Now the word "smartphone" will not surprise anyone. Even if you do not have it, then at least once, but heard it and roughly know what it means!
But here is the salt, which is about. Not everyone knows exactly what the word smartphone means, how it appeared and how this gadget differs from a telephone, communicator or PDA. Let's try to figure this out together.
Meaning of the term Smartphone
The Russian language in our time is full of foreign words. And this term is no exception.
The word Smartphone comes from the English Smartphone, which, in turn, combines two words:
Smart- means "smart"
phone means "telephone".
Thus, it can be concluded that Smartphone is a phone that has “smart” functions of a mobile computer: both computing (processor, RAM, ROM) and communication (WiFi, 4g / LTE, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS).
What is a Communicator then?
Do not forget about the word-synonym - Communicator. The fact is that in their meaning both terms are actually one and the same. The confusion here appeared thanks again to the manufacturers. And that's why! At that time there were no tablets, and in their place on the market there were PDAs - a pocket personal computer. At its core, it was a small tablet on the Windows Mobile operating system. Despite the fact that he had a touch screen, it was impossible to control the gadget as it is now with a finger. For these purposes, a special stylus was used, similar to a ballpoint pen (By the way, until recently, it was also found on the Samsung Galaxy Note).
And from what the manufacturer considered his offspring, it depended on how he would call it. If the developers thought that this was a phone with PDA functions, it was a "Smartphone". If they positioned it as a PDA with phone functions, then this is a "Communicator".
Of course now, when the very concept of "Personal Pocket Computer" has simply disappeared, as well as the devices themselves representing this class, then the semantic difference between the two names of the same device has disappeared.
There was another classification option was according to the operating system installed on the device. It so happened that if the operating system is installed Microsoft Windows Mobile or Palm OS- then this is a communicator, but if the gadget is controlled by Symbian OS, then this is a smartphone. Of course, now, after some time, such a division seems strange and absurd, but then, in the early 2000s, everything was so. The funny thing is that the advent of the Android and iOS operating systems practically nullified their predecessors. Palm OS and Symbian have practically sunk into oblivion, and Windows Mobile has been transformed into Windows Phone.
Mobile operating systems
At the moment, we can name 10 major mobile operating systems that have been the most popular over the past 15 years:
Android - iOS - Windows Phone (Mobile, CE) - BlackBerry - Symbian - Samsung Bada - FireFox OS - Palm OS - Web OS - Linux Ubuntu
Unfortunately, a large part of them are already in the past and are unlikely to receive further development. At the moment, TOP3 looks like this:
History of Smartphones
At the beginning of 2000, a new Ericsson R380 mobile phone appeared on the market. It was the first device that the manufacturer officially called a "smartphone" and from which the development of a whole class of mobile equipment began.
Ericsson R380 ran on the mobile operating system Symbian OS and had a monochrome touch screen.
Almost after him, a competitor appeared on the market - Nokia 9210.
Nokia by this time already had a whole line of communicators, but none of them were popular. They were bulky, uncomfortable and of little use. Therefore, the 9210 model was fundamentally different and, accordingly, they began to call it differently - Smartphone. That is, Nokia positioned it as an advanced phone. Then a flurry of development began, during which more and more new players joined the race - HTC, Sony, Motorola, Siemens. Completely different technologies and form factors (sliders, clamshells) were tried. The phones were equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard.
This continued until 2007, when a new trendsetter appeared on the scene - the iPhone smartphone on the iOS operating system from Apple.
This non-keyboard monoblock set the direction for the next decades. And a little later, its main competitor, the Android operating system, and first dozens, and then hundreds of smartphone models based on this OS, saw the light of day.
What is the difference between a smartphone and a mobile phone
1. Software stuffing. The phone just has a firmware with a certain set of functions. The communicator already uses a full-fledged operating system (IOS, Android or Windows), which allows not only to use the available features, but also to expand them by installing additional programs.
2. Hardware capabilities. Hardly anyone knows what chip and how much RAM is used on a regular push-button phone. But modern smartphones already use multi-core processors and several gigabytes of RAM. In terms of performance, such devices will outdo computers older than 5-6 years.
3. Communication capabilities: availability of WiFi, 4G/LTE, GPS, GLONASS modules.
4. Additional features: Pedometer, gyroscope, IR port, USB.
5. Ability to work with various types of files: audio, video, documents, spreadsheets, presentations.
6. Data synchronization with Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc. cloud services.
7. Screen size. The phone does not need a large display. And with a high resolution, it simply will not be able to work due to modest hardware capabilities. Smartphones and tablets have an average screen size of 5 inches.
Publication date: 02/12/2017
What characteristics of a smartphone determine the user experience? Camera, battery, screen size, speed, or chips proposed by the developers?
What parameters influence the purchase decision when choosing a new phone? Camera, display resolution, performance or additional features proposed by the developers? The main characteristics of a smartphone are certainly important, but the main selection criterion for most is battery autonomy. Nobody wants to walk around with a dead phone and live "from socket to socket"!
Performance is the second most important feature of a smartphone for more than half of users. The list of main parameters also included: price, software and screen size. And now, after we have answered the main question of the publication, I propose to talk about these layers of the Smartosphere in more detail.
The main characteristic of the smartphone: battery autonomy
A few years ago, we all used phones with a battery of about 2000 mAh and were generally satisfied. At the time of publication, I counted 29 models with a battery capacity of 5000+ mAh. If we apply the filter "4000 mAh or more", we get 101 samples. The record holder is generally equipped with some kind of portable power station - 12000 mAh!
The battery has really become the main characteristic of a smartphone. Today, in any more or less self-respecting shopping center there is a zone for recharging the phone. Almost every active user always and everywhere carries a charging cord with him, and many carry a portable charger.
What explains such a depressing situation with autonomy in an era of rapid development of other basic parameters of smartphones? There are several reasons. First, the load on the computing core has increased. Yes, processors are produced in 16nm and 14nm process technology, but another problem has appeared: the number of applications is growing exponentially.
Smartphones have additional functions that are not always useful, but they work non-stop and consume energy. Increased the amount of RAM. Some will say it's great! The amount of RAM is an important characteristic of a smartphone, but increasing it has a side effect: Android or iOS leaves the application in active mode, even if you have not used it for a long time, and the application consumes energy.
Developers stopped optimizing software. What for? There is enough memory already, you can spend it right and left. The same Twitter “sits” on the Internet around the clock and eats battery power. Messengers and social networking applications behave in a similar way, and this negatively affects the autonomy of the phone.
Let's add an increase in the diagonal of the screen with a sharply increased number of pixels, and we get an explosive mixture that kills the battery charge. In a word, without recharging you will not go far. Do not be surprised that autonomy is the main characteristic of a smartphone for 67% of users.
If you want to increase the autonomy of your electronic friend, often stop applications (Force Stop) in forced mode and disable unnecessary functions, especially in proprietary shells like MIUI or TouchWiz.
The main characteristics of smartphones: performance
One of the main characteristics of smartphones for 61% of users is speed. The user experience is directly affected by performance: we want the interface to be responsive to our actions, switching between applications is smooth, and their start is instantaneous. For gamers, smartphone performance is generally the main selection criterion, because if the phone does not pull the game, why is it needed then?
The choice of truly smart phones today is very large. Huawei managed to break into the elite by releasing a very cool Mate 9 based on the Kirin 960 chipset, which is in many ways not inferior to the flagships. The capabilities of the Apple A10 Fusion and Exynos 8890 are needless to say. As for the top processor of 2016 from Qualcomm - Snapdragon 821 - its potential is also well known.
Since the main characteristics of smartphones for more than half of users are autonomy and speed, the "ideal device" should be equipped with a top-end processor and a cool battery. And there are some on the market.
For example, with a 4000 mAh battery, it is built on the Kirin 960 chipset. True, it costs like a real flagship, which, by the way, it is. Among other interesting models, I would single out (Snapdragon 821, 6 GB RAM, 4070 mAh) and Xiaomi Mi Note 2 (Snapdragon 821, 4 GB RAM, 4070 mAh). However, they also cannot be called state employees. we reviewed in a recent post.
You can find an attractive phone with a balance of autonomy, performance and price that suits you in our database. There are more than enough filters, and they will help you find the best option. At the same time, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the 2016 global ratings for performance and battery:
Important characteristics of a smartphone: price, screen size, camera, software
In conclusion, let's go over other important characteristics of smartphones. The third line is occupied by the software. Does this mean that users want to see more devices on the market with open software that can be modified for themselves? Yes, for a certain percentage of buyers, modding is important, but I think the majority will prefer brands that update operating systems and proprietary shells in a timely manner.
Price is the main characteristic of a smartphone for 39% of users. Any explanation is unnecessary here. 37% named the display size among the main phone parameters. Pay attention, not the resolution or ppi, but the screen diagonal. The group of leaders is closed by the characteristics of the camera. Full results of the voting conducted by the resource
Smartphones have firmly entered our lives and are actively used not only for calls, but also for surfing websites, photos, videos, games, etc. With many features, they are similar to tablets, but are smaller. Today we will figure out what to look for when choosing a smartphone so that it fully performs all the functions assigned to it.
Before buying, decide what is most important to you:
good photos and videos;
fast internet surfing;
communication in social networks;
games, etc.
It depends on what technical characteristics you should pay special attention to.
Display
The smartphone has long become a faithful companion in everyday life, and now it takes several hours a day to communicate with it. Almost all of this time we look at the screen. Thus, it is the display that can be called the key element on which the convenience of using a mobile device directly depends.
It is difficult to name the optimal display size - everyone's preferences and hands are different. The main thing is to determine for yourself the dimensions of the device, with which it will be convenient to work with one hand. The most convenient is when you can easily reach any point on the screen with one finger.
Recently, smartphones have become increasingly popular, to work with which you need to connect a second hand. Some call them phablets due to the fact that they combine the properties of a classic smartphone and tablet. On devices with a diagonal of 5 inches or more, it is more convenient to watch videos, surf the Internet, read and type text. But it is important to remember about practicality - putting such a phone in a pocket of jeans or trousers will not work.
A few years ago, smartphone screens were flat and a little "buried" in the case. Glass with rounded edges is now in vogue, which makes the shape of the smartphone more pleasant to the touch due to streamlining.
Matrix type
On smartphones of the budget line, TFT-TN matrices are most often installed. They have a small viewing angle, poor contrast and color reproduction. More modern technology is IPS. The screens built on its basis benefit significantly in terms of color reproduction, contrast and viewing angle, which can reach 178 degrees.
OLED displays deserve special attention, they are also often called organic light-emitting diode screens. In them, each pixel is a light source. This eliminates the need for additional backlighting. Such screens are able to reproduce black color as accurately as possible, while they have high brightness, contrast, wide viewing angles and are highly efficient in terms of power consumption.
Display Resolution
The resolution of a display is the number of pixels it consists of. For gadgets with a diagonal of less than 5 inches, an HD display with a resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels is sufficient. If the diagonal tends to 5.5 inches, then you can pay attention to devices with a Full HD display with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels. The pursuit of high resolution is not always justified. On a small screen, you may not notice significant differences in picture quality, but at the same time, high-resolution displays put forward higher demands on the “stuffing” and drain the battery faster.
Operating system
The operating system is a set of programs that allow you to control your smartphone and conduct a dialogue with the user. With the help of the OS, applications and additional programs are launched and run.
To date, there are a trio of the most popular operating systems:
Android. A lot of games and applications have been created for it, for which Google Play is used to download. This OS is installed on various devices, ranging from budget to flagship smartphones. The OS differs only in the version. Interestingly, many manufacturers interpret Android and release devices with their own skins.
iOS. It is considered the most convenient and reliable OS. Apple devices work on it, but remember that Apple devices are not cheap, and many applications are paid. In addition, apple smartphones after 2-3 years receive updated firmware along with new products of the brand.
Windows phone. The interface of this OS is similar to a laptop or PC. It implements many of the usual "computer" services. Such devices are popular among business audiences and Windows product enthusiasts.
CPU
The performance of the smartphone directly depends on how fast the device will work and whether “heavy” games with complex graphical “bells and whistles” will start. As a rule, single- and dual-core processors are installed in budget line gadgets, while in higher-end models, the number of cores can reach a dozen.
Each core is essentially a separate processor. Thus, the more of them, the more tasks the smartphone can simultaneously solve.
But there is an important feature - optimization in applications is important for multi-core processors. If the program cannot divide the task into parts and distribute them among the cores, then perhaps not everything will be involved, which will affect performance.
The downside of multi-core processors is the rapid battery drain.
Memory
An important parameter is RAM, when choosing which it is important to decide on the tasks that the smartphone will solve. For calls and everyday tasks, 512 MB of RAM is enough. Are you planning to play and actively use applications? Then pay attention to devices with more than 1 GB of RAM.
The device's own memory allows you to store all user data. Initially, only Apple had exclusively built-in storage. Now, many manufacturers have abandoned the slot for an additional card. Be aware that the actual memory size is different from the real one. The fact is that part of it is occupied by software.
If you plan to watch videos often or need to store a lot of photos, then it is better not to save money and buy devices with a slot for an additional card. This is convenient, because you can quickly install a flash drive and thereby expand the amount of free memory on the device.
SIM cards
To date, there are three types of SIM cards that differ in size:
Classic SIM (Mini-SIM) 25×15x0.76 mm in size;
micro SIM - a smaller version of the usual SIM card, 15 × 12x0.76 mm in size;
nano SIM is the smallest SIM card, measuring 12.3 x 8.8 x 0.67 mm.
Many smartphones support the ability to work with multiple SIM-cards. Such devices are the best option for those who need to have several phone numbers (for example, the first one is for family and friends, the second one is for communication at work, and the third one is for mobile Internet). At the same time, the operator does not play any role in this case - smartphones with two and three slots for SIM cards allow you to abandon several phones in favor of one multifunctional device.
A number of smartphone models have a hybrid slot that allows you to simultaneously use a SIM card and a microSD memory card or two SIM cards at once.
Camera
Smartphones are most often equipped with two cameras:
basic;
frontal (for video calls and selfies);
Regardless of the location of the camera, their main characteristic is the number of megapixels. This parameter indicates how many dots the matrix contains, which converts the received image from the lens into a digital representation. More dots result in a higher resolution, which means the final image quality will be better. But on the other hand, high-quality pictures take up more space on the memory card.
The active development of selfies (self-portraits) has led to the fact that the once weak front cameras of smartphones are now one of the main attributes of a modern gadget. Just a couple of years ago, their resolution was 1-2 megapixels, and now there are devices on sale with 13-megapixel front cameras that allow you to get high-quality pictures, conduct video broadcasts and chat on Skype. Look out for the autofocus, flash and image stabilization features, which will ensure excellent photo quality in various shooting conditions.
Battery
The performance of the battery directly affects the battery life of the smartphone. Need a long battery life? Then choose a high battery capacity, a small screen size and a modest “stuffing”. The fact is that powerful top models, which are equipped with capacious batteries, do not work more than one day with active use.
If we talk about numbers, then on devices from the budget line, small 1300 mAh batteries are most often installed, while in the top segment, the battery capacity starts from 2500 mAh. There are also smartphones with increased capacity batteries that allow the gadget to work for two or three days.
Do you want to increase the battery life of your smartphone? Then pay attention to portable batteries.
Criterias of choice
With any purchase, budget plays an important role. If you have already decided on the amount to buy a new gadget, then you should understand what parameters you need to pay special attention to. At the same time, in the struggle for the buyer, each manufacturer tries to stand out with something of its own. Someone takes it with a stylish design, someone with a hardware filling, and some simply blur the line between a smartphone and a camera.
It is important to understand that not all functions will be useful in practice:
For older people, simplicity and a minimum of bells and whistles are important. For them, calls are a priority and smartphones with a screen up to 4.5 inches, with a 5-8 megapixel camera and more than 4 GB of internal memory will do. This is enough to communicate, install a basic set of applications and take photos of memorable moments. When choosing, pay attention to the size of the icons in the menu - they should be large enough.
For all connoisseurs of musical innovations and music lovers, the speakers and the quality of their sound are an important point. It is better if there are special buttons that allow you to quickly rewind and turn on tracks. The best option would be smartphones with a capacious battery and a large amount of memory - this will be enough to store and listen to your favorite tracks and albums.
Do you work a lot and need a phone to communicate with clients, partners and separate work contacts from calls from relatives and friends? Then give preference to smartphones with two SIM-cards, a capacious battery, a sufficiently large screen and internal memory. Such devices will replace several devices at once, allow you to quickly view the necessary documents, and most importantly, do not worry about the imminent battery discharge and be always in touch.
Do you love shopping and strive to be on the crest of not only a fashionable, but also a technological wave? Then pay attention to devices with contactless board function. They are gaining more and more popularity, because. now you can pay for purchases by simply bringing a smartphone with an installed application to a special contactless payment terminal. Just. Fast. Conveniently!
Do you drive a lot and want to use your smartphone as a navigator? Then choose devices with a good and large screen and a built-in GPS module, which will allow you to build the best route using special programs (Yandex. Maps, GoogleMaps, etc.). The screens of such smartphones are perfectly “readable” even on sunny days.
Tourists, travelers and all those who love extreme sports and recreation will like smartphones with a camera of more than 13 megapixels, a shock-resistant case, a GLONASS system, a high-capacity battery and an internal memory of more than 16 GB with the possibility of installing additional memory cards. Such devices are not afraid of shocks and water, they will take you out of the forest, take pictures of the beauties of nature and architectural delights, saving all this in your memory, and most importantly, they will work for a long time without recharging.
Gamers will be able to go on a space journey, crush enemies, build their own kingdom, win a car race or rescue hostages from terrorists. To do this, choose smartphones on Android or iOS with a screen of more than 4.5 inches, a processor of more than 4 cores, internal memory of more than 16 GB, an IPS matrix and a battery capacity of more than 2400 mAh. Such gadgets will "pull" not only games, but also allow you to watch movies on the road.
If you divide all devices by cost, you can get several price segments:
Category up to 6,000 rubles. It includes productive smartphones with an optimal price-quality ratio (with Android OS with a TFT or IPS display and a powerful battery that lasts up to 10 hours of talk time).
Category from 6,000 to 10,000 rubles: multimedia features at a reasonable price. Among such devices, you can pick up smartphones with a good camera, stylish design or a capacious battery.
Category from 10,000 to 15,000 rubles: maximum multimedia. They are distinguished by a capacious battery, an eight-core processor, an HD display, up to 4 GB of RAM, a good camera, a fingerprint scanner and a stylish body.
Category from 15,000 to 20,000 rubles: new items and brands. The key difference between these smartphones is a high-capacity battery, a flash on the camera with special effects, an octa-core processor, a large Full HD IPS display and more than 3 GB of RAM.
Category over 20,000 rubles: style, originality and power. This category will appeal to all those who are looking for a functional, productive and really stylish device. Flagship quality and a balanced set of options allow you to get a reliable and loyal electronic friend. In such devices, there is an energy-efficient eight-core processor, a stylish design, a powerful camera with a good lens, support for LTE network and a shock-resistant case.
Thank you for your attention and happy shopping!
Good day, friends!
Today, you will not surprise anyone with a mobile phone that can take pictures, access the Internet, shoot high-quality videos, work with documents, etc. Moreover, progress does not stand still, and most of these functions are already able to do even wristwatches, for example - iWatch (Apple). But how can everyone figure it out if you previously had an ordinary mobile phone without all this, which could just call and send/receive SMS? This is what will be discussed in today's article - about smartphones.
So, what is a smartphone, what functions does it have, and what you need to pay attention to in order to choose the “right” smartphone and be satisfied with your gadget.
Smartphone(eng. Smartphone, “smart phone”) - supplemented with the functionality of a pocket personal computer (PDA).
Smartphone features
The main functions of the smartphone are:
- Internet access;
— functions of photo/video filming, as well as a voice recorder;
- audio / video playback of records;
- reading e-books, various documents;
- work with e-mail;
— GPS navigator;
- All kinds of records: memos, contact information, lists, databases.
— Typing, programming.
- All kinds of games;
- Work with office applications;
- Control various electronic devices: projector, DVD player, and more.
- Of course, making calls, SMS, MMS have not gone away;
- Stopping other programs, thanks to which the smartphone actually turns into a mini-computer.
Smartphone Disadvantages
- Sometimes sizes. For example, it is not very convenient to use a smartphone with a screen of 5 inches or more with one hand;
Most smartphones drain very quickly. Some of them need to be charged literally once a day, or even more often.
“You need to be careful when using smartphones. Large screens very often stop working when dropped. Their control is touch-sensitive, then even making a call will not work. I remember the Nokia 3310, in terms of indestructibility - no comparison. 🙂
— Smartphones are more sensitive to the environment in which they operate. For example, if the temperature is below zero, then the screens literally freeze, and the phone literally refuses to work. If the humidity is high, condensation may form under the glass.
— Application developers want to know almost everything about you. When you install any program, it asks you to allow access to everything that is possible, starting from your contacts in the phone book, SMS, the duration of calls to your place of residence. I suspect that the developers of both smartphones and applications for them officially do not even open everything to the average user.
- I don’t know if you paid attention or not, but when you enter the subway car you can see that just a huge number of people are constantly on their phones, and if you look at some statistics, you can conclude that modern gadgets develop addiction in people. I will say that sometimes it is useful to take a walk in nature without electronics.
- For people who are far from technology, it will be more difficult to understand the menu. After all, even to just call, you no longer need to press 1-2 buttons, but go here and there.
Of course, each person chooses for himself what is an advantage for him and what is a disadvantage in a smartphone, so you will continue the rest of the list yourself, for example, in the comments to the article. 😉
Smartphone Features
After the first acquaintance with smartphones, let's move on to studying their characteristics and figure out how to choose a smartphone?.
1. Manufacturer. Oddly enough, but unlike most other technology, choosing a smartphone is better to start with choosing a manufacturer. This is, firstly, a guarantee of the quality and durability of the device. Secondly, the performance of the gadget. After all, as you know, with the same technical characteristics, devices can radically differ in speed.
Smartphone leaders are: Apple, Samsung, HTC, Lenovo, Nokia, Sony, LG.
2. Number of SIM cards. With today's variety of mobile operators, as well as their conditions, many users have 2-3 or more SIM cards. Previously, we just opened the back cover of the phone and changed them. Now you can purchase a phone into which you can insert 2 SIM cards at once, and make/receive a call with the most beneficial one for us.
Conclusion: If you are economical, it is better to take a phone with 2 SIM cards.
3. Display. The smartphone screen has several characteristics:
- Screen diagonal. Buy a smartphone with a display that fits comfortably in your hand. I have a 5-inch smartphone, but my hand is also big. It is already extremely inconvenient for my wife to use my phone.
— Matrix type. The most popular are AMOLED, super AMOLED and IPS. Moreover, some people like one option, others another. Personally, I prefer IPS.
- Screen resolution. The higher the screen resolution, the better. Firstly, watching high-resolution videos is much more pleasant, and secondly, the quality and clarity of displaying documents, photos, websites, games and other applications will be much higher.
- Protection of the display from ingress of dust and moisture;
- Special glass that protects the screen from scratches
Conclusion: It is better to buy a smartphone with a diagonal of 4-5 inches, IPS, with a resolution of 960 * 540 (the optimal average is 1280 * 720), and a protected surface from moisture and scratches.
4. Processor (CPU). All modern smartphones, like computers, have their own “brain”, which is technically called a “processor”. There are 1, 2, 4, 8 processors and I think in the future there will be 16 or more core ones. The more cores, the faster and more stable the smartphone will perform several tasks at the same time.
Also, processors have a clock speed. The higher it is, the faster the phone thinks.
Conclusion: It is better to purchase a phone if possible, with a processor of 4 cores from 1.2-1.5 GHz.
5. Random access memory (RAM). RAM affects the speed of all applications, especially dynamic ones, such as games or watching high-definition movies. Most mid-range smartphones have 1GB of RAM, but I'm not mistaken if I say that for heavy smartphone users this is the minimum figure.
Conclusion: It is best to purchase a smartphone with RAM 1.5-2 GB and above.
6. Permanent (built-in) memory. This is actually an indicator of how much information you can store on your smartphone. The more, the better, of course, because. year after year, and sometimes more often, programs, videos and other applications take up more and more space. If the memory is low, before writing something, you will need to delete something.
Conclusion: It is better to buy a smartphone with an internal memory of at least 8-16 GB
7. Internet connection. The smartphone can be connected to the Internet using 3G / 4G modules, standard means of mobile operators or using a Wi-Fi module.
The cheapest way to Wi-Fi (wireless networks). Places with free access to the Internet using Wi-Fi are only growing from year to year, these are airports, McDonald's, parks, hotels, etc. Where I live, there is free Internet even on the Dnieper embankment, although there are no establishments relatively close by. Excellent technology. All smartphones have a Wi-Fi module, but pay attention to what type of connection it has. Standards are: a, b, c, g, n, ac. “a” is the slowest Internet and the shortest range of the wireless network, “ac” is the largest. The more connection types, the more versatile the smartphone, i.e. it can be connected to almost any Wi-Fi network.
3g. If you use the Internet through a 3G module, the connection speed is higher, and the price for the service is less than the means of connecting to the network with the standard functions of mobile operators.
4G. The Internet is much faster than the 3G standard, but also more expensive.
Conclusion: Choose a smartphone with Wi-Fi a/b/c/g/n/ac, 3G/4G.
8. Camera. Today, there are smartphones with 1 or 2 cameras (one front, the second back). If you often communicate with someone via Skype, then not only will you be able to see your interlocutor, but he will also see you.
A photo. In addition, cameras are characterized by shooting resolution, which is measured in pixels. The more mega-pixels, the bigger and better the photos will be. Of course, there are exceptions, if, for example, cheap Chinese or "basement" optics are worth it.
As for the front camera, ie. the one that is located on the front side of the phone, then it does not have to have a very high resolution, because. High-resolution video is difficult to transmit over the Internet, and most likely, if the Internet is not of very high quality, your interlocutor will not see you.
Video. The quality of the video is also affected by the resolution of the camera, the quality of the optics as well as the hardware features. Please note that the smartphone can record video with a resolution, preferably FullHD (1920 * 1080). This is due to the fact that most modern TVs and monitors show an image with exactly this resolution. Then your video will be clear and play beautifully on modern devices displaying information.
By the way, I want to note that premium phones already know how to shoot video with a resolution of 4K (4096 × 3112). True, TVs with this resolution are sold far beyond 100,000 UAH (from 11,000 USD)
Conclusion: The optimal resolution of the main camera is 8 megapixels, front 2.
9. Battery. Battery capacity is measured in mAh. The higher this indicator, the longer the period of time you will not need to charge the device. Most smartphones have a battery capacity of 1800 to 3500 mAh.
10. GPS. The presence of a GPS navigation system in devices (satellite navigation system) is now difficult to underestimate. You can go anywhere in the world, and if you have maps installed on your smartphone, a GPS navigator will help you find your way out.
There is also A-GPS technology, which allows you to determine your location more quickly and accurately. The disadvantage is that A-GPS for geopositioning additionally uses an Internet connection, which actually makes this service "paid".
Glonass- Soviet / Russian satellite navigation system, developed by order of the USSR Ministry of Defense. In practice, Glonass is an analogue of GPS, the only thing is that communication with satellites is more stable.
In addition, a compass can be installed on most smartphones.
Nevertheless, it is desirable to be able to navigate the terrain even without electronics. After all, the ability to recharge the phone in extreme conditions is not always possible.
Conclusion: It is better to purchase a smartphone with GPS, Glonass functions.
11. Operating system (OS). Early mobile phones had standard firmware with the standard features needed for a regular mobile phone: call, SMS, MMS, phone book, calendar, alarm clock, a couple of "light" games and a few more functions. But, keeping up with the times, manufacturers decided to expand the functionality of phones, and operating systems for smartphones were born.
The most popular operating systems for smartphones today are iOS, Android and Windows Mobile. It's all about the taste of everyone. I will only note that iOS is used only in Apple products.
Conclusion: Pay attention to the OS version. If the version is outdated, then this may indicate that this smartphone model is outdated.
12. Ability to expand the internal memory. This can be done with an additional flash drive. When choosing a flash drive, pay attention to its class. The higher it is, the faster information is read / written on it, the faster the flash drive will work.
Conclusion: Get a flash drive with at least 32 GB of at least class 10.
13. Design. Choose only a design that you really like. Fortunately, the variety is great, and if not, then “dress” your phone in some interesting case.
Additional smartphone features
Depending on the manufacturer, smartphones have many additional features, such as:
- FM receiver;
- Ability to connect additional devices (Gear watch, which measures the heart rate monitor, accelerometer, call / receive calls, and much more);
- activation by fingerprint;
- LED flash;
- video editor;
— standard sets of calendar, alarm clock, weather, and much more.
Which smartphone to choose?
Based on the foregoing, a smartphone with the following characteristics will be excellent:
4.5-5 inch IPS (1920*1080)/ RAM 1.5-2Gb/16-32Gb internal storage/Wi-Fi a, b, c, g, n, ac/Bluetooth 4.
Everything else is up to you.
How much does a smartphone cost?
- A smartphone with minimal features can be purchased for about 100-120 USD.
- Intermediate level - 200-250 USD
- High-end smartphones start at $500.
On this note, perhaps, everything. Didn't forget anything? If so, let me know in the comments.
I wish you success, dear readers, in buying the best smartphone that will always delight you!
Flagships from leading manufacturers are equipped with the latest technology - here you have fingerprint and iris scanners, and an intelligent voice assistant, and RAM like a gaming laptop. These gadgets are good for everyone, except for one thing - the price. For the sake of buying the upcoming novelty from Apple, an ordinary Russian will definitely have to sell a car.
Of course, not everyone is ready for such an impressive spending. More often, people want to buy a smartphone that is inexpensive, but good - one that does not need to be blown off dust particles and which is equipped with all the necessary functionality. And this is not a utopia; you can buy a quality gadget at a reasonable price - you just need to know what criteria to choose.
How to choose a good budget smartphone?
The first thing to do for a buyer who is looking for an inexpensive but good smartphone is abandon prejudice against Chinese products. The opinion that goods from the Middle Kingdom are assembled by stupid self-taught craftsmen on their knees in stuffy basements has long been outdated. In terms of quality, products from Xiaomi, Oppo, Lenovo, and even the lesser-known Bluboo and Doogee are in no way inferior to products from Samsung and. iPhones, by the way, are also assembled in China - and they work like clockwork.
Chinese smartphones are cheaper not because they are worse, but because their manufacturers do not charge a surcharge “for the brand”!
Next, you need to decide on a budget. Counting on the fact that for 2,500 - 3,000 rubles you will be able to buy a quality gadget is too presumptuous and optimistic. But having on hand an amount of about 10,000 rubles, you can start choosing - in 2017, a huge number of interesting devices are presented in the middle price segment.
The buyer needs to choose a smartphone based primarily on individual needs: for example, a gamer should look for a device with a powerful processor and video accelerator, and a music lover should look for a smartphone like the LG V10, with a dedicated amplifier and digital-to-analog converter. However, there are also criteria that you need to pay attention to in any case - regardless of personal preferences.
Memory
RAM as a selection criterion is more important than the built-in one - because the built-in memory can be expanded with a flash card. RAM is needed for temporary data storage - together with the processor, it provides performance. If there is not enough “RAM”, then even with the most powerful chipset, the smartphone will slow down.
The optimal amount of RAM for an average smartphone - 2 GB. If you want to save a lot, you can take a device with 1 GB, but this device is not suitable for games. As for the built-in memory, that's enough 8-16 GB. Obviously, if the buyer is looking for inexpensive smartphone, he intends to use it mainly for calls and Internet surfing. These targets do not require a large amount of ROM memory.
Operating system
Android - and nothing butAndroid!
Actually, the choice of the buyer is small, because Apple's iOS does not come with budget devices, and the promising Finnish Sailfish is still installed on a few smartphones. Only the “green robot” and Windows 10 remain, which is present on the budget models of Acer, Archos, Microsoft.
However, the Windows operating system has one significant drawback that the "geniuses" from Microsoft have not been able to eliminate for many years - quality third-party software is catastrophically small.
Android does not have this problem: Google Play is the largest app store where you can find programs for both work and play.
Battery
Often, users tend to purchase inexpensive smartphones, because they expect such devices to be able to work without recharging longer - after all, there is no multi-core processor “on board”, and the screen is not so bright and juicy to spend precious milliamps “before our eyes”. This point of view is not entirely correct: the battery is different from the battery - the battery of the gadget in terms of power corresponds to its functionality.
Therefore, the buyer of an inexpensive device should definitely pay attention to the battery capacity. If the smartphone belongs to the middle price category and is provided with moderate functionality, 3000 mAh will be enough.
Fans of long-lived smartphones should take a closer look at the Oukitel K10000 with a 10,000 mAh battery. This gadget is able to "stretch" without recharging up to 5 days with active use.
CPU
The processor together with the RAM are responsible for the speed of the gadget. Of course, it is not necessary to count on the fact that an inexpensive smartphone will have a top-end processor - it is not needed there, because it will not be able to fully express itself. The buyer is recommended to choose a budget gadget with a chipset from the company MediaTek (MTK).
Why are MediaTek chipsets better than Qualcomm (Snapdragon)? Firstly, they are cheaper by themselves and do not contribute to an increase in the cost of the device, Secondly they use less energy. Snapdragon processors are considered to be more productive, but recently MTK has been pulling up on this criterion.
Do not take a budget smartphone with a Spreadtrum chipset! The speed of such devices, to put it mildly, leaves much to be desired.
In addition to the manufacturer of the chipset, its clock frequency and the number of cores are also important. The optimal number of cores for an inexpensive smartphone – 4 . If there are more of them, it doesn't matter - it's will not have a negative impact on the battery life of the gadget. Modern devices are able to disable some of the cores when they are not needed.
As for the clock frequency, it is responsible for the number of operations that the device can perform per minute. A reasonable minimum for a budget gadget - 1.5 GHz.
3G support
3G support is a mandatory criterion. Without 3G, the user will not even be able to access the network normally; loading data on EDGE is a pain in the ass. However, the buyer will probably have the least problems with this criterion - almost all modern smartphones support 3G.
The presence of a 4G module is not so important. LTE in Russia does not work everywhere, so 4G in a smartphone is an advantage “for the future”. But if you still want to take an inexpensive model with fast Internet, it is better to choose one of the options in our rating of budget smartphones that support LTE.
Thus, a good but inexpensive gadget should meet the following requirements:
- Price up to 10,000 rubles.
- Android operating system.
- Random access memory (RAM) - from 2 GB, built-in memory (ROM) - from 8 GB.
- Battery with a capacity of 3,000 mAh.
- 4-core MediaTek processor with a clock speed above 1.5 GHz.
- 3G support.
And most importantly, the buyer should not limit himself to the assortment offered by domestic communication stores and hardware stores. Chinese trading platforms and AliExpress provide an excellent opportunity to purchase almost any device at a low price.
Good and inexpensive smartphones in 2017
A buyer who is looking for a smartphone with a low price and all the necessary features should pay attention to the models from the following list.
DOOGEE X30
- CPU: Quad-core MediaTek MT6580, 1.3 GHz
- 2 GB / 16 GB
- Operating system: Android 7.0
- Battery: 3 360 mAh
Price on AliExpress: 4,463 rubles
The new product from Doogee is perhaps the most impressive smartphone of 2017 in terms of “ price - functionality". For only 4.5 thousand rubles, you can buy an all-metal gadget with 4 (!) Cameras and a 5.5-inch IPS display. Where is the catch, you ask? It’s better to ask Doogee how it manages to make such wonderful “budgets” - during our testing of the Doogee X30, no significant “pitfalls” were found.
Bluboo S8
- CPU: 8-core MediaTek MT6750, clock frequency 1.5 GHz
- Memory (RAM / built-in): 3 GB / 32 GB
- Operating system: Android 7.0
- Battery: 3 450 mAh
Price on Banggood: about 8,990 rubles
It would be wrong to call Bluboo S8 a copy of Samsung's device of the same name. Bluboo S8 is an independent device that borrowed only a screen with .
The gadget is equipped with a unique 360 Safety security software, as well as an ultra-fast fingerprint sensor (it works in 0.1 seconds), a capacious battery that supports Fast Charge technology and a connector. In addition, the smartphone boasts an unusual iridescent design - there are few budget phones on the market that look as great as the S8.
Blackview BV7000
- CPU: 4-core MediaTek MT6737T, clock frequency 1.5 GHz
- Memory (RAM / built-in): 2 GB / 16 GB
- Operating system: Android 7.0
- Battery: 3 500 mAh
Price on GearBest: about 6,406 rubles
Refusing to release copies of well-known gadgets, Blackview began to produce inexpensive, but at the same time sensible and extremely unusual devices. Any smartphone of the BV series is clear evidence that a secure device does not have to look ugly - it can also have a very attractive design.
The BV7000 is not only cute - it also has excellent performance! What other smartphone for 6.5 thousand rubles can offer 4G, a FullHD screen and a 64-bit processor? Do not forget about durability: Blackview meets the IP68 standard, can work at a depth of 5 meters and is able to withstand pressure up to 0.5 tons.
Conclusion
The basic rule of economics is that competition is good for the consumer because it leads to a general reduction in prices. The mobile technology market is now more competitive than ever - over the past 2-3 years, a huge number of new players have appeared on it. And since these players need to at least somehow cling to a "place in the sun", they act in the most obvious way - offering their devices at the lowest prices, almost at cost.
Thanks to this, buyers now have the opportunity to buy an inexpensive but good smartphone - just look towards Chinese companies such as Bluboo, Doogee, Blackview and others. Chinese manufacturers monitor the quality of products even more carefully than Korean and European ones - after all, just one mistake is enough for them to tarnish their reputation and end up in the tail.
