Another year, another decade, and more questions relating to what sort of upgrades our readers should look for in their next mobile device. While our most involved readers may already have their fingers firmly on the pulse, many others have been left wondering exactly what components and aspects they might need, and what they might safely ignore.
Here we’re going to break down the most important elements, so you can find the best bang for your buck until whenever your next upgrade rolls around. Which new features are worth it, and which can be safely ignored?
The Big Question
Before we can even start to determine what your next phone might need, we need to look at what you use your phone for now, and what you might need it for in the future. This is the question that will determine all the key features of your new device, and while some might be able to afford a top of the line model no matter what, most of us aren’t that lucky.
For Work
Getting a work phone for yourself or your employees means taking up a balancing act between what is useful and which elements are likely to be left ignored. A significant portion of this comes down to that while we use mobiles for simple parts of business, such as calls, text and even email, we tend to abandon them for more complex uses.
“SAMSUNG Galaxy Fold Foldable Phone” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by TheBetterDay
This might, however, be fundamentally changed with the popularisation of folding phones. By being able to double their screen size, these new mobiles can be of use for far more than just simple acts, especially if you or your workforce is commonly on the go. Any of the uses at smallbusiness.chron.com would work better for folding phones, and these are just a few examples.
This can, however, be a costly upgrade. In this instance, we would recommend running trials first, if possible, to ensure their use in your case measures up.
For the Gamers
When looking at mobile games, we need to first ask the question of which types of games the user will play. Those chasing the online casino experience can rest assured that most mid and low-range standard devices will offer everything they need. By simply loading a website and selecting which bonuses work best for you out of the many websites available, you’ll be ready to go. No special hardware is required here, so prices, in this case, should remain low.
Those after more complicated 3D video gaming phones are most often going to be the users looking towards the most powerful of devices. This most obvious components of this will be processing power with dedicated graphics chips. As with work phones, however, folding screens can also be incredibly useful in terms of improving the overall experience.
Users could also consider attachable controllers, which are especially useful for those of us who dislike touch-screen controls for racing or action games.
The other new aspect of modern mobile gaming is the potential of 5G for players interested in game-streaming services like Google Stadia or the others mentioned at turtlebeach.com. This form of connection is a practical necessity for play outside a home network, due to enormous bandwidth requirements. Just be aware that these connections are, so far, quite limited in their adoption and scope.
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With these simple aspects in mind, we would recommend you check out our reviews of these different devices to determine which best suit your price range. There is no one right device for everyone, and you don’t want to waste an opportunity, so be sure to take your time and weigh your options carefully.