Since the appearance of the first smartphone in the mid-90s, a huge technological market has arisen in the production and distribution of smartphones. Nowadays, Android smartphones are enjoying the biggest market share. A typical Android device is designed to last a few years of use. The pace of hardware advancements and the increasing needs for software performance leaves no room for anything else. The preinstalled version of Android is expected to achieve an unsupported status in two years. Unless the manufacturer decides to upgrade the operating system via an over-the-air update.
For a typical Android user who can’t afford to spend a fortune on smartphone purchases, but also craves security and performance, choosing which Android device to buy can be too difficult a task. If you belong to this type of user, this guide is written to help you in your decision. Continue reading below for a list of five small, but meaningful, tips on buying an Android device with guaranteed longevity.
1. Go for a mid-range device
It is always better to invest more money to get something of better quality than to choose something cheap that will soon lose its value in use. A budget device is almost always doomed to not keep up with the progress of the software. Most manufacturers never produce a single update for their budget offerings. These devices are still prone to security holes and usually contain software bugs that no one can fix. Even in the custom development arena, few developers support budget devices.
In addition, budget devices come with hardware with low processing power, which is usually a generation less in terms of technology standards. A budget device will typically be unable to use modern software and technology within a year of release.
Buying a flagship device is not always the best solution. Unless you can buy a flagship from a manufacturer that guarantees upgrades to at least the next two versions of Android, you’re better off going for a mid-range product with half the money. Buying a used flagship two or three years ago doesn’t seem like a good idea either. The hardware of flagship products tends to be sub-standard as quickly as mid-range devices. To get a feel for it, consider H.265 video playback. Many content providers have already adopted this encoding and most of the higher quality content is only available on H.265. Flagship products produced two years ago do not support H.265 decoding.
To read : Top 10 best smartphones 2018
2. Buy a device with a large fan base and custom development
As we all know, manufacturers typically provide software upgrades for their devices for up to three years. However, if the device is not producing large sales figures, support may end prematurely. After all, everything is driven by profit. If sales remain stuck, there is no reason to support an additional device. Valuable human resources can be used for next generation developments.
Additionally, if you want your device to remain software relevant for more than three years, you should choose a device that has custom ROMs on it. officially worn. A custom ROM will typically provide an Android device with software updates for up to five years. Custom development targets are typically mid to high end devices from manufacturers that allow bootloaders to be unlocked and their source code released. The larger the community surrounding the development of an Android device, the better the quality of the customized product and the longer the software support.
3. Get a smart phone with the latest version of Android
In recent years, we’ve highlighted smartphone manufacturers producing devices that run an Android version, either one or two newer versions. There are several reasons for this. First of all, such a movement minimizes the development effort. Simply porting existing source code from older devices takes much less time than starting from scratch. Second, choosing an older version of Android guarantees less effort to keep up with Google’s standards. Google tends to increase its Android compatibility requirements for manufacturers with each new version of its operating system. Despite why a smartphone comes with an older version of Android, it is almost certain that it will not get the necessary attention from the community or the manufacturer during its lifecycle.
To read : How to install incompatible or region-limited apps on Android
4. Choose your equipment wisely
It could be the most difficult task in the process of choosing your next smartphone. To make sure you get a device that will last a long time, you should buy something with up-to-date hardware specifications. The hardware components that tend to change drastically from year to year are the processor, GPU, video encoder / decoder, and modem. Most of the mid-range offerings from SoC manufacturers are designed to be able to handle the technology standards that will be adopted over the next several years. So your best candidates are devices that come with a chip set for up to a year.
5. Expensive products aren’t always the best
Unless you need special features like an AMOLED display or a great camera sensor, long-time manufacturers with expensive products aren’t your only choice. Smaller companies have sprung up in recent years, providing high-yield, decent-quality products at low prices. These manufacturers have applied a special and proven strategy. First, most of them operate in Asia. This helps reduce shipping and production costs, as almost all electronic equipment in smartphones is made in Asia these days. They also reduce their operational costs by applying practices such as selling only through websites. There is a downside, however, that not all manufacturers based in Asia offer competitive products. Many of these companies failed to deliver their goods and ended up in bankruptcy.
These are our tips for choosing an Android device that will last over time. We have avoided mentioning the names of the manufacturers in the article to avoid influencing users’ opinions. After all, the maker of a smartphone isn’t all that matters today. Did you find this guide useful? Let us know in the comments section below.
