Sometimes it feels like the best way to buy a cell phone is to close your eyes and randomly point at one. There are so many different brands and styles, all with a plethora of varying features, that purchasing one can be an overpowering experience. Do you go for the tiniest phone possible, or a big one loaded with features? What about memory cards? Can it play a ringtone of “My Sharona” by The Knack?

Purchasing a cell phone may seem like an impossible challenge, but by examining the features individually and considering your actual needs, you’ll find there’s a cell phone for everyone.

 

Carriers

The first thing to consider is what cell phone carrier you want. the four major carriers in the US are AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. They are the ones who provide the network of cell towers that the phones operate on. Some carriers provide better service in some locations than others, so you may wish to check with friends in the area who have a carrier to get their opinions on the service. There are also Web sites that poll that information, such as CellReception.com.

There are two other important issues about carriers: cell phones and plans. Some carriers have cell phones that are exclusive to them, such as AT&T who currently exclusively carries the iPhone. If you want that phone, you have to go to that carrier. Cell plans, on the other hand, are all about money. Each one is tailored to provide a certain number of talk minutes, as well as other services such as texting, Internet and more. Some cell plans allow you to talk to certain phone numbers for free or roll unused minutes over, so what plan you pick can be perhaps the most important part of your cell phone purchase.

Many cell phone carriers also offer some level of exclusive entertainment content that can be downloaded to your phone. This may be anything from exclusive ringtones to full MP3s to full video television shows. While this may seem like a technological marvel at first, you might want to ask yourself how likely you are to watch a segment of “Entertainment Tonight” on your cell phone.

 

GSM vs. CDMA

If you're a frequent international traveller and have need of using your phone overseas, or if you are in the habit of frequently switching phones, you might want to know more about the difference between GSM and CDMA technologies and the carriers that use them. GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications and is an international wireless standard in use all over the world; in the US, AT&T and T-Mobile are the carriers that use GSM technology in their phones and networks. CDMA, or Code Division Multiple Access, is a proprietary standard designed by Qualcomm in the US and, although it has gained traction in some parts of the world, is still predominantly a US-based phone technology. Verizon and Sprint are the carriers that use CDMA technology in their phones and networks.

Only GSM phones allow you to use a removable SIM card, or Subscriber Identity Module, a portable memory chip that makes switching phones easy by simply taking the card from one phone and putting it into another GSM phone. When people refer to "unlocked phones" they mean GSM phones that aren't tied to a specific carrier — as long as you have an active SIM card from the GSM carrier you want to use, just pop in the card and your phone should be able to work. The card stores all your personal information and phone settings, so as soon as you put your SIM card into a new phone your contacts will be able to call you at the same number. In the US this means that if your phone is unlocked, you could have a plan with AT&T and decide to switch to T-Mobile (or vice versa) without having to change phones. This is also extremely handy when travelling internationally, because you can also buy prepaid SIM cards that will work in your unlocked GSM phone and provide you with a local number — all without the hassle of having to buy or rent a new phone overseas.

 

Phone Basics

The simple aesthetics of a phone should be considered in a purchase as well. You may not think you care how your phone looks now, but you probably don’t want to walk around with a Bedazzled Hello Kitty cell phone on your belt, unless that’s your thing (and who are we to judge?). But beyond that, it’s a good idea to feel how the phone fits in your hand. Is it too big? Too small? Does it have the right amount of heft? How do the buttons feel? If you plan to do a good deal of text messaging, you might want to consider a phone with some kind of keypad or full QWERTY keyboard.

Cell phones come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, but there are generally four basic design types – flip, where the top half of the phone folds up like a clamshell on the bottom; slider, where the screen hides the keys until you slide it up; swivel, which is like the slider except it swivels instead of slides; and bar, which doesn’t move at all (pictured, right). Each has their advantages and disadvantages. Bars are the sturdiest, but tend to be larger. Swivels and sliders tend to be smaller, but because they don’t have anything covering their screens, can be easily scratched in your pocket. Flip phones keep the screen covered when not in use, but tend to take up a bit more pocket space.

 

Phone Features

There are certain features that come with virtually every new cell phone. Cell phones without Bluetooth are all but unheard of today, which means they are capable of utilizing wireless headsets, so that isn’t really an issue. Even the most bottom of the barrel, free-with-plan cell phones come equipped with some level of Internet and texting capability. But beyond that, a lot more choice enters the picture.

Many phones are equipped with cameras of varying quality and are often capable of taking video. Many can also play MP3s and take memory cards of different sizes to store and play them off of. There are cell phones with built in global positioning systems as well. Again, it becomes a matter of looking at what features seem cool when you are in the store and considering which features you are actually going to use and potentially pay the airtime fees for. If you decide that you do use many of a cell phone’s features, you may even want to look into getting a smartphone, which you can find out more about here.

Regardless of what phone you decide on, make sure it does the most important thing: allow you to listen and talk to someone after you punch a bunch of numbers on the keypad. If the phone can do that, everything else is a bonus.