What do you look for in a new phone?

[EmilieT]

Hi everyone, 

When it comes to chosing our trusted tech companion, we all have different priorities in mind. The most tech savy of us will look at specific specs, while others might have in mind a special need they have, or a more aesthetic focus.

• What are the most important specs for you ? Camera performance, specific functionalities, display, operating system, memory, etc.

• Do you have special requirements in mind? Hard of hearing, vision challenges, a specific purpose you have in mind for this phone, etc.

• What makes a phone standout from a design point of view? A thin body, specific colours or lack of, the home button/other buttons locations, etc.

• Are there any features or design quirks that would put you off getting a particular handset? The headphone Jack missing, some colours, etc.

We'd love to hear more about what you look for in a phone, what made you chose the one you currently use or would make you pick a new model! It'd also be great to hear if you have recommendations on the best models in your opinion for any of the criteria and scenarios I listed above, or others you might think of. This could help some members looking for a new device but not sure where to start. 

Looking forward to your comments!

[Marjo]

I look for a big screen size and the screen also needs to be super bright!  For me everything needs to be bright as I feel I don't see well otherwise... I also want a decent camera that makes it easy to take good quality photos even in low light. Not darkness, but in kind of "evening in the living room" type of light, without the photo being grainy. I don't often use headphones, but I do sometimes miss the headphone jack. Would the phone be thicker if they had included it in? Or what is the reason that manufacturers are beginning to get rid of it, does anyone know? 

Before I buy a phone I'd also like to see reviews of the speaker sound quality to know it's good.

[Cleoriff]

I'm the same re brightness @Marjo

I've turned off auto brightness and have it as bright as it will go...

[Marjo]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

I'm the same re brightness @Marjo

I've turned off auto brightness and have it as bright as it will go...

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Me too! I realised it uses the battery on my phone much quicker though, so I've started putting in on lower brightness during the day when I'm at work and not using the phone that much, then turning it brighter again when I go home. So far so good.

[gmarkj]

Screen size and resolution.
Headphone jack (listen to lots of podcasts in my car and don't have bluetooth audio).
Decent camera for a point and shoot person.
Enough built in storage and/or SD card slot.
Not precious about manufacturer - had Sony, Samsung and LG in the past. So long as it is Android and not ridiculously priced...

[Glory1]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

I'm the same re brightness @Marjo

I've turned off auto brightness and have it as bright as it will go...

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Same here, never use auto brightness, it's just not bright enough for me and how I use my phone.

[Projectionist]

Battery life, and replaceability

Sensible screen size - 4 to 5 inches

Notification LED

Hotspot

Price - no more than £100 (ish)

Definitely not Apple product 

[pip1]

I prefer a medium screen as it fits in hand better than those big screens do, I need the phone to be a comfortable hold or I find I end up dropping it, next would be memory, I like to take photos and listen to music so would need good memory and probably good battery usage, Bluetooth and NFC a must, I also like colour and shape as that for some strange reason is what helps me decide, I got to like the look of the phone
Currently got a Sony Xperia xa1e had Samsung, I'm quite impressed with the hauwei P20 for my next upgrade, had good review about them, anyone got one that could tell me the negs and pros?

[EmilieT]

Very interesting to see all the different criteria and priorities, thanks everyone for your replies so far! 

@pip1 One of our members, @welshsteve76, has reviewed the Huawei P20 Pro here, which you might find useful. Other customers have also shared their pros and cons on the O2 Shop pages for each model, so for example you can have a look here for some insights on the Huawei P20. Hope this helps!

[pip1]

Thank you emilie, iv checked the reviews out, the phone sounds great, I just need to find a monthly plan now

[pip1]

Thank you emilie, iv checked the reviews out, the phone sounds great, I just need to find a monthly plan now. 😊