I Want To Buy A Phone
The huge number of choices from a variety of phone manufacturers should make shopping simple, but sometimes this makes it more confusing, whether you're looking for the highest-quality, elite phone or a more affordable phone, like the Google Pixel 6A. The best devices on the market not only have different prices, they also have different camera specs, screen sizes and storage capacities.
i want to buy a phone
In general, performance lines up with cost. The very latest, greatest technology usually comes at a premium. Flagship phones pack the best cameras, the most powerful processors and may even sport cutting-edge tech like flexible displays. The high prices mean that these phones are only worth considering for those who want the absolute latest tech in their pockets.
Not everyone needs such top tech however, or may simply be unwilling to spend the $1,000 or more typically required to get it. Luckily, the midrange sector of the phone world has been one of the fiercest battlegrounds for companies to compete in, resulting in some amazing phones that won't break the bank. Features like wireless charging and cameras with multiple lenses that were once the domain of flagships are now commonplace on midrange phones.
5G is the latest standard that promises lightning-fast mobile data speeds when you're out and about. Like any new technology, it's commonplace to see it on higher-end devices but it's also increasingly common to find on much more affordable phones too.
Coverage for 5G isn't everywhere yet, so it's important to ask yourself whether you need 5G speeds at all and crucially, whether they're available where you live. If you're planning on keeping your phone for at least a couple of years, you can safely expect 5G to become more of the norm in that time. If you're on the fence about it now, it may be that in nine months you'll feel differently and might regret not taking the plunge sooner.
All phones have gotten steadily bigger over the last few years, with the iPhone 14 Pro Max measuring a whopping 6.68 inches and the Galaxy S23 Ultra coming in at 6.8 inches. Small phones aren't that common anymore but there are a few options to consider if you don't want a massive screen stretching out your pockets.
Apple opted not to update the iPhone 13 Mini this year, but it is still officially on sale through the Apple Store and at 5.4-inches it's quite a lot smaller than the 6.1-inch iPhone 14. On the Android side, the Google Pixel 6A's 6.1-inch display makes it one of the better smaller phones, but even then it's hardly what you'd call tiny.
Camera features have been a major point for bragging rights in recent phones, with manufacturers always wanting a bigger, more exciting number, be it the number of megapixels or quantity of actual camera lenses. Three rear cameras are now common -- a regular lens, an ultrawide lens and a telephoto lens -- with even budget-focused phones packing multiple cameras.
Look out for features like optical (rather than digital) zooms, night mode for better low-light images, and optical image stabilization. Sometimes these features might not be clear, and it's not possible to judge a camera's performance just by looking at the specs. If you really care about your phone's photography skills, then take some time to look at the reviews and see how its camera performs before you spend your money.
Most phones, from the budget end through to elite flagships, can last most of a day on a single charge. Bigger phones might have bigger batteries, but they also have bigger screens and often more powerful processors, so they suck that extra juice down quickly. Few phones will give you more than a day of use. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Top-end phones pack powerful processors along with 12GB of RAM or even more. It's enough to make these phones run any task without breaking a sweat, but you don't need to spend flagship level money to get great performance.
Most decent midrange phones offer enough power to handle all of your everyday needs. You'll still be able to play almost any game from the Google Play store and edit your high-resolution photos in apps such as Snapseed. There's little you could throw at most midrange phones that they wouldn't be able to handle.
Most phones, even the budget ones, come with at least 32GB of storage, of which 10 may be taken up by preinstalled apps and the phone's operating system. If you don't ever plan on recording any video and gaming isn't your thing, 32GB might be enough, but otherwise you should consider 64GB or even 128GB to be a minimum.
Higher-end phones -- particularly those that can record high quality 4K video -- offer capacities of 256GB or more. With that much space, you'll barely need to think twice about having to clear out old files.
If the phone supports microSD cards then it's a different matter, as you can pick up 32GB microSD cards (or bigger) for very little money these days and popping one into your phone will dramatically increase the amount of storage you'll have access to. Unfortunately expandable storage is a very rare feature on phones these days.
Depending on your carrier, you could be able to buy mobile data through your Settings app on your phone. Your carrier sets the prices and choices. You use your regular payment method with your carrier.
Giana was in her local drugstore, trying to understand why two brands of the same type of treatment differed in price by $15. (The more expensive option coming in a smaller tube, no less.) "I thought there had to be a difference," she recalls. So she pulled out her smartphone and searched for product reviews, right there in the store aisle. She ended up going with the higher-rated, yet higher-priced product. Looking back, Giana realizes that had she not had her smartphone, she probably would have bought the cheaper one.
Erica was at the airport, killing time before a flight, when she searched for a mortgage calculator. She wanted to figure out whether she and her husband could really afford a new home. That first smartphone search led to many more in stolen moments throughout her day as she researched the purchase step by step. "Being able to do it in the moment makes it more fun and less daunting," says Erica. "I can space it out throughout my day."
For today's constantly connected consumers, shopping never sleeps. Whether we need to make an everyday purchase or research a big-ticket item, we reflexively turn to our devices. This happens in hundreds of micro-moments throughout the day when we're making purchase decisions. (What's the best choice? Can I afford to buy this? Is it worth it?) These I-want-to-buy moments are important moments for consumers, and they're critical for brands. They're opportunities to connect, especially on mobile: 93% of people who use a mobile device for research go on to make a purchase.1
We don't go to a store without our wallets; many of us say the same thing about our smartphones. In stores, 82% of smartphone users turn to their devices to help them make a product decision.2 What they find online can influence their decisions right down to the very last minute before a purchase. After reading something on a smartphone, nearly one in four shoppers has changed his or her mind about buying something while in the checkout line.3
Some marketers might see this as a threat and wring their hands about "showrooming," because they are concerned that consumers will end up buying products elsewhere. But savvy brands see it differently. "We think one of the biggest opportunities that we have in retail is for our customers to leverage their phones as a shopping assistant when they're standing in the store," says Sephora's vice president of interactive media, Bridget Dolan. To assist shoppers in these moments, Sephora designed its app to pull up product ratings and reviews when an item is scanned. "Having access to this information is that perfect new moment for customers to find everything they're looking for and get advice from Sephora."
As I-want-to-buy moments are increasingly also becoming I-want-to-watch moments, brands are amping up their mobile video strategies by creating a range of helpful content. "We're in a world today where people are on 24/7. They have more choices when it comes to what they look at and when they look at it," says Alison Lewis, CMO at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies. Last year, the company's CLEAN & CLEAR brand created more than 100 videos for its YouTube channel, many of which are answers to specific product questions. "It's the content that consumers are already coming to you for," says Kacey Dreby, group brand director at CLEAN & CLEAR. And when people watch these videos, they're further down in the marketing funnel and closer to the point of purchase, Dreby points out. Indeed, we see that after watching a YouTube video, people actively search for products. Across more than 800 campaigns studied, 65% of campaigns see a significant lift in brand interest after viewers watch their TrueView ad on YouTube.7
I-want-to-buy moments aren't just important for low-consideration purchases. As we saw with Erica, they also happen when we're making big decisions such as investing in a new home, booking a vacation, or buying a car. In the auto category, for example, searches on mobile are growing 51% YoY.8 "Today's path to purchase is more dynamic than ever before," says Dionne Colvin-Lovely, director of emerging and traditional media at Toyota. "Car shoppers leverage mobile at the beginning and middle of their purchase process and continue to research and shop online while at the dealership."
Whether they're in a parking lot, in a grocery store, or waiting patiently at the airport, shoppers are using smartphones to help them decide what to buy. Here are five ways brands can win these micro-moments:
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