UK Buyer’s Guide to Mobile Phones
When buying a mobile phone for the first time, or even changing your network and handset after years, it can be a daunting experience.
Shopping around can blow your mind with the sheer choice available to the average consumer these days. You have to choose a network, a calling plan and the right store to buy from, and that is before you even go into the pros and cons of the hundreds of handsets available to you out there!
To try and make your choice that little bit easier, this buyer’s guide will walk you through the buying process step by step in easy to understand language. It may just prevent a little bit of the confusion for you and make the process a lot less stressful!
There are five main mobile phone networks in the UK today - O2, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and 3. The latter is the newest network and can support mobile video, one of the newest features that allow a caller to view the person that they’re talking to on the end of the phone!
There are other providers available to the consumer, but they actively use the existing 5 networks in order to function rather than having their own networks at their disposal. Virgin and BT Mobile are just two of the providers that actually use other networks to provide their own call packages.
Reception and availability of the networks varies from place to place as a result of the placement of receivers. All networks have better coverage in certain places and poor or no coverage in others, so that may be one of the first questions you should ask to determine the most appropriate network to you. It is essential that you choose your network before anything else because that will help to determine your calling plan and the model of handset you eventually choose.
There are two distinctly different types of calling plan available to all mobile phones users, commonly known as pay as you go and pay monthly.
Pay as you go is a pre-paid service offered by all networks that allows you to pay for your call in advance. By adding £10 of call time, for example, you can then use that money to make calls and texts but will need to top up before exceeding that amount. Some providers do put a time limit on credit so that it will expire if not used. Other may stipulate that you have to top up your credit every three months or so. It varies from provider to provider. This is perfect for individuals that will only use their mobiles rarely or for texts, but if you plan to use your phone on a daily basis then pay monthly maybe the better option for you.
Pay monthly, or contract, deals include far more facilities than pay as you go and tend to be favoured by networks as far as call charges are concerned. The lower rates and monthly bills make a contract easier to handle for people that extensively use their phones. You are contracted to pay a minimum amount each month to cover line rental and the call package that you have opted into. Any calls or texts that exceed you call package are billed on top of that amount but it would still work out cheaper than a pay as you go for regular users.
Call packages and plan vary from provider to provider and can be tailored to suit individual needs. They are usually made up of a set number of minutes and a set number of texts to use within the month. Minutes of talk time may be restricted to certain networks or certain times of the day, but most networks offer at least one package that provides cross-network anytime minutes for the user.
Before choosing a mobile phone calling plan, you should contact your chosen network to see what plans they offer and also assess your own personal needs. How many texts will you send? How many minutes will you need? Fulfilling your own needs is the most important factor in choosing a call plan so bear that in mind.
There are so many shops to choose from when it comes to shopping for a mobile phone. Every network has its own high street shops to make their products more accessible to the consumer.
There are also a large number of independent mobile stores that actually offer call plans from every network and various models from certain mobile phone brands. However, these independent stores often tend to push you in a certain direction after assessing your needs for you. Sometimes that direction is not the best option for you. They are also limited as to the models of handset they can carry.
More and more people are actually choosing to shop online for their mobile phones. Online stores have a much better range of handsets for you to choose from and also have a complete list of features so you know what you are getting. They also offer cheaper deals on contract terms and cheaper handsets for those choosing pay as you go arrangements, as well as access to all networks.
The handset is, to some individuals, the most important part of having a phone. This may be for a variety of reasons. For example, you may want a fully functional business handset to make your working life that little bit easier. You may prefer a highly fashionable phone that makes a statement about who you are as a person and cements your status amongst your peers. You may just want a phone that works! In short, the handset is everything no matter what your wants and needs. There is a handset out there that can fulfil the wants and needs of every individual but you do have to spend some time and energy trying to find it.
Before you are fully equipped to choose your handset, you must assess your wants and needs yourself in an attempt to try and decide what type of handset you want. You may choose the ability to play music over its looks, the ability use Microsoft Office tools over portability, sexiness over usability and functionality. You have to effectively rank priorities in order before deciding on a brand and model.
Brand is another issue. Some individuals choose a particular brand because they find it the most comfortable to use and stick with it no matter what, but most are happy to go with the brand that offers the handset that can tick all of their boxes. Every phone handset has different strengths and weaknesses, but it is entirely up to you to decide the qualities that go under each heading. The guide below should help your to decide.
The majority of mobile phones today are designed with a specific look in mind. No longer do you have to carry a phone the size of a brick! Today’s handsets tend to be petite and slim rather than chunky and wide. Some phones are bigger than others, but you can fit every single popular model in your pocket!
The main brands of mobile phone are Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG and Motorola are the five major brands on the handset playing field. There are other brands, of course, but all five of these particular brands are known for their reliability and quality. When you begin to browse, you will find that branded phones tend to follow set brand specifics. Nokia phones look very different to Samsung phones for example. As with any consumer product these days, there is a general look that all products from the same brand have to conform to, even if the individual item has it’s own unique, identifiable features.
Fashion is a huge factor in the latest designs and styles of mobile phones. Most are designed to look highly stylish and come in a variety of colours. Pink is an exceptionally popular colour, but then again so is the traditional black finish. Whatever colour you desire, I guarantee that you will find a phone to suit you on the market.
As far as design fashion is concerned, it has given rise to various styles of handsets. You can purchase a slider, flip, clamshell or a regular one level handset, amongst others! There are brand new designs of phone appearing on the market every year but you have to choose one that you feel completely comfortable handling.
As a result of all of the above, you will almost certainly prefer and favour one specific phone over the competition. It may take your eye or fit in with your own sense of style. Either way, you have to be comfortable with carrying it around for the next 12 months or so, so choose wisely!
The average mobile phone handset is packed full of features today. It is hard to believe that something so small can contain as much as it does, but that poses a problem for the average consumer who is not as mobile savvy as you need to be to negotiate the maze of extras. Choosing a handset is no longer simply about the call functionality. In fact, most mobile users would forgo excellent call quality for the best images a 2MP camera could give!
If none of that made sense to you then have a quick read through the features guide below to get a good overview of the features that your mobile could have.
Camera - A camera comes as standard on most phone handsets now. The small lens is usually visible on the back of the handset and is operated via the menu or a dedicated button. Cameras vary in quality from handset to handset. The rule of thumb is the higher the pixel level, the higher the quality of the images it produces. The top of the range handsets have 2MP cameras so try to get as close to that as you can. Some also have extra features, such as an LED light for night images.
Music - Handsets usually allow for music play. Most have FM radio but the more modern handsets will also play WAV and MP3 files, thus giving you the opportunity to download and store your favourite songs.
3G - 3G handsets support far more features than other handsets. You can get live sports clips, movies, online gaming, video calling and much more on a 3G phone. The functionality is generally good so if you do want a phone that can do pretty much anything, 3G handsets are your best bet. They are slightly heavier and larger as a result.
MMS - Also known as multimedia messaging, this is also a standard on most phones now. You can send sound, images and videos via a message similar in format to the text message. They can also incorporate text. If another user does not have a MMS enabled phone then they are sent a message to view it on the network website so it is pretty failsafe.
Bluetooth - This is a tool for connectivity that allows your mobile to connect wirelessly with other mobiles, computers and similar devices. The other device has to be within a radius of 10m but does not have to be in sight in order to make or receive transfers. The transfers can be in the form of messages, images or other data like music.
USB - A USB port on a phone is another element of connectivity. If a handset has a USB port then it is able to connect to other devices, photo printers and PCs being prime examples. This allows data transfer but the two devices do have to be connected at the time.
Memory - The memory of a phone can be both inbuilt and expandable. Some handsets have a poor inbuilt memory of around 20MB with others having 80MB plus. Some also have a slot for a memory card or stick and so can be expanded by up to 2GB, depending on the model and memory card requirements. The more memory you have, the more images, videos and songs can be stored.
Battery - Battery life is a big issue where new handsets are concerned. If you use your phone rarely then battery life does not make a difference. If you use it a lot or want to make the most of music/camera features then you will need a good battery. Most battery expectancies (standby and talk time) are more than the actual times so be aware of this when you buy.
GPRS - General Packet Radio System, or GPRS, is the way most mobile phone handsets actually connect to the Internet. It allows you to email and browse web pages at your leisure. There are usually extra charges for connecting to the Internet on your phone and not all handsets are enabled, but it generally tends to come as standard.
Ringtones - Most handsets are polyphonic tone enabled now so you can have your choice of ringtone. If you want a specific song then it can be downloaded onto your phone in polyphonic ringtone quality. This personalises you phone and is a must for most individuals now.
Roaming - Roaming is basically when your network no longer operates in the area that you are in and so another local network takes over. Going on holiday is a prime example. If you are abroad then you would probably not be able to pick up O2, for example, so a network in the country you are holidaying in would automatically take over. Some handsets are capable of roaming, some are not but if you do go abroad then you should really ask which group your handset belongs to.
Games - If you enjoy playing games on your handset then it would be worth checking whether it is Java-enabled or not. There is a wide range of games available for Java-enabled handsets that are not available on others.
Video - Some phones now facilitate video calling, which may be a feature that you are interested in. Most will play and record videos now too.
Office - Some newer handsets have Microsoft Office capabilities - PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Pdf files. It is therefore possible to conduct your business from your handset whilst travelling. If you do need a phone for business purposes then this may be a feature that you look for in a phone.
Obviously the use of all of these features largely depends on the network support. Some networks do not support 3G or video calling for example. You should already know what your network and call plan allows for before you choose your handset though so this will help you with your handset decision.
If you choose a monthly contract call plan rather than a pay as you go call plan then the likelihood is that you will get your chosen handset for free as part of the package. The more expensive phones will cost but a nominal fee of anywhere between £50 and £150, depending on the handset you actually choose. The newer, special featured models will almost certainly be put up for a nominal fee with more basic but equally new handsets falling into the free category.
If you do choose a pay as you go call plan then expect your phone to cost between £70 and £350. The lower end of the scale is occupied by the more basic models of handset, but the newer models cost in excess of £300 if you are choosing the most stylish, technologically cutting edge handsets on the market. Again, the features you choose as identified by your list of wants and needs will determine the price.
The call plan that you choose may actually restrict the handset that you eventually end up with. Some models of handset re only allowed on pay monthly contracts, and those contracts may also stipulate that you have to have one of a designated list of handsets. The exception for the latter tends to be online. Online stores do not generally tend to restrict the handset options as a result of the chosen contract.
Now you are fully equipped to choose a network, calling plan and handset. You just have to make the choice! Browse online to check out all of the possibilities with the necessary text and image information in front of you. Now you understand all of the terms and options in plain English, you’re stress free and good to choose your ideal phone deal!
