Mobile Phone Buyer Guide

Mobile phones have come a long way since the original chunky bricks from two decades ago. Back then making a call on the move was enough to satisfy any user. Fast forward to the present where not only do mobile phones have to be able to make crystal clear phone calls from anywhere, you now have the option to text, send pictures, read and send email, browse the web, listen to music, take photo’s and even blog, Facebook and Twitter from your small pocket sized handset.

With a huge range of mobiles phones with different designs and features Shop.co.uk is here to help get your head around the jargon, know the difference between a SMS and MMS and pick the mobile that’s right for you.

Helping you make the right mobile choice for you

• Mobile Phone Key Features
• What Type Of Mobile Phone User Are You?
• How Do You Want To Pay?
• Pay As You Go (PAYG)
• Monthly Contract Phones
• Sim Free Mobile Phones

Mobile Phone Key Features

Don’t know the difference between SMS and MMS, want to know if your mobile phone can access the internet and what GSM actually means to your phone? Our guide below gives you the key features you need to know about before buying a mobile phone.

Battery Life – A key selling point when buying any electrical item, battery life varies on actual usage of course, don’t expect many phones to last all day if you are using them constantly for calls, listening to music, playing games, surfing the web and taking photos all at the same time. But you should expect around 40 - 100 hours for aveage battery life. Think carefully about battery expectation and charging times when picking a mobile phone

Design – With hundreds of handsets available at any time the range of designs varies greatly. From your standard flat phone design to slide phones, flip phones, wide phones with big screens and keypads, rotation phones there really is a wealth of choice. Find a style that suits your own personal taste and practical usage.

Predictive Text – Texting has come a very long way since its creation and with most phones now offering email support bigger emphasis has been placed on inputting text. Predictive texting is great for most people as you only have to enter the buttons which feature the desired letter and words are constructed for you. However some people find this obtrusive so make sure your phone choice has the option that you want.

Camera Phones – Virtually a must have feature for most users, the ability to take quick snapshots of friends, family, life changing moments or for professional pictures there is a camera right for you. With many camera phones now ranging from 2, 5, 8 and 10 megapixels mobile camera phones are really pushing digital cameras as the essential photo capturing device.

Ringtones – Mobile phone ringtones have now become synonymous with being annoying. That’s true in some part but ringtones are a great way to express yourself, whether it’s your favourite song, national anthem or just something weird and wonderful. There are also many types of ringtones and ways to get them, from basic beeps as monophonic ringtones, to catchy polyphonic tones and now even MP3’s can be used as ringtones too.

SMS – Stands for short message service, often referred to as a text message or texting. SMS messages can contain 160 characters, although most phones will link together 3 – 10 text messages.

MMS – Stands for Multi Media Message, often referred to as Picture messaging you can send a image, sound and text together to another phone if that phone can receive MMS messages.

3G – 3G technology allows multimedia content to be downloaded to your phone. 3G allows your phone to access the internet to stream content like TV, film, news, games and video calls. We are still in the early stages of what 3G technology can bring to mobile handsets but hopefully we will see much more video calling and media streaming once prices come down and networks get more familiar with the technology.

GPRS – General Packet Radio System sounds complicated and it is, but GPRS is used by 2G mobile phones to access the internet. GPRS phones can collect e-mail and WAP pages which are displayed on the phone in a basic format.

GSM – The Global System for Mobile Communications uses three frequencies for phones to transmit signals around the world. If you are looking to use a phone abroad you will need either a dual or tri band phone to access the various satellites around the world.

EDGE – Stands for Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution or to put it in similar terms EDGE is an update to GPRS allowing more data to be transferred to mobile devices at a higher speed rate.

Wi-Fi – A Wi-Fi enabled device can access the internet from a wireless hotspot. Wireless hotspots can be found in various locations like coffee shops, internet cafes, libraries, offices, a wireless router at home to name a few. Connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot will allow your phone to access the internet at very high speeds.

What Type Of Mobile Phone User Are You?

Mobile phones differ in price depending on what they are used for. For example if you are only going to call and send SMS messages then there is no point buying a phone that can get internet access, email, hold 1000 songs etc.

To make the searching process easy we have 3 distinct categories for you:

• Back to Basic's – The essential functions
• Mid-range – Key features with some added technology
• High End – A pocket sized computer and office

Back to Basic's – The essential functions

Don't let the name deceive you, these phones are still very good, however they are streamlined to only perform the key functions that any mobile phone user would need.
All basic phones will come with calendar, clock, alarm clock, calculator and play games. But if you’re looking for just that then the price will really please you.

Features you should be looking for:

• Making phone calls
• SMS messaging
• Store contacts
• Easy to use menu’s
• Low colour screen

Does a basic phone suit your needs perfectly?

Browse our basic mobile phones

Still need help picking?
Here are Shop.co.uk's basic mobile phone handset recommendations

Mid range – Key features with some added technology

Mid Range have all the basics as above but come with those extra touch’s that make your phone worth showing off. maybe you want a phone to take great pictures on the go and you need an impressive camera, or maybe you want to listen to music on the go but dont want ot carry an MP3 player and a mobile phone?

Features you should be looking for

• Good looking design
• Expandable memory
• Connect to PC
• Full colour screen
• Games
• Basic E-mail and Web browsing

Does a mid range mobile seem to suit your needs?

Browse for mid range mobile phone

Still need help picking?
Here are Shop.co.uk's mid range mobile phone handset recommendations

High End – A pocket sized computer and office

High end phones gather lots of interest now by general users and gadget geeks alike. A high end mobile phone is as we say a pocket sized computer, there’s not much you can’t do with these phones, from pictures, recording video, full E-mail and Web access, Music players, massive memory, download applications, use as a navigation device, a top end media player there are just no limits.

Features you should be looking for:

• Full email and web browsing
• Access the internet via 3G, Edge or Wi-Fi anywhere
• High resolution and colour screens
• Complete media player
• Connectable to computers
• Integrated navigation system

Does a high end mobile phone sound like the choice for you?

Browser high end mobile phones

Still need help picking?
Here are Shop.co.uk's high end mobile phone handset recommendations

How Do You Want To Pay?

There are two payment types for using mobile phones, Pay As You Go (PAYG) or by monthly contract. Each has their own distinct advantageous when it comes to cost per minute, extra’s and handset costs. We suggest you have a look below to see what type of payment structure will suit you.

Pay As You Go (PAYG)

Pay As You Go is normally the best starting point for a first time mobile user. Charged by the minute it provides an easy way to keep track of call charges without running the risk of spending more than you can afford. Many contract users started with a PAYG phone and then upgraded to contract when they were clearer of their monthly usage.
PAYG does have some down sides, if you run out of credit then you have to visit a local shop to top up your credit, normally in five or ten pound multiples. Not all phone features are available to PAYG users and features that are enabled can cost more than contract users. Also you normally pay higher call charges per minute and will have to pay more for a handset than a contract user.

Key Advantageous

• Limit spending costs
• Able to work out monthly spending costs
• A good introduction to using a mobile phone

Key Disadvantageous

• Higher handset cost
• Cannot make calls when credit runs out
• Call cost higher per minute then contract
• Not all features are enabled for PAYG users
• Only certain handsets available

Monthly Contract Phones

There are far many more contract mobile phone users than ever before, with prices dropping, users being able to spend more money and many key features available for cheaper or free, it’s never been a better time to have a monthly contract phone.

As mobile phone technology increases and mobile phone handsets get more expensive mobile phone networks are cashing in on providing handsets for a low price in conjunction with a fixed term contract.

Key Advantageous

• Many more minutes and texts for your money
• Normally just cheaper or no change to call other networks
• End of contract discounted mobile handsets
• Cheaper mobile handset prices

Key Disadvantageous

• Higher monthly spend
• Committed to a fix term between 1 – 2 years
• Costly if you run over your monthly allowance
• Only certain handsets available

Sim Free Mobile Phones

Sim free mobile phones offer a great alternative, giving you the choice of having any mobile phone handset on any network. When choosing a phone on a set network the selection can be limited as they only have a certain number of mobile handsets per manufacturer that they can sell on their network.

Buying a sim free mobile phone means that you can have any mobile phone you want with any payment type and means that you don't get forced into a monthly pay plan to get the mobile phone you want or that you upgrade to an unsuitable price plan just to get the mobile phone you want.

Key Advantages

• Any mobile handset will work on any network
• You can keep your existing number and payment plan
• Sim cards from various networks can be swapped as needed
• Have the latest mobile handset rather than waiting for your end of contract upgrade

Key Disadvantages

• Can be more expensive than a monthly contract included mobile phone
• Will have to check with your network provider that they support all services available to the phone

Shop.co.uk has a wide range of sim free mobile phones, from basic entry level mobile phones like the Nokia 1208 or the Motorola W156, through the mid range mobiles up to the high end mobile phones of Blackberry, LG and Nokia.

If you think a sim free mobile phone is right for you then Shop.co.uk can help find the perfect phone for you.

Browse all Sim Free Mobile Phones