Some Tips for Buying a Mobile Phone

Hearing about the various features of Nokia N-95, I brought it home just to be amazed by its multitude of functions and great sliding design. I could not fathom how so many features like DVD quality VGA camera, GPS, MP3 Player, 5 MP still camera and a host of other features could fit into such a small cabinet. It indeed is a great achievement.

But as I continued using it, I found out that the MP3 player was lacking in bass and not of a quality that an avid music lover like me would approve of. When using the Video camera, I was astonished to see that battery doesn't last for a decent amount of shooting time.

For these two major (at-least for me) flaws, I was forced to sell it at a throwaway price and suffered good amount of loss.

Having had such an experience, I have some tips for prospective mobile-phone buyers:

1)Check All Functions

First of all, if you want a multitude of functions in a mobile phone, personally check whether those are up-to your taste or not. You would want to listen to the music quality offered (or at-least read reviews on the internet), see the still camera and movie camera quality-if that's what you are interested in or have details about the internet browsing-for which you will need a larger screen. Personally I feel that a mobile cannot be a master of all trades- unless it is the size of a brick.

2) Battery Life

A second most important of feature to look for is that how long the battery lasts with your typical usage. The more the mAh of the battery the more powerful it is. However it is generally seen that the phones which are more feature packed have less space for battery and hence have low power batteries. If you are very much impressed with the phone's features minus the battery, you can consider buying a spare battery and keeping it on cold standby.

3) Network Support

Thirdly, the mobile should be able to support the network choices offered in your area/by your network provider.GSM, CDMA are the usual options. If you want it future proof, you should also include 3G compatibility. GPRS/EDGE are also required for internet support.

4) Other Features

Other usual features like Bluetooth, Infrared, fm-radio, headset may also be checked for if required.

5) Research

Before buying any mobile phone, a thorough research in the forums on the internet is always advisable-more than the reviews, which can be biased. Or if an acquaintance has such a phone, you can have hands on experience and his/her experiences.


Finally, I would like to suggest that ou should choose a device keeping your needs and usage in mind- not going by the flashy ads.
Moreover, if you want a device with top quality video and still camera, top quality music player and other top quality features, with a good battery life and which should also work as a mobile phone, you'd better wait untill such a phone appears. In the meantime, you would be better off buying a mid-range mobile phone (with internet browsing, decent camera, mp3 player etc), a separate good quality mp3 player, a separate digital camera and other individual gadgets-unless you want to splurge your money into some trendy, technologically packed device which is of little practical use.