Shanta R Vaswani asks:
Which hardware and software configurations would one look first when planning to buy a new mobile phone? Is the processor and RAM the most important?
16 Answers -
Mike
September 22, 2012It depends on what you plan to do with your phone.
For general usage they are of no importance. The things to look for are the supported networks and standards, available (storage) memory and expandability via e.g. via microSD card and other details like the cameras quality.
The RAM can be of importance for certain applications e.g. on an Android phone. The processor (and graphics platform) doesn’t really matter unless you want to run some intense games on the phone.
Rajaa Chowdhury
September 22, 2012I shall reply this in India context as the CPU, internal Memory, expandable memory supported, open standard OS like Android, version of the OS, screen resolution, and in india preferably a open GSM phone. Also would depend if you need a dual SIM support or not.
There reasonably priced Android phone recently launched in India which you can check out are :
1. Sony Xperia Tipo Dual @ Rs. 10,200/= (dual SIM) – Android 4.0.3
2. SamSung Galaxy Y Lite Duos @ Rs. 6,750/= (dual SIM) – Android 2.3.6
3. SamSung Galaxy Chat GT-B5330 @ Rs. 8,650/= (has both capacitive touch and Qwerty keys)- Android 4.0.4 – I have personally purcahsed this one a week back and till now a very impressed with it’s performance
All the three models have been launched this month only in India so very new phones for which you can look forward to support from the respective manufacturers for the coming few years.
September 22, 2012What is difference between CPU and GPU
October 9, 2012DalSan
September 22, 20121GHz A8 processor or better, 512MB RAM or more, at least 2GB internal storage would be minimum suggested for Android. For Windows Phone, most are pretty well suited. iPhones have basically no problem with hardware. For the most part, the processor and memory alone does not equate to a good or bad phone. Depending on the processor type would depend on how well the phone should perform. A badly made processor and gpu chip at 1.5GHz may perform horribly compared to a well made and up to date processor and gpu at 1GHz. Reviews of the phones matter more as it will give you a better idea on which phone suits your wants and needs because they will give real use instances instead of “it looks good on paper”. The higher the internal storage in an Android phone the better as it will allow for more apps to be installed. I have no experience with Windows Phone series, so can’t suggest too much but to wait for WP8 to come out.
susendeep dutta
September 22, 2012When looking for a new smartphone,people usually look for a phone which is better than their previous ones.They put emphasis on ecosystem,app support,good peripherals like third party headsets,cases etc.. People also compare specs and price of different phones and tend to settle for lowest one or look out for best deal they can have on malls or online.
Things which looks good on paper might not turn out well in reality.Some phones with good hardware has death grip issues and unoptimized software.So,it’s better to look for an exhaustive,unbiased review before looking for a purchase.
Internal memory should always be a consideration, as well as deciding what ecosystem to choose. Currently, Android is doing very well as a lot of Android mobiles can be got for very less indeed and they come with ICS.
September 23, 2012GrrGrrr
September 22, 2012The first thing should be OS- BlackBerry, Windows, Android or others.
Next based on ur usage Processor & RAM.
Next Camera
Screen size, memory, type are other secondary specs to check
Alex
September 22, 2012Battery, I think.
Ahmed Khalil
September 22, 2012For me i think the processor, and screen resolution
Ahmed Khalil
September 22, 2012for the software, the operating system is the main point
Alex Perkins
September 22, 2012If you have a lot of music on your phone then probably built in storage space and/or maximum microSD capacity.
If you use your phone for taking pictures and videos obviously the camera and the microphone(s) 8MP is pretty good.
If you are a phone gamer then you will want large amount of RAM and a good graphics processor.
It all depends on what you plan to use your phone for.
Nice answer
As random memory is used by running processes like Map(GPS) and few android system processes (keyboard.. ) , how much remaining free Random Memory is sufficient to smoothly run in a 1 GHZ processor device?
What is strength of an average graphics processor and how to find the graphic processor’s strength in an android device?
October 9, 2012Dimal Chandrasiri
September 23, 2012well your question is not specific. I would recommend you to do some more research on the question. bt I will give a general answer too.
first of all, plan what you are going to do with your mobile. if it’s just for calling and texting, I would recommend you to go for a more battery friendly ( more talk time and stand by time ) mobile with a keypad maybe. ( since texting is there, your benefit from a physical key board )
if that’s not the case, go for a new smart phone powered by either iOS or Android. Both have their pros nd cons..
( I’m using an android and true it lags some times in my Xperia Mini Pro )
it’s true. you have to focus on the processor and the RAM amount available for that device. bt that’s just if you are looking forward to do lot of multitasking in your mobile. I would tell you to focus on a processor with dual core capabilities. and for the RAM amount, android will benefit with atleast 1GB of RAM. 512 will do too. for iOS you don’t have much choice.
and there are few more things to consider.
1st :
Battery Life -> it’s true that standard smart phones have less up time if you are on 3G or LTE. bt you should take a look at the standard capabilities of the battery. let’s say, the device can go up to 24 hours with a single charge, It would be nice. ( my MINI PRO does a full 24hour+ with constant texting in ICS )
2nd :
Storage -> if you are a fan of mobile entertainment, then you’ll benefit from high capacity device. atleast with high capacity enabled devices. so consider about that too. try to get a device with memory expandability. ( XPERIA U for example has no memory slot )
consider all these things and decide a suitable device for you..
ahhh finally, it should fit your budget.
dnt wont any one to commit crimes over my comments! 
Dave Parrack
September 24, 2012I would always take the following into consideration – operating system, RAM, processor speed, storage space (internal size + external options), camera, and battery life. It really depends on what you want from your phone though.
Deekshith Allamaneni
September 26, 2012Question is not clear.
May be the most relevant answer to your question would be “Microcontroller or Microprocessor” which is the heart of your mobile phone.
Reý Aetar
September 28, 2012as long as the apps i need run well i dont care about the os and hardware
and after that comes signal and battery with camera quality and build quality
Zack263
October 4, 2012If I were to guess I would say the mother board is most important! or main board of the phone
Jacob
October 4, 2012Looking at the processor and RAM specifications means you are planning to run many applications at once.You want to receive your e-mails,play games,chat with someone,read newspaper articles all at the same time.If you are a heavy mobile user you will need to buy a phone that has a processor powerful enough to do all these.processor is the most important.Look for something over 800 MHz.
Sunil
October 9, 2012As random memory is used by running processes like Map(GPS) and few android system processes (keyboard.. ) , how much remaining free Random Memory is sufficient to smoothly run in a 1 GHZ processor device?