With so many smartphone brands and models available in the market, it is hard to decide which one should you pick. These models don’t just differ in price tags but also in terms of specifications, screen sizes, and processors.
Using any mobile phone comparison site online, you can compare your desired choices before making a decision. But what features do you need to compare? Don’t worry. Here I have curated a detailed comparison checklist to make things easy for you.
Let’s have a look.
How To Compare Phones?
While there are plenty of features in a smartphone, here are the crucial ones to look for to compare phones side by side using any tool:
| Specification | Description | Range |
| Display Type | Impacts viewing experience | Depends upon several factors and price range |
| Display Size | Impacts aspect ratio and viewing experience | Higher the better (depends upon usage type) |
| RAM | Responsible for lag-free smoother and faster performance | Higher the better |
| Storage | Determines how large data you can store in your device | Higher the better |
| Battery Capacity | Determines battery life of a device | Higher the better |
| Charging Type | Determines how much time a device will take to get charged completely from 0-100 | Fast Charging is best |
| Camera Quality | Determines video and image resolution, sharpness and clarity | Higher the better |
| Screen Protection | Prevent screen breakage from sudden falls | Stronger the better |
| Screen Resolution | Determines the vibrancy and clarity of visuals | Higher the better |
| Speaker Quality | Determines audio quality and its loudness | Higher the better |
Display Type
Start device comparison with the display type. Usually, there are four types of displays most common in smartphones, and each has its own pros and cons:
- OLED – These displays offer excellent contrast and brightness with vibrancy. Also, they consume less power to give you better battery life but don’t come cheap.
- AMOLED: Similarly, AMOLED displays are known for their enhanced brightness and color quality. They also come with good battery life. However, the visuals are difficult to see in direct sunlight and consume more power in high-light ambient.
- Retina Display: It is the most popular display type that only comes in Apple phones. Retina display is quite different from other display types and uses advanced LCD technology to make your images and text more detailed and crisp to avoid pixelation. But again, you have to pay a good price for it.
- IPS-LCD: It is the most common display type found in budget-friendly smartphones as it is less costly to produce. While they offer better viewing angles, visibility, and brightness in sunlight, they drain the battery quickly due to their heavy backlight and contribute to the device’s heaviness.
Screen Size
Range: 5.5 inches – 6.5 inches & above
Most smartphones come in three standard sizes depending on your usage pattern and type. While the small display is easy to hold, the larger display gives you better viewing space. The ratio of the device’s height to its width determines its aspect ratio, so the bigger the screen, the bigger the aspect ratio you will get.
Generally, phones with bigger screen sizes are much heavier and bulky. However, these days manufacturers are addressing these issues by offering notch or bezel-less displays, giving extra screen space without increasing the size.
- 5.5 inches: Comes with a standard 16:9 aspect ratio and is compact and lightweight, suitable for normal basic usage.
- 6 inches: Offer 18:9 aspect ratio with Bazel-less or notch display functionality for increased screen space. Due to the more screen space, they are better for gaming and online streaming. However, they are more bulky and difficult to hold at a high price.
- 6.5 inches or above: Offers a 19:9 aspect ratio. They are less common as difficult and heavier to hold and use but suitable for multitasking and professional gamers. Due to their large screen size, they are more expensive than 5.5 or 6 inches devices.
Processor
The next crucial factor in smartphone comparison is the type of processor the device offers. Any mobile’s performance directly depends upon its processor. The faster the processor is, the smoother and lag-free your mobile experience will be.
Only some mobile manufacturers, like Samsung, Apple, etc., design their own processors. The four most commonly found processors are:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon: It is the most popular type and industry-leader processor known for its build quality and fast performance. Qualcomm’s flagship processor Snapdragon is classified into various series like 200, 400, 600, and 800 based on its performance order with 5G support.
The higher the number, the better the performance. The highest performing one is the Snapdragon 888, which you usually find in mid or high-range devices. Brands like Samsung, Motorola, HTC, LG, and OnePlus generally use the Snapdragon processor.
- Mediatek Helios: Mediatek Helios gives neck-to-neck competition to Snapdragon processors in terms of performance and that too at more affordable prices. Brands like Oppo, Vivo, Honor, Nokia, etc., use this processor. Mediatek represents its entry and mid-level processors with ‘MT67′, followed by a two-digit number.
As the number increases, the performance increases. Its premium mid-range is represented as Helios P, while the high-end one is represented as Helios X.
- Apple: The company has its own chipsets designed exclusively for its products’ ecosystem. Apple’s processor is unbeatable in terms of performance and usability. However, you have to pay a premium price for it. The recent ones are A14 Bionic and A15 Bionic with 5G support.
- Exynos 990: It is Samsung’s in-house processor, used in its Galaxy S to budget J-series phones. The major difference between Exynos and Snapdragon processors is that the former has octa-core chips while the latter has quad-core chips.
Due to more cores, it offers faster RAM speed and performance. It has a faster app loading time, making it suitable for multitasking and daily usage.
RAM & Storage
Range: RAM – 1GB – 12GB, Storage – 16GB – 512GB
RAM is your system’s memory that directly impacts its performance and decides how many apps you can run at once without any lag or crash. On the other hand, storage is your device’s capacity to store files, data, cache and apps. The more RAM & Storage size your mobile has, the more apps you can run and store on it. However, as you increase RAM and storage size, the price also increases.
| RAM | Storage | Suitable For |
| 2GB - 4 GB | 16 GB - 32 GB | Suitable for basic social media usage, like running a few apps only (Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, etc.) at low or medium settings with normal web browsing. |
| 4GB - 6 GB | 64 GB -128 GB | Suitable to run & store various entertainment apps with multiple browsing tabs. Also, allow you to run normal gaming apps at medium settings for a smooth gaming experience. |
| 6 GB - 8 GB | 128 GB - 256 GB | Suitable for running and storing heavy gaming apps for professional gamers, along with many other social media and work apps for multitasking |
| 8 GB- 12 GB | 256 GB - 512 GB | Suitable for running and storing heaving gaming, photos and videos editing apps with split-screen functionality without a lag |
Battery Capacity & Life
Range: 1500 mAH – 6000 mAH
Measured in mAH, the battery capacity decides how long the battery life. The battery capacity, usage time, screen resolution, and processor efficiency collectively decide how long a device will last without charging.
The more the battery capacity and life, the less charging your mobile phone will require. The ideal battery capacity for smartphones nowadays is 3500-4000mAh, which lasts for one day without charge on normal usage. However, you can go up or beyond this depending upon your requirements:
- 1500-2000 mAH – Expected battery life is around 10-12 hours on normal usage.
- 2000-3500 mAH – Expected battery life is around 16-18 hours on normal usage.
- 3500-4000 mAH -Expected battery life is around 18-26 hours on normal usage.
- 4000-6000 mAH – Expected battery life is around 1.5-2 days on normal usage.
Charging Type
Apart from the battery life, the charging type is crucial to compare the mobile with others. There are three types of charging that come in smartphones these days:
- Normal Charging: Only comes in low-budget or old models. It has a standard charging cable that works at normal speed to charge the phone completely in around 2-3 hours.
- Fast Charging: Most mid and high-range smartphones come with this charging type. It works at high speed to charge your phone completely from 0-100 in less than an hour. Also, its adapter is different but more powerful than the normal ones.
- Wireless Charging: With this type of charging, you can charge your device wirelessly without worrying about cables, and it usually comes in the latest or high-range models. It is good for frequent travelers who forget to carry their charging cables along. The only downside of wireless charging is that it is a slow process; thus, most people prefer the fast charging option.
Camera
The camera’s quality is another crucial aspect in comparing which phone is better. To decide which phone has a better camera to offer, you have to compare several factors, like:
i) Resolution: The camera’s resolution represents the number of pixels a device has. The higher the resolution is, the better the image quality. There are three types of video resolutions:
- 720p: Standard video resolution that comes in low or mid-range models. Videos made in this resolution consume less power and storage.
- 1080p: Better and moderate video resolution that comes in mid and high-range models. Videos made in this resolution consume more power and storage than 720p.
- 4K: Best resolution for crystal-clear HD videos usually comes in high-range models. Videos in this resolution consume more power and storage than 720p or 1080p.
ii) Lens & Optics: These are responsible for image clarity & quality. The lens focuses on the camera’s light to capture sharper images. In entry-level models, the plastic lens is used, compromising image quality; however, in mid or high-range models, brands use glass lenses to capture high-quality images.
iii) Number of Cameras: From one to four or five, various smartphones have n number of cameras to offer multiple modes.
- Dual-Camera: In dual-camera models, various camera combinations are used to increase image quality like depth sensor, wide or ultra-wide angle or telephoto lens.
- Triple-Camera: In triple camera models, three types of lens are used for artistic pictures, i.e. Zoom lens, black or white sensor lens and wide-angle lens.
- Quad-Camera: The three lenses used in Quad camera models are generally micro: Ultrawide, regular and Zoom lens, while the one is macro or depth sensor lens.
iv) Front Camera: Like back cameras, modern smartphones come with single or multiple selfie/front cameras for high-quality front images or videos. Usually, an 8MP front camera is ideal for clicking selfies. Some come with a pop-up selfie camera to turn the rear camera into the front camera, but it usually takes more time to click pictures than a normal one.
v) Modes & AI: Modern smartphones come with AI and face recognition technology that improves picture and video quality by improving edge detection and color contrast in portrait modes. Several other modes, like Pro mode, Panorama, Slow Motion, Night Mode, etc., allow you to capture different kinds of videos and images in different scenarios.
Screen Protection Technology
The display is the most expensive part of any mobile; thus, brands use various screen protective shields to prevent breakage from sudden falls. The three most common types of screen protection glasses are:
- Gorilla Glass: It is the most widely used screen shield in smartphones that offers resistance from scratch and water. However, they are of moderate quality and still can get shattered upon hard falls.
- Sapphire: It is top-quality protective shield that is very hard to break. However, it comes only in expensive models.
- Asahi Dragontrail: This screen shield is generally found in mid-tiered Chinese smartphones and offers moderate screen protection.
Screen Resolution
It refers to the number of pixels available on display. The higher the screen resolution, the better the viewing experience. While the screen size is measured diagonally, screen resolution is the ratio of the mobile’s height to width.
In entry and mid-range smartphones, HD or Full HD resolution comes (1920 x 1080p); however, in high-end models, QHD (2560 x 1440p) or UHD (3840 x 2160p) is the common screen resolution that offers better visual clarity & viewing angles.
Operating System – Android vs iOS
There is primarily two famous OS in smartphone brands: Android vs iOS. Both have their own ecosystem, advantages and disadvantages. The choice purely depends upon you, but here are several factors you can consider to make a decision:
- Android gives you more flexibility, apps and customization options than iOS.
- iOS has a more standard and secure experience than Android.
- While Android OS gives you a range of models, iOS models are generally more expensive than Android ones.
- iOS has minimal bloatware with no adware compared to Android OS.
- iOS lasts longer than Android OS.
- iOS offers better and more lag-free performance for multitasking and heavy gaming apps than Android.
- Android offers higher storage options in a low price range than iOS.
Speaker Quality
Range: 0 dB – 110 dB
We all want loudspeakers to enjoy our favorite movies, shows and music at better quality. To check your speaker quality, you can use any speaker loudness test tool available online. The loudness of a speaker depends upon its sensitivity in a non-echo room.
The more sensitivity, the louder the speaker is. The ideal speaker sensitivity for mobiles is around 87-88dB. Anything below 84dB is considered low quality, and anything beyond 110dB is considered too much. So while comparing speaker quality, don’t forget to check its sensitivity range.
Fingerprint Sensor & Face Unlock
For additional security and ease of usage, advanced mid or high-range smartphones come with fingerprint sensor lock and face unlock technology. So, if you are getting these additional benefits on your budget phone, it can be considered a good deal.
Affordability
Budget is a crucial factor in the mobile phone comparison tool. If your requirements are basic or you want to use the mobile as your secondary device, you don’t really have to go for premium features like high RAM & storage or a big display. A basic 5.5″ model with HD resolution, 4-6 RAM and 64-128GB storage would work for you.
But if you have professional gaming or multitasking requirements, you need more RAM, storage, better screen resolution and processor. If budget is not a constraint for you, Apple is a great choice; otherwise, go for Android
Security
If security is your main concern, then nothing can beat Apple. However, other smartphone brands also offer great data encryption, face look, and fingerprint lock features for enhanced security, but nothing is as strong as Apple.
Warranty
The more the warranty period, the less money you have to spend on the device’s maintenance or repair. Usually, brands offer 2-3 years of free warranty, but you can extend it by paying a little more while purchasing a device. Going for an extended warranty is better, so you don’t have to pay a hefty amount for repair or parts replacement even if the Free warranty period is over.
Try these comparison tools:
Conclusion
So, these are some crucial specs and factors to consider while using a phone comparison website to compare various smartphones. Based on your requirements, usage type and budget, choose the one which offers the latest technology with bonus features & extended warranty. And don’t forget to check users’ online phone ratings and reviews before making a final decision.
