9 Potentially Misleading Smartphone Features Nigerians Fall For
On the business side of things, it's a cutthroat world out there. A large number of smartphone manufacturers are literally grasping at...
https://newshelmng.blogspot.com/2015/02/9-potentially-misleading-smartphone.html
On the business side of things, it's a cutthroat world out there. A
large number of smartphone manufacturers are literally grasping at
straws, trying to stay relevant, and even the big boys are known to
sometimes step over the line to achieve the same. With such a terrific
variety of smartphone devices on the market, most of which not much
different from one another, it comes down to companies' respective
marketing divisions to drive interest in its products and, ultimately,
drive sales.
1. Dual "stereo" speakers
Sometimes, manufacturers decide to entice consumers by including two separate "stereo" speakers with their smartphones. You should keep a few things in mind, however.
First off, dual speakers don't automatically mean two channel sound, and that's an important consideration (not to mention, a requirement for stereo sound). But even when a smartphone does route audio through two channels, it's important to keep in mind that for a true stereo effect, the positioning of said speakers is also crucial. In other words, if both speakers are located on the bottom side of the phone, you'll experience no stereophonic sound.
2. Camera megapixels
We'll never tire repeating this, even though it's probably a long-lost battle – higher megapixel counts for your camera do not equal better image quality. In fact, in some cases, it doesn't even mean more details! As far, far greater predictor of image quality is the size of the camera sensor slapped on this or that smartphone. Remember, all things being equal, a larger camera sensor will deliver better image quality than a smaller one.
In other words, don't just assume that because the Xperia Z3 has 20.7-megapixels, it's necessarily better than the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (which has 16 megapixels). In fact, the Note 4 is actually the better shooter overall.
3. Look! A 256-core processor!
Most self-respecting techies know that processor core counts are just part of the story when it comes to performance. Indeed, chips like the dual-core A8 inside the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are incredibly potent. So next time you see a smartphone with an octa-core processor, don't just assume that it's purely a numbers game and that 8 > 4 > 2. Part of the reason for that is platforms' inability to actually properly utilize anything beyond two cores, and this also holds true for the majority of third-party apps, too.
4. Dual SIMs
The Dual SIM option is enticing because it allows users greater flexibility with their carrier plans, which, in turn, saves them money. Unfortunately, however, we often come across people that don't quite get the limitations of the most popular, dual SIM, dual standby tech that most such devices go for.
In short, the first thing you need to know with dual SIM, dual standby configurations is that when data or the call network is being utilized by one card, the other will be sitting in standby, meaning it'll be unreachable. What's more, the secondary SIM slot usually can only work with a 2G GSM network at most, so no blazing-fast internet speeds. Generally, if you expect calls to come through from both cards and are an active user, you may want to look into dual SIM, dual active devices (very few of those, unfortunately).
5.Very limited internal storage, but microSD slot
We get it – to cut down on costs and offer you as affordable a device as possible, manufacturers sometimes are forced to slash the amount of internal storage available with this or that device. This issue is usually partially resolved in most consumers' minds by the availability of a microSD card slot, the majority of which support at least 32GB of extra storage. Sounds plentiful enough, right?
Not really. There are a number of drawbacks with microSD cards. For example, in Android 4.4 KitKat and higher, Google removed the ability to store apps externally on the card, citing security concerns. This means that unless your device has a specially-crafted workaround built-in by the manufacturer, or you are ready to root your device, you'll be unable to store anything more than media on that otherwise spacious 32 gig card. This can be quite a problem with apps' tendency to require more and more space, so keep that in mind when making purchasing decisions.
6.Dual LED flash
Night photography is a sore spot with smartphones, courtesy of their teeny-tiny camera sensors that just can't gather enough light. It's because of this that some of us are excited about the idea of having a dual LED flash on our smartphones – after all, that's an extra LED flash lamp, so you should get even better illumination in the dark, right?
Not really. At least not necessarily. A dual LED flash configuration on one phone can actually provide less illumination than the single LED flash config of another. So don't assume that an extra lamp will help you snap brighter photos in the dark – it could, but it's not a given.
7.Thinness has a price
For some of us, a thinner phone equals a better-looking, more stylish phone. More than just thinness goes into what makes a device attractive, of course, but it's undeniable that the industry is set on trimming down any extra fat, as quickly as possible. We therefore now have devices with profiles measuring less than 0.19 inches (5 mm).
Sleek-looking as they might be, however, such smartphones usually come with some kind of drawback that you should keep in mind. For example, the thinner the phone is, the less space there is for the battery (so lower endurance) and everything else. The camera, too, is often the victim of certain compromises. Lastly, a thinner device generally means less efficient heat dissipation, which, in turn, means throttling of the processor when using the phone for prolonged periods, and thus, worse performance.
8.LTE
LTE is able to provide users with Internet speeds up to three times faster than 3G, reaching up to 150 Megabits per second (Mb/s) in ideal conditions. These speeds may also vary depending on the operator infrastructure, the device, the manufacturer and the speeds it supports. However, these speeds provide users with a general estimate of what speeds can be reached with LTE. These increased data speeds provide users with faster uplink speeds (approximately 50Mb/s) and faster download speeds (approximately 100Mb/s). although recently released mobile devices are LTE-enabled, LTE coverage is not available everywhere. It must be noted that LTE is still currently in its infancy stages in Africa as networks are not readily geared up for it.
9.NFC
Near field communication (NFC) is a set of ideas and technology that enables smartphones and other devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into proximity, typically a distance of 10 cm (3.9 in) or less.
While this may sound intizing, many people over here cannot afford high ends. In the West, only a small proportion of people don’t have access to a bank account, so logic says such a product would not work here. The reality is that many sections of society are very poorly served by traditional banks
1. Dual "stereo" speakers
Sometimes, manufacturers decide to entice consumers by including two separate "stereo" speakers with their smartphones. You should keep a few things in mind, however.
First off, dual speakers don't automatically mean two channel sound, and that's an important consideration (not to mention, a requirement for stereo sound). But even when a smartphone does route audio through two channels, it's important to keep in mind that for a true stereo effect, the positioning of said speakers is also crucial. In other words, if both speakers are located on the bottom side of the phone, you'll experience no stereophonic sound.
2. Camera megapixels
We'll never tire repeating this, even though it's probably a long-lost battle – higher megapixel counts for your camera do not equal better image quality. In fact, in some cases, it doesn't even mean more details! As far, far greater predictor of image quality is the size of the camera sensor slapped on this or that smartphone. Remember, all things being equal, a larger camera sensor will deliver better image quality than a smaller one.
In other words, don't just assume that because the Xperia Z3 has 20.7-megapixels, it's necessarily better than the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (which has 16 megapixels). In fact, the Note 4 is actually the better shooter overall.
3. Look! A 256-core processor!
Most self-respecting techies know that processor core counts are just part of the story when it comes to performance. Indeed, chips like the dual-core A8 inside the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are incredibly potent. So next time you see a smartphone with an octa-core processor, don't just assume that it's purely a numbers game and that 8 > 4 > 2. Part of the reason for that is platforms' inability to actually properly utilize anything beyond two cores, and this also holds true for the majority of third-party apps, too.
4. Dual SIMs
The Dual SIM option is enticing because it allows users greater flexibility with their carrier plans, which, in turn, saves them money. Unfortunately, however, we often come across people that don't quite get the limitations of the most popular, dual SIM, dual standby tech that most such devices go for.
In short, the first thing you need to know with dual SIM, dual standby configurations is that when data or the call network is being utilized by one card, the other will be sitting in standby, meaning it'll be unreachable. What's more, the secondary SIM slot usually can only work with a 2G GSM network at most, so no blazing-fast internet speeds. Generally, if you expect calls to come through from both cards and are an active user, you may want to look into dual SIM, dual active devices (very few of those, unfortunately).
5.Very limited internal storage, but microSD slot
We get it – to cut down on costs and offer you as affordable a device as possible, manufacturers sometimes are forced to slash the amount of internal storage available with this or that device. This issue is usually partially resolved in most consumers' minds by the availability of a microSD card slot, the majority of which support at least 32GB of extra storage. Sounds plentiful enough, right?
Not really. There are a number of drawbacks with microSD cards. For example, in Android 4.4 KitKat and higher, Google removed the ability to store apps externally on the card, citing security concerns. This means that unless your device has a specially-crafted workaround built-in by the manufacturer, or you are ready to root your device, you'll be unable to store anything more than media on that otherwise spacious 32 gig card. This can be quite a problem with apps' tendency to require more and more space, so keep that in mind when making purchasing decisions.
6.Dual LED flash
Night photography is a sore spot with smartphones, courtesy of their teeny-tiny camera sensors that just can't gather enough light. It's because of this that some of us are excited about the idea of having a dual LED flash on our smartphones – after all, that's an extra LED flash lamp, so you should get even better illumination in the dark, right?
Not really. At least not necessarily. A dual LED flash configuration on one phone can actually provide less illumination than the single LED flash config of another. So don't assume that an extra lamp will help you snap brighter photos in the dark – it could, but it's not a given.
7.Thinness has a price
For some of us, a thinner phone equals a better-looking, more stylish phone. More than just thinness goes into what makes a device attractive, of course, but it's undeniable that the industry is set on trimming down any extra fat, as quickly as possible. We therefore now have devices with profiles measuring less than 0.19 inches (5 mm).
Sleek-looking as they might be, however, such smartphones usually come with some kind of drawback that you should keep in mind. For example, the thinner the phone is, the less space there is for the battery (so lower endurance) and everything else. The camera, too, is often the victim of certain compromises. Lastly, a thinner device generally means less efficient heat dissipation, which, in turn, means throttling of the processor when using the phone for prolonged periods, and thus, worse performance.
8.LTE
LTE is able to provide users with Internet speeds up to three times faster than 3G, reaching up to 150 Megabits per second (Mb/s) in ideal conditions. These speeds may also vary depending on the operator infrastructure, the device, the manufacturer and the speeds it supports. However, these speeds provide users with a general estimate of what speeds can be reached with LTE. These increased data speeds provide users with faster uplink speeds (approximately 50Mb/s) and faster download speeds (approximately 100Mb/s). although recently released mobile devices are LTE-enabled, LTE coverage is not available everywhere. It must be noted that LTE is still currently in its infancy stages in Africa as networks are not readily geared up for it.
9.NFC
Near field communication (NFC) is a set of ideas and technology that enables smartphones and other devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into proximity, typically a distance of 10 cm (3.9 in) or less.
While this may sound intizing, many people over here cannot afford high ends. In the West, only a small proportion of people don’t have access to a bank account, so logic says such a product would not work here. The reality is that many sections of society are very poorly served by traditional banks
