Tips for Finding the Right Smartphone

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The world of smartphones is fast-paced and can sometimes be confusing and difficult to keep track of all the new technology in these devices. When shopping for a new smartphone, you’ll encounter comparisons and spec sheets that are filled to the brim with values like mAh, GB, and GHz. These values are meaningless, particularly if you’re new to them.

Also, smartphones aren’t cheap, so taking the time to do a little research first and figuring out exactly what you need, want, and can do without, is worth it. After reading this primer, you will be armed with some answers to help you pick a phone that’s right for you.

Apple VS Android: Not All Processors Are Created Equal

At the heart of your phone lies its processor, or CPU. This is effectively the brain of your device, and its specs determine whether your phone feels “fast” or “slow.” The most fundamental measurement of a processor’s quickness is its clock speed, which is usually represented as a gigahertz value. Today’s fastest mobile processors have clock speeds ranging from 1.8 GHz to 2.49 GHz, though anything above 1 GHz should be acceptable. So always look for a CPU with fast clock speeds, regardless of the amount of cores it has. But if you’re a gamer, a graphics artist, or a video editor, a CPU with lots of cores may indeed be a better fit — though only if the clock speed is still on par with your other options.

Also, a lot of how a processor performs depends on how the OS utilizes its abilities. So an iPhone on a dual-core processor could be a better performer than many quad-core Android phones.

Here is an example: it is claimed that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor has managed to beat Apple’s A9 chipset in single-core performance: the company’s flagship chipset has secured a score of over 2600 in Geekbench’s single-core benchmark test, which is way more than what Apple’s A9 chipset scored. However, this doesn’t necessarily come across as good news. One must take into account, that the Apple A9 is not the latest and greatest from Apple and it powered the now considerably outdated iPhone 6S. This does show off the huge gap in the performance between Qualcomm’s Snapdragon and A series from Apple when it comes to single core performance.

At the same time, Snapdragon 845 is Qualcomm’s 2018 flagship chipset. Therefore, even if it manages to beat A9, it’s not such a great achievement. Most of the leading Android smartphones will come powered by Snapdragon 845. If Qualcomm wishes to beat Apple at some point, they will have to come up with options that are worthy of competition.

While Apple is, of course, touting the benefits of its chip, the A12 Bionic is a strikingly powerful piece of silicon. That allows it to play console-quality video games, as well as perform CPU-intensive tasks like augmented reality experiences and graphics rendering.

As you can see, benchmark comparisons with existing Android chips and Apple’s A-series ones suggests that the iPhone maker is a solid two years ahead of the competition …

Megapixel is Not the Only Indicator that Matters

With increasing number of users craving for cameras with superior imaging capabilities on mobile devices, companies have also taken it upon themselves to up the game. Smartphone marketing often highlights the number of pixels on the camera sensor on the basis that big numbers are good, and huge numbers are even better. Yet the reality is, if you’re looking for a good camera phone, dump the idea that more megapixels will give you better pictures. Instead, look for phones that boast of good camera optics. Remember, a high-resolution camera with a low-quality lens will only give you low-quality pictures in high resolution. Moreover, there’s a multiplicative effect on quality since there’s a closed loop between ISP and the rest of the system: good execution on the optical system can easily be mitigated away by poor execution on the ISP. Even when you get great lens, together with stabilized image and enormous sensor, bad software can snatch digital defeat from the jaws of victory. Poor JPEG optimization, bad image processing algorithms and overzealous color correction can great affect the final imaging quality.

(source: www.anandtech.com)

To sum up, good photos are a result of adequate megapixels, good lens and sensor technology, as well as high–end processor chipsets.

Bigger Battery Capacity does not necessarily mean Longer Battery Life

You may have the best hardware at your disposal, but if you keep running out of battery, your handset is quite useless. Smartphone batteries typically last the average users about one full day before dying. However, often times this is not enough, especially due to the increasingly crucial integration smartphone apps continue to have in our everyday lives.

Although each phone features a solid amount of charge in terms of pure mAh, it is important to take into account the rate of consumption that each phone features. A certain phone may feature more mAh initially, but will drain its battery much faster due to a larger screen, a stronger processor.

Here is another example:

Just an Apple-esque suffix, Xiaomi Mi 8 SE denotes a smaller, less powerful variant of the Mi8. It features a 5.88-inch display and the processor is Snapdragon 710, Qualcomm’s chip for upper-mid-range devices. Honor Note10 has a big 5000 mAh unit. Yet equipped with Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 970, octa-core 2.4 GHz, which is a bit power-consuming.

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