4 things to avoid when buying a smartphone

Let’s be real. Smartphones have become our irreplaceable companions. Think about it for a second… When’s the last time you went anywhere without your phone? Does the sweat run down the sides of your face at the thought of your battery dying far from your charger? Well for good reason, because without our phones we can’t place calls, send texts, use the internet, hail an Uber, get directions to our next destination, keep track of our calendars, and generally live our best and most ambitious lives. That’s why choosing the right phone is just so crucial.

There are quite a few things that you need to take into consideration when you’re looking to buy a new smartphone. However, what we think is vital to this journey is knowing what to avoid. So we went ahead and put together a list of 4 things that you should avoid when buying a smartphone.

Buying at the wrong time

It’s easy to buy at the wrong time, thanks to the constant stream of new smartphones hitting the market. You want to time it just right, either so that you can buy the almost new generation (read: previous smartphone) just as the new 1 is released so that you can get it for a much cheaper price… Or you can wait for the newest phone to come onto the market and get the latest and greatest smartphone and everything that comes with it.

To help you out, we can tell you that Apple usually brings out a new iPhone every October, so as the weather heats up you can get yourself a little (albeit expensive) treat. Alas, we can’t help you out with Android phones because their release dates operate on more varied timelines. What we can say is that you shouldn’t buy the new Samsung Galaxy when the next Google Pixel phone is practically around the corner.

Buying an old phone

We totally get buying a slightly older phone, what with it being much cheaper and all, but you don’t want to buy a phone that’s too old. Older smartphones aren’t as secure or as up-to-date, which means you won’t be able to run with the latest software. This might not seem important, but the thing is that Apple and Google are constantly updating their software to close security gaps and to run smoother. That’s why it’s better to buy as new as possible.

Our royal advice is that if the phone you’re looking at is already 2 software generations behind the latest OS, then you should steer waaaay clear.

Not choosing enough storage

Storage space has a huge impact on the price of the phone, so you might be tempted to choose a smaller storage capacity to keep the price down. The thing is, you need to consider all the apps, games, music, photos, and videos that you’d want to cram onto your phone and then choose the correct storage space that makes sense to how you use your phone. If your phone is seriously just for work calls, a bit of music, and the odd picture then you can go for the smaller storage capacity… But if you’re treating your phone like your personal TV, online shopping mall, CD store, recipe book, and family album then you’ll need something with a bit more room in the trunk.

By choosing the correct storage limit, you’ll avoid the pain of wrestling with which apps, pictures, and songs to delete whenever you want to add something new to your device.

Not buying the right size

We’re old enough to remember when the smaller the phone, the cooler you were. (Don’t laugh. It was a great time to be alive.) Now, however, smartphones are growing and the bigger the screen the better the phone. You can get phones that range from about 4-6 inches (and everything in between). But does that mean you should buy the biggest screen available?

Not necessarily, in our humble opinion. Oh wait, don’t hold your breath for us to tell you the exact perfect size because we can’t do that… Only you can tell which is the right size for you. You need to actually handle the phones yourself so that you can see if it’s easy to toss into your bag or slip into your jacket pocket or strap to your arm while you run. Basically, you need to see which size suits you best before buying.

The king to the rescue

A lot of people think that their smartphone case is enough. But it’s not. Insurance is the best way to cover yourself against the trauma of having your mobile phone sail away with a crook or getting dunked in the sink by your 4-year-old nephew. So make sure that the king has your back and insure your smartphone with our super cheap portable possessions insurance.