In the smart world we live today of interconnected devices, its no doubt that our phones have become a major part of us and in some cases determine how productive we can be whether on or off work as they have permeated our personal lives.

So if you’re considering getting a phone for yourself or a friend this festive season, here are a few features to note before taking the plunge (of course after you’ve decided on the budget).

OS

The OS I believe should be the starting point. Whether its Android, iOS, BlackBerry or Windows you decide upon, one thing is sure and that is that the support has grown on all platforms. Windows though have not got as much support from our local apps as Android and iOS have. If you’re interested in a very flexible and free OS, Android may just be the choice for you.

Display

Presently 5.0’ seems to be the average size of devices. If one hand use is important to you or you have really large hands and want a larger screen or you don’t care at all and just want a physical key, you should decide on that before jumping on the prettiest phone you see. BlackBerry’s physical keys has remained a deal breaker for a few and some other people can’t see themselves using anything less than the size of the Samsung Note.

Battery

We spend a lot of time on our phones, so we definitely do not want a phone with a weak battery. A number of factors however, do affect how long the battery lasts. Phone battery of 3000mAh or above should last about a day under decent use.

Storage

For storage, 16gb is pretty decent if you’re not taking a lot of pictures everyday and combined with cloud storage, I believe that is perfect. If you think that won’t suffice, then going for a phone with expandable storage is advised or getting one with a higher storage option.

Camera

Selfie lover, Instagram/Snapchat celebrity or just love good shots, then you’ve got to note the camera quality of your intended phone. You should understand that size of megapixel does not equally translate to having great shots. So, do make proper checks. For those of us who are not really worried about the camera, then go ahead with your phone because the cameras lately are pretty decent and would do just fine.

Connectivity

With 4g connection on the rise in Nigeria, you may want to check that that new phone is 4g compatible. You don’t want to have some sweet deal available and realise you can’t enjoy it because your phone isn’t compatible.

Performance

While many may consider this as overkill, I personally do look at how much RAM and what phone chip the prospective phone carries. In today’s world of resource demanding apps, games and websites which have become more and more popular, I like my device to be fast and snappy at all times.

I’m also wondering when when we get to that point where a headphone jack becomes a deal breaker in choosing a new phone. Oh well.

In the end, you know yourself better and what works for you so don’t feel the need to go with trend and get what works.