Best Smartphones, Buying the Best Smartphone to Meet Your Needs

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How to Choose the Best Smartphones! (Cont'd)

Are you looking for the best smartphones? What is "the best" is certainly a loaded question! Here you will find a discussion of some the the key factors to consider when buying a smartphone:

The Operating System
This is becoming a huge topic, or shall I say a huge battle! Many people will define the best smartphones as those that have the operating system that they want. And this makes a lot of sense, because no matter how great and sleek the smartphone hardware is, it’s the operating system that you interact with to do the things that you want to do! Note that the number of available applications that you can download (either paid or free) is a huge topic of discussion when people talk about what are the best smartphones out there. If you’re the type of person who wants to turn on the phone and just use what comes with it, and maybe download a few simple applications or games, you might not care how many applications are available.

On the other hand, if you want access to an unthinkable number of download options, this will be important to you when narrowing down the best smartphones. That said, most people would agree that the most popular applications are available on any major operating system. One thing to keep in mind, though, is how well does the phone do what you want it to do on a daily basis right out of the box. I think this is truly telling. You don’t want to have to spend a bunch of time researching third party applications (and having to even buy some), just to do basic things (ex. make a phone call quickly, text messaging, email, etc.). The most common smarpthone operating systems are:

Apple iOS Apple iPhone 4 Smartphone

Currently has the most available applications, which is a huge plus for people wanting the most options. Though, arguably, the hundreds of thousands also available on Android is sufficient for most of us.

Considered very easy to use, and said to "just work".

Said to be falling behind others operating systems in terms of features and hardware (a hugely debated topic!).

A closed system, meaning that Apple controls what can and can’t be developed for the phone compared to other, more open platforms.

Found only on Apple products (i.e. hardware), meaning that there are limited hardware choices; usually one model per launch with several memory size options.

Google Android

Has less applications that iOS, however, with the volume now available, the app catalog is arguably just as robust.

A completely open platform, meaning that the sky is the limit for what can be done.

Said to take some getting used to because there is so much going on with it; a plus for the power user, but can get confusing for people who want something that’s more straightforward and simple. Google is expected to improve on this over time. Think of it as a Windows computer; it works well and most things can be customized, but it’s not always easy to find your way around. Though once you get used to it, it’s really not a big deal. That said, this complexity and fragmentation can turn people off in favor of Apple's one and only current flavor of iOS.

Available on hundreds of different devices by all kinds of smartphone manufacturers.

Palm/HP webOS (open-sourced as of early 2012)

In late 2011 HP announced the discontinuation of hardware development for this plaform (less than two years after paying $1.2 billion to acquire it from Palm!). There remains a dedicated fan base, however, despite the fantastic user experience, this smartphone operating system is virtually dead at this point.

Has the least applications available. (in the thousands and can never be expected to join the ranks of Android and iOS)

Said to be the best, most intuitive and sleek operating system, though others are copying its best features, so this advantage is quickly diminishing.

Although it is now open-sourced, it will likely never reach even a fraction of the level of usage as Google Android.

No new hardware is being produced to natively support webOS.

Symbian
This has been the most common operating system in Europe for a long time, but has had minimal presence in the U.S. and Canada. I only included it here because it is so massive in other countries, though I admittedly don’t know much about it ;-). Also note that following Nokia's partnership with Microsoft to use Windows Phone software, Symbian is said to be on its death bed.

Windows Phone

Microsoft has made many attempts over the years at a mobile operating system going back to the days of WinCE. While it missed the beginning stages of the smartphone OS battle, it entered the market in 2010 with Windows Phone 7, which is said to be more capable than iOS, while being much smoother and easier to use than Android.

Has a limited but growing app market.

Microsoft devleoped a strategic partnership/investment with Nokia, though Nokia has minimal presence in North America.

I expect this operating system to survive, but at much lower volumes/popularity than Android and iOS.

Available Carriers
Once you find the best smartphone for you, what carrier offers it? Is it offered by one or many wireless providers? Do they have coverage in your area? Do they offer reliable service (ex. low dropped calls), and fast data speeds? How’s their customer service? Do they use a wireless technology that allows you to use it internationally (ex. GSM, LTE)?

Garmin Asus Garminfone Smartphone

Available Plans
Once you find the best smartphones that can meet your needs, can you get the plan that meets your needs on the smartphone that you like the best? As per the spirit of this site, do they offer prepaid plans?! Are there good data plan options? You don’t want to worry about huge overage charges for data hungry phones like smartphones, or be throttled or shut down when you go over your limit! Check out the prepaid Smartphone Comparison chart to see what types of phones and plans are currently available.

Final Thoughts About the Best Smartphones
When you're testing out a smartphone, don’t forget to make a phone call! You’d be surprised that while manufacturers and carriers try to pack in all kinds of fun, cool, and fancy features, making a simple phone call on some smartphones can be surprising difficult. So when you’re testing out different phones in the store, don’t forget to make and receive a phone call! So all in all, you can see how there are just so many variables when it comes to the best smartphones that’s it’s not really practical to say which one is the best. It’s about your personal preference and needs. If you have experiences, thoughts, or opinions about the best smartphones are features, please feel free to share them in the Smartphone Review page. And don't forget to consider Cell Phone Insurance.

If you haven't already read the introduction to this topic, please visit Best Smartphone - Page 1. If you're interested in no contract smartphones, you can also review Prepaid Smartphones, 3G Smartphone Comparison, 4G Phones, or learn about What is a Smartphone.

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How to Choose the Best Smartphones! (Cont'd)

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