There's no sense in denying it: For most of us, mobile phones are at the center of our universe. It's your phone, your messaging device, your on-the-go Web browser, your camera, your music player, your GPS navigation unit—and soon, with NFC technology, it could even be your wallet.
If you thought choosing a cell phone was difficult before, it's even tougher today. That's a good thing, though, because it demonstrates how innovation in the wireless industry has skyrocketed. We're seeing rapid progress across all fronts, including displays, data networks, user interfaces, voice quality, third-party apps, and even mobile gaming.
To cite just a few examples: All four major U.S. carriers now offer some variation of 4G networks, which (depending on the carrier and technology used) is anywhere from two to 10 times faster than 3G. The latest crop of Android smartphones is more diverse and powerful than ever; Android is also far and away the sales leader in the U.S. when it comes to smartphones, a result few could have predicted just two years ago. Apple's game-changing iPhone 4S—itself a technological marvel—is available on Verizon Wireless and Sprint in addition to AT&T, opening up access to another 150 million customers. Standard "feature" phones (handsets without app-based ecosystems) are beginning to fade in importance and sales are trending downward.
Taken together, these massive changes make much of the old advice about choosing a phone obsolete. So let's throw it all away and start over. The topic has become so important, and involves so many decisions, that we scrapped our existing cell phone and smartphone buying guides in favor of a single comprehensive story—the one you're reading right now.
So what should you be looking for when buying a cell phone? Here are some key points to consider:
First, Choose a Carrier
Despite all the recent hardware and mobile software innovation, your wireless service provider remains your most important decision. No matter which device you buy, it's a doorstop unless you have solid wireless coverage. Maybe you have friends and family on the same carrier that you talk to for free, and you don't want that to change with your next phone. Maybe you're lusting after a certain device—say, a 4G LTE-capable Android phone, or an unlocked smartphone for international travel. And of course, you want to choose a carrier that offers fair prices, and provides the best coverage in your area. These are all good reasons to put the carrier decision first.
We have two major features to help you choose a carrier. For our Readers' Choice Awards, more than 10,000 PCMag.com readers told us which carrier they prefer based on coverage, call quality, device selection, and other factors. And for our 2011 Fastest Mobile Networks feature, we sent drivers to 21 U.S. cities to scope out which smartphone carriers have the best data coverage. Because each of the national carriers sells a wide variety of phones, choosing your service provider should be your first move. Here's a quick rundown of what each one offers:
AT&T boasts nationwide coverage and a terrific selection of phones, particularly for texting. It has dramatically improved its service quality in the Northeast over the past two years, and is now powering up its 4G LTE network for the first time. It's also the worst-rated carrier by our readers. Sprint is relatively inexpensive, and offers some neat media services and a solid high-speed network. It also has the most open approach to third-party apps, letting its subscribers add a wide range of Java applications to its feature phones. Sprint has two prepaid brands, Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile, that sell phones without contracts.
T-Mobile offers mostly cutting-edge phones at relatively low monthly rates and enjoys a reputation for good customer service. It's the only carrier that offers a monthly discount in exchange for paying full price for your phone up front. But its network can be weaker than the other major carriers' in suburban and rural areas. Verizon Wireless is famed for its top-notch network quality and good customer service. Its prices can be higher than the competition, but when it comes to voice quality, Verizon phones often excel. That makes Verizon a perpetual leader in our Readers' Choice Awards. Verizon also currently has the largest 4G LTE network in the U.S.
There are also smaller, regional carriers. U.S. Cellular is only available in about half the country, yet it consistently gets great scores on our Readers' Choice Awards because of its strong commitment to customer service. Last year the carrier launched the "Belief Project," a new customer-service plan offering perks like free battery swaps and replacements for damaged phones. Meanwhile, Cricket and MetroPCS are "unlimited" carriers that offer much lower rates than their competitors and don't require contracts. But they aren't available everywhere, and have a somewhat limited, mostly lower-end selection of phones.
Finally, you may also see unlocked phones on the market that work with GSM networks such as AT&T and T-Mobile, but that carriers don't sell directly. These handsets are often imports. Because they're generally more expensive than carrier-approved-and-subsidized phones, few are sold in the U.S. But you can find a few bargains, such as the affordable Sony Ericsson Naite, in case your AT&T or T-Mobile phone breaks and you need a replacement.
Do I Need a Smartphone?
As more people become accustomed to instant email, Web, music, and messaging access at all times of the day, regardless of where they are, smartphones have become almost indispensible. That said, there's plenty of variety out there—not to mention devotees of specific OS platforms. That makes sense, though; sometimes, a platform's user interface or app selection just speaks to you, and that's all there is to it. With that in mind, and at the risk of attracting flames, let's break it down as well as we can for those who aren't so fully vested.
Right now, Google's Android and Apple's iOS are the two top smartphone platforms, both in U.S. sales and in availability of third-party apps. The iPhone has the best app store, the smoothest user interface (which some people don't like, but many do), and the best media features. But the iPhone limits you to AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon, and Apple's tightly controlled ecosystem can feel stifling to some. Android sales have now surpassed the iPhone by a significant margin; you can buy Android phones on seven U.S. carriers, and there are plenty of Android handset choices. At the time of this writing, AT&T was offering more than 20 Android phones. Many come with rich features like high-speed 4G Internet connectivity, fast dual-core processors, 4-inch (or larger) hi-res screens, and free GPS navigation. Also, Android's open-source nature makes it a tweaker's dream. But it also means fragmented third-party app compatibility, occasional bugs, carrier-installed bloatware you can't remove, and scattered, often sporadic OS updates.
Don't get us wrong: There are other solid smartphone platforms. But there are issues with each. BlackBerrys still command significant (if declining) U.S. market share and work as well as ever, but RIM's star is fading as attention shifts away from email and enterprise-managed devices. Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.5 is surprisingly polished and easy to use, but Microsoft hasn't sold many units, even after a year on the market. Nokia still does well outside of the U.S., but sales are nearly non-existent here, and now the company is in the middle of a complex transition to Windows Phone 7. HP canned webOS earlier this year, so that one's out of the picture.
Perhaps most importantly, none of these other platforms have nearly the same level of third-party app support as iOS or Android. For many folks, apps are the primary reason to get a smartphone. Apple's App Store leads with more than 500,000 apps that are put through a rigorous quality check process. The iPhone also plays the best games. Android Market is catching up quickly, though. Many independent developers like the freedom Android Market offers, as Apple can put the kibosh on whatever app category it feels like (such as vintage game console emulators), but not all apps run on all Android phones; there are so many phone models that maintaining quality control is tough. Other smartphone OSes can run apps, but there are much fewer available, and usually don't match their iPhone or Android counterparts in sheer power.
Regardless of your thoughts on platforms, form factor is also important. Touch screens allow for slimmer devices, smoother user interfaces, easy Web browsing, and a quality video-playback experience. And thanks to a lack of hardware buttons, third-party app developers can design their dream control schemes without worrying about differences in button layouts. But for some, typing on a touch screen can be a drag. Hardware QWERTY keyboards are easier to type quickly on, and are still ideal for many messaging fiends. But hardware keyboards either add bulk, in the case of horizontal and vertical sliders, or they reduce screen real estate, in the case of BlackBerry-like slabs. A few oddball designs tilt upwards like the Nokia E7.
Texting and Voice Phones
In the age of mobile apps, smartphones get all the buzz these days, but roughly half of the cell phones sold in the U.S. are feature phones including camera phones, music phones, waterproof phones, texting phones, or just plain voice phones. There are still reasons to get a simpler, less-expensive device. And it's not just about being a Luddite. Maybe you want to save on the device itself and reduce monthly fees by avoiding a smartphone's $20-$30 data package, or you just don't want to be tethered to the Internet all the time.
Unlike smartphones, feature phones are a matter of "what you see is what you get." They don't receive magical software upgrades or run thousands of additional apps. (Some feature phones come with "app stores," but don't be fooled: These exist primarily to sell you additional-cost services, as well as ringtones, wallpaper, and basic games.)
Because even feature phones do almost everything, you should decide what capabilities you need or want most. Start narrowing down your choices by first ranking the five major categories of features in order of importance: voice quality and related capabilities; messaging; camera and camcorder; media playback; and Web, GPS, and other features. Once that's done, you'll be able to concentrate on a more narrow selection of feature phones. If you're big on text messaging, you want a phone with a hardware QWERTY keyboard, plus an unlimited texting plan. If you've got a small child, a camera is probably important. If you want to ditch your iPod, keep an eye out for good media features.
For voice quality, read individual phone reviews. Wireless network coverage is always the biggest factor, but individual phones can vary in reception, earpiece quality, transmission quality through the microphone, and side-tone (the echo of your own voice that helps prevent you from yelling at the other person). A phone with middling to poor reception quality can be almost impossible to use in a marginal coverage area, while one with excellent reception can make the best of the little signal that's available. Another point to consider: Some phones have much louder speakerphones than others. A few have buggy Bluetooth stacks that make pairing with headsets and in-car hands-free stereos a pain.
The same advice I gave above about form factors also applies to feature phones. In this case, in addition to touch screens, sliders, and QWERTY slabs, you'll also have basic voice phones that are either candy-bar shaped with numeric keypads, or flip phones that open up to a larger, more comfortable numeric keypad. Flip phones have the added benefit of not needing a keyboard lock; close the phone, and you won't mistakenly dial someone while it's in your pocket. For the accident-prone, some phones, like Sprint's Kyocera DuraMax or the Casio G'zOne Ravine on Verizon Wireless, are even ruggedized or waterproof.
Cameras and Music Players
For a few years, feature phones with good cameras and music players flourished. But especially now that the iPhone and Android devices are popular, phone manufacturers across the board decided anyone who wants to take decent pictures or replace their iPod probably wants a smartphone.
That said, feature phone cameras can still satisfy casual users who just want snaps to post on Facebook or Twitter. Look for a phone with at least a 2-megapixel camera. Keep an eye on our reviews to see which phones take washed-out, compressed-looking photos and which take bright, clear shots. It's tougher to find a good video phone; we'd recommend a newer smartphone for this purpose. If you want to post your videos online or burn them to DVD, look for a handset that captures at least 640-by-480-pixel videos, at 30 frames per second or better. Many of today's higher-end smartphones offer 720p (1,280-by-720-pixel) or 1080p (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) high-definition recording; a few even offer image stabilization, which reduces jerkiness from unsteady hands.
For music, you want a phone with a 3.5-mm headphone jack, so you can listen to your songs with standard headphones. If you get a phone with a 2.5-mm jack, or even worse a proprietary one, you'll need a clumsy adapter to use quality headphones. As an alternative, look for a phone that supports stereo Bluetooth wireless headphones. Smartphones offer the most comprehensive music players. Apple iPhones work with iTunes, while the freeware doubleTwist does a great job of syncing both PCs and Macs with Android and some LG feature phones. Windows Phone 7 devices work with Zune software on both Macs and PCs, while BlackBerry Desktop Software syncs BlackBerrys to iTunes on either platform as well. Another option is iTunes Agent, an open-source app that lets you sync some feature phones with iTunes.
All About Pricing
Cell phones are more expensive than they appear. American wireless carriers subsidize the price of handets, in exchange for signing customers to binding two-year contracts. That's why you can get a phone like the powerful Motorola Atrix 2 for just $99 on AT&T, even though the phone's actual retail price is $549.
Still, amortize the up-front cost out over two years, and it pales in comparison to what you'll pay every month. Look at it in that light, and maybe it makes sense to splurge up front to get the awesome Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket or Apple iPhone 4S you really want, while maybe paring back your minutes or an extra feature or two to hold monthly costs in check. Unlocked phones lack subsidies and cost the most up front, sometimes well in excess of $500. But they let you swap in any AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card, as well as use any prepaid international cards that help you save big when traveling. Unlocked phones don't work on other American carriers, though.
There are also your monthly carrier fees. And this is where things gets tricky, as the carriers make it exceedingly difficult to figure out how much you'll actually pay per month. Verizon and AT&T plans tend to cost the most, but those two carriers have the best voice and data coverage in the nation. Sprint and T-Mobile offer considerable savings, especially on unlimited voice, data, and texting plans, but don't have quite the same level of network coverage.
Don't want to play the contract game at all? Go for a smaller carrier or even a prepaid phone. We're beginning to see prepaid smartphones appear everywhere, especially on smaller regional carriers like Cricket Wireless, MetroPCS, and U.S. Cellular. If you live in an appropriate coverage area and don't need a cutting-edge device, the potential savings can be huge. Even phones with contracts on the smaller carriers like MetroPCS can run as little as $40 or $50 per month, and that's with unlimited voice, data, and text messages, and no extra taxes or fees.
To get the best price, it pays to check a carrier's Web site before hitting a retail store outlet; often you can do better online, especially with instant rebates, and buying online is also more convenient. Amazon.com, Wirefly, and LetsTalk.com are all good online portals to compare pricing, though many of these will have mail-in rebates instead of instant rebates. Finally, you can grab a used phone off of eBay from the same carrier, and then activate it on your current plan.
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