There are different situations in life when there is enough love and affection, but there is not enough money. And at the same time, we urgently need a new smartphone. What smartphone features should be sacrificed when choosing?
Usually in such articles, the upper limit of the cost of the phone is indicated and within this framework the best models on the market are selected. For example, 'the best phone under $ 10,000'. But you and I, friends, will choose a different path. Let's take the basic functions of a smartphone and discard them if we don't use them often or they are simply not needed. Provided that such a phone will be used by an ordinary man in the street, and not by a top manager, taxi driver or archaeologist.
operating system
Since our goal is to shrink as much financially as possible, the choice falls on Android OS. iPhone is too expensive even in the secondary market, and Windows in a smartphone has finally turned into a fairy tale from a distant childhood. Conclusion – it will suit us Android.
Screen
For each smartphone, the screen performs the main function of information input-output. It can be any size from 4.5 inches and up. At the same time, there should be only three things to worry about – viewing angles, multitouch (at least two touches) and screen manufacturing technology (no just TFT or LCD).
Communication
We have little money, but a lot of love and affection. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare for constant correspondence in instant messengers and social networks. The result is a very blurry image of the user, but we can say that it is unlikely that the most important task for a smartphone will be chosen to watch Youtube via LTE protocol. And for the purposes indicated above, 3G is also quite suitable, especially since our country is large, and 4G is not available in every village. On the other hand, of all manufacturers of communication modules, only Qualcomm always behaves decently, the same X5 module in Snapdragon 210 shows itself from the very best side. Also, a Wi-Fi module is absolutely necessary for life in order to cling to the Internet wherever possible. So, the connection remains at the 3G level or better, and the advantage, under equal conditions, should be given to Qualcomm chipsets.
Performance and memory
Over the past year, the difference between performance and budget chipsets has completely disappeared when performing everyday tasks in Android. The difference can be a millisecond delay when navigating through the menu. In such conditions, performance is limited not so much by the number of cores or the video processor, but by the lack of RAM. How much RAM is needed for the stable operation of third-party applications – not games. In the fall of last year, it was experimentally found that 512 MB of RAM is no longer enough to run and stable work of modern applications, even if it is a 'light' Telegram. A budget volume of 1 GB of RAM will give the necessary minimum of comfort, and it is worth relying on it. Applications will unload each other from memory, but at least they will not slow down on startup. As for the volume of internal storage, the answer is very simple – there are no modern smartphones on sale with less than 8 GB of storage, which means that this figure should be taken as a basis.
Camera
Photographing is the most unimportant function when we save money. Of all its remarkable characteristics, we will leave the most important – the presence of autofocus. This will allow, if necessary, to photograph the receipt, the schedule of the flower shop or boat station, the announcement of the opening hours of the park orchestra (to ride a boat with the girl and listen to Bach).
Musical possibilities
Alas, with modest financial resources, one cannot count on good sound. If you have normal headphones, you should pay attention to the presence of a 3.5 mm music jack. As with connectivity, Qualcomm chipsets show the best results with music in a smartphone, they cannot compare with dedicated music chips, but they will give a stable average sound. But if you are a music lover, then it is contraindicated for you to look towards budget smartphones at MediaTek. It makes no sense to talk about the need for an analog radio in a smartphone either, this is a very specific thing these days.
Battery and battery life
Considering this issue in the concept of 'sacrifice' is simply silly. The main requirement for a battery is to have it. This is not a situation where you can loudly declare 'I demand that the smartphone continue to work'. The smartphone will not work longer from this, and the question of its survival during the day is decided by redoing its habits.
Intermediate conclusions:
- OS: Android
- Screen: 4.5 inches +, IPS or better, two-touch multi-touch +
- Communication: 3G +, preferably Qualcomm chipset
- Performance and memory: From 1 GB RAM, from 8 GB ROM
- Camera: Having autofocus
- Musical Capabilities: 3.5mm jack, preferably Qualcomm chipset
- Battery: To be
Go to the store
In the Northwest region (by place of residence), the cheapest model with sacrificed functions is the Prestigio Muze B3 smartphone. The lamb costs 2,390 rubles and, suddenly, has a 5-inch screen with HD resolution, made using TFT-IPS technology. For this money, he can be forgiven for the lack of 4G connection, the old Android 6.0 and even older chipset MediaTek MT6580.
Looking at smartphones based on Qualcomm chipsets, the cheapest option is TP-LINK Neffos Y50 for 3990 rubles. Having paid more than 1,000 rubles (compared to Muze), the user gets a lower resolution screen and an LTE module.
And here the question arises, which one to choose?
Friends, in many ways this article is the answer to Evgeny Vildyaev's question “what can you donate to a budget smartphone.” Do you agree with the proposed logic? Or you have a completely different view of what you can sacrifice when choosing. Please tell us about it.