KPH tech blog

As I’ve already mentioned, I don’t want to make too many downgrades when selecting my new phone, and that’s why I thought it’d be ideal if I could lost what I would prefer my next phone to have, in order to narrow the huge range of smartphones to just a small selection.

I haven’t decided yet as to whether I’m going for Android or iOS, but… having played around with my iPhone 6S for about a year and a half now, I think I can safely say I much prefer Android. I’ll talk about that a bit more later, but for now, here’s my checklist for 2021:

My Next Phone, 2021 Checklist

These are the features and conveniences that I’d prefer my new phone to have:

• Ultra wide-angle camera
• Telephoto camera (preferably 3x optical zoom, or more)
• Full HD/2K screen (preferably OLED)
• 3.5mm headphone port – I do have Bluetooth headphones, but it’d be nice to have a 3.5mm port as I also have a good, working pair of Sony over-ear headphones that I use when my Bluetooth headphones are charging
• Equaliser (native, in Settings) for boosting of music & video sounds – I could download a Bass Booster app from the Play Store (I have bought a couple of EQ apps in the past), but I’d much prefer a System/built-in EQ, like the one I have on my S9 Plus
• NFC – as the world transfers to wireless payments, especially in shops, NFC is a must-have feature. It’s for that reason alone that I’ve dropped the Moto G8 Power – an otherwise, almost perfect phone – from my selection of possible new phones.
• FM Radio (?)
• a new experience (?)
• premium build quality, but much cheaper price (mid-range)
• fingerprint sensor on front/side
• Bezels/frame – don’t mind, as helps to hold phone
• internal storage: 128-256 gb
• Expandable storage via a Micro SD card slot

Analysis

While my S9 Plus has both a wide & 2x telephoto cameras at the rear, it would be nice to also have an ultrawide lens as well. So far, I’ve managed with just using the panorama mode on my S9 Plus, for scenes where a wide-angle is needed – or, I use a clip-on external lens set to accomplish either a wide-angle photo, or a fisheye effect.

I’d prefer a Full HD screen at the least, maybe even more, but I definitely won’t accept a 720p screen. Maybe I would’ve done a few years ago, but ever since 2015 I’ve had phones – even my HTC Desire Eye – with at least a 1080p screen resolution. I don’t mind the option to drop the resolution later to achieve better battery life, but I want it to be my choice, rather than it being the constraints of the hardware.

A 3.5mm headphone port & built-in Equaliser would be awesome, especially as many phones now don’t have either. My S9 Plus has both, and although the Pixel 4a doesn’t have an Equaliser, it does have a 3.5mm port, whereas OnePlus, Samsung & Apple have all ditched it. It’s a hot topic, and one that’s forcing my hand a little.

NFC, in 2021, is a must. Wireless payments are becoming more and more mainstream, even replacing previous payment methods in shops, so I’ll need a phone that can keep up with the times. A phone without NFC is a no-go: such as, unfortunately, the otherwise brilliant Moto G8 Power.

I’d love an FM Radio, too. Although it’s not something I use all the time, having it there is better than not having it. It’s a feature which I wish all phones just had, regardless of how they achieve it. In my opinion, internet radio just isn’t the same.

I’d also prefer a premium build quality, although given my budget constraints, I admit this is going to be a bit difficult.

Although I like Samsung’s One UI, I’m not impressed by their Galaxy A line, and so I’m therefore open to a new experience. The simplicity of Google’s Pixels, for example, is now more appealing to me than ever, and I don’t mind the back to basics approach, as long as it means I also get a reliable phone with quick updates.

Expandable storage (preferably via a Micro SD Card slot) is a must, as it’ll allow me to expand the available storage. In my S9 Plus, for example, I’ve inserted a 128GB card, meaning my available storage has been doubled from the 128GB internal storage to a total of 256GB.

Obviously, I don’t have access to all of that 256GB – it’s nearer to 240GB (due to OS updates, etc) – but storing all my music, photos & videos on my Micro SD Card means the phone has mist of the remaining 120GB of internal storage for apps & games.

I hope that’s explained a few things. I’ll go into a bit more detail in my next blogs.

For now, though, thanks for reading!

– Chris JK.