Garam Samosa

I bought a brand new phone for the time ever. Normally I would get an old phone from my family because they would be the one who is upgrading. I am a Samsung phone person and as a Samsung phone person, I obviously turned to the latest Samsung phones at first. Towards the end of my decision making, I seriously considered on getting one of the latest iPhones. It was such a hard decision on which phone to get and everything else that comes with the decision.

When you need to make a hard decision, flip a coin. Why? Because when the coin is in the air you suddenly known what you are hoping for.- Pinterest

Now I didn’t really flip a coin but I did flip from a Samsung phone and an Apple phone so many times. I asked around to all my iPhone friends and extended to my Instagram and Snapchat stories for absolutely anyone who had an iPhone.  I did so much research that my brain was literally fried. I confused myself so much that I nearly gave up. I somehow managed to decide and finally choose one to get.  After I solved my “third world dilemma” I thought I would and I wanted to share the process that I went through when I have to and the occasional want to buy gadgets. This post is more about buyig a phone. So here is the process I use to buy a new phone and underneath it all, I have shown how I applied it to my situation 🙂 .

Why do you want to buy a new phone?

Is it because of the fact that a new one got released recently or is about to be released? If so, in my opinion, it is not worth it. Especially if there is a slight difference there is from your current phone to the latest phone. If you have last year’s phone and you want this year’s phone. I would say it is definitely not worth it. The new phone probably has a slightly better camera, and maybe a sleeker system and look for a few extra hundred dollars. These little changes don’t seem worth those extra hundred dollars.

Is your screen cracked? Depending on how it is cracked and how old the phone is maybe it can be repaired. Personally, if the phone is more than two models old then it is not worth fixing it. If you deem your phone not worth fixing then also depending on how cracked the screen so you can just get either plastic or tempered glass screen protector and place it on top. I know it sounds weird to get a screen protector after the screen is cracked but hear me out. So if the screen is cracked and a drop of water or any other liquid hits the screen, the chance of ruining your phone is even higher. A plastic or tempered glass screen protector can help reduce that chance, especially if it is not going to get fixed. Better late than never.

Are you still getting system updates? A phone doesn’t receive system updates once the phone is too old. System updates are well updates that help with bugs and issues that may arise. If that is your phone, then maybe you need to get a brand new phone. However, if your phone is still receiving system updates then in my opinion not worth getting a new phone.

Is your battery life decreasing and your charging time increasing? This is a sign that your battery needs to change. Also depending on how much that ratio of usage to charging is changing and how old the phone’s model is, a simple solution could be to change the physical battery of the phone.

There are so many questions to consider whether or not you really need a new phone. If  I were to address all of them then we would be here for a while. Here is a short list of other questions that pop into my mind just right now but I am sure if you had a long hard think about it you would find more questions:

• Is your phone lagging or freezing?
• What is Camera Quality like?
• What is the phone storage? Are you finding your self ’emptying’ your phone a lot

What are you looking for in the new phone?

The main reason for buying the phone would actually be what you are looking for in the new phone. Whether it be the flow of the system over Samsung or vice versa or camera quality, or battery life. The list can continue.

What is your price range or limit?

Buying a new phone can be a financial burden. Therefore it is always good to save those extra dollars here and there for your phone. Every single cent counts. So my advice here would be to reconsider your expenses and cut down where ever you can to save more. Try to get those extra shifts at work or possibly apply for a second job if really needed. While trying to figure out what particular phone you want, you can save quite a lot. Also while trying to figure out what particular phone you want, take note of the prices. This may or may not be a deal-breaker for you. Phones are expensive and, even though they are always worth it in the modern-day, it is still a financial burden that may or may not take a while to recover.

Research

It is time to consider the second what: what phone? Research all the phones you think you want. Research similar phones to those. Research which phone has better camera quality if that is what you want. Research which phone has a better battery life if that is what you want. Research which phone is well known and not so well known. If you don’t get those advertisements on your Instagram, Facebook or everywhere, in fact, you didn’t research hard enough. Make that your research motto 😉 .

The Process of Elimination

Ok so now you have finally gotten those advertisements (hopefully), it is time to eliminate phones and pick two. Absolutely maximum is three, but I suggest two. If you have too many options the next step would be really hard for you. When eliminating do a list of pros and cons for each phone, listen to your gut and how you feel about your research on the phones. If you feel bumped about what you have found out on the phone then there is a high chance that the phone is not the one. However, if you feel happy with the results of your research then keep it as an option. This ‘How you Feeling’ Concept should cross out a few phones. With the remaining phones, apply your price range/limit. If you feel kind of guilty or if you are shocked at the price of the phone then decide if that is a deal-breaker for you. During the process of elimination, look at video or youtube clips of the phone and decide if you can deal with that phone till the next minimum of four new models. Cut out the ones you can’t and keep the ones you can as options.

Research  – Round Two

Once all possible elimination has finished, now look for the best deal on the remaining phones. Go to the websites for all of your trusted shop fronts. Go to the well known online stores. Find out which stores price match for other stores. The aim for round two is to find the best price.

Shopping

Now shop your heart out. Go to the all the stores you want to go to and try to play around with the phone. Can you figure out how to make a call, text and take photos? What about downloading apps? Music? Just think what you would do if the phone was actually yours.

The Process of Elimination – Final Round

Take a break and sit down in the stores. Whether it is in your car, at the benches in front of stores or at the nearest cafe or food spot. Just take a break from the phones. Think about something else for a little bit. This stage is quite overwhelming and can be quite so draining. So once you have taken a break, have a good think about the phones again. Which phone did you like the feel of best? Which phone did you like in general?  What phone do you see yourself using the most? This time around you should pick out just one phone. This because you are making the final decision. This is it.

Shopping – Final Round

Play around with the chosen phone again. If you are still happy with it then buy the phone. Congratulations you have a new phone. Yayyyyy!!!!!! Now after all that hard work buy your phone accessories: phone case, screen protector and anything else you want.

Final Words

No matter what phone you get, just make sure you are happy with the result. At the end of day:

Don’t base your decision on the advice of those who don’t to deal with the results                          – Pinterest

YOU have to deal with the phone

YOU have to use the phone

YOU have to pay for the phone

It is YOU and the phone

Under no circumstances should you feel guilty or not content with your phone. Otherwise, go back to research and find a phone you like. Sometimes what works for others may not work for you. There are other phones that aren’t Samsung or Apple branded.

My Situation

My old phone was a Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Before I start here is a little history because you only live once. Ever since Year 10, I have been a Samsung phone user. Now that sounds like a really long time ago but it is only about 3 years ago. In Year 9 I had an iPhone 4s which I dropped a billion times and eventually it stopped working because of the cracked and unresponsive screen. I deemed it not worth replacing the cracked and unresponsive screen and bought a Samsung Galaxy S5. I absolutely loved that phone. It was everything I ever wanted in a phone.

Now about to start my second year at university and heavily addicted and reliant on social media I have new wants out of my phone. I need a phone with good battery life and amazing camera quality. Those are two of the most important things I need from a phone. So keeping that in mind, I looked through the latest phones for Samsung and narrowed it down to one phone. Shortly after I looked at the latest phones for Apple and narrowed it down to one phone as well. I didn’t bother with any other brands because I knew I wanted one or the other. After looking at prices for each phone on the respective websites, I knew I would feel so so guilty for buying an Apply phone. They are so expensive, and would not last in my hands. I drop my phone all the time and every single time is an accident waiting to happen. I knew I would feel very very guilty, annoyed and upset if I bought and broke an Apple phone. However,  I had a few sleepless nights thinking about the Apple phone; I did want one really badly even though I was feeling guilty. I took that as a sign and look into even more detail and asked around on others opinion on the latest Apple phones. Even though before I said:

Don’t base your decision on the advice of those who don’t to deal with the results                            – Pinterest

Listening to what others had to say about it, I went back to my saviour Samsung. I looked at the recent phones: So the 9 range and 8 range. I looked for similarities and differences and after such a long process I choose a phone. I am so happy with my choice. I honestly lost hope of choosing a phone because I had too many people’s opinions in my head. Don’t get me wrong, I literally asked everyone I know about their opinion of what phone I should get. I was so confused that I nearly gave up but then my Dad said to get a phone. My parents said to buy whatever you want. So with my money earned with literally blood, sweat and tears (not kidding at all, am being very literal right now 😦 ) I bought the Samsung Galaxy S8. Now just waiting for my phone accessories to come in from eBay. I refuse to use my phone till they come in.

Anyways that is the process I used for buying my brand new phone. I kind of use this process for nearly everything: from shoes to headphones to makeup. I have done this so many times that for something I know what is good and what is not good for my needs and wants.

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As always, thank you for being the Samosauce to my Garam Samosa!!!

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