Let's
say that you're eligible for a new phone with your cellular phone provider.
Good for you! So, you head out to your local retail store and begin
testing out the many different Android models that are
available. Depending on what provider you use and what store you go to, you may
be a bit overwhelmed with all your choices. So, you decide to head home and
check reviews on your short list of
Android phones that you like the most.
You
do a Google search for Android phones, and you quickly find out that there are
several new and improved Android-based smartphones set to hit the market any
day now.
Now,
what do you do? You can either wait for the new batch of phones to be
released, then start the whole process over again, or you can buy one of the
ones that made your short list during your store visit.
This
article is intended to give you some suggestions and
though stimulator's to help you with your decision and is not
intended to steer you to purchase any particular Android phone model. In my
experience, there will always be new Android models coming out and you will
have to decide whether to "buy now or wait" nearly every time you are
thinking about a new phone.
- Technology
is always changing and improving but
that doesn't necessarily mean that the improvements will be relevant for
your needs. As of the writing of this article, most Android phones are 3G
but many of the "soon to be released" models are built to work
on 4G networks. But if getting blazing Internet speeds are not important
to you, the new phones technology improvements shouldn't mean much to you.
Though 4G will be around for a while, know that in the competitive cell
phone industry, there will be another major network upgrade that will
probably come during your next two-year contract cycle.
- When
new technology is released, older technology prices drop. If you would rather not spend a couple (or a few)
hundred dollars on a new, state of the art phone, realize that
whatever phones are currently available will drop in price after the new
phones are available. Just because there is new technology available
doesn't mean that the replaced or upgrade technology is obsolete.
- Some
manufacturers may stop supporting older models. Consider Apple for a minute. When they released the
iPhone 4, they announced that they would no longer be supporting the
iPhone 3 and earlier models, but they will continue support for the iPhone
3Gs. If the Android phone manufacturers follow the same line of thinking,
they will probably stop supporting older Android models. This support loss
may or may not come and if it does happen (which most likely it will)
it may not happen until well after you two-year contract expires.
Regardless, this is something you want to consider. Being stuck with a
"non-supported phone" with months left in your contract could
force you into an early upgrade.
- Taking
an honest look at your future phone needs may convince you that you need the latest and greatest.
Or it may tell you that you can save a few dollars and get the phone that
fits your needs. Unfortunately for me, I do not own a functional crystal
ball. If I did, I wouldn't have gone through 9 different phones over a two
year period. Yes, some of those phone purchases were directly related to
my "infatuation with phones," but a few were based solely on my
business and personal needs. Will your business or personal lives change
enough to warrant an early upgrade? That takes an honest look at what you
think your future will look like (at least your future as it relates to
your cell phone needs.) If you use your Android phone for phone calls,
texting, web surfing and emails, then any of the available phones will
most likely fit your needs perfectly until your next upgrade date arrives.
But, if you feel that you will be entering a new tech-based job, or will
need global coverage, getting the newest Android phone will probably make
sense for you.
When
it comes time for a phone refresh, there are many factors to consider. The
above ideas are just that, "ideas," that should be considered before
making any commitment to technology. And whether
that commitment is a new phone and new phone contract, or a
computer system, taking the emotion out of the purchase and using a bit of
logic and thinking should help you make a decision that you will be happy with
until the next time you have to go through the upgrade decision.