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Don't Know Which Mobile Phone to Buy: How to Choose a Smartphone (BlackBerry)

The aim of this guide is to help you decide which (smart-)phone is the best for you, based on your needs and budget.

Here are some basic points you should know when buying a smartphone: 

1) Operating system (OS) - The user interface which allows common users to use the hardware components (camera, speakers, etc.). The most common operating systems which run on smartphones are:

  • Android - runs on the majority of smartphones (Sony, Samsung, LG, Huawei, etc.). The latest version of this operating system is Android OS v.6 Marshmallow (as of Aug 2016). Some PROs and CONs using Android as operating system:

    PROs: 
    - A huge catalogue of applications
    - Home-screen widgets
    - Open-source

    CONs: 
    - Back-up options are limited to specific user data
    - No quality control of the applications
  • iOS - runs only on iPhones, iPads and iPods. Its latest version is iOS v.9.3 (as of Aug 2016)

    PROs:
    - Full back-up service
    - Frequent system updates
    - Greater control of notifications and data usage
    - Easier to uninstall applications
    - Mostly high-quality apps are offered in App store

    CONs:
    -     No home-screen widgets
    - Many limitations
     
  • Windows Phone OS - used by Nokia and Microsoft smartphones. The latest version of this smartphone is Windows Mobile 10 (as of Aug 2016)
  • BlackBerry OS - used only on Blackberry smartphones. The latest version of Blackberry OS is v10.3 (as of Aug 2016)

Note that not all devices can be upgraded to the latest OS version. It's mentioned in the solutions listed below. 

2) CPU (Central Processing Unit, or Processor, or the "brain" of a smartphone) - The main component of a smartphone which is a crucial factor for phone speed (how quickly applications open etc.).

There are several types of processors used in smartphones:

  • Single-Core - It has only one independent microprocessor
  • Dual-Core  - A multi-core processor with two independent microprocessors
  • Quad-Core  - A multi-core processor with four independent microprocessors
  • Hexa-Core - A multi-core processor with six independent microprocessors
  • Octa-Core - A multi-core processor with eight independent microprocessors

Note: You should treat the smartphone as a whole, as unity of all the components in it. It doesn't mean that a device which has an Octa-Core processor is faster than a device which has a Quad-Core processor. For instance, iPhone 6s has a Dual-Core processor, but it doesn't lag as much as some Octa-Core-processor smartphones.

The above-mentioned note also applies to camera quality. It doesn't mean that a 21 megapixel camera will produce higher-quality images than an 8 megapixel one (take iPhones for example. iPhone 6s has a 12 MP camera and produces better images than smartphones with 21 megapixel camera).

3) RAM (Random Access Memory) - The more RAM the more applications you can run in parallel.  Usually, the amount of RAM in smartphones varies from 1 GB to 4 GB.

4) Storage size - The space you have to store your pictures, music, videos or other documents. The amount of free memory on smartphones varies from 4 GB - 128 GB of internal memory, plus the ability to add a microSD card (up to 256 GB)

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Select specifications which apply:

Click on this if you're not willing to pay more than $100 on your mobile

Click on this if you only want to spend a max. of $200 on your mobile

Click on this if you only want to spend a max. of $300 on your mobile

Click on this if you only want to spend a max. of $500 on your mobile

Click on this if you don't want to spend more than $1,000 on your mobile

Click on this if you're willing to pay more than $1,000 on your mobile.

Click on this if you want a smartphone (with more functions than a calls-and-SMS-only phone)

Click on this if you only need the most basic functions in a phone: making calls and sending SMS

Click on this if you want your mobile to have a certain size (be it big or small)

Click on this if you already know from which manufacturer (Apple, LG, Windows etc.) your mobile should be.

Click on this if you want a (smart-)phone with a removable (which you can easily remove and replace yourself), or a non-removable (which can be removed and replaced in repair shops only) battery.

Click on this if you have a preferred operating system (e.g. iOS, Android, or Windows) which might be the case if you already use this operating system and don't want to switch to a different one.

Click on this if you want a mobile device with a secondary camera.

Click on this if you want to add extra memory (a microSD card) to your mobile device

Click on this if you want a device with a scratch−resistant screen, i.e. a device which has a "Corning Gorilla Glass" protection.

Click on this if you want your new mobile to have a stylish design

Click on this if long battery life is very important to you

Click on this if you want to additionally protect your smartphone and unlock it only with your fingerprint.

Click on this if you want to buy a waterproof mobile device (i.e. a device which can be used under water for a certain period of time)

Click on this if it's important to you that your mobile device has a physical keyboard, i.e. not only a "virtual keyboard" on the screen

Click on this if you have specific technical requirements, e.g. processor speed, min. megapixels for camera etc.

Click on this if you want a phone running on the Android operating system.

Click on this if if want a mobile device which works with a nano SIM card (it looks like this http://goo.gl/0DOq4e)

Click on this if you want your mobile (camera) to have at least 4 Megapixels. Read this intro to megapixels http://goo.gl/dbNK9r, however be aware that a high number of megapixels doesn't guarantee a high picture quality, as you can read here: http://goo.gl/PUZ8QV

Click on this if you want a mobile device which works with a micro SIM card (it looks like this http://goo.gl/v8rUoz).

Click on this if you're fine if your new mobile has a camera with less than 4 Megapixels. Read this intro to megapixels http://goo.gl/dbNK9r, however be aware that a high number of megapixels doesn't guarantee a high picture quality, as you can read here: http://goo.gl/PUZ8QV

Click on this if want a mobile device which works with a standard/mini SIM card (it looks like this https://goo.gl/nrkomV)

Click on this if you want your mobile (camera) to have at least 6 Megapixels. Read this intro to megapixels http://goo.gl/dbNK9r, however be aware that a high number of megapixels doesn't guarantee a high picture quality, as you can read here: http://goo.gl/PUZ8QV

Click on this if you want a phone running on the Windows phone operating system.

Click on this if want the diagonal of your mobile screen to be larger than 5.3 inches. See on http://goo.gl/3jNErw how much that is.

Click on this if you want a phone running on the iOS operating system.

Click on this if want the diagonal of your mobile screen to be between 4.65 and less than 5.3 inches. See on http://goo.gl/3jNErw how much that is.

Click on this if you want your mobile (camera) to have at least 8 Megapixels. Read this intro to megapixels http://goo.gl/dbNK9r, however be aware that a high number of megapixels doesn't guarantee a high picture quality, as you can read here: http://goo.gl/PUZ8QV

Click on this if you want your mobile (camera) to have at least 12 Megapixels. Read this intro to megapixels http://goo.gl/dbNK9r, however be aware that a high number of megapixels doesn't guarantee a high picture quality, as you can read here: http://goo.gl/PUZ8QV

Click on this if you want a battery which would last at least 70 hours if you do one hour of calls, one hour of video playback and one hour of web browsing daily.

Click on this if you want the diagonal of your mobile screen to be between 3.5 and less than 4.3 inches. See on http://goo.gl/3jNErw how much that is.

Click on this if you're fine with a phone which only supports the second generation of wireless telephone technology

Click on this if you want a battery which would last at least 100 hours if you do one hour of calls, one hour of video playback and one hour of web browsing daily.

Click on this if you don't want the diagonal of your mobile screen exceed 3.5 inches. See on http://goo.gl/3jNErw how much that is.

Click on this if want the diagonal of your mobile screen to be between 4.3 and less than 4.65 inches. See on http://goo.gl/3jNErw how much that is.

Click on this if you want a phone that supports the third generation of wireless telephone technology

Click on this if you want a phone that supports the fourth generation of wireless telephone technology.

Click on this if it's important to you that the phone has a certain storage size so that you can save many pictures/music/video on your mobile

Click on this if you want your phone to have at least 8 gigabytes of storage space

Click on this if you want your phone to have at least 16 gigabytes of storage space

Click on this if you want your phone to have at least 32 gigabytes of storage space

Click on this if you want your phone to have at least 64 gigabytes of storage space

Click on this if you want a battery which would last at least 30 hours if you do one hour of calls, one hour of video playback and one hour of web browsing daily.

Click on this if you want a battery which would last at least 50 hours, if you do one hour of calls, one hour of video playback and one hour of web browsing daily.

Click on this if you want a smartphone which has a Dual core, Quad core, Hexa Core or Octa core processor.

Solutions (7)
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  1. Buy BlackBerry Priv (from $379.99)

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    BlackBerry Priv is the first BlackBerry Android phone. It has an impressive screen and is one of the best phones when it comes to security.

    Its key features are:

    • Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop), upgradable to v6.0.1 (Marshmallow)
    • A Dual-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A57 & quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53 processor
    • 3 GB RAM
    • 18 MP camera with autofocus and a 2 MP front camera
    • AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors
    • Its 5.4-inch display is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 4
    • Internal memory of 32 GB with the possibility to add a microSD card up to 256 GB
    • A non-removable 3410 mAh battery, which offers you 14:40 hours of talk time, 08:20 hours of web browsing and 06:33 hours of video playback and up to 420 hours of stand-by. (according to tests)

    Pros

    • (A QWERTY keyboard)
    • Large internal memory
    • 4G-LTE Support
    • Large screen size

    Cons

    • A Below-average selfie camera
    • Bulky

    You can buy this smartphone, which is rated with 3.6/5 stars, from Amazon.

    ---
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  2. Buy BlackBerry Q5 (from $88.88)

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    Blackberry Q5 comes with a very good bang for buck, but it feels like it is made just for BlackBerry fans. If you would like a cheap smartphone with good specs and a physical keyboard, take a look on this one.

    Its key features are:

    • BlackBerry OS 10.2, upgradable to v10.3.1
    • A Dual-core 1.2 GHz Krait processor
    • 2 GB RAM
    • 5 MP camera with autofocus and a 2 MP front camera
    • IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors
    • A 3.1-inch display
    • Internal memory of 8 GB with the possibility to add a microSD card up to 32 GB
    • A non-removable 2180 mAh battery, which offers you 14:31 hours of talk time, 10:04 hours of web browsing and 12:28 hours of video playback and up to 336 hours of stand-by. (according to tests)

    Pros

    • QWERTY keyboard
    • Responsive touch screen

    Cons

    • Small screen due to presence of the keyboard
    • Low camera resolution

    You can buy this smartphone, which is rated with 4.0/5 stars, from Amazon.

    ---
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  3. Buy BlackBerry Z10 (from $59.99)

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    Very good phone in overall, with expandable storage and decent camera. The downside is that Z10 lacks app support.

    Its key features are:

    • BlackBerry OS 10, upgradable to v10.3.1
    • A Dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait processor
    • 2 GB RAM
    • 8 MP camera with autofocus and a 2 MP front camera
    • Capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors
    • A 4.2-inch display
    • Internal memory of 16 GB with the possibility to add a microSD card up to 64 GB
    • A removable 1800 mAh battery, which offers you 08:20 hours of talk time, 08:44 hours of web browsing and 12:28 hours of video playback and up to 312 hours of stand-by. (according to tests)

    Pros

    • HDMI connector
    • Large internal memory
    • 4G-LTE Support
    • Large screen size

    Cons

    • A Below-average selfie camera
    • Bulky
    • No FM Radio


    You can buy this smartphone, which is rated with 3.9/5 stars, from Amazon.

    ---
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  4. Buy BlackBerry Q10 (from $138.67)

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    The main feature of this phone is its full physical keyboard that is probably the best one on the current mobile market. Other good features are its fast web browsing and a solid battery life. On the downside, this phone seems overpriced looking at its specs.

    Its key features are:

    • BlackBerry OS 10, upgradable to v10.3.1
    • A Dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait (LTE version)/ Cortex-A9 (Non-LTE) processor
    • 2 GB RAM
    • 8 MP camera with autofocus and a 2 MP front camera
    • Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors
    • A 3.1-inch display
    • Internal memory of 16 GB with the possibility to add a microSD card up to 64 GB
    • A removable 2100 mAh battery, which offers you 20:00 hours of talk time, 08:42 hours of web browsing and 11:15 hours of video playback and up to 360 hours of stand-by. (according to tests)

    Pros

    • QWERTY keyboard
    • Fluid keyboard and touchscreen combination
    • Strong camera

    Cons

    • Awkward 1:1 screen ratio
    • Expensive
    • Lack of BlackBerry 10 support

     

    You can buy this smartphone, which is rated with 3.8/5 stars, from Amazon.

    ---
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  5. Buy BlackBerry Z3 (from $289)

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    BlackBerry Z3 is a good bang for buck phone, however the case with most of BlackBerry phones is that only diehard fans are still buying them since they are completely overshadowed by Android and iOS users.

    Its key features are:

    • BlackBerry OS 10.2.1, upgradable to v10.3.1
    • A Dual-core 1.2 GHz Krait 200 processor
    • 1.5 GB RAM
    • 5 MP camera with autofocus and a 1.1 MP front camera
    • Capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors
    • A 5-inch display
    • Internal memory of 8 GB with the possibility to add a microSD card up to 32 GB
    • A non-removable 2500 mAh battery, which offers you 15:30 hours of talk time and up to 384 hours of stand-by. (according to tests)

    Pros

    • Supports Android apps
    • Good call quality & clarity
    • Able to play most videos including Full-HDs
    • Long-lasting battery

    Cons

    • Speakers are not loud enough
    • Bad low-light pictures
    • 5.9 GB are usable of the 8 GB internal memory

     

    You can buy this smartphone, which is rated with 3.0/5 stars, from Amazon.

    ---
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  6. Buy BlackBerry Z30 (from $205.06)

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    BlackBerry Z30 is recommended only to true BB fans as its competitors from other manufacturers can supply you with a much better phone for the same price. Z30 has a good web browsing speed and a long battery life, but besides that there is nothing this phone can offer you in comparison to the competitors.

    Its key features are:

    • BlackBerry OS 10.2, upgradable to v10.3.1
    • A Dual-core 1.7 GHz Krait processor
    • 2 GB RAM
    • 8 MP camera with autofocus and a 2 MP front camera
    • Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors
    • A 5-inch display
    • Internal memory of 16 GB with the possibility to add a microSD card up to 64 GB
    • A non-removable 2880 mAh battery, which offers you 25:00 hours of talk time and up to 384 hours of stand-by. (according to tests)

    Pros

    • Long battery duration
    • Large RAM (2 GB)
    • HDMI port
    • Huge screen

    Cons

    • A poor front camera
    • Issues with Contacts section (according to users)
    • Heavy

    You can buy this smartphone, which is rated with 4.1/5 stars, from Amazon.

    ---
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  7. Buy BlackBerry Passport (from $219.99)

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    BlackBerry Passport features very strong build, lot of RAM and an impressive battery life. Due to its size and weight it is impossible to use it with a single hand and it seems very overpriced as well.

    Its key features are:

    • BlackBerry OS 10.3, upgradable to v10.3.2
    • A Quad-core 2.26 GHz Krait 400 processor
    • 3 GB RAM
    • 13 MP camera with autofocus and a 2 MP front camera
    • IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors
    • Its 4.5-inch display is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3
    • Internal memory of 32 GB with the possibility to add a microSD card up to 256 GB
    • A non-removable 3450 mAh battery, which offers you 25:12 hours of talk time, 10:12 hours of web browsing and 10:46 hours of video playback and up to 444 hours of stand-by. (according to tests)

    Pros

    • Large internal memory
    • Large RAM (3 GB)
    • 4G-LTE Support
    • Large screen size
    • Strong battery life

    Cons

    • A poor front camera
    • Bulky
    • Not ideal for multimedia content (according to some users)
    • Lack of essential apps (according to some users)

    You can buy this smartphone, which is rated with 4.4/5 stars, from Amazon.

    ---
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