It would be easy to just say ‘the iPhone 7’ or ‘Samsung Galaxy S7’, but everybody is different with different needs – so which phone is right for your business? Everybody has different needs in business – if, for example, you’re an estate agent who takes your own pictures of properties then the camera is going to be more important. If you must have an app that is available on Apple’s app store but isn’t available on Google Play, then immediately you’ve narrowed down your choice. If functionality and features are more important to you than a brand name, make a list of the most important smartphone features which you need to have and then match the handset to your list. You may, if you’re lucky, find that there is much more affordable handset than the Apple or Samsung flagship models which does everything you need for half the monthly cost! So have a think about:

Size

Size may not be everything, but can a business mobile phone be too large or too small? If you want your phone to fit into a small pocket, or you want to be able to use it one handed, then a screen smaller than 5″ is going to suit you better. Sadly, these days there aren’t many top of the range handsets available with smaller screen sizes, although the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is still worth a look as it has the same spec as its larger cousin. For mid range handsets there are a good number of phones available at this size. Of course, if you regularly watch video on your phone, or edit and view documents online (eg spreadsheets), then larger screens on models such as the iPhone 7 Plus or the many phablets out there could suit you better. Don’t forget, however, that bigger screens use up more power, so make sure the battery life can handle your usage.

Battery life

When you hear some iPhone users complain that their phone won’t last the day without a top-up charge, you realise that battery life isn’t just a geeky specification to ignore. If you are on the move and frequently away from a power source, then poor battery life is a definite no-no. So do some research (the internet is packed with online reviews for just about every handset out there!) before you commit.

Storage

Do you need to store lots of documents or pictures on your phone? Or do you have a music collection running into the tens of thousands of songs which you want to store offline so you can enjoy them wherever you are? If so, storage is going to be key. These days a 16gb model is going to rapidly run short of space, especially when you think that a lot of that storage is taken up with the operating system itself. Install some space-hungry apps like Sat Nav and soon you won’t have enough space to enable your phone to upgrade its operating system. If you store lots of data in the cloud this can be less of a problem, and with more and more 4G connections available across the UK this can be a practical solution. But if you’re in a poor signal area (or a heavy user and don’t want to pay a larger tariff because of your data usage), then some sort of expandable storage is worth considering. Apple phones don’t provide any external storage at all, so you have to buy the model you think you’ll need in the future. Many Android-based phones, such as Samsung’s leading handsets, allow you to insert a MicroSD and double, quadruple or more your phone’s storage for a very low cost.

Camera

If you take a lot of photos pay close attention to the camera spec and, if possible, find any real-world reviews. Don’t be fooled by the number of megapixels – far more important is the aperture rating (the lower the number the better!) and pixel size (bigger is better!)

And finally, how powerful does it have to be?

If you play a lot of games between business meetings, or use apps which are memory hungry, then a top of the range processor from Snapdragon and 4gb of memory are worth paying for. But if most of the time you are making calls, sending texts and emails and occasionally checking the weather, then why not choose a mid range smartphone and save money?

If you’d like advice on the right phone for you or your staff, then give us a call!