Smart Buyer's Guide to Mobile Phones Part I

Have you noticed that a cellphone has become more indispensable than a wristwatch? Whether you use it to hide your ability to deal with humans; or precisely because you need to speak to one, a cellphone is part of your wardrobe.

Many people buy a phone for the wrong reasons

The great majority of people buy a phone for the wrong reasons, and in doing that, they are spending more money than they should. Do you have a tree giving money fruits in your garden? I guess not. Being an informed consumer gives you an edge over the hordes of misinformed people that buy the wrong cellphone.

You shouldn't believe all that store clerks tell you

Oh! The store clerk at the mobile phone section gave you great advice? Think again! More often than not, they are clueless about what they are saying! I carefully research phone models before going to the shops for a 2nd round. You would be amazed at how many "specialized" clerks have sworn absurdities and lie only to get the sale done!

This article is my first installment in a series about these life-robbing and life-saving devices: the beloved cellphone. If you buy a mobile phone as a status symbol, don't bother to read this article. I believe that status is inherent to the values of a person.

A mobile phone is not a status symbol

I also believe most people need a mobile phone for under $300. Anything more expensive is for gamers and status-seeking people. Yes, you can have a mid-range phone packed with productivity features. Are you still interested? Read on! But before we get to the gist, I have to explain a few things.

Internal vs. External Memory

Phones are like your computer; they cannot operate without memory so, the more they have, the better.

They come with a limited ROM (Read-Only Memory) where they store the Operating System (OS) and all the pre-installed apps. Pre-installed apps include system applications as well as bloatware. Nowadays (2022), you can get mid-range phones with 128GB of ROM. High-end phones usually have 256GB. You can get away with 64GB if you don't plan to install much. But if you intend to install tumor-ware like WhatsApp, you will soon end up with a crippled phone.

Tumor-ware like WhatsApp will eventually cripple your phone's ability to function.

And then there is the RAM (Random Access Memory) which is even more limited. That is the working memory used by applications when they are running. Entry-level phones typically have 4GB, 6/8GB in the middle range, and over 8G in high-end phones.

An important fact to remember: if your phone's memory gets damaged, or if the phone is damaged, you lose all the information (photos, documents, music) unless you had backed it up elsewhere. Do you back up your phone regularly? 98% of the users don't; everybody thinks their phones will live forever.

36% of people don't think it is important to backup their data. Yet, 64% of people get devastated when they lose their data rather than the phone itself.

Several years ago, I had a beautiful and fantastic LG G3 Beat. During a cruise holiday, a few drops of salty water got into the phone, and that was it. My great phone was dead on arrival. Connecting it to the computer's USB port wouldn't give access to the internal memory. Luckily I used an External SD Memory Card, so I didn't lose anything.

That tiny External (SD) Memory Card is your life saver.

What lesson did I learn? External memory is a must if you value your data. And yet, some "specialized" store clerks would tell you it isn't needed.

The "Cloud" isn't always there for you and should not be relied on. Most likely you will need to pay both a data and cloud subscription should you want a full backup.

Others would claim you can backup everything to the cloud (Google, Microsoft, Dropbox), but with current photo resolutions, your space is soon up. Do you want to pay for a cloud subscription? I don't. Again, an external memory (SD Card) keeps you in control of your data.

Single or Dual SIM

Your mobile phone uses a SIM card or Subscriber Identification Module to connect to the telecom network. This small card in Full, Micro, or Nano size is inserted on the phone to access your telecom carrier. It is your phone number, just like a personal identification document is for you to your government.

Years ago, most mobile phones were Single SIM. But some people used a line for work and one for personal matters. Eventually, users got tired of carrying two phones. That is when phone manufacturers decided to include space for two cards (Dual SIM). Now, most middle-range mobile phones are Dual SIM.

I use a Dual SIM phone with two lines. It is indispensable to me to separate private and work matters. If, on the other hand, you are not an entrepreneur or your employer doesn't force a phone on you, a Single SIM is enough for you. Remember, privacy is a right, not a luxury.

Dual Standby vs. Dual Active

If you are a Single SIM user with no need for Dual SIM, you can skip this section.

When you examine the mobile phone specifications, you will notice either Dual Standby or Dual Active in the item that states whether it is Single or Dual SIM. But, what does it mean?

Dual Active means that if you are talking with a party on SIM 1, you can still receive calls or perform mobile data transfers on SIM 2 or the other way around. This feature is at most found on high-end devices because it requires the phone hardware to have not one but two radio transceivers. Both SIM cards can be active (in use) at any time.

You will find that these days most Dual SIM phones are Dual Standby. That means that both SIM cards (both phone lines) share a single radio transceiver module, and only one is alive at any given time. However, for most users, this is not a problem. I place high demands on the specifications of my candidate devices. Dual Standby is something with which I can live.

Hybrid Slot versus Dedicated Slot

This is where it gets tough in 2022. Nowadays, device manufacturers want to maximize their profits, giving you less for a higher price. It is no surprise that many 2021 mid-range phones have better specifications than their successors in 2022.

A Dedicated Slot means that each SIM card and the External Memory (SD) card have their slot in the hardware. That is a great basic feature you should not compromise.

On the other hand, a Hybrid Slot is a mediocre invention devised by greedy manufacturers. They use that scheme to push mid-range users into buying high-end phones. I think it is out of bounds. I would rather stop buying phones from a particular brand if another one gives me a dedicated slot.

Mobile manufacturers are in the business of giving you less for higher price tag.

What does it mean? On a Dual SIM phone with a Dedicated Slot, you can install two SIM cards and use an external memory card. A Dual SIM with Hybrid Slot, however, cuts you an arm or a leg, if you want external memory (and you do!) then you can only install one SIM card. If you install both SIM cards, you give up the ability to use external memory, and all your data is stored on the internal memory.

Is the Hybrid Slot that bad? Yes, it is! Do you remember what I said regarding accessing internal memory? All your data in internal memory is lost should your phone get damaged. That also means that if you have to take it to a repair shop for repair, you surrender ALL your personal data to them! An SD card is something a user should not compromise. Recently my wife's phone got a broken screen. We took it to the repair shop ($125) but we surrendered the phone without the external memory card.

A Case Study

I truly squeeze the juices out of all my mobile phones. I am a writer, I get ideas on the go and need to write them. I use a variety of productivity apps for creative writing as well as Microsoft Office. I am also an engineer. In my leisure time I use my phone to learn languages, not for gaming or useless WhatsApp conversations, and yes, I uninstalled Facebook long ago!.

I don't buy a phone because a newer model came up, I am also not an Apple fanatic that follows the herd. I am an informed consumer, not a blinded consumer. Better yet, to this date I have never spent more than $300 on a mobile phone.

My phone is a Samsung J7 Prime I bought in 2017. Yes, it still works in 2022 but it has finally come to its limits. The fingerprint sensor is scratched and doesn't work anymore. The memory is full because it barely has 3GB of RAM and 16GB of ROM. It has gracefully served its purpose and is now deserving retirement.

Last year I acted as technology consultant to my wife and advised that the Samsung 51 was the perfect replacement for her old J2 Prime which had come to its limits. Her J2 Prime was repurposed to my mother-in-law, but as it goes, she managed to burn the screen after one week of use.

My wife's Galaxy A51 still amazes me. It has Dual SIM with Dedicated Slot, good memory amounts, fingerprint sensor, face identification and even 4K video resolution! Not to mention how amazing the photos look with those vibrant colors! Needless to say, now that mine needs retiring, I wanted to buy something similar that met my specifications.

I was pretty excited about the A51 and A71 (Dual SIM, Dedicated Slot). But all merchants had removed it from their inventory. I found the A51 in one place but they wanted to sell it to me the price of the release date! No way!

And this is how a brand loses a loyal customer

Wherever I went, and I went to many shops, they only had the newer line from 2021. A02 is too low end, A32 meets some but has deficient performance, the A52 & A72 that all clerks suggested as their choice have a Hybrid Slot. The new line costs more and delivers less. For that reason I am still looking for a suitable replacement of any brand.