{"id":635290,"date":"2026-10-03T15:22:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T15:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/635290\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T15:22:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T15:22:15","slug":"buying-a-new-iphone-18-or-android-phone-read-these-tips-before-you-spend-your-cash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/635290\/","title":{"rendered":"Buying a New iPhone 18 or Android Phone? Read These Tips Before You Spend Your Cash"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ImageAndrew Lanxon\/CNET<\/p>\n

The iPhone 18 Pro<\/a>, Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a>\u00a0and Google Pixel 11 Pro<\/a> are among the\u00a0best phones<\/a>\u00a0you can buy right now in 2026. They have a whole bunch in common from their blistering processors to their top-notch photography skills. Throw in their big, vibrant displays and of course their slew of AI tricks nobody asked for and it\u2019s no surprise that these flagships have something else in common: whopping price tags.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even before the component shortage putting one of these phones in your pocket meant parting with a huge amount of cash but the scarcity of RAM and flash memory is driving up costs of all electronics<\/a>, with phones being no exception. If we look at foldable phones then those prices get even more eye-watering with the iPhone Duo costing up to $3,199<\/a>. Ouch.<\/p>\n

When top phones already cost $1,000 or more, any price increase is going to sting so it\u2019s never been more important to make every penny count.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, there\u2019s a huge array of options out there catering to all needs and budgets, whether you\u2019re looking for a top-end model packing cutting-edge tech or a more affordable option for everyday use like the Pixel 10A<\/a> or Nothing Phone 4A Pro<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In this article<\/p>\n

You\u2019d think the vast number of choices would make shopping simple. But the reality is that sometimes all the options make it more confusing. To help you cut through some of the jargon and spend your money sensibly, I\u2019ve put together tips for buying a phone.<\/p>\n

How to buy a new phone: Top phone-buying tips<\/p>\n

Know what you care about most: Is it screen size? Camera quality? Battery life? This will help narrow down your choices. Top camera phones<\/a> like the iPhone 18 Pro, Galaxy S26 Ultra or Xiaomi Leica Leitzphone<\/a>, for example, can take images so good you\u2019d be forgiven for thinking they were taken on pro-level mirrorless cameras. If you\u2019re keen on photography and always want to carry a superb camera for when inspiration strikes, then spending money here is a good idea. If not, you can likely save yourself a bundle.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t discount the midrange: Features of last year\u2019s flagships always trickle down to this year\u2019s midrange handsets. You can get a great phone that does almost everything that a premium phone can do for a fraction of the price. Google\u2019s Pixel 11 Pro packs a great zoom camera, but the base Pixel 11 has most of the same key specs and comes at a more reasonable price. Even lower-end phones like the Nothing Phone 4A Pro offer a great experience and asks for little cash in return.<\/p>\n

Shop the sales: Look for deep discounts and promo deals around major holidays, especially Amazon\u2019s Prime Day and Black Friday. And find out what your grace period is in case you need a quick return or exchange.<\/p>\n

Consider last year\u2019s phones:\u00a0They can often be a great deal, too. Wait for this year\u2019s launch to get last year\u2019s phone for less, when stores and carriers may be trying to offload their existing stock. You should also check for used options as these can save you a ton of money, as long as whatever you buy still receives security updates.<\/p>\n

Hold the phone at a store first: You may love or hate the way it looks and feels in person.<\/p>\n

Check if you\u2019re already invested:\u00a0Have you already bought a lot of iPhone apps and iTunes movies? Stick with an iPhone if you still want access to them. Ditto if use your iPhone with Apple\u2019s iCloud storage and link your phone with your Apple TV and Mac. Likewise, if you\u2019ve invested in loads of Android apps over the years, you\u2019ll want to stay on that side of the fence. Otherwise, it\u2019s simple enough to switch platforms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Buy a case and screen protector: You\u2019ll protect your phone from costly damage and will increase the phone\u2019s resale or trade-in value for when you\u2019re ready to move on. If you\u2019re careful with how you use your phone, it should last for years<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"ImageGoogle\u2019s Pixel 11 Pro offers a great all-round set of features.Andrew Lanxon\/CNET<\/p>\n

Smartphone performance vs. budget<\/p>\n

In general, performance lines up with cost. The very latest, greatest technology usually comes at a premium. Flagship phones pack the best cameras, the most powerful processors and may even sport cutting-edge tech like foldable displays<\/a>. The high prices mean that these phones are worth considering only by those who want the absolute latest tech in their pockets.<\/p>\n

Not everyone needs such top tech, however, or may simply be unwilling to spend the $1,000 or more typically required to get it. Luckily, the midrange sector of the phone world has been one of the fiercest battlegrounds for companies to compete in, resulting in some amazing phones that won\u2019t break the bank. Features like wireless charging and cameras with multiple lenses that were once the domain of flagships are now commonplace on midrange phones.<\/p>\n

Even budget phones will still offer decent camera quality and enough power for you to enjoy all of your everyday web browsing, WhatsApp-ing and Instagramming.<\/p>\n

Screen size<\/p>\n

All phones have gotten steadily bigger over the last few years, with the iPhone 18 Pro Max and Galaxy S26 Ultra measuring a whopping 6.9 inches. Small phones aren\u2019t that common anymore, with almost no phones measuring under six inches in size.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Apple killed off its iPhone Mini line, and while its 2022 iPhone SE remained the smallest iPhone you could buy, the company instead offers the 6.1 inch iPhone 17E<\/a>, which is difficult to consider truly small. Google used to sell the Pixel 8A which at 6.1 inches was among the smaller Android phones around. But the company went bigger with the 9A and the current Pixel 10A measures 6.3 inches which is far from small. Sorry, small phone fans, looks like you\u2019re out of luck.<\/p>\n

\"ImageBoth the iPhone 18 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro are over 6 inches in size.Andrew Lanxon\/CNET<\/p>\n

Software support period<\/p>\n

A phone remains safe to use only as long as it receives security updates from the manufacturer to protect it from hackers. In the past, this was a bigger concern since most phones were supported for just two or three years, leaving them with a short shelf life. Today, however, extended support has become a competitive feature, with Google now offering an impressive seven years of software and security updates on its latest phones.<\/p>\n

It means the most recent Pixel 11 Pro will still be safe to use in 2033, while Samsung has promised a similar support period for its Galaxy S26 range. Samsung\u2019s Galaxy S20, released in 2020, received its final security update in 2024, however, so it\u2019s important to confirm how long your phone of choice will be safe to use, especially if you\u2019re buying an older phone on the used market. A longer support period not only gives you better value for money over the lifetime of the device, it\u2019s also better for the planet, as it keeps older, but still usable phones out of landfill and reduces the number of new devices being made and shipped.<\/p>\n

Camera performance<\/p>\n

Camera features have been a major point for bragging rights in recent phones, with manufacturers always wanting a bigger, more exciting number, be it the number of megapixels or quantity of actual camera lenses. Three rear cameras are now common \u2014 a regular lens, an ultrawide lens and a telephoto lens \u2014 with even budget-focused phones packing multiple cameras.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more: Best Camera Phone to Buy in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

This is great, as more lenses mean more shooting options when you\u2019re out and about. But that doesn\u2019t mean that any multilens camera is as good as another. As with processor performance, the more you spend, the better the results you\u2019ll typically get, with the absolute best cameras around usually being found on the most expensive flagships. Xiaomi and Leica\u2019s Leitzphone, for example, is one of the best camera phones I\u2019ve ever used, but at \u00a31,700 you\u2019ll pay handsomely for those camera skills.<\/p>\n

\"xiaomi-14-ultra-promo-lanxon-cnet-review-22\"Camera performance gets better the more you spend. If you\u2019re not into taking glorious pictures you can save yourself a bundle. Andrew Lanxon\/CNET<\/p>\n

Look out for features like optical (rather than digital) zooms, night mode for better low-light images, and optical image stabilization. Sometimes these features might not be clear, and it\u2019s not possible to judge a camera\u2019s performance just by looking at the specs. If you really care about your phone\u2019s photography skills, then take some time to look at the reviews and see how its camera performs before you spend your money.<\/p>\n

Battery life<\/p>\n

Most phones, from the budget end through to elite flagships, can last most of a day on a single charge. Bigger phones might have bigger batteries, but they also have bigger screens and often more powerful processors, so they suck that extra juice down quickly. Few phones will give you more than a day of use. CNET has done the hard work for you<\/a> in testing the best phones to see which has the best battery life. <\/p>\n

Here are some things to keep in mind when shopping:<\/p>\n

Always plan on giving your phone a full charge overnight.<\/p>\n

Look for features like fast charging, that allow your phone to take on a lot of power in a short space of time. Some phones, like the Oppo Find X9 Ultra<\/a>, support up to 100W fast charging that will take it from empty to full in under 30 minutes. Check to see if your phone comes with a compatible fast charger though, as an old USB plug likely won\u2019t offer the power output required, and some phones will require you use a proprietary charger to get the absolute fastest speeds.<\/p>\n

Your battery will last longer if you avoid more demanding tasks such as gaming or video streaming. Keeping the screen brightness down will help too and if you\u2019re really trying to eke out that last few percent to help get you home, turning off Wifi and Bluetooth can also help.<\/p>\n

\"iPhoneThe iPhone 17 Pro Max topped our charts of phones with the best battery life.<\/p>\n

Processor performance<\/p>\n

Top-end phones pack powerful processors along with 12GB of RAM or even more. It\u2019s enough to make these phones run any task without breaking a sweat, but you don\u2019t need to spend flagship level money to get great performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most decent midrange phones offer enough power to handle all of your everyday needs. You\u2019ll still be able to play almost any game from the Google Play store and edit your high-resolution photos<\/a> in apps such as Snapseed or Adobe Lightroom. There\u2019s little you could throw at most midrange phones that they wouldn\u2019t be able to handle.<\/p>\n

As you move into the budget end of the spectrum, that\u2019s when you\u2019ll start to notice some slowdown with things like gaming. More demanding 3D games might look more stuttery and may even unexpectedly quit. However, basic everyday tasks such as sending emails, listening to Spotify and browsing Instagram won\u2019t be a problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n

4G or 5G?\u00a0<\/p>\n

5G is the latest standard that promises lightning-fast mobile data speeds when you\u2019re out and about. While 5G coverage still isn\u2019t everywhere yet, it\u2019s widespread enough that you should absolutely look toward a 5G phone. And that\u2019s easy, as almost all of them are, from top-end flagships down to entry-level budget phones.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Given that even most 4G phones on the used market will likely be out of their software support period now there\u2019s basically no reason you should consider a 4G-only phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Andrew Hoyle\/CNET<\/p>\n

How much phone storage do you need?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most phones, even the budget ones, come with at least 64GB of storage, of which 10 may be taken up by preinstalled apps and the phone\u2019s operating system. If you don\u2019t plan on recording video, and gaming isn\u2019t your thing, 64GB might be enough, but otherwise you should consider 128GB to be a safer minimum.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Oneplus256GB of storage is more than enough for most people.Andrew Hoyle\/CNET<\/p>\n

Higher-end phones \u2014 particularly those that can record high quality 4K video \u2014 offer capacities of 256GB or more. With that much space, you\u2019ll barely need to think twice about having to clear out old files. Most phone makers give you the option of buying models with higher capacity but this is usually where you\u2019ll see prices skyrocket \u2014 the base iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 with 256GB of storage but that jumps to a whopping $2,399 if you want 2TB of storage.<\/p>\n

If the phone supports microSD cards then it\u2019s a different matter, as you can pick up 32GB microSD cards (or bigger) for very little money these days and popping one into your phone will dramatically increase the amount of storage you\u2019ll have access to. Unfortunately, expandable storage is a very rare feature on phones these days. However, most phones will support external storage over USB-C, so if you\u2019re going on holiday and want to shoot a lot of high-resolution video, taking a small SSD drive \u2014 or even an SD card in a USB-C adapter \u2014 to offload your footage to might be a good idea.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bonus features<\/p>\n

Many of these features are now common on phones at various price points and are worth keeping in mind when you\u2019re shopping.<\/p>\n

Fingerprint scanner or face unlock:\u00a0A scanner may be on the back or even invisibly built into the display. Biometric security, as it\u2019s called, is more secure than having to remember a PIN.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Water-resistant: Do you often take calls in the rain? Look for a phone with at least an IP67 rating<\/a> to keep it safe from water and spilled drinks. This is pretty common on most higher-end phones these days.<\/p>\n

Wireless charging: This is available on many phones, with some now offering faster wireless charging speeds, as long as you use a compatible charging pad.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Andrew\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAndrew Lanxon\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEditor at Large; Lead Photographer, Europe\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhen he’s not testing the latest phones or phone cameras, Andrew can normally be found with his own camera in hand or behind his drums or eating his stash of home-cooked food — sometimes all at once.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSee full bio\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Andrew Lanxon\/CNET The iPhone 18 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra\u00a0and Google Pixel 11 Pro are among the\u00a0best phones\u00a0you…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":635291,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[85,46,321,125],"class_list":["post-635290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-mobile","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=635290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635290\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/635291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=635290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=635290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=635290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}