The subtle art of buying a phone in 2025 is not so subtle. Megacorps have no need to help you. Why? Because the herd will purchase what they sell, or claim to sell. Buying a phone without doing your due diligence is no different than going to a restaurant for its ambience rather than for the food they offer, if they indeed offer any.
Don’t worry, the chances are if you’re reading this you’re better than the dummies. And you, my friend, will need to get yourself ready for the 5-course meal of how to buy a smartphone:
- Spoiler Alert: Do not trust the person who is selling you the phone
Craziest advice I’ve ever given, I know. Do you trust the person who comes to your door selling a vacuum cleaner? I don’t. However, we often forget this idea of not trusting the stranger who profits from us buying their product. If we didn’t cave into this unsaid pressure of believing an unknown person, I wouldn’t have spent 50$ on this shiny new gut bacterial cleanse potion.
Do not go by the words of the company, or a salesperson who is selling you the damned phone. Read an actual review of the phone – not just a clearly paid 5 minute visual readout of the specifications. You need to know the good, the bad, and the evil if you want your money’s worth.
- Bigger the number, bigger the lie
Did you ever enter a maths classroom as a kid only to be stunned by the alienish language scribbled all across the whiteboard? Well, I have. If I scribble a trillion digits mixed with a few greek symbols onto a whiteboard, will it mean something? No. Is there any reason for anyone to be impressed?, No, but you, as a middle-schooler, will be. You might very well think I’m the smartest person alive (you’re not wrong).
They will treat you like a middle-schooler. They will throw in their numbers. Try not to get stunned by them. Take your time, dissect the information piece by piece. You’re not eating a burger at McDonalds. You are eating a fine course meal at a Michelin star hotel. Buying a phone is like marrying someone. You don’t marry someone the day you meet them. You get to know everything about them, and then make an educated decision of spending your time with them.
- Do you want a ferrari for your daily driver?
Driving a supercar comes with its own set of disadvantages. Though it does look cool, can you bear the fuel, repair, and functional disadvantages? For most people, the answer is no. Wouldn’t you like to daily drive a more practical car like the prius or the Ford F-150.
In other words, the phone must meet your needs. Not the other way around. If you want a camera centric phone, get it. Battery centric? Get it. 100s of phones are released every year. I am sure at least one of them will meet your requirements.
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