HOW TO BUY A PHONE: What to look out for when getting a phone in Nigeria.

 Welcome to HITA PHONES REVIEW, we'll guide you through on how to get/buy and what to look out for in a phone in Nigeria.

Are you a person that's careful with devices or your device falls often? 

What to look out for in a phone

◾ Availability of replacement parts. 

You have to understand or find out how available are replacement parts of a device, incase of a damage to its parts you can easily repair it, else you'll have to send to Lagos and if they're unable to get the replacement in Lagos, you dump the phone unless you can afford shipping replacement from overseas. 

◾Popularity

The popularity of a phone most times determines the availability of replacements. That is the market is big in a region and there are technicians who have knowledge on fixing and repairing the particular device.

◾Durability 

You have to find out if the phone you want to buy is a durable phone, you don't want to buy a phone and the next thing it starts developing problems. 

THESE ARE SOME OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN A PHONE IN NIGERIA BEFORE YOU DECIDE ON THE SPECIFICATIONS YOU WANT.

After checking and confirming the above, you can now settle for the specifications you want. 

Choosing or deciding on the phone's specifications depends on what you would be using the for and how often you would be on your phone. 

Specifications lookout

Battery 

Are you the kind of person who is likely to have multiple applications open simultaneously? Do you see yourself being a heavy consumer of video-streaming applications or playing games? Heavy online usage tends to  drain batteries faster.

If you belong to this category of persons, then it is better to go for a phone with a long-lasting battery.

Memory 

It is correct to reason that phones with higher RAM will be faster and those with higher ROM will have more storage.

An average phone user should be fine or happy with a 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM. But if you are a heavy user, go for a phone with at least 3-4 GB RAM and 64GB ROM. You can as well extend your ROM with a micro SD memory card, but remember, applications that are stored and run from  memory cards tend to be slower. 

Camera

There is a lot of hype surrounding in-built cameras on phones with brands trying to outdo each other by offering more megapixels. Don’t let this fool you. By itself, a camera with more megapixels doesn’t result in better images. Apart from megapixels, good quality photos are a function of factors  like ISO levels, aperture as well as the speed of autofocus. If you are likely to take a lot of pictures, then go for a phone with a 12 or 16 MP camera that has an aperture of f/2.0 or lower, for good results even in low light. If your use of the camera is not likely to be heavy, a phone with an 8-12 MP camera and aperture of f/2.2 should be  fine for you.

Processor

Much like smartphone  cameras, there is a lot of hype about processors with jargons like quadcore, octa core, Snapdragon, MediaTek and so on. Here is a simple thumb rule. Look at the processing speed that is expressed in terms of GigaHertz (GHz). The higher the speed, the faster the processor. If you are going to do a lot of photo/video editing or play  online games and stream videos, opt for a faster processor.

Display

A phone with a 5.5 – 6-inch  HD or QHD display is usually an ideal option. This will allow you to enjoy a rich media experience while being easy to carry in your pocket or purse.

Operating System

There are only two Operating Systems (OS) to choose from – Android or iOS. If you opt for iOS, then you are by default opting for an Apple iPhone. All other smartphone makers function on the Android OS. But this also comes in a confusing  array of names and versions. Often the Android OS is tweaked by manufacturers to add features which could also result in bloatware, thereby slowing down the phone. So, try the phone out before making the decision.

THIS SHOULD HELP YOU CHOOSE THE PHONE YOU WANT.