Today, we have displays of different sizes and compositions, each one claiming to be better than the other.
Associated Terms: AMOLED, LCD, Super LCD, Retina, PPI, ClearBlack. What you need to know: Bigger displays might look better but also drain battery life. And while we recommend going for the highest resolution screen within your budget, do remember to check if the apps you want to use support that resolution. As for the AMOLED vs LCD debate, we advise you to trust your eyes to 'see' which one works best for you. As a general rule, AMOLEDs are brighter and produce richer colours, but LCDs render text better.
Processor
The processor is the engine that drives your phone. As phones become more powerful, processors are getting into dual core and quad core territory.
Associated Terms/ Figures: Dual Core, Quad Core, 800 MHz, 1/1.2/1.5GHz, Snapdragon, Tegra, Intel, Qualcomm.
What you need to know: A faster processor with more cores will work better, but what you need to keep in mind is whether the operating system and apps on your device are actually designed to use the extra power. If you're only looking for good web browsing, social networking and some casual gaming, a single core 800 MHz processor will do nicely too.
RAM
The RAM allows the phone to run multiple applications simultaneously and do various tasks in the background.
Associated Terms/ Figures: 256 MB, 512 MB, 768 MB, 1 GB.
What you need to know: While some operating systems need more RAM, others will function smoothly with lesser amounts. For instance, you'll see a lot of new Android devices with 1 GB of RAM, but most Windows Phone devices run fine at 512 MB and many Symbian devices work fine at even 256 MB. It is not really about the amount of RAM but about the OS of your device.
Camera
Once considered a luxury in smartphones, the camera is now an integral part of smartphones.
Associated terms: 3.2/5/8/12/41 Megapixels, Auto Focus, Shooting Modes, HD video, LED/Xenon flash.
What you need to know: There is a whole lot more to any camera than megapixels. The quality of the lens, the camera software and the presence of options like autofocus and different scene settings make a world of difference - so much so, that many 5MP cameraphones outperform 8MP ones. If you want to take loads of photographs, check for features like auto focus/touch focus, xenon flash, face detection, macro mode and red eye reduction.
Battery
The battery (with a capacity expressed in mAh or milli ampere hour) determines how long your phone keeps working on a single charge. As phones get bigger, so do their batteries.
Associated terms: Li-ion, mAh, removable, non-removable
What you need to know: While battery life varies a lot depending on how you use a phone, a phone with a battery that has a high mAh count will generally offer better backup. Operating systems like Symbian andBlackBerry also tend to manage battery life better than the likes of Android and iOS. As for the 'removable vs non-removable' issue, we have not seen it making a major difference - unless you plug your phone in several times a day, necessitating a battery replacement before you actually need to change your phone.
Associated Terms: AMOLED, LCD, Super LCD, Retina, PPI, ClearBlack. What you need to know: Bigger displays might look better but also drain battery life. And while we recommend going for the highest resolution screen within your budget, do remember to check if the apps you want to use support that resolution. As for the AMOLED vs LCD debate, we advise you to trust your eyes to 'see' which one works best for you. As a general rule, AMOLEDs are brighter and produce richer colours, but LCDs render text better.
Processor
The processor is the engine that drives your phone. As phones become more powerful, processors are getting into dual core and quad core territory.
Associated Terms/ Figures: Dual Core, Quad Core, 800 MHz, 1/1.2/1.5GHz, Snapdragon, Tegra, Intel, Qualcomm.
What you need to know: A faster processor with more cores will work better, but what you need to keep in mind is whether the operating system and apps on your device are actually designed to use the extra power. If you're only looking for good web browsing, social networking and some casual gaming, a single core 800 MHz processor will do nicely too.
RAM
The RAM allows the phone to run multiple applications simultaneously and do various tasks in the background.
Associated Terms/ Figures: 256 MB, 512 MB, 768 MB, 1 GB.
What you need to know: While some operating systems need more RAM, others will function smoothly with lesser amounts. For instance, you'll see a lot of new Android devices with 1 GB of RAM, but most Windows Phone devices run fine at 512 MB and many Symbian devices work fine at even 256 MB. It is not really about the amount of RAM but about the OS of your device.
Camera
Once considered a luxury in smartphones, the camera is now an integral part of smartphones.
Associated terms: 3.2/5/8/12/41 Megapixels, Auto Focus, Shooting Modes, HD video, LED/Xenon flash.
What you need to know: There is a whole lot more to any camera than megapixels. The quality of the lens, the camera software and the presence of options like autofocus and different scene settings make a world of difference - so much so, that many 5MP cameraphones outperform 8MP ones. If you want to take loads of photographs, check for features like auto focus/touch focus, xenon flash, face detection, macro mode and red eye reduction.
Battery
The battery (with a capacity expressed in mAh or milli ampere hour) determines how long your phone keeps working on a single charge. As phones get bigger, so do their batteries.
Associated terms: Li-ion, mAh, removable, non-removable
What you need to know: While battery life varies a lot depending on how you use a phone, a phone with a battery that has a high mAh count will generally offer better backup. Operating systems like Symbian andBlackBerry also tend to manage battery life better than the likes of Android and iOS. As for the 'removable vs non-removable' issue, we have not seen it making a major difference - unless you plug your phone in several times a day, necessitating a battery replacement before you actually need to change your phone.