It appears that today when you have to buy a smartphone, there are a lot of options to choose from. Each of those options has a feature that makes it ideal for whoever likes it but like all things tech, there is a strong suit and then a thing or two that they compromise on.
If you have used more than one smartphone brand before, you might understand what I am on about. Based on my experience of using and owning a number of smartphone brands mentioned in this article, I rate them according to the things they got right and what they compromised on.
Below are some of my experiences and impressions on five smartphone brands that have owned and still own even up today and hope they will help you make an informed decision while buying one;
1. iPhone
The largest compromise that comes with owning an iPhone is the hole it eats in your pocket. Or the pocket of whoever bought it for you. The iPhone is expensive, more expensive than many other smartphones.
Some might say this is not a compromise, especially because the iPhone is a premium device but the list continues. First, you have to wait a whole year before you can get a major upgrade on the iPhone, quite often, when they come, they are underwhelming.
Secondly, iPhone’s cannot share content freely with other phone types and if that isn’t enough, to be able to comfortably use it, you will need to have other Apple devices to complement the ecosystem.
2. Samsung
Designed to be the best option for the iPhone. Samsung lives up to their promise with a host of excellent features to brag about. For instance, an epic display, custom apps, good security and great body design (Have you seen the new Note 10?).
The Samsung however, loses major points with the way it compromises on battery life. If you own an S series model, the battery is undoubtedly the worst thing on the device. To get a full day’s work out of that phone, you will have to keep charging it.
3. Tecno
Having edged its chunk of the market share in Uganda and Africa, Tecno prides itself on being affordable, having a good camera and a battery that is sure to outlast your day’s hustle.
These beautiful features are overshadowed by the compromises Tecno makes which begin with that ugly user interface, less powerful processors especially for heavy phone users, buggy software and weak body design.
It is key to mention that Tecno has the most inconsistent cameras on a phone anywhere. The devices also have the habit of killing apps that are not being used. If you think about it though, that is part of what makes its battery so good.
4. Huawei
Killing Android support for Huawei has not stopped the Chinese phone maker from flourishing. With every phone they put out, Huawei keeps pushing the envelope to beat even the iPhone.
Huawei has got to be doing something right if even Apple buys parts of the iPhone from them. While the device thrives with battery life and great cameras, they are not as efficient especially for the long term.
Something almost always goes wrong on a Huawei device. The screen and buttons on the side are usually the common culprits. But now that the company is no longer dependent on Google’s Android, they might get better and deliver flawless devices.
5. LG
The king of gimmicks has always put out a functional and affordable smartphone. I once owned the LG G4 and it was the best phone I ever held for about 5 days.
LG makes smartphones with headphone jacks, consistently good cameras, a great user interface and cool gimmicks but the phones are not very reliable in the long run.
The LG G4 had a boot loop bug which made the phone unusable while other models like the G5 had mediocre batteries and screens. In my opinion, an LG phone is the kind that you would like to hold and use but not love to keep for a long time.
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