5. Software platform
What operating system you prefer on your smartphone will significantly affect what your options will be. Do you want Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS (iPhone), Microsoft’s Windows Phone or something else like BlackBerry, Tizen, or Firefox OS?
Then once you choose one of them you should also consider what version of the OS the phone is coming with, and whether it is customized by the manufacturer or faithful to the original “vanilla” variant. The latter is especially relevant for Android because a lot of manufacturers customize the user interface and default applications on their Android phones.
So if you choose Android you’ll want the latest version that is available, and you’ll want to make sure that it is either using the uncustomized version of Android directly from Google or that the customized version from the manufacturer is the one you actually like.
If you’re not sure and are choosing between a phone with a “clean” uncustomized version from Google and one with the manufacturers own variant a good rule of thumb is to go for the one coming with Google’s version. This is because phone manufacturer’s customizations may introduce new bugs and usability issues, and also make you more dependent on the manufacturer for upgrades. For more on that see the next point.
If you choose Windows Phone you’ll also want to make sure it comes with the latest version, currently Windows Phone 8.1. Manufacturer’s customizations on Windows Phone are less of an issue though, because they are more strict at enforcing the use of Microsoft’s own clean “vanilla” version. However, Windows Phone’s apps ecosystem is somewhat behind iPhone and Android, so you’ll need to check that it’s got the apps you want.
If you choose iOS on the iPhone you don’t have to worry about any of this because Apple produces both the phone itself and its software. You simply need to be sure you actually prefer iOS and its user interface.
If it’s something else it’s a good idea to read up on it or watch videos showing the operating system’s look and feel.
Photo by 月明 端木. Some rights reserved.
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