that’s all you need to look for before buying it

A few years ago, mobile operators in Europe offered their mobile subscribers free provided you sign a permanent contract with prices that are generally quite expensive. This changed with the arrival of MVNOs and the sale of unlocked mobile phones exploded, becoming what it is today, the norm.

This meant that, little by little, the average price of cell phones has increaseddue to the end of these operator subsidies, the increase in costs in all parts of the production chain, the best technical components… In Europe the mobile phone costs on average around 500 dollars, a high price for what we were used to. , even if this amount is slightly lower because there are many models for more than 1000 dollars, and even more for around 300 dollars.

The fact is that whatever anyone wants to spend on renewing their smartphone, Users are looking for models that last longer. It is already rare to change your cell phone not every year, but also every two or three years. What is appreciated today is that a device can last as long as possible, and many only change it when something specific gives them problems, usually the screen, battery or memory.

Endurance

One of the main reasons to change a cell phone is if it breaks. Unless insurance has been taken out, It is normal that the repair is not practical due to its high price., and users opt for a new model. One of the aspects to take into account is the resistance of the mobile phone.

On the one hand, there are military certified terminals that have been tested in drops, extreme heat or cold environments or in situations that other models would not withstand. If our daily life may involve a situation like this, because we work on a construction site for example, it is something to consider.

Another problem related to resistance is that the mobile does not break following accidental immersion in a fluid. For this, it is good to buy one that has some resistance to water and liquids. The normal thing is to have IP-68, which is the certification supported by Apple models, Google models and several Samsung models, among others. This, yes, This does not guarantee that the mobile will be resistant to liquids throughout its lifespan., because in the event of a hit, the seal could be invalidated. Yet, it is something that should always be taken into consideration.

Memory

Another of The reasons why people change cell phones is because they run out of memory. It’s not as common as it used to be, but as more and more videos are sent via messaging apps, more and more photos are taken, and the quality of cameras gets higher and higher, It is very possible that the 128 GB which was sufficient until recently is no longer sufficient..

In addition, most current mobile phones They no longer have a microSD slot, a form of memory expansion that was essential when phones had 64 GB of memory or less. Currently it is normal for any model to have the mentioned 128 GB, but The minimum amount of space to consider should be 256 GB..

There are more and more terminals with 512 GB or even 1 TB, but the price increase is generally not worth it, unless you know that many videos will be recorded in 4K, or that many big games will be installed. Perhaps buying a model with these capabilities makes sense in launch promotions, since brands like Samsung, for example, usually offer these variants at the same prices as models with less memory.

Battery

With the transition from traditional cell phones to smartphones, we are getting used to having to charge our cell phones every now and then, instead of every few days. However, even though battery life has improved in recent years and charging speeds even more so, Battery degradation remains a problem.

It is very common that the autonomy of a cell phone after two years is no longer the same as it was at the beginning of its useful life. This is another reason to buy a new mobile phone, although the truth is that It is also common to change the battery, as it is a fairly inexpensive repair..

However, when purchasing a new model it is advisable that it has a capacity greater than 4,000 mAh and, If possible, 5000 mAh. We may not need it on a daily basis, but during travel, days away from home more than usual, or increased camera use, it will be appreciated. It is also advisable that the mobile phone has a smart charging mode, especially if we charge it at night, so that it only reaches 100% just before we wake up.

Updates

Finally, it is worth evaluating the update policy of the mobile brand that we are going to choose. The more updates we receive, the more secure the mobile will be, and other new functions that we can use without changing models. This isn’t critical for many people, but security patches are important.

In this regard, the brands that update their mobile phones the longest are Apple, Google and Samsung. Depending on budget or preference, we will choose one or the other, but if the updates are relevant, and they should be, these brands, as well as high-end models from other manufacturers, are an option.