Every month, there are scores of cell phones launched by companies to capture a wider market base. With so many phones available in the market, it becomes very difficult for a consumer to make a choice. The problem that most consumers face is that their phones become outdated within 3-4 months of buying them. Therefore, before buying a phone, a consumer has to make a careful decision.

If you intend to buy a new cell phone, then it would be a good idea to shortlist the models you are considering on the basis of this checklist.

• Battery– Smart phones usually do not offer very good battery lives. Running applications, listening to music, making phone calls etc. takes a toll on a cell phones life which is why cell phones do not have very long battery lives. Usually, you will have to recharge the batteries of your cell phone 1-2 times in a day. You can also buy a cell phone with a wireless charger or carry an extra battery with you.
• Processor– It is quite important to have a decent processor. Most cell phones have now moved on to QuadCore processors over Dual Core Processor. It is better to invest in an advanced processor otherwise you might not be able to update the applications on your phone.
• Screen size and Display Unit– Since you will be using your smart phone for editing documents, reading books and watching videos, it would be a good idea to go for a large screen, preferable one whose size is more than 4 inches.

Going for a phone with high resolution is also a good idea because you will be able to watch HD videos on it without any problem.

• Internet Connectivity– The data connectivity of your phone depends a lot on the service provided by your carrier- signal reception, access points to data etc.

It is better to go for a phone which is 4G enabled because most carriers are now providing this service and it will oust 3G services from the market very soon. 4G data services offer very high upload-download speed, almost 9 MBPS which is why you need to be careful about usage.

If you do not want to use the internet services provided by your carrier, then you should buy a phone which allows you to connect to the internet through a Wi-Fi connection.

• Camera– Having a cell phone camera is quite handy especially when you go to attend an event without carrying a camera with you. It would be wise to invest in a camera with 8 or more megapixels. Make sure you have an LED flash built into the phone otherwise photographs clicked in low light or during the night will be blurry.
• Operating System– Smart phones are usually available with operating systems such as Android, iOS and Windows. You need to read up the benefits of these kinds of operating systems before buying them.

Once you compare your shortlisted phones with this checklist, you can buy mobiles successfully by browsing through online classifieds.