a very specific focus and are not suitable for Russian-speaking users.

6. Screen size

The larger the screen size, the more convenient it is to use a smartphone. The minimum acceptable screen size for today is 4″. This smartphone can be used with one hand. A smartphone with a diagonal of 4.5-5 ″ will be more pleasant in terms of the size of the image on the screen and much more convenient in terms of control and typing, since it will be much easier to hit the desired element or letter with your finger. But such a smartphone will have to be held with one hand, and with the other, swipe your finger across the screen. A tablet-smartphone (phablet or ceiling lamp) with a screen size of 5.5-6″ will be an excellent replacement for two devices at once.

If you often use your smartphone for calls and SMS and you are not very interested in Internet surfing and games, then a smartphone with a screen size of 4-4.5″ will be more convenient, which can be used with one hand.

For periodic Internet surfing and gaming, take a smartphone with a screen size of at least 5″. And if you want to have a more or less complete replacement for the tablet, then choose a ceiling lamp with a screen size of 5.5-6″.

Buy a smartphone with the maximum screen size acceptable for you, it will be much more pleasant to use it.

7. Smartphone or tablet

If you are thinking of purchasing a smartphone separately (or you already have one) and a small tablet (7-8″) separately, then follow the following principle. If you plan to often carry a tablet with you along with a smartphone, then it is better to sacrifice the screen size a little and buy a 6″ ceiling lamp, since it is inconvenient to use and carry two devices with you at the same time.

If you need a tablet at home, in the country or on a business trip and you do not plan to carry it with you every day, then take it separately. But in this case, I strongly advise you to take it, it will be more convenient. The smartphone in this case can have a diagonal of 4.5-5″. If you already have a 4″ smartphone, it may be better to replace it with a ceiling lamp.

8. Dimensions and shape of the smartphone

The size of a smartphone is affected by the diagonal of the screen, the width of the frame around the screen and its thickness. Everything is clear with the diagonal, choose the maximum possible, not focusing on the size of the smartphone. As for the frame around the screen, unlike a tablet, where it should be wide enough to be comfortable to hold, on a smartphone, the narrower the frame, the better. Since the grip of a smartphone is not at all the same as that of a tablet. The tablet is held on top with the thumb on the frame, and the smartphone is held with the palm of the bottom, four fingers on the right side and a thumb on the left.

As for the width of the smartphone, narrower models are more comfortable to hold. Some smartphones are closer to a square shape and are not so comfortable to hold, as the fingers simply do not reach the side edges. But there are few such models.

The height of the smartphone does not really matter. It’s even better if the smartphone has a wide bezel at the top and bottom of the screen, since keeping it in horizontal orientation it will be more convenient by holding the thumb on this frame.

As for the thickness of the smartphone, do not chase very thin models (8-10 mm). It is most convenient to hold a smartphone with a thickness of about 12 mm. But I advise you not to bother with this parameter at all.

As for the shape, more rounded smartphones feel more comfortable in the hand. And parallelepipeds with sharp edges are not so pleasant to the touch, but this is solved by buying a cover or bumper

9. Screen resolution

Screen resolution is the number of dots (or pixels) in width and height. The higher the resolution, the clearer the image and the more information fits on the screen. The cheapest smartphones have a low screen resolution, pixels are visible on it, which makes the image blurry and the fonts clumsy. Good smartphone with a screen 4-4.5″ must have a resolution of at least 800×480. For a smartphone with a 5-6″ screen, a resolution of 1280x720 or higher is desirable. More expensive smartphones may have a resolution of 1920x1080 (Full HD), but for their screen size, this is too much and, in principle, unnecessary. In general, the higher the resolution, the better. But don't chase ultra-high resolutions, you won't notice a big difference in image quality, but the cost of a smartphone will be much higher. The main thing is that the resolution is not lower than recommended.

All modern smartphones Apple iPad have good quality screens. high resolution. Some have even higher resolution screens called Retina. But they are much more expensive, and not everyone will notice the difference in image quality.

10. Matrix type

The matrix is ​​​​the liquid crystal screen of a smartphone.

TN - a matrix with an average quality of color reproduction, clarity and poor viewing angles. Installed in cheaper smartphones. These matrices can vary in quality from poor to quite acceptable. If you have chosen such a smartphone, then I recommend looking at it live in the store or reading reviews.

IPS, PLS - matrices with high color reproduction quality, clarity and good viewing angles. There are already even more smartphones with such matrices than with cheaper TN. I recommend looking at them first.

AMOLED, Super AMOLED, Super clear LCD - Samsung's matrices have darker juicy, but less natural colors and are used mainly in smartphones from the same manufacturer. Such screens have better quality than TN and lower power consumption than IPS and can also be recommended for purchase.

11. Processor and video card

Smartphone processors have from 1 to 8 cores and an integrated graphics card.

11.1. Smartphones with Android and Windows

Processors for smartphones are quite specific and are made by various manufacturers. Each of them has both weaker and more powerful models, which differ in numbers in the marking. But it does not make sense to consider them, since there are too many of them and the lineup is changing rapidly.

Therefore, I recommend focusing primarily on the number of cores and the frequency of the processor. A modern smartphone should have at least 2 cores, but preferably 4 cores, because after installing various programs, a smartphone with a 2-core processor starts to work more slowly.

As for the processor frequency, it should not be lower than 1 GHz, preferably 1.2-1.6 GHz. In any case, the more the better.

It also needs to be understood that cheap smartphone no one will supply a powerful processor, and in more expensive models the processor will be better. Processors for smartphones are divided into generations according to the core types Cortex-A5, A7, A9, A15, A17, A53/A57 (64bit). The most popular are smartphones with a Cortex-A7 core, below which it is highly not recommended to purchase, since many will not work. modern programs. If possible, buy a smartphone with a newer generation of processor.

The more powerful and more modern processor, the more powerful the video card. For a large screen smartphone that you plan to use for gaming, look for reviews and performance tests on the Internet.

11.2. Apple smartphones

Apple processors also have different generations: A4, A5, A6, A7, A8 - the larger the number, the more powerful the processor. But everything iPhone smartphones have an optimal processor for them, and all programs and games are optimized for them. Therefore it does not have of great importance. But it is more expedient to purchase the most modern device available to you.

12. RAM

A smartphone with Android or Windows must have at least 1 GB of RAM, otherwise braking is possible. More expensive models may have 2 GB of RAM, which will not be superfluous. The most expensive models have 3-4 GB of RAM, which, in principle, is useless, but does not interfere.

Apple iPhone smartphones have from 512 MB to 1 GB of RAM, which is quite enough for them, since all iOS applications take these features into account.

13. Support for memory cards

Most modern smartphones support the installation of memory cards. Usually it is MicroSD. If the smartphone does not support the installation of memory cards, then pay attention to the amount of internal memory.

14. The amount of internal memory

If the smartphone supports the installation of memory cards, then in principle 4 GB of internal memory is enough for it. But keep in mind that the operating system reserves a fairly large amount of internal memory for itself. In addition, when installing programs, some of the data still gets into internal memory automatically. It is very good if the smartphone will have 8 GB of internal memory.

If a smartphone suddenly does not support the installation of memory cards, but for some reason you still want to purchase it, then it is desirable that it has at least 16 GB of internal memory. Such a volume is usually required if there are movies, music or games on the smartphone. But it can also be needed where you do not expect it at all. For example, for shooting video or maps of navigation programs.

15. Cameras

Cameras are rear and front.

15.1. rear camera

The rear camera is located on the back of the smartphone and is designed for photo and video shooting. Any modern smartphone should have rear camera, it is very comfortable. Cheap smartphones have cameras with a resolution of about 3 megapixels (megapixels), which have low quality, but they are sufficient for shooting documents and announcements. It is desirable that the camera resolution is at least 5 megapixels. More expensive smartphones have cameras of 8 megapixels or more.

It is desirable that the camera has autofocus and a flash, which can also be used as a flashlight, which is very convenient. If you are buying a smartphone with a good camera for photography, then it is good if the camera has optical stabilization, which eliminates hand trembling (does not work in the morning)

Smartphones Apple iPhone have a very good camera comparable in quality to cheap digital cameras.

15.2. Front-camera

The front camera is located on the front of the smartphone and is intended mainly for Skype calls. It is desirable that it be, this will allow you to communicate with relatives or friends while on a business trip or on vacation, since Wi-Fi is available in any cafe. Cheap smartphones have cameras of very low quality with a resolution of 0.3 megapixels (VGA). It is desirable that front-camera had a resolution of 1 megapixel (HD). The image quality will be much higher.

16. Sound

In cheap smartphones, the sound is quite quiet and of poor quality. Smartphones with stereo speakers and sound enhancement technologies such as Beats Audio, Dolby Sound, etc. sound much better. If this is important to you, then pay attention to it.

Apple iPhone smartphones have excellent quality sound comparable to an expensive MP3 player from the same manufacturer. The sound in the headphones is very clear, detailed and natural.

17. Battery life

Time battery life depends on the battery capacity and power consumption of the smartphone. It is desirable that the smartphone has a battery with a capacity of at least 2000 mAh. But such a battery will last him for 1-2 days, depending on the intensity of using the smartphone. The 4000 mAh battery will allow the smartphone to work 2-4 days without recharging. Therefore, the larger the battery capacity, the better. Specify battery life in smartphone reviews on the Internet and user reviews.

18. Smartphone connectors

Micro USB- a connector that almost all modern smartphones have, through which they are charged and connected to a computer.

Audio jack 3.5 mm - allows you to connect a headset (headphones with microphone) and should be on every smartphone.

HDMI or mini-HDMI - a connector with which a smartphone can be connected to any modern TV or monitor and use as a video player. Available on a limited number of smartphones and is optional.

MHL, SlimPort - connectors that combine Micro USB and HDMI into one connector. Used to connect to a TV special cable. Only available on some smartphones.

Dock connector - some flagship smartphones have special accessories for them. For example, a stand with speakers that turns into a music center when you install a smartphone in it.

Smartphones Apple iPhone have their own branded (proprietary) Lightning connector through which they are charged, connected to a computer and various accessories, as well as a 3.5 mm audio jack for connecting headphones.

19. Smartphone buttons

Most smartphones have mechanical button on/off button, which is also used to lock/unlock the screen. It is located on the side, top face or front panel of the smartphone.

The volume rocker is usually located on the side of the smartphone. With it, you can adjust the volume of music without unlocking the screen. And when the screen is unlocked, it controls the volume of the call.

Some smartphones may have a separate mechanical photo button, which is quite handy if it has a good camera and you plan to take photos often.

Smartphones may have other branded buttons, which in principle are not required. For example, the Apple iPhone has a separate switch for silent mode.

20. Wireless technology

GSM - radio module for connecting to operators mobile communications, used for calls, SMS and slow but cheap 2G internet (GPRS, EDGE).

WiFi - wireless adapter to connect to the internet. Available on all smartphones and must support 802.11ac or 802.11n.

3G (UMTS) - a radio module for connecting to fast 3G Internet. There are almost all modern smartphones, but not everywhere there are operators that support this standard.

CDMA (EV-DO) is a radio module for connecting to fast 3G Internet. Only available on some smartphones. You must decide in advance which operator you will connect to and which standard it supports.

4G (LTE) - a radio module for connecting to a very fast 4G Internet. There are not all smartphones and operators that support this standard in Russian-speaking countries are still underdeveloped and have limited coverage.

Bluetooth – used to share files between devices and connect wireless headsets. Available on all smartphones. If you plan to use a wireless stereo headset for music, then the A2DP profile must be supported, which is responsible for transmitting stereo sound over the air.

GPS - American system satellite navigation operating all over the world. Allows you to use map navigation programs and should be in any modern smartphone. If the smartphone supports a more advanced A-GPS technology, the coordinates will be determined much faster and more accurately. This technology, in addition to satellites, uses base stations mobile operator, but requires an Internet connection.

GLONASS - Russian system satellite navigation, operating around the world, an analogue of GPS. In principle, there is not much difference between them and navigation programs support both standards.

NFC is a handy thing that allows you to quickly and easily exchange files between devices. To do this, you just need to bring them to each other at a distance of less than 10 cm.

Wi-Fi Direct is a technology for fast data transfer between two devices over Wi-Fi, but both devices must support this technology.

DLNA - connection standard various devices in one digital network. Mainly used to view photos and videos on TV via Wi-Fi and is optional.

ANT+ is a wireless secure data transfer technology aimed at use in sports devices. Used, for example, in wrist watch on the Android system, which can measure pulse, pressure and transfer this data to a smartphone.

IrDA is an infrared communication adapter with which a smartphone can be used to control a TV, air conditioner, refrigerator, dry closet and others. household appliances This functionality has been deprecated as smartphones have been replaced by remote controls in this segment.

21. SIM card support

Many modern smartphones allow you to install 2 SIM cards. mobile operators. This is very convenient and allows you to use your smartphone to connect several numbers to it. different operators. You can use both SIM cards for calls, or you can use one for calls and the other for the Internet.

Please note that most smartphones have one radio module, so when talking on one number, the second one will be busy. If your business needs two always active lines, then you need a mobile phone with two radios. But there are already very few such models, they are more expensive and have an increased energy consumption. The classic of the genre in this case is the use of several mobile phones or smartphones.

Most modern smartphones support the installation of SIM cards of fast 3G Internet operators of the UMTS standard. And some models support EV-DO (CDMA) 3G Internet. If you plan to connect to one of these operators, then decide in advance which standard you need. In this case, the smartphone can be used as mobile wifi router that distributes the Internet to a laptop or tablet.

Some Chinese smartphones support 3-4 SIM cards, but their quality leaves much to be desired, so I do not recommend purchasing them.

As for the size of SIM cards, they are standard size – Mini SIM, reduced - Micro SIM and the smallest - Nano SIM.

Micro SIM cards are increasingly used in modern smartphones, and Nano SIM in Apple iPhone smartphones. It does not matter much, since you can replace or cut the SIM card in any mobile phone store. There are also adapters for installing small SIM cards in a standard size slot.

22. Sensors

A modern smartphone has many different sensors.

Light sensor - used for automatic adjustment screen brightness. Available in smartphones of medium and higher price category. With it, you do not have to adjust the brightness when going outside, entering a room or public transport.

Accelerometer – used to measure acceleration. Can show the speed at which you are driving in a car or on a bicycle. Not required, but available on most smartphones.

Gyroscope - determines the tilt of the smartphone, which is used, for example, to control games. Also optional, but available in many smartphones.

Compass - determines where the south is, where the north is and can be used in navigation programs. Available with GPS

Do not bother too much about the sensors, they are in all smartphones and perform their functions. I told you about it, just so you know what it is.

23. Additional functionality

FM tuner - allows you to listen to the radio. Usually only works when headphones are connected, as their wire is used as an antenna. But some models have a built-in antenna, which allows you to listen to the radio without connecting headphones.

MP3 player - I don't know why some directories still specify this parameter for smartphones, since they all naturally support music playback.

A stylus is a long, thin stick that looks like a fountain pen. It is mainly used for typing, clicking on small interface elements and drawing. This is sometimes convenient, but not mandatory, as the screens of modern smartphones are well adapted for finger control. The Samsung Galaxy Note diffusers feature an advanced stylus that supports 256 levels of pressure to let you get creative.

Wireless charging (Qi) - allows you to charge your smartphone by placing it on a dedicated heating pad plugged into a power outlet Supports some flagship smartphones, but make sure that an additional outlandish accessory is available in your country ... And, do not leave the heating pad unattended

highly sensitive touch screen– have some expensive smartphones that allow them to be operated with gloves. But in my opinion it is better and cheaper to buy special gloves for touch screens ...

24. Smartphone design

Monoblock - the main type of smartphone design, called on smartphone firmware forums, brick

Folding - an outdated design, but in Russian-speaking countries you can still find one such model, popularly called a clamshell

Slider, rotator - there is one model of each type of these designs

Watch phone - but this design, originally used by the Japanese in TVs, is now becoming more and more relevant in the smartphone segment, and I found as many as 7 such devices on the Internet. But do not confuse them with an additional accessory for the Samsung Galaxy Mega Pad smartphone with a screen diagonal of 27″

25. Keyboard type

Screen - touch keyboard, which appears on the screen in the right places. It is optimal for modern smartphones, since in many applications it is simply not needed and the screen is used most rationally.

QWERTY keyboard - mechanical keyboard with all the letters, numbers and emoticons of the alphabet An absolutely stupid option for a smartphone, as it constantly occupies half of the front panel of the smartphone due to more small screen. But some models have a sliding keyboard, probably for a secretary-typist who cannot live without work.

Telephone keypad - there were also such transitional models for those who can not wean themselves from Soviet times

26. Body material

The most pleasant to use are smartphones made of matte (rubberized (soft-touch) or ribbed) plastic and metal. I recommend avoiding glossy plastic, as it is easily scratched, slammed and slips in your hands. But if you still plan to use the case, then this can be neglected. Do not forget that the most vulnerable point is the screen, which easily breaks when the smartphone falls.

27. Screen Cover

Inexpensive smartphones are covered with plastic or ordinary glass. Plastic scratches more strongly, but is more plastic, therefore beats less. Glass scratches less, but is more brittle and often breaks when dropped. Protecting the screen surface from scratches is very easy with a special film.

More expensive smartphones have a screen coating of tempered glass(like Gorilla Glass). It is much more resistant to scratches and slightly stronger. But still it is fragile and it is not so difficult to break it.

Some smartphones have a mineral glass screen protector that is incredibly scratch and impact resistant. It is almost impossible to break it even on purpose. There are few such models, usually they have a screen up to 3.5″ and not very powerful stuffing, but they are indispensable for people leading active image life.

28. Dust and moisture resistant

Some smartphone models have a sealed housing with rubber seals and connector plugs. Usually this does not mean that they can be put in swimming trunks and rowed 24 hours a day, but they will withstand an accidental fall into a cup of tea standing on a laptop or into a toilet at a disco.

Typically, smartphones that are positioned as secure have a corresponding prefix in the name. Below are some interesting examples.

The Sony Xperia Active is a unique dust and splash resistant smartphone with a mineral glass screen and a steel frame.

Motorola DEFY is an ordinary dust and moisture resistant smartphone with a Gorilla Glass screen in a plastic case.

29. Smartphone color

Black smartphones look more strictly. A silver smartphone in a metal case will look more stylish, a white one will look more aristocratic. If you want something more fun or original, then pay attention to the models that have soft pleasant shades of gray, blue, brown or Pink colour. But if you use a case, then the color does not matter.

Deputies and prosecutors can emphasize their status with the help of a smartphone in a gold case artfully encrusted with diamonds, rubies and emeralds from Swarovski by the gentle hands of virgins with higher education

30. Purchase and Warranty

I recommend purchasing a smartphone in a well-known store in your city or in a well-established online store. Do not look for the lowest prices and do not buy a smartphone in a little-known online store. Now you can often find gray (Chinese non-official) smartphones, as well as refurbished used smartphones. Check if the smartphone has official guarantee and whether the service center will accept it. Or directly ask whether he is white or gray.

Refurbished smartphones are usually packaged in a different box, have a lower warranty, and must be marked "ref.". But sometimes sellers forget to do this ... If the guarantee from the seller (and not from the manufacturers) is less than 12 months, then the smartphone is definitely gray or refurbished. I do not recommend purchasing this smartphone. You will save pennies, but ruin your nerves and time!

31.Android or Apple

And finally, let's dispel the last doubt that torments many.

If you are a wealthy person, then take the Apple iPhone. It is an uncompromising combination of quality and style. In addition, your friends will probably use the same devices and you can easily share files and experiences with them.

If you don’t have extra money, most of your friends use devices on the Android system, you want to easily exchange files, experience with them and customize everything to your taste, then buy a smartphone with the Android operating system of one of the popular brands.

32. Setting filters in the online store

Below is the procedure and a list of parameters that you need to specify in the filters of the online store. In parentheses are recommendations for the optimal price / quality ratio of a smartphone on the Android system.

1. Go to the "Smartphones" section on the seller's website.
2. Select recommended manufacturers
   (Sony, HTC, Samsung, LG, ASUS, Acer, Lenovo, Huawei).
3. Operating system (Android, iOS or Windows).
4. Screen diagonal (4.5-6″).
5. Number of cores and processor frequency (4 cores, from 1 GHz).
6. The amount of RAM (from 1 GB).
7. The amount of internal flash memory (from 4 GB).
8. Support for memory cards (desirable).
9. Rear camera (from 5 MP).
10. Front camera (from 1 MP).
11. Number of SIM cards (2).
12. Other options that are important to you.
13. Browse items starting with the cheapest.
14. Buy the design you like.

Do not overdo it with filters, as you can weed out successful models. Ask only the most important parameters. Thus, you will get the best smartphone in terms of price / quality ratio that meets your requirements at the lowest possible cost.

The Complete Guide to Choosing Your Dream Smartphone

Everyone will be able to advise a smartphone: remember what is now on hearing, but name the loudest name, - here you are an expert! But we are not looking for easy ways, and we will be extremely honest with you: to advise specific device in that case - is simply wrong. How many people, so many opinions, and our preferences may not coincide.

Just read our complete guide choosing the smartphone of your dreams. Consider that this is a map through the wilds that you have to overcome in search of an apparatus to your liking. In short, you are left with a pleasant walk along the path trodden by the RevolverLab editors.

But first, answer yourself the most main question, which basically predetermines your choice.

Decide why you need a smartphone

If you haven't used smartphones before, you might not like it. Seriously. Do not expect the compactness, durability and trouble-free reliability that modern dialer phones guarantee you. Growing screen diagonals dictate magnification device sizes - s this will have to come to terms.

Powerful processors, bright displays and useful interesting programs - batteries of modern smartphones "sit down" at the speed of a pensioner occupying free place in a trolleybus.

Better buy your "regular" phone as a pair of tablets. This is practical, and it will save your nerve cells and time - you don’t have to mark free outlets on the city map, and then move between them in dashes, entertaining your friends with the questions “do you have a micro-USB charger? ..”

We couldn't convince you, did we? We understand. In this case, let's move on to choosing the operating system of your future smartphone.

Choose between Android, iOS or Windows Phone

A smartphone ("smart phone") is a small computer. It runs under the operating system and can be used to install and run programs. But the same application does not work on different operating systems (Instagram for iOS, Android and Windows Phone 8 -  is different programs, their code is different).

With these words, common sense, clearing your throat, will immediately tell you: you need to choose the “OS” where there are more programs, and they are better. Who are we to argue with your common sense?

Pay attention in advance to the range of accessories for your smartphone (is it possible to buy covers, docking stations and other useful and not very useful additions for the device), and also ask if the manufacturer supports the device well. Worse than the feeling of disappointment from owning a "top" smartphone without the hope of an update can only be the knowledge that in the game "Just you wait!" after 999 points do not show cartoons.

However, in most cases, your choice will come down to three "pillars" of the modern mobile world for us - Android, Windows Phone and iOS.

With the purchase of this startup, Google jumped into the car of a speeding California train, politely forcing Apple to move freely there with its iOS. Yesterday's partners have become competitors in the market mobile technologies, which caused not only another patent war, but also exacerbated healthy competition. So let them fight for themselves: it’s better for us, there are plenty to choose from!

Smartphones running on Android dominate the shelves of stores and online storefronts. It's easier to name those "serious" companies that do not revive soulless "pieces of iron" with a pretty green robot: these are Apple, Microsoft / Nokia and Blackberry (yes, the list was compiled by Captain Obvious).

Android 's strengths are its openness, Google's loyalty to developers, and the consequent democratic nature of devices. There are devices for every taste: the cost of “branded” smartphones starts from $100, and ends just beyond common sense. The choice of applications is also good: Android is gradually catching up with iOS and it seems that it is about to put a heavy green hand on the fruity shoulder of a competitor.

Android is still far from the integration, thoughtfulness and iridescent cloudlessness of the iOS world, but smart guys work at Google - look at the “fresh” KitKat, the new Nexus, think about Chrome OS, Google Glass, Chromecast… More to come google time, and it's not far off.

In any case, an Android smartphone can become both a working tool, a means of communication, and a window into the world of recreation and entertainment. Don't be afraid of Android: you won't go wrong if you choose it.

Windows phone

The eighth incarnation of Windows on smartphones will try to bribe you with an ascetic interface, smooth animation, tight integration with Microsoft services(e.g. SkyDrive, Xbox Music) and still big names like Nokia and Windows. Who knows: maybe you will not withstand the defense, and she will succeed?

But the number of applications in the Windows Phone Marketplace is still less than in Google Play or App Store, their quality is often lower. Just write it down in a separate notebook in case you buy a smartphone with WP8. On the cover of your notebook, write by hand in capital letters: “But they told me!”.

Windows Phone 8 has a number of unique features. It was on this system that a phone with a 41 megapiskel camera was released and the longest time there was no Instagram client, there are “tiles” in the interface, but no “windows” (except in the name). And, most importantly, this system is installed on Steve Ballmer's smartphone.

A smartphone on Windows Phone 8, of course, can become a reliable assistant to a business person, and it’s also suitable for entertainment ... And now it’s time to read the note in a notebook for the first time, which we asked to do a couple of paragraphs above.

iOS

Even the "old" iPnone look like a five-star hotel in a good resort: everyone is smiling, you have everything that the soul has not even had time to wish for, but always in the window good view. The main thing is to pay on time.

Each Apple device knows his place in the ingenious and harmonious “ecosystem” - everything here is clear, beautiful and very comfortable. At first glance, it differs from paradise only in that you are not threatened with exile for bitten apples.

The quantity and quality of iOS apps - is unbeatable. And the main reason for buying Apple smartphone invitingly located on the surface: the same company develops the iPhone and the operating system for it. The level of support even for "old" devices - is simply the best among competitors. The Apple iPhone 4 is currently three and a half years old, but the company keeps the software component of the smartphone up to date - in the fall, the owners received an offer to upgrade to iOS7. Checkmate!

Range of accessories for Apple technology is just unattainable. Cases, stereos, controllers, toys - what else is there! The iPhone/iPod/iPad, perhaps, was not screwed except perhaps a coffee maker. Although we are not sure about this.

As you can see, the iPhone  is the choice of a practical person. Entering the world of Apple in our area is not cheap, but you won’t have to change devices like a pick-up girl.

Others (Bada, Tizen, QNX/Blackberry, etc.)

If you are ready to experiment - you can experiment. But, remember! Are you looking for the smartphone of your dreams? Of course, everyone's dreams are different. But not as much!

There are few devices on these platforms (Blackberry), they are obsolete (Bada), or they do not exist at all (Tizen, Jolla). Have you also thought that all these "platforms" exist only to make Windows Phone look good against their background?

If you can't decide on an operating system

Dont be upset. You can buy an Android smartphone and pair it with an iPad. Or an iPod. Or buy yourself a Windows Phone, and then give it to dad on February 23, and choose something new for yourself. If you make a mistake again - next to March 8, feel free to pack the “mistake” in a beautiful box for mom. The main thing is not to hide your eyes ashamedly while presenting a gift.

First of all, choose not a brand, but an “ecosystem”. Do not rush between Apple and HTC, Nokia and LG, Sony and Samsung. Calmly cruise between Android, iOS, or Windows Phone - over time, you will surely land on the right shore.

Already marked a favorite? Don't rush to bet on it - let's talk about garden tools first. After all, the topic of “shovels” cannot be bypassed in the guide for choosing a dream smartphone.

Decide on the type, diagonal and resolution of the smartphone screen

We were not the first to name big smartphones"shovels". Let's dig (pardon the pun) deep into the history of mobile technology.

Pay attention to the first well-known "shovel phone"- HTC HD2.

The front of this legendary device for geeks is occupied by a glass of a completely ... small display by today's standards with a diagonal of 4.3 ".

And here is the second of the once sensational "shovels" - Samsung Galaxy S.

The diagonal of this "huge" screen ... modest 4 ".

The displays of these "oldies" will no longer strike you on the spot, like the fourth size in a deep neckline, will not force you to give up Friday feasts for six months and take a second loan. But there was a time!

So do you need a big screen in your smartphone?

Here's our advice: go to a store with a good range of phones, choose the one you like and at least just hold it in your hand. The main thing is that you are comfortable. If you have other considerations in this regard, and you are firmly convinced that you need a larger screen, to the detriment of convenience, then confidently go to the rack with "plafonds", the screen diagonals of which protrude beyond 5.5 "of common sense.

But there is no need to rush from one extreme to another and buy absolutely miniature devices. A smartphone whose screen does not reach 4 "is simply not very convenient to use. iPhone 4/4s stand apart here, but they also have an aspect ratio that is not usual for Android smartphones (3: 2).

Screen resolution and technology of its production - here are two more swamp fires that are sure to lead you into the quagmire of choice. Here, the main thing is not to forget about common sense, and not to let yourself be confused. big numbers and scary words like FullHD, Amoled or IPS. Ask the consultant to turn on the phone in the store, adjust the brightness to a level that suits you, open the page in a browser, watch a video on Youtube. Like? Remember the model. Don't like it - ask for permission, Pentile, make a dejected expression on your face (you can click your tongue, characteristically shaking your head from side to side - this will definitely make the consultant feel guilty) and… ask to see you another smartphone.

For your eye density is more important Pixel placement (PPI) - The ratio between the diagonal of a display and its resolution, not just screen resolution. For example:

SmartphoneScreen resolutionScreen diagonalPPI iPhone 4s640×9603.5"330LG Nexus 4768×12804.7"320Samsung Galaxy Note II720×12805.5"267

As you can see, a larger diagonal does not guarantee greater image clarity (although the screens of all smartphones from our example still look great).

Someone advised you to definitely find out the IPS (PLS) matrix in a smartphone, or Amoled? Is the Pentile visible? Does the screen turn yellow at an angle of n-degrees? Forget the e-mail of this person, cross out his name from the letter to Santa Claus and remove him from your Facebook friends. Don't let anyone pollute your mind. Choose wisely: trust your eyes, not marketers!

Don't exaggerate the importance of specifications

The number of processor cores, the amount of RAM, the “megapixels” of the camera - all this arsenal of sellers exists only to quickly lull your common sense. And in general, for you, all these numbers and names - nothing more than a myth, agree. When was the last time you unpacked your phone to count the number of cores in the processor or the pixels on the camera's matrix?

You already know why you need to buy not screen resolution, but its pixel density. But there are still at least two misconceptions that prevent you from choosing the smartphone of your dreams.

The more powerful the processor, the more cores in it - the better

In theory, yes. In practice, not always.

Almost all Android smartphones in 2013 (even inexpensive ones) have dual-core or quad-core processors, installed from 1 to 2 GB of RAM. Yes, these characteristics would cause envy in any "desktop" with Windows years 10–15 ago.

Smartphones “slow down” or “fly” not only from the number of cores or “RAM”. A lot depends on the operating system, the quality of its "assembly" (how "direct" hands worked on the code), the programs used.

And in general, "more" - "is not always "better" (at these words, women nod in unison with understanding). The “old” iPhone 5 has “only” 1 GB of RAM, but in terms of the smoothness of the interface and the speed of operation, it will first give odds to other Android devices with “steroidal” 2 GB of “RAM”, and then easily overtake them.

Leave the "cores" and "gigabytes" of your future smartphone alone, do not develop an inferiority complex in it by meticulous study of its characteristics.

The more megapixels a camera has, the better it is.

There are several important factors that affect the quality of a mobile photo. Let's quickly go through the main ones.

The bigger the sensor, the better

Here, the more, the better, because more light will fall on the larger sensor.

Sensor quality and camera software

The cameras of most smartphones that are “on hearing” are equipped with matrices manufactured by Sony (yes, even in the iPhone and in the Galaxy line from Samsung). The quality of photographs differs primarily due to software, the result of which you see on the screen of your smartphone. The main thing is good recipes, not the cost of food and the brand of pans.

The number of megapixels of the matrix

How much do you need? If you are going to refuse to buy a smartphone just because of the "small" resolution of the camera matrix, then do not rush.

The screen resolution of a modern “top-end” smartphone is like a good TV - FullHD (1920×1080). Simple calculations (multiplication and division) will show you that this is 2073600 pixels, or ~2 megapixels. Just two! Let's raise the bar higher: UHD resolution is also "4K" (3840 × 2160) - this is ~ 8 megapixels. As you can see, even with a “groundwork for the future”, 8 megapixels is enough for you. And for Instagram and showing photos on a TV or smartphone screen, just 2 megapixels is enough!

If you want to become a mobile photographer

The mastery of photography is achieved by long hard work. If you need a smartphone camera to quickly capture events or documents, don't worry too much about its quality - the time has come when most "smartphones" take pictures no worse than inexpensive "soap boxes".

Are you worried that there is nowhere to insert a memory card

Is 16/32 GB of permanent memory in your smartphone not enough for you? Come to your senses: these are thousands of photos and songs, hundreds of videos and programs. Even a terabyte of memory can be “filled in”, and the device will still have to be “cleaned”. Do not be like shorty Spruts from Nikolai Nosov's "Dunno on the Moon": instead of washing the dishes, he put them in a corner, and took out a new one from the closet.

Once a week or even a month, it is not difficult to connect to a computer and “dump” the archive there. What to say about modern cloud storage! For example, google app Plus for iPhone and Android can automatically upload photos and videos taken by a smartphone camera to a private album in the "cloud", and if you allow the application to "reduce" pictures to 2048 pixels, then the storage becomes simply unlimited for you.

Remember that not "iron" is the main thing

This is the shortest section of our article, the title of which speaks for itself. The hardware of smartphones is often the same or very similar in terms of characteristics. The main thing is who collects and "revives" it. About this - further.

Select smartphone brand

Everything here is simple and complicated at the same time. If you prefer iOS - you road to the arms of Apple. In the case of Windows Phone, Nokia/Microsoft leaves you no choice.

With Android it is more difficult, but also more interesting. We will not specifically list the names here - you can’t name everyone, and it would be simply wrong not to mention one of the manufacturers. Ivan Luchkov will help you decide on the brand of the best, in our opinion, Android smartphone and narrow down the circle of choice in his article.

Is it worth buying a Chinese smartphone

Let's dot the "i" in Chinese. The richest companies in the world place production in China, or order their devices from factories in China. At the same time, if you search carefully, there is probably at least one small factory in China that produces fake South African penguin food.

In general, now "Chinese" is no worse than "Japanese", "Korean" or "Klingon", if we speak. Well, just don’t pay attention to “bad China”, don’t be greedy - you remember where it usually lies free cheese?

We have armed you with everything you need to choose the smartphone of your dreams. But repetition is the mother of learning. So…

How to choose a smartphone

1. Decide if you need a smartphone at all (you can use a phone-tablet pair)
2. Decide on "platform" and "ecosystem" (choose between Android, iOS, Windows Phone)
3. Pick up optimal dimensions smartphone, nice screen (you "shovel", or "not really")
4. Do not "bother" much with the technical characteristics of the future device (hardware is not the main thing)
5. Stop at a specific brand and finally model ()
6. Buy a smartphone in a regular store, on the Internet or even order it from abroad
7. Congratulate yourself on your purchase!

And, finally, a few words about design and materials: we think you can figure out what you like best. Velvety, glossy plastic, or metal, a strict inconspicuous black case, or the surface of the brightest colors ...

Just rely on your taste. After all, you already know better than us what your dream smartphone looks like.

If you do not follow the smartphone market constantly, then it may be difficult for you to choose suitable phone one you won't regret buying later. Site experts have collected for you on one page the answers to the most important questions choice of smartphone. Here you will learn how to choose the right phone for you, which phone is better to buy in 2017, and how to save money on your purchase.

What do you expect from the new smartphone?

Before buying a smartphone, you should decide on the set of features that you expect to receive. Do you need a productive device or just a dialer? Do you want high quality pictures? Do you expect your smartphone to work for several days without recharging? Or do you dream of a metal case and features like a fingerprint scanner or water resistance?

Today you can find a smartphone for every taste, but it is better to avoid some misconceptions. For example, if the phone has doubled the number of processor cores and RAM, the screen resolution and the number of megapixels of the camera have increased, then it will definitely be better. This is not entirely true. Smartphone test results, obtained by our experts after testing devices in the laboratory and in daily use, clearly showed that many parameters and characteristics do not directly affect the quality of the phone. Therefore, if you have a smartphone from the past or the year before, then it is not necessary to change it precisely because of the “outdated” characteristics.

If you still decide to change your phone, pay attention to the constantly updated Smartphone Rating, compiled by site experts. With it, you can compare your favorite models in various parameters or simply find out which smartphone is the best today. This became possible due to the fact that for the first time all phones were tested according to a single method. Also, every year we sum up the results, making selections of the best low-cost models, as we did this year, or choosing the best smartphones of the year, as, for example, we did in years..

Phone on which operating system to choose?

The smartphone can work on the operating iOS system, Android, Windows Phone and some others. But these three operating systems are the most massive.

Android- operating system from Google with a wide range of customization options. Standard Browser, writing utilities text messages and calls, calendar, notes, keyboard, mail client- b O You can uninstall most of these applications and install others that are convenient for you personally. You can even change the appearance of the interface. This system has many settings and changeable parameters, and the number of programs and games for Android is more than a million. Cons - short battery life (although flagships and models with batteries large capacity, for example, Lenovo P70 or Motorola Moto X Force , are less affected by this), lack of stability and smooth operation. Another drawback is the time-limited support for the gadget. So, most devices receive system updates within a year or two, no more. Then you have to either buy a new device or stay on the old OS.

iOS- Apple's operating system, which runs all portable devices of the company: iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The main advantages of the system are stability, high speed work and ease of use. This is important if you are a beginner and have bought your first smartphone. Another plus is the constant system updates for most of the company's devices, but keep in mind that old gadgets can slow down after the update. Basic disadvantage of iOS- limited support for multimedia formats. Also in iOS you can not replace many basic applications and change the appearance of the system without doing Jailbreak - the operation of opening access to file system to expand the capabilities of the device. Just keep in mind that after Jailbreak you will lose the warranty on your gadget. Over the past couple of years, Apple has been working on fixing the flaws. For example, they expand the options for setting up the phone - they add support for third-party keyboards, the ability to transfer media files to the iPhone without iTunes help and already allow you to remove some pre-installed applications.

Windows phone operating system from Microsoft. Features - "tiled" style and high speed even on frankly weak hardware. One of the main features of the latest Windows versions 10 Mobile is a Continuum feature - connect via cable to a laptop or TV and work from your phone on a big screen, just like from a PC. True, it only works for flagship smartphones, for example, on the Microsoft Lumia 950. The disadvantages of the system are not an intuitive menu and a small number of applications and games in the store.

Which display size is right for you?

One of the main parameters of a smartphone is the diagonal and screen resolution. The dimensions and such an important point as the convenience of using a smartphone directly depend on this.

Less than 4.5 inches — compact smartphone with a small screen that is comfortable to hold in your hand, carry in any pockets (this is an important moment in the summer when we walk in light clothes) and which is comfortable to talk even long time thanks to its small size. The downside is that managing a smartphone with such a screen can be inconvenient at first. If you have big fingers or are looking for a smartphone for the older generation, this option is better not to consider. Due to the growth of device diagonals, finding a phone of this size with good performance not easy. These are mainly budget or old models, for example, Samsung Galaxy J1 mini. The only exception is the 4-inch iPhone SE.

4.5 - 5.3 inches- universal screen sizes. These can be both budget or mid-range models, as well as flagship smartphones (for example, HTC 10). If the diagonal is closer to 4.5 inches, the device fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and is convenient to operate with one hand. A smartphone with a diagonal closer to 5.3 inches is not very comfortable to hold in your hand, but on a large screen it is easier to work with small icons, play games, watch movies, read mail, and so on. In this category you will find small phones(like the 4.7-inch iPhone 6) and larger models (like the 5-inch Samsung Galaxy J3 2016 or the 5.2-inch Galaxy A5 2016).

Over 5.3 inches- for such phones they came up with a separate term: phablet (phablet, a combination of PHone + tablet). Such devices combine the capabilities of a smartphone and a tablet, so they need to be controlled with two hands: you hold the smartphone in one, and touch the screen with the other. Phablets are difficult to carry in the pockets of clothes, most often they simply do not fit there. A device of this type is suitable for those who are willing to put up with the huge dimensions and the corresponding inconvenience of a smartphone. But it seems that today it no longer bothers anyone, and people are ready to endure it for the sake of the big screen. Typical representatives of phablets are Huawei Honor 5X (5.5 inches) and Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (5.5 inches). There are also larger models, for example, Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra (6.8 inches).

What type of screen do you need?

Manufacturers of modern smartphones, as a rule, indicate information about the type of screen right on the box. It can also be found in open sources (for example, on the official website of the manufacturer).

TFT/TN- Screens based on this matrix are usually used in the most inexpensive smartphones. Key features- low contrast, narrow color gamut, faded image and small viewing angles. Of course, when purchasing a budget smartphone, one should not expect good picture quality. The owners of such a screen are extremely budget, but popular smartphones Alcatel One Touch PIXI 3 (4.5) 4027D and Lenovo A1000.

IPS/S-IPS/PLS- screens based on such matrices have a natural color gamut, wide angles review and high level brightness. Also given type the matrix is ​​​​notable for good readability in the sun - this is important if you often use your smartphone on the street.

Some manufacturers use specific names to refer to this type. For example, HTC indicates “Super LCD” screens in its smartphones, while in reality it is the same IPS matrix. IPS matrices can be found both in inexpensive phones like, and in flagship models, for example, in LG G4 or iPhone 6 Plus.

AMOLED/Super AMOLED- Previously, screens based on these matrices were used only in Samsung's flagship smartphones, but now they can also be found in other manufacturers, for example, in the Huawei Nexus 6P or Lenovo P2 phone. In addition, AMOLED matrices have spread to low-cost models such as the Samsung Galaxy J1 (2016). Distinctive features: Very rich and contrasting colors, good viewing angles, wide color gamut, perfect blacks and energy saving. The disadvantages are the high price and “burn-in” of blue pixels over time, which is why the service life of such a display is less than that of screens based on IPS / S-IPS / PLS matrices. Also in some Super AMOLED screens Pentile technology is used, which consumes less power, but the image on it, when viewed closely, appears grainy and unnatural (with a red halo around letters, icons and other elements).

Screen resolution- Another parameter, leading, at times, to confusion. It would seem that everything is simple - the higher it is, the better the image will be. But in reality, you are unlikely to make out the difference in picture clarity between a 5-inch Full HD screen(1920×1080 pixels) Yotafon 2 and 5.5-inch 4K display (3840×2160 pixels) Sony Xperia Z5 Premium.

In our opinion, for smartphones with a diagonal of up to 5 inches, HD resolution (1280 × 720) can be called optimal, and for phones with a screen of more than 5 inches, Full HD. Excessively clear Quad HD, firstly, will be useful only for tablets or phones with, and secondly, this often has a bad effect on the autonomy and performance of a smartphone.

How to choose a smartphone camera?

It is believed that the more megapixels in the camera, the better shots- and this is true, but only in part. The quality of the photo depends not so much on the number of megapixels, but on the size and quality of the matrix, optics, image processing algorithms and a number of additional options. Therefore, first of all, we advise you to look at the quality of photos taken on the phone (you can test the camera yourself in the store or see the pictures in reviews on the device). In our opinion, Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5 smartphones are among the best in terms of shooting quality, among inexpensive models we can recommend Lenovo Vibe Shot or any last year's flagship, such as the LG G4. There are also good cameras among state employees, for example, Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3, Xiaomi Redmi 3 or Huawei Honor 4C.

What should be the capacity of the battery?

Predict smartphone battery life based only on specifications, impossible. It depends not only on the capacity battery, but also from the “gluttony” of the filling, resolution, screen brightness, type of its matrix, device optimization and, of course, the mode of its use. That is why we check the operating time and test the autonomy of smartphones using a single methodology. It would be wrong to name a certain value for battery capacity and say that it is optimal. But still, we can give you approximate guidelines for phones, based on the screen diagonal:

• for a smartphone with a display up to 4 inches, we recommend a battery capacity of at least 1400-1500 mAh;
• for a diagonal of 4-5 inches, you need a 2000 mAh battery;
• with a screen from 5 to 5.5 inches - at least 2400 mAh;
• for displays larger than 5.5, a battery of at least 3000 mAh is required.

Standing apart from other models are “long-lived smartphones” with huge batteries, for example, Huawei Honor 4C Pro (4000 mAh) or the popular Lenovo P780 (4000 mAh) from the distant 2013. There are also models with a battery capacity of 10000 mAh, for example, Oukitel K10000.

Do I need to pay attention to the body materials?

If you buy a device based only on technical specifications, then this item can be skipped. In another case, before buying, you should decide which smartphone you want: made of plastic, metal or glass. So which phone should you buy? Let's figure it out in order.

Matte plastic- commonly used material, usually smooth. Plastic is inexpensive and practical, it does not leave marks and fingerprints, and if scratches appear, they are almost invisible. Such material is used in the Samsung Galaxy S5.

Glossy plastic- shiny plastic, usually plain, but sometimes with the use of graphic effects on the surface. Such smartphones look impressive at first (especially on the shelf in the store). However, the "gloss" quickly loses its original appearance - the case is covered with fingerprints, greasy stains and scratches, which are clearly visible. Popular smartphones with a glossy plastic case - and Lenovo Vibe Shot.

Polycarbonate- one of the options for plastic, outwardly something between smooth and glossy plastic. A versatile material used in most or any other, such as the Apple iPhone 5C.

Soft-touch coated plastic- plastic with a special elastic rubber-like coating, feels like a rubberized surface to the touch. Pros - a smartphone with a "soft-touch" coating is comfortable to hold in your hand, it will not slip out, even if you take it with wet palms. Cons - after six months or a year active use the case begins to wear out: the “soft-touch” coating peels off and the surface with simple plastic is exposed. As an example of a device with such a coating, we will cite the popular Asus Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL smartphones (some cover colors come without a soft-touch coating) and LG Nexus 5X.

Metal- aluminum alloy is usually used, less often - stainless steel. A smartphone in a metal case looks and feels more expensive in the hand than any plastic one. This effect is difficult to describe in words, it is much easier to understand it just by taking such a phone in hand. In addition, people always think that such a smartphone is more reliable. There are also disadvantages: painted metal wears out over time - the paint peels off, scratches, dents appear. The most popular smartphones with metal cases are Apple iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy A3.

Glass- hardened or simply with increased resistance to scratches and impacts. Used as a screen protector and sometimes as an anti-reflective layer. This material is used in almost all modern devices, usually it is Gorilla Glass from the American company Corning or DragonTail Glass from the Japanese Asahi Glass. There are smartphones on the market that are covered with glass on both sides, such as Huawei Honor 8 and Samsung Galaxy S6. It looks nice, but such surfaces easily get dirty and slip, besides, you are unlikely to be happy if you suddenly drop such a “glass” phone.

How much memory should a smartphone have?

Any smartphone has a certain amount of built-in memory for storing user data: music, videos, photos and more. In cheap memory models, there may be quite a bit - 4 or 8 GB, but in most models it is 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes. As additional option you can offer a slot for a memory card microSD format, but not all smartphones have it.

Important: in any smartphone, part of the internal memory is occupied system files and not available to the user. The amount of such memory depends on the specific model and manufacturer. If the specifications of the smartphone indicate 8 GB of memory, the user will have access to approximately 3-6 GB, if 16 GB is indicated, about 10-13 gigabytes will be available. Before you buy a phone, consider how much storage you need.

16 GB- if you buy a smartphone mainly for calls, checking mail and the Internet, a version with internal memory of 16 GB or even less will do. The presence of a slot for a memory card in this case does not matter.

32/64/128 GB- if you plan to use your smartphone as an MP3 player, store captured photos, play like on a game console or make a video recorder out of it, then it is advisable to choose a phone with at least 32 GB of memory.

Smartphones with a slot for a memory card - this is another 32 to 200 gigabytes of memory. And budget models, as a rule, support microSD cards with a capacity of 32-64 GB, and more expensive devices - up to 200 GB. The extended memory will allow you to use your smartphone to the maximum: play it, listen to music, download and watch movies and TV shows.