Before you upgrade: 5 top tips to consider

Is it time you bought a new mobile phone? Are you thinking of investing in an upgrade this time? Great stuff. However, don’t leap into unknown waters without having read this article, first.

Mobile phone upgrades are very common and often work to enrich our experience more than ever before. There are still several considerations you should take into account before taking the leap to a new contract, though.

We at giffgaff know the ins and outs of phones, and what you should consider before you upgrade to a brand-spanking new device and contract. So, here’s a list of five things to ask yourself before upgrading your phone.

Do you really need a smartphone?

Whether it’s checking your social media profiles, video calling your mates, playing the latest games or using the various other apps available to you, the smartphone is a remarkable invention. It makes our lives a lot lot easier, providing convenience to countless factors of our everyday lives.

However, you might be a bit of a traditionalist and only use your current mobile for sending texts and making phone calls. If you are a little bit more old school, you should really consider whether or not a smartphone is worth the investment; weigh up the pros and cons. There are still plenty of new mobiles coming out, or coming out again in the case of the new Nokia 3310, which offer all the basics you want out of a phone, for a great price.

What is your primary use of your mobile?

Much like the first point, you should think about what your phone’s primary function is when you’re using it. For instance, does your phone pretty much act as a camera? Do you love taking photos and videos on it? If so, you need to make sure your upgrade has a great camera that is at least on a par with your current one. Otherwise, you’re downgrading instead of upgrading.

Do you use your phone as a music player, so you need plenty of storage space? If so, ensure the new phone you’re hung up on has more space than your current phone, to prevent that annoying notification of ‘low storage space’ popping up every 10 minutes. Remember, an upgrade may not be an upgrade if you are sacrificing certain features for the sake of a newer model.

The best time to buy

If you buy a phone the moment it comes out, you’re going to pay the highest price you’re ever going to have to pay for it. As long as you’re not in desperate need of an upgrade, it’s always best to wait a month or so to buy, when the price is a little lower.

Older models are not necessarily redundant ones

While the hardware in a newer model is naturally going to be more up-to-date, this doesn’t mean that the hardware of the previous model is now obsolete and old fashioned. Believe us; you don’t need the very latest model to provide you with great performance.

Are you happy with the type you already have?

If you have an Android which does everything you’d like it to, and has served you well for a decent period of time, do you really need an iPhone? Similarly, if you swear by your iPhone, is it worth moving over to Android to risk not being as satisfied? If you’ve been using a certain version for a long time, you may have purchased music, films etc. Many of these cannot be accessed on another platform if you switch, so it’s definitely worth considering your decision if you’re thinking about jumping ship.

Are you looking to upgrade soon? Get in touch and ask us any other questions you need to, or reach out about this article and what you took away from it when you purchased your snazzy new phone.