Which mobile phone is right for you?
Choosing the perfect mobile phone for you in 2021 can be a confusing and time-consuming process. Fortunately Bill Bennett has already done the research. For many people, a mobile phone […]
Choosing the perfect mobile phone for you in 2021 can be a confusing and time-consuming process. Fortunately Bill Bennett has already done the research.
For many people, a mobile phone is the computer they spend the most time with. That makes sense, phones don’t do everything well but they are handy, and up to a point they are easy to use. Best of all, as the name suggests, they are mobile. You can take them to the work instead of bringing the work to them.
Modern phones handle voice calls, messaging and video calls. That’s only the start. They all have Internet browsers, which gives you access to many cloud applications.
They also run apps in their own right. Your phone includes a camera and a GPS device that knows where you are and how to get to your destination. All modern phones can play music and games when you are not working. Some include features allowing you to measure distances or handle other specialist tasks.
We’re not quite at the point where you can leave your wallet at home, but you can often pay bills or unlock doors using your phone.
In 2021 there is a bewildering array of phones to choose from. Here I’ve focused on the most popular models from the best-known brands and include a couple of wild-cards worth considering.
First, you should consider whether you need a 5G mobile. While 5G is faster than 4G, the older network is still fast enough for every practical mobile application in use today. There is no pressing need to upgrade. At the time of writing Vodafone and Spark have limited 5G networks. But they are growing fast. If you expect a phone to last many years, it may pay to get a 5G model the next time you upgrade.
A word of warning, thanks to the Covid pandemic, phone supply chains have been disrupted, which means New Zealand is not always at the front of the queue for new models, particularly with the Asian phone brands. You may need to look further this year than in the past.
Long live the Apple
At the end of 2020 Apple was the top selling phone brand in New Zealand. It got there on the back of the iPhone 12, which comes in four different models ranging from the $1350 iPhone 12 mini to the $2700 iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Most of the action is at the bottom end.
The iPhone 12 represents the biggest change to Apple’s phone line-up since the iPhone X in 2017. It’s an all-screen design which brings together all the best features of recent iPhones in a thinner, lighter package. Battery life is long, I easily got two working days between charges. The performance is better than any other phone on the market and the device is more durable than any other mainstream phone.
The iPhone 12 also works with the new 5G networks that are now being built around New Zealand.
Depending on the model you choose, you either get a great camera or arguably the best camera available on any phone. While the iPhone 12 models are expensive compared to rival brands, you can expect it to earn its living for the next five years. That’s not something you could say about most alternatives.
Samsung: a consistent performer
There’s a reason Samsung, along with Apple, dominates New Zealand phone sales. The company’s Galaxy models have consistently been the best Android phones over the long haul. Rivals, especially Huawei, may pull ahead at times, but you can’t go wrong with a Samsung phone. This year Samsung sales have fallen back a little, but it still enjoys success with its high-end and mid-range models.
Phones just don’t get any further upmarket than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2. It’s beautiful and well worth the $3500 if you need a device that is more a tablet you can fit in a pocket than a traditional phone. The bigger 7.6-inch screen means you can read much more than on any ordinary phone. It also works better with web-based cloud apps.
There’s something magical about looking at a web page on the outside screen when the Fold2 is used as a normal phone, then opening the case to the same place on the same page on a much bigger screen.
Samsung has less expensive phones of course. According to IDC Research, the company’s A Series phones sold well last year. This year some models have been updated. The $700 Galaxy A51 has many of the features found in upmarket phones including a fingerprint reader hidden behind the main screen. There is also a huge 6.5 inch AMOLED screen that is brighter than everyday displays.
Huawei: there’s a catch
Until recently Huawei was the clear challenger brand. However, that all changed two years ago when President Trump banned US companies from working with the company. This meant Huawei couldn’t use American technology. Huawei has the resources to make its own hardware and software, that’s what it does now, but the ban means users can’t easily access services like Gmail, Google Maps and so on.
It’s possible to work around the ban, but not surprisingly most people simply chose not to buy Huawei phones. If the ban doesn’t worry you, the Huawei Y6p is an excellent budget phone. You can expect to pay around $230 for the Y6p, and for the money you get a lot of phone. There’s a six-inch screen, 64GB of storage and a 5000mAh battery that will run for a couple of days. The catch is that you can’t run Google services and many Android apps are not available, although Huawei does offer a vast library of suitable apps and only a few popular choices are missing.
Beyond the big brands
Nokia and Xiaomi are two interesting smaller Android phone brands worth considering. The $400 Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T is New Zealand’s lowest priced 5G phone. It does 95 percent of what a phone four times the price might do, but leaves you with more than $100 to spend elsewhere.
You may remember the Nokia brand. These days another company uses the brand under license to make a range of no-nonsense Android phones. Nokia guarantees its models, like the $300 Nokia 3.4, receive regular software and security updates. That puts it ahead of most other Android brands.
It’s slow compared with other phones mentioned here and isn’t outstanding in any department except the quality of its software and its value for money. It’s a great choice if you don’t plan to push mobile technology to the limit.
Bill Bennett is an Auckland-based business IT writer and commentator. Email [email protected]