Today's smartphones offer you pretty much everything you want and need, including the ability to make the occasional phone call! With so many choices and features at your disposal, what basics should you be looking at as you make your final decision?

Check The OS

The operating system of your phone should be as up to date as possible. Don't assume the OS on every phone is as new as it can be - some cheaper models are priced at a lower level because they use an outmoded OS. Always check that the Android, iOS, Blackberry, or whatever you're in the market for, is up to date.

More Power To Your Processor

The processor determines the overall performance and longevity of your smartphone. While a phone with a single core processor is cheaper and will do the job reasonably well, you are going to get more bang for your buck with a dual-core processor. And, if you want performance rivaling that of a small PC, then a quad-core processor will take your smartphone performance to another level. You pay for this extra performance, but given that we use smartphones to do just about everything these days, that investment in extra processor power is worth it.

A Snap Happy Phone

A camera is now an important, if not essential, part of every smartphone. With the advancement of in-phone camera technology in recent years, the result is high-quality photographs, pretty much on a par with those you'd shoot on a normal camera. Some models have better cameras than others, so it pays to check the quality if you're buying a smartphone with the intention of using it a lot as a photographic device. Samsung, Huawei and Apple are widely regarded as being current leaders in smartphone camera technology.

Battery Power Is Important

Having to constantly recharge any piece of technology is annoying, especially something like a smartphone which you often take to places out of reach of a power source. If you are out and about all day, and want to make recharging the least of your worries, make sure battery power is one of the first things you check out when you're researching smartphones.

Easy To Read

A Clear screen display is important for everyday usability, as well as for viewing videos and photographs, which are now staples in smartphones. Screen resolutions of 720 x 1280 or 1080 x 1920 are recognised as pretty standard equations for a wide range of popular smartphones, but the numbers are getting bigger in some models for even greater clarity.

The Right Fit

Remember when mobile phones were mobile? In recent years, smartphones have experienced something of a growth spurt and lost a bit of mobility as a result. Thankfully, manufacturers are producing more compact models that make smartphones mobile without compromising too much on performance.