This is an in-depth quiz that will find out exactly how you intend on using the phone and what your budget is. Using your answers we automatically compare them to all the available phones to find the phone you should buy. Take the quiz to find out.
Phone Sizing
In recent times phones have been getting bigger and bigger. However due to the advances in screen technology we are seeing nearly every new phone that comes out having a screen that goes to every edge of the phone. This has allowed the screen size to increase while the body stays the same. You can now get a normal sized phone with screen sizes over 6 inches.
Phones, particularly a brand's flagship phones, are regularly coming out in two sizes, a regular and a plus size.
There are a few considerations needed when deciding on the best size for you. The first is you hand size. Larger phones are better suited for those with larger hands to allow you to use it one handed. A larger phone can allow you to do more, whether that is multitasking like watching a video while browsing social media, or writing a document, a larger screen will make these tasks easier. The bigger the phone the more frustrating it can be to carry around, whether that is too small a pocket or just that added weight to lug around.
Camera Quality and Quantities
The best camera is the one you have with you. And that is nearly always your phone. We think it is important that the phone you get has a decent camera. It is regularly the reason for wanting to upgrade a phone, so why not get a good one to make your phone last longer.
Luckily phone cameras are getting better and better. In fact the high end phone cameras are better than some dedicated cameras. And these technological improvements have trickled down to the budget end of phones. Now no matter your budget you will find a phone with at the very least a reasonable camera.
It seems that it is not enough to have one camera on a phone now though. With some phone brands pushing the boundaries, it is not uncommon to see 3 cameras on the back of a phone. Usually they are in the form of a standard lens, a telephoto lens, and an ultrawide lens. But you will also find macro lenses, periscope zoom lenses, and even mono lenses.
Where phone companies have an edge over traditional camera companies is in their software. They have integrated all these cameras into one seamless view, allowing you to "zoom" between the cameras. They can even digitally add blur to imitate dslr cameras.
Camera technology constantly improves in the phone industry, and we are regularly updating the quiz to account for these changes.
Network Compatibility
In the United States there are two radio technologies that mobile networks use. These are GSM and and CDMA. Some phone networks like AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM, and others like Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular use CDMA. There are plenty of sites explaining in detail the differences between these two so we wont go into it here. Suffice to say though that phones that are GSM will not work on networks that rely on CDMA and vice versa. Some phones can operate on both networks. We have tried our best to make sure you are recommended the correct phone for your network, but we do recommend that if you are going to buy the phone not from your carrier to check with that carrier that it will be compatible.
A Range Of Budgets
As the famous YouTuber Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) says "good phones are getting cheap and cheap phones are getting good". While the high end phones are getting into the plus $1k range, we still think it counts for something. If you look at smartphone brands midrange phones they good and well priced. And if you take a look at budget phones you will see that they are far better than they used to be. We think that whatever you budget there are a wealth of phones to choose from and you will be happy with your choice.
Security
Throughout smartphone security's history pin codes have been relied upon. But this has been relegated for some time now to a backup option. Traded for the speed and security levels of biometric identity. Fingerprint and face recognition have both been around for a while but have both vastly been improved. Face recognition is more secure and faster than it has ever been and fingerprint readers are faster and many are now being integrated into the screen of the phone.
Deciding what method of security you should have is mostly down to personal preference. They are both quite fast and both have their pros and cons.
Fingerprint readers require you not to be wearing gloves, if they are built into the screen they might not be as secure and you have to be accurate in where you place your finger. If it is on the back then you have to pick your phone up to unlock it.
Face recognition requires you to be looking at the screen for it to unlock.
So you have to weigh up the negatives to see which you would prefer. If you are still not sure then great, they are both good options and you can ignore it and let your other requirements take president.
This quiz has been in the works for a long time, years in fact. We wanted to be sure that we could offer the best advice. This has required many changes in quiz algorithms, much product research, and a lot of testing. We hope you find it useful and informative.