Some mobile phones are particularly careful in terms of materials and functions, and their prices have also risen accordingly. However, the functions promoted by some mobile phones are actually only suitable for a small number of people. However, in order to make the sales of mobile phones better, the original manufacturers usually package these seemingly unimportant features in a beautiful way. In order to make the most of every penny you spend on a mobile phone, you must first at least understand which functions you don’t really need, instead of blindly thinking that you can just buy the most expensive and flagship one.
Foreign media PhoneArena recently compiled 10 mobile phone specifications that are considered to be over-hyped, or over-hyped. These specifications look great in the promotional images, and are actually the R&D efforts of each company. But whether these are really necessary for consumers is open to question.
1. The most powerful processor and 12GB of memory are actually not that important.
Flagship mobile phones tend to have quite powerful processors and even come with quite high-capacity system memory. However, these functions may not necessarily be used in daily use.
If the usual usage scenario is more on Facebook and IG, then the super powerful processor is basically just for walking. This is true even for large memory. For an iPhone, it only needs 4GB to run smoothly. Although Android flagship phones often have 8GB to 12GB or more, the system does not allow too many apps to run in the background. Except for some games that require large-capacity memory, there are basically no applications on mobile phones that require such an excessive amount of memory.
In addition, because some consumers easily misunderstand the two terms “memory” and “storage space,” they must understand before purchasing. “Memory” does not determine how many photos or videos you store. “Storage space” is the space number that truly determines how many things you want to store.
2. More lenses do not mean better shooting
The lens design on mobile phones has entered the multi-lens era. Even tablets that don’t pay much attention to camera performance seem to consider using dual lenses as usual. But no matter how many lenses there are, most consumers only really use telephoto/zoom and wide-angle lenses. Most of the functional lenses other than these have extremely low usage rates, or the shooting quality is only usable. Therefore, the number of lenses on a mobile phone should not be used as a basis for the mobile phone to be much better at taking pictures.
3. 100 million pixels may not necessarily give a better-looking picture than 12 million pixels
Some manufacturers will definitely smile bitterly when talking about this specification… Although in addition to 100 million pixels, there are also ultra-high specifications such as 64 million and 32 million pixels, but players who are interested in taking pictures may notice that the lens pixels of many mainstream mobile phones are still very conservative, and there are even many mobile phones using 12 million pixel lenses. High pixels may be able to capture richer details, but the camera performance on a mobile phone usually has to be fine-tuned by the manufacturer, so that the system’s calculations can present a picture that everyone finds pleasing.
For example, the main lens of iPhone 13 Pro Max is still 12 million pixels.But the DXOMark score of this machine is 137 points, still ranked among the top five in the DxOMark mobile phone rankings as of press time, scoring higher than many mobile phones known for their high pixels. Perhaps the 100 million pixel shooting details will be richer and the functional applications will have more layers, but if you want to post the photo directly on IG or Facebook after taking the photo, maybe a beautiful photo will be more pleasing than a photo with a lot of details.
4. Macro is actually more useless than you think
Many people will consider higher-end mobile phones, such as iPhone 13 Pro, because of the macro function. But what is intriguing is that the most commonly used camera in mobile phones is also the macro lens. The average person probably won’t even use it more than five times a year. As for those photography experts who love macro photography and like to take pictures of flowers and insects, I am afraid they will only be more willing to invest in a professional camera instead of a more expensive iPhone.
5. A larger battery does not mean a longer battery life.
There are many parts on a mobile phone that require power, among which the screen and SoC chip require a larger proportion of power. In addition, the battery life must also take into account the optimization degree of battery usage of the mobile phone system and the situation in which the user turns on the mobile phone. Under the same objective conditions and only different battery capacities, the one with the larger battery will naturally last longer. However, it is impossible to apply this logic to mobile phones because there are too many variables to fully control.
Bigger batteries are sometimes prone to disasters. For example, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 mobile phone caused a series of explosions due to battery design problems, which severely damaged the company’s image.
6. Wireless charging is more of a gimmick
The technical specification of wireless charging is very common on flagship mobile phones. Some people may consider purchasing it because the mobile phone can be charged without wires. However, the purpose of this function is actually very beautiful, but the reality is very skinny. Because wired charging is faster, a bunch of manufacturers are striving for faster charging and have developed all kinds of weird black technologies.
As for wireless charging…not to mention the slow speed, the most troublesome thing is that it requires additional accessories. Usually this expenditure is not included in the purchase budget of the mobile phone. You have to spend additional money to enjoy this feature. And although the mobile phone does not require wiring, accessories always need to be connected, and usually the position must be carefully positioned to charge. After coming full circle, maybe you really don’t need so-called wireless charging.
7. Gorilla Glass is not indestructible
You must have heard of Gorilla Glass. Many mobile phone manufacturers now promote it like this, saying that their mobile phone screens are made of the next generation of Gorilla Glass, with a majestic gorilla face, as if to say that no matter how damaged it is, this piece of glass will always be spotless. But…if it is really so powerful, why is it that the first thing everyone does when buying a new mobile phone is usually to remove the film or put on a protective film?
8. Are glass phones really better than plastic ones?
The texture of mobile phone casing is also a target that many people pay attention to. The author also likes the exquisite and beautiful glass back cover. The texture is different from mobile phones with plastic shells. Even mobile phones with metal shells feel more “classy”. Even if the phone is running games, it will obviously feel warm.
However, many people now take the initiative to buy peripheral products to protect their mobile phones, such as anti-fall cases and screen protectors. It may not be so important whether the bare phone feels good when held, or the beautiful back may be wrapped under the protective case and never see the light of day. In this case, the material does not seem to be a reason to pay more.
9. The addition of words like Ultra and Pro sometimes just means more expensive.
In addition to the iPhone, I believe many people have noticed that mobile phone manufacturers these days like to use one machine for multiple purposes. By changing the screen size or some small parts, it can become an upgraded version, or a Pro version. Some manufacturers like to use the subtraction philosophy and launch versions called Lite or Youth Edition to win over users who think cost-effectiveness is more important. But to be honest, these are just words. Buying the Pro or even Pro Max version does not mean that you are superior to others, it only means that you can afford the money more.
Some manufacturers even like to create terms, but do not mention the differences between their mobile phones. For example, there are so-called Ultra machines and Fan Edition machines. Some may cost three to four thousand yuan just because there is an extra stylus that users may not necessarily need, or they may be given a larger battery or a higher-end processor.
Since words like Lite or Mini give people the impression of discounting, this type of mobile phone usually does not sell well. If the so-called iPhone 13 Mini is renamed iPhone 13, and iPhone 13 is renamed iPhone 13 Max, perhaps the sales figures will be very different from the current ones. But in fact, these are just names hard-added to persuade consumers to accept the pricing logic of these mobile phones.
10. Is 8K recording really useful?
As mobile phone specifications become more and more powerful, there is naturally a need for applications that can convince consumers to use high-end hardware. If there is no application in this area at the moment, you can use marketing techniques to create one. 8K recording is one example. However, the reality is that 8K displays are not popular at all, and 8K-related content is not very useful even if it is filmed.Even Youtube currently does not support 8K video playback (Correction, Youtube already supports 8K playback), what is the significance of shooting 8K videos becomes a good question.
Bonus: 5G network is actually not mature yet
Now, various telecom operators in Taiwan have launched 5G network services, but 5G still has many problems that are criticized. For example, 5G network rates are still not close to the people, and 4G all-you-can-eat with reduced speed is still very cheap. There are still many countries or regions in the world that have not yet popularized 5G networks. Even if there are related services, the connection quality is greatly reduced.
As a result, mobile phones that require 5G connectivity face an embarrassing situation. They usually have 4G versions of their siblings, but the word 5G makes them more expensive. Many people sometimes want to choose a cheap mobile phone, but everywhere they look are 5G models. There are still many people who have obviously bought a 5G phone but are still using 4G all-you-can-eat.
However, 5G is the future trend after all, and 4G is believed to be slowly phased out soon. But at this stage, it doesn’t seem like a good idea to consider mobile phone specifications for the sake of network specifications that may actually be useful in the next few years.
Bonus 2: The more expensive the mobile phone, the better
The author, like many consumers, believes that more expensive things are definitely better. This may apply in many fields, but this may not necessarily be true for mobile phones. For example, some mid-to-high-end mobile phones actually add functions or features that are not what ordinary people really need.
For example, Face ID may be a cool gadget, but in the current epidemic situation, fingerprint recognition unlocking has a wider range of applications. The waterproof and dustproof design is very practical for people who often run out, but for office workers who usually just commute from home to work, the practicality is not as high as expected.
In fact, there are many functions worth trying
Of course, although the above mentioned many common specifications of modern mobile phones, it does not mean that they really have no use. For some people, they will need these functions to meet their needs for mobile phones, so it is unreasonable to draw a red line on all these conditions.
Modern mobile phones also have some interesting features, which may be used as a reference for replacement. For example, high update rate (some companies call it high refresh rate) screens respond well to many Android phone users. Although wireless charging is a bit tasteless, the reverse wireless charging function often brings convenience to players. For users, choosing a good mobile phone does not necessarily only depend on price or processor speed. Some small details in the specification table can sometimes help them choose a mobile phone that better meets their budget and needs.
These little knowledge may help you spend less money, but everyone has their own needs for mobile phones. Some people may pay more attention to camera performance, some people need mobile phones as portable Vlog recording tools, and some people need them more for playing video games and so on. It will be smarter to analyze what kind of mobile phone you need based on different needs than to blindly follow the trend and buy an iPhone.
Source: KOCPC Chinese