Your Android smartphone has been with you for some years now and beyond the decline in battery life, you are starting to notice several other issues related to the age of the device and its intense use.
So it’s time to start looking at the market news to make the best possible choice between price, performance, features you need for your needs.
Making a decision, however, is not easy with the almost infinite tide of smartphones with the Mountain View operating system. Not to mention the presence of all types of notches, drop-shaped, slotted, V-shaped, OLED or LCD display, battery, RAM, internal memory and much more.
In short, making a choice is really complicated, even if you have clear ideas about what you want from your mobile device. At the threshold of 2020, the choice is further complicated by another factor, should you already buy a 5G smartphone or is it better to wait?
What to check before buying an Android smartphone in 2020
1. Processor
It is without a doubt one of the most important hardware components to consider before buying a smartphone.
You always have to choose a phone with a processor that fits your needs. For example, if you’re just looking for a phone to perform basic tasks like voice calls and using native apps like WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram you might be more than satisfied with a mid-range chip.
If you want to play challenging games or need fluid multi-tasking, you’ll need to choose one of the top processors.
If you choose a phone with a high-end processor, you should also check the architecture design, core performance, low-power cores, battery efficiency, and clock speed. At the moment, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ (the successor to the famous Snapdragon 855) is one of the best processors available on the market.
OnePlus 7T is one of the first phones to show off this flagship processor. On the other hand, if you decide to invest in an inexpensive processor, you can opt for mid-range chips like Snapdragon 712 or Exynos 9611. Unlike flagships, these don’t cost much and performance is decent.
2. Memory and RAM
Do you want apps and games to open at the speed of light, regardless of the last opening? And at the same time, manage to multitask?
If so, you will need to orient yourself towards a smartphone with at least 6 GB of RAM. You can also buy a phone with 8 GB and even 12 GB (Galaxy Note 10 Plus is OnePlus 7 Pro) of RAM, if you want to have the maximum possible today. However, in the present scenario, an 8 GB RAM will be abundantly sufficient for any type of use.
4 GB of RAM will be ideal for an inexpensive device where you can’t expect high performance.
Beyond RAM is also the amount of internal memory that has increased dramatically in recent years, from 16 GB of basic models a few years ago to a minimum of 64 GB today.
But the storage capacity should not be separated from the type of storage that is currently UFS and eMMC.
UFS offers significantly higher read and write speeds and is the new standard used these days. In addition, most mid-range devices offer at least UFS 2.1 storage space, with flagship devices offering UFS 3.0 storage space.
Finally, the storage space depends entirely on the amount of data that will be stored on the phone. If you are a person who downloads many songs, movies and videos, 32 GB or 64 GB of storage should be enough. However, if you want to install several high-end games, you should have at least 128 GB available.
3. Display – LCD or AMOLED?
OLED or LCD? One of the choices you can make when you buy an Android smartphone and that can change the user experience. If the distinction between the two types of screens is not clear to you, you should read the guide: Display for OLED and LCD smartphones: definitions and resolutions, which one is the best?
Not all displays are the same and if you are looking for a premium experience, OLED displays are the right choice. Not just does it bring rich, bright colors, but it further helps increase battery life.
The OLED or AMOLED displays if we consider those with Samsung patent generally only present on top of the range like iPhone 11. Now, fortunately, this technology has made its way also on some medium and budget phones. For example, the Samsung Galaxy M30s boasts an AMOLED display.
The AMOLED displays also improve battery life thanks to the way they handle the backlight, unlike LCD screens, not to mention that using the dark mode so requested by users will further reduce battery consumption.
4. Battery
If the most important hardware element is the processor, the battery is no less. The amount of energy required by the Android smartphone modern is very high so it is not difficult for mid-range and top-end smartphones to have batteries with a capacity greater than 3000 mAh.
Today, a typical 3500 mAh battery should be enough to last an entire day, provided you don’t spend all day playing or watching Netflix. Lower capacities require the use of a power bank to carry around if you want to get to the end of the day.
Apart of that, you should additionally pay attention to the charging rate of the device. Supports fast charging? If so, does it come with a quick charger in the package? Will you have to buy it separately?
For cheap phones, support for the 15-watt quick charge is a blessing. And if you’re looking for premium phones, you’ll see a 20-watt charge or proprietary charging standards like Dash Charge, VOOC Charge, etc.
For mid-range devices, support for the 18-watt quick charge is sufficient.
5. Camera
During the year, camera technology has greatly improved. Now, even cheap and mid-range phones have 48 MP or 64 MP primary sensors. But in the end, does megapixel counting really count?
The answer is yes and no. Yes, with a large number of megapixels, you will be able to capture large photos that you can print. Again, this does not necessarily mean that phones with more megapixels offer better photos.
For example, take the case of Google Pixel 3, which is widely accepted as the best smartphone in the camera industry. But it only contains a single 12.2 MP sensor, while its competitors package a series of camera modules with four or even five sensors.
The bottom line is, instead of focusing on the megapixel count, you need to check the pixel aperture and size. The mantra is simple: a good camera module will have a reduced aperture value and high pixel dimensions. The lower the aperture value, the better the other is for the pixel size.
For example, if one camera has an opening of f / 1.7 and the other has f / 2.0, you should choose the first one.
Finally, if you plan to capture video on your phone, you should also check to see if the camera modules support OIS and EIS.
Although cheap phones often skip adding these features, you’ll still find a couple of mid-rangers that offer at least EIS on the main goal.
6. Android Version
Google launched Android 10 this year and the first wave of software-running devices is coming to market. So, if your smartphone you’re about to buy comes with Android 10, it’s all right.
However, if you are on the market to buy a slightly older device, make sure that at least Android 9 Pie works, even with the various custom interfaces such as MIUI, OxygenOS or OneUI.
As you may already know, these versions offer several additional features to the basic Android ones. You can end up using them all or don’t touch these features at all – it depends entirely on your usage.
7. Widevine L1 support
Last but not least, let’s take a look at Widevine L1 support and what it brings. This is essentially a security measure implemented by streaming services to prevent piracy.
Therefore, if your phone does not support Widevine L1 for viewing Netflix, Prime Video or other services, you will be able to stream video at 480p.
8. Android 4G or 5G smartphone?
The choice, in this case, depends on several factors. After how long do you generally change your smartphone, are you in an area covered by 5G or will it be soon?
If you do not have the habit of frequently changing your smartphone and, for example, prefer to buy a top of the range, then spending a lot, because you change your smartphone only after several years when the device is no longer able to function properly, then you should opt for a 5G smartphone.
Otherwise, you should still choose a 4G device, of which there is definitely a wider choice unlike the 5G ones that can be counted on the fingers of one hand, but 2020 will see many more models coming that can support the fifth network generation.
9. Price
Of course, all these features must be evaluated with respect to price, for example, devices like Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro are able to offer premium hardware at a very low cost, from mid-range.
Today, Android smartphones can easily exceed € 1000 as the Note10 + with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal memory which has an official price of € 1229.
What is important to understand is that the price does not represent the quality of the smartphone or, at least, not always and the two examples are given are a clear demonstration.
