How we pick our products
The cell phone market has dramatically evolved in recent years. The strong emergence of Chinese manufacturers has substantially increased the number of models available. This is naturally a great advantage for customers, who now have access to a much broader offer and generally at more affordable prices.
As a result of this trend, you can often find phones with very similar features to high-end models at a significantly lower cost. However, choosing which device to buy isn’t always a walk in the park. The most crucial aspect you have to take into account is how you plan on using your mobile phone.
Contents
Key Facts
- Nowadays, cell phones allow us to have the Internet in the palm of our hands anywhere, anytime. This means that you can communicate with your loved ones wherever you are and access the web’s information instantly, which offers great benefits.
- You can find mobile phones for all types of users, old and young, casual or professional. Some have a more leisure-oriented profile or prefer to focus on the most basic communication functions. Others, finally, are designed specifically for professional applications.
- The first thing you need to consider when purchasing your own cell phone is how you will use it. In the technical department, the processor and RAM are the two components that most influence the performance of your device.
Our Selection: The Best Cell Phones on the U.S. Market
In the following section, we have prepared a selection of the best cell phones currently available on the market. While they all offer great value for money, we have picked models suited to the needs of different potential buyers. All come from quality brands, thus ensuring great performance.
- Best Samsung Cell Phone
- Best Affordable Smartphone
- Best Apple Cell Phone
- Best Budget-Friendly Cell Phone
Best Samsung Cell Phone
Samsung is potentially the most popular manufacturer using Android, so it’s not a surprise to see the Galaxy A10 be an Amazon Best Seller. With hundreds of positive reviews, this unlocked model features a 6.2-inch HD+ screen, 2 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of internal memory.
You can naturally add a microSD to increase the space available, and also insert two SIM cards. The Galaxy A10 runs on Android 9 Pie.
Best Affordable Smartphone
BLU isn’t necessarily the most famous brand on the market, but they offer quality smartphones at affordable prices. For under $100, the Vivo XL4 offers many features found in more high-end models. With a 6.2-inch HD+ screen, 3 GB of RAM, and an octa-core processor running at 2.0 GHz, you will be able to run most apps with this device.
This cell phone comes with earbuds, a screen protector, and two silicone cases.
Best Apple Cell Phone
We have all heard of Apple, this American company that has taken the tech world by storm. The iPhone 8 isn’t the latest model anymore, but it offers great value for money and specs that would make the latest cell phones blush.
These include a 4.7-inch HD screen, NFC technology, and a 12 MP camera that allows 4K video recording. Running on iOS 13, this phone comes with great built-in apps and access to the App Store.
Best Budget-Friendly Cell Phone
Some people just want a basic phone to communicate with their loved ones without investing much money. This is what Tracfone’s MyFlip was designed for. Its powerful speaker makes it ideal for seniors, but it is also a great first cell phone to give to children. It is resistant, easy to use, and offers additional features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and a camera.
This cell phone is hard to beat for less than $20.
Shopping Guide: Everything You Should Know About Cell Phones
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What are cell phones exactly?
While these devices are compact, the current trend is moving towards models with larger screens. Technological advances are also leading to the constant addition of new features. Cell phones have, therefore, become fundamental devices for communicating and connecting with each other, as well as for leisure and professional applications.
What are the advantages of cell phones?
As we mentioned earlier, you can play video games, listen to music, and watch your favorite movies or series. Cell phones now feature powerful cameras with which you can take quality photos and record videos. The very best smartphones, however, can cost over $1,000. In the following table, you can see that the benefits that cell phones offer clearly outweigh the drawbacks:
Who can benefit from a cell phone?
After all, cell phones give you access to thousands of applications for communicating, entertainment, and work. Every person can find the right cell phone – from children to the elderly – and they are particularly useful when traveling. Applications like Google Maps and the possibility of having your boarding pass at hand make your journey more comfortable.
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What are the most popular operating systems?
Keep in mind that not all devices integrate the latest version of Google’s operating system. Make sure you check the following when purchasing an Android cell phone: the version, the manufacturer’s user interface, and its registration. That way, you will see if you have access to the software’s latest updates. We have summed up the main features of both operating systems in the table below:
| Android | iOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Price of cell phones | The price range is much wider, from the most affordable to the most advanced models. | They tend to be more expensive. |
| Applications | It offers more free apps. You can install applications that are not found on the Google Play Store. | Applications tend to come out for iOS first. Apple doesn’t allow you to install apps that are not on its App Store. |
| Games | You can find thousands of games. | The best games are first released for iOS. |
| Battery | Android gives you an estimate of your battery life. | It is optimized to make the most of the battery. |
| Updates | Android phones use different versions of the operating system. Only a small percentage has the latest version. | Virtually all iOS phones are updated to the latest version. |
| Customizability | You can easily personalize your cell phone and sometimes modify the entire user interface. | The customization possibilities are much more limited. |
What is the useful life of a cell phone?
Technologies like facial recognition or NFC will become indispensable in the coming years. You will thus be able to use your cell phone longer if the model you buy already includes them. In any case, a 3-year-old cell phone will still allow you to do just about everything today.
What is NFC technology?
Buyer’s Guide
You will need to consider various essential criteria before purchasing your very own cell phone. This is why we have detailed the most important factors and the most relevant technical specifications in the section below. We hope that this information is useful and steers you in the right direction.
Use of the Device
What do you want to do with your cell phone? If you want to communicate on social networks, surf the Internet, and snap a few photos from time to time, you won’t find any use in purchasing a $1,000 model. However, this is quite different if you plan on using your device intensively for work or leisure.
You will need a more powerful device to play very demanding video games, take high-quality photos, or record videos in high resolution. Besides, top-of-the-line cell phones offer a longer useful life. In that regard, don’t overlook the battery life of the device you choose, or you may have an unpleasant surprise quite soon.
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Operating System
This system software manages all your programs and applications as well as your phone’s resources. It also allows you to interact with your device, hence its great importance. As you know, Android and iOS are both excellent operating systems, and you can opt for the one that best suits you.
Remember that different versions are currently in use, and Android devices in particular won’t always offer the latest updated version. If you want to compare two operating systems, we encourage you to analyze aspects such as battery consumption, quantity and quality of the applications available, and security.
Screen
This is naturally the component that you most use, which is why you can’t neglect it. Think about its size, its material, the image resolution it offers, and the percentage of useful screen. You will want the latter to be over 80%. HDR technology will give you better image quality.
The minimum screen resolution you want is Full HD. Regarding the screen format, OLED panels offer the best image quality and energy efficiency. The screen size, on the other hand, will mostly depend on your preferences – we do recommend screens of at least 6″.
Processor
The processor has a fundamental influence on the performance of your cell phone. First of all, the number of cores it integrates is decisive for multitasking and plays a significant role in processing the photos you take with the camera. These cores also allow you to use augmented reality applications and play the most demanding video games.
Virtually every function of your cell phone requires this processor. In addition to its number of cores, you will want to have a look at its performance in GHz. The leading processor manufacturer is currently Qualcomm, with its most powerful model being the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855.
RAM
If the processor is potentially the most fundamental component in your phone’s performance, its RAM isn’t very far behind. Designed to store the commands executed by the processor, its role to manage apps running in the background makes it particularly important to make the most of multitasking.
Whether you want to play demanding video games or use powerful apps, more RAM will always be better. In that regard, you can now find cell phones with 12 GB of RAM. However, 2 GB is plenty enough if you simply want to surf the Internet and communicate using social networks and messaging apps.
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Connectivity
Cell phones can integrate much more than Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. As we mentioned earlier, we strongly encourage you to opt for a model with NFC technology. You should also know that many manufacturers are removing headphone jacks from their devices.
The future is coming, and you may want to opt for a model that supports 5G networks – although they are not implemented everywhere in the U.S. yet. If your budget doesn’t allow it, you should purchase a model that supports 4G. Other useful connections include USB Type-C ports, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.
Summary
The market offers a wide variety of cell phones with very different prices and features to suit every type of user. This great advantage can quickly become a drawback when you are facing the overwhelming number of options available.
Remember to think about your planned use when choosing which cell phone to purchase. You are also advised to have a look at future features and compatibility with your device so that you can keep it as long as possible. The main components are the processor and RAM, as well as the screen and the operating system.
If you found our shopping guide on cell phones helpful, feel free to leave us a comment in the section below. You can also share this article on your social media.
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