Choosing a Mobile Phone - Is There A Perfect Choice?

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Common sense prescribes that the answer to this question is a resounding 'No' and if we are being realistic, it probably is. If there was a perfect choice, then everyone would have the same mobile phone, or at least the vast majority. And although Apple and Samsung (at least until recently) ruled the market, there are still innumerable manufacturers vying for the potential customer's attention.

Even so, there is probably a perfect mobile phone for most of us out there. It all comes down to determining what you are looking for and which phone will deliver it the best.

To help you do this, let's look at some of the most common features you should assess when choosing a mobile phone and which of them do them the best.

Camera

For many people out there, the most important factor to influence their phone-purchasing decision will be the camera. When you have good camera on your phone, there is very little need for any other photo/video equipment. The general rule with phone cameras has always been getting what you paid for and continues to be the case.
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The phone that has had the competition sweating, camera-wise, ever since it came out is Google Pixel XL. The phone offers natural outdoor colours, fantastically balanced indoor and low-light photos, as well as probably the finest video camera you can find in a phone these days.

Screen Size

You might not expect an aspect like the screen size to be the deciding factor, but for many a mobile phone purchaser, it is. An extremely important one. Just as many people want large screens as do people who tolerate nothing over 4.5''.

To be perfectly honest, both sides make sense when you hear them out. Those who prefer huge screens want to fit as much on a single screen as possible and want to feel comfortable using their phones for advanced tasks. On the other hand, some people want to be able to use their phone with just one hand. They feel daft wielding something that should come with its own support stand.
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When we are talking small screens, the Apple iPhone SE takes the title of the best, while the medium segment is dominated by Google Pixel. The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge beats the rest in the large category, but some people might find the curved screen a little gimmicky.

Battery Life

Even though the manufacturers seem unable to understand it, people want autonomy from their phones. Having to charge a phone three times in 24 hours makes no sense to most people. They will often compromise a lot to get more battery life. This is complicated further by the fact that manufacturers often boast amazing battery life times, citing tests that are based on unrealistic phone usage.
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It makes independent battery tests like this one from Phone Arena all the more important, letting the users know what to expect. In case you haven't got the time to check out their test, it is Apple who has done the most with their 7 Series, with iPhone 7 Plus offering a fantastic 9 hours and 5 minutes of battery life for non-stop typical smartphone use. It's the only phone to break the 8-hour barrier. The only phone to squeeze into the top spots held by Apple's phones is Google Pixel.

Durability

No matter how you cut it, modern mobile phones are not exactly exercises in durability. By nature, they are designed to be less-than-perfectly durable, with the majority of them featuring one 100% exposed and vulnerable the side of the phone covered in glass. Of course, the technology has improved over the years, but there is still very little chance that your phone will survive more than an occasional fall from not that high up.
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Nevertheless, there are a few manufacturers that cater to the segment of the market for whom durability is not optional. For instance, CAT phones are world-famous for their military-grade durability, with their S60 model currently being the flagship phone of the company (and coming with a Predator-grade thermal camera). Kyocera and Sonim also design their phones with users who require durable devices in my mind. Samsung is one of the few really big players who is present in the 'durability' arena, with their Galaxy Xcover 3. Still, CAT's phones are definitely the safest bet here.

Operating System

There is really very little point in getting into the whole which operating system is the best debate which has been done, overdone and overdone some more from every possible angle.

Instead, how about a suggestion for the best phone coming with each of the operating systems?

Like, for instance, Google Pixel XL? An earth-shattering firstborn coming from Google, a phone that knocks it out of the park both when it comes to hardware and software, it is a new player that has immediately shot into the contention for the ultimate Android phone on the market.

When we are talking iOS phones, iPhone 7 is logically the best phone on the market, but not such a huge improvement over the 6 that it warrants replacing your old iPhone 6.
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In the very small and limited Windows smartphone ecosystem, one phone clearly comes out on top – HP Elite x3. It blows Microsoft's own solutions out the water easily and delivers quite a bit on top of that. Enough to be named the Windows winner.

Bang for Your Buck

Some people decide to go the simplest way possible and get the most for their money, usually if they have some kind of a sim-only deal. There are a fair few phones out there battling for the title of the best bang for your buck phone, but if we had to go with one, it would be Xiaomi Mi5. It is almost as if the most prudent people that have ever lived sat down and decided to make the most sensible phone the world has ever seen.
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Your decision will probably not be based solely on these few categories, but going through them in this fashion will probably not hurt. They should, at the least, be enough to point you in the right direction and narrow down your search to a few mobile phones that you will then investigate in more detail.

Happy hunting!