It's no secret that the choice of flagship smartphones is a matter of rather taste. But the budget phone, or rather, its choice, is a fairly common, but no less responsible task, which should be approached with all seriousness. Why, when choosing an apparatus from this class, it is necessary to analyze the smallest details? What should I look for when choosing a device? Here, perhaps, about how to choose a budget phone, we’ll talk today.
Budget class principle
Probably, today this niche of the mobile phone market can be called the most developed. She is constantly on the move. There are people who are inclined to believe that every day the trend of rising prices for budget-class devices only strengthens in the market. In fact, this is not so. You do not need to be a doctor of economic sciences to understand how the corresponding mechanism works.
A little bit about competition
Look: there are currently a huge number of companies on the market, each of which supplies a considerable number of budget smartphones. Naturally, everyone wants to make a profit. But will there really be any sense in sales if a competitive company exposes absolutely similar goods at a lower price? So we come to the simple conclusion that the budget niche is a layer of the market where competition is very strong. And this means that a noticeable rise in price, which will hit the pocket of an ordinary buyer, is not expected in the near future.
What is typical for such devices?
Budget mobile phones have some unique features that are unique to them. Every user who wants to purchase the device from this particular niche should understand that the choice will not be easy, no matter what marketers and sellers say. From their point of view, any smartphone (including a budget class) is a good example of the quality with which it is necessary to make mobile devices. But this is all business, and, of course, a cheap device is unlikely to please with good performance and high-quality camera. If we talk about characteristic flaws, then as an example we can cite, probably, the imperfection of the software, which entails periodic freezes. If you are not ready to endure them and you need a device that will not just work quickly, but do it regularly, stably, then it is better to look at more expensive models.
Buy old models or not?
Not everyone likes to buy an apparatus that has already remained in the past of the technical industry. Of course, its characteristics may not be so bad, a smartphone can easily cope with trivial tasks. But what is its drawback in this case compared to a slightly more expensive device, but also more “fresh”? First, the point is in software and its ever-increasing demands on hardware and operating system.
On the Inapplicability of Old Operating Systems
An old device based on Android, say 2.3, you cannot use to work on new programs and games. Secondly, even the simplest tasks of the old plan device can be solved, but there is no way to fully satisfy the requests of the average user of our time. We are used to demanding more from smartphones. Nowadays, people are rarely seen whose answer “I need a phone for calls” is really honest. And by the way, if you still decide to buy a device that was previously used by a person, think about the fact that the battery may be partially disabled in it. Do you need a device that works 2-3 hours on the strength? Unlikely.
Brand is not a measure of performance
Not so long ago, everyone believed that the best budget phone was made by the South Korean company Samsung. However, time passed, more and more new models were supplied to the market, and other brands were gaining popularity. And now it has finally become clear that the brand is not a 100% guarantee of the high performance of the device. Take, for example, “the best budget phone as of 2015” (a peculiar title is specially quoted, since in fact it turned out that it does not fit this model) - “Samsung Galaxy Advance”. It costs about five thousand Russian rubles. But this is not a budget phone with a good camera, but a real squalor that is not worth the money. In general, Koreans have recently been pursuing an obscure policy. Of course, the devices of the “A” line are made quite soundly. However, the price at which they are sold is clearly overpriced. And the only reason for this is the brand and fame that Samsung has earned in the smartphone market. Serious competition for this device (in about the same price category) is made by devices from companies such as LG and Sony.
Is there a connection between the level of hardware and usability?
A budget phone with a good camera can be found for ten thousand Russian rubles. But you will not find a game monster for the same price anywhere. Yes, such devices as, for example, Asus Zenfone 2 or Microsoft Lumia 640 are capable of interacting with toys without strong brakes, the level of which is at “above average”. But they are hardly capable of fully ensuring stable operation at this time or giving the user the opportunity to play applications with five stars. So it turns out that the budget phone looks like a kind of computer for study (which is bought for this purpose, and not with cover). Therefore, the developers are counting every penny in order to save as much as possible on the hardware of their devices. And in order to somehow compensate for the shortcomings, they conduct additional tests and improve the software. So it turns out that the hardware is actually weaker, and the system performance remains at a good, one might say, more than acceptable level. Budget phones, the prices of which fall in the range from 5 to 15 thousand Russian rubles, capable of delivering real pleasure from working with standard software focused specifically on everyday tasks.
Is the display important and how high quality can it be with a public sector employee?
Scrolling through the characteristics of your potential purchases, say, on some website of an online store, you can stumble upon a graph with a description of the display of the device. Its main characteristic will, of course, be the matrix. No need to be a specialist, just remember the following memo. If the matrix is IPS, then this is already good. Even better if there is Super AMOLED. But if nothing is said about the matrix, then most likely a TN-type component is inside. In it, the picture will immediately become distorted as soon as you remove the screen from the line of sight. IPS can also be different. Nevertheless, the very fact of its presence suggests that the matrix is not hopeless in our country.
Is it possible to find normal "hardware" in state employees?
Such a question, of course, interests a considerable number of users, especially young people. They obviously need a phone not only for exchanging calls and messages. This also includes “gatherings” on the international network, games, the use of third-party software and system utilities, a camera and other components. And all this can be feasible only due to the hardware of the appropriate level, since with software alone we, in this area, will not achieve impressive results. If you want to have a powerful state employee with you (in comparison with the closest competitors, of course, rather than flagship devices), then pay attention to the products of the British company Fly. In recent years, when delivering devices to Russia, it focuses specifically on the budget niche, therefore, first of all, you should examine the devices of this particular company.
Rating of budget phones
It is impossible to say unequivocally which of the companies takes which position in a kind of hit parade. The situation is much simpler if you take into account some criteria. For example, if you want a device with a high-quality display and a good battery (and devices with such parameters are most often bought by e-book readers), then this is Fly. If you need a powerful smartphone for limited money, then you should probably contact Asus. Well, business phone lovers will prefer, of course, Microsoft products running on the Windows Phone platform.