First off, I must say that it is very nice to see so many people really interested in getting the best phone that they can. This section can be quite helpful to those people looking for exactly the right phone and have no idea where to begin. Now that being said, I will move on to what is most important for EVERYONE to realize.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"The "perfect" phone is different for everyone. Sure, one phone may have more technical features than the other, but that does not limit its usefulness to certain people. One man could be using the most basic old-school Nokia candy bar phone and be just as content as another guy using the latest greatest phone with a 23MP camera, GPS, TV, toaster, deep-fryer, back scratcher, etc... It is very important to realize that what works for you, may not work for the person across from you. It is also important to realize that just because the guy across from you has the latest and greatest, doesn't mean that his phone will be what's best for you.
Before asking is phone A better than phone B, I implore you to discover an answer for yourself. First, create a list of everything you want and/or need in a phone. Do you need awesome call quality? Do you need excellent battery life? Do you need small productivity tools to make your day easier? Do you need business email and contact support? Think of the things you absolutely cannot live without in a phone, and then think of the things you'd like to have, but could possibly live without. From there, it takes about 30 seconds to pull up a spec sheet or a video review of phone A and phone B through
Google. It also takes about a minute or two to find other TmoNews users possibly discussing the exact same phones you are curious about by using the
search button. Once you have some raw information in front of you, take a few more minutes to synthesize this information into what it means for you compared to the wants/needs list you should have came up with in the beginning. At this point, you may still have some questions, you may need some more clarification on what a feature of the phone actually is. Now THIS is why these forums exist. Once you have attempted to cure your naivety on your own, it is important to ask for others' help and explanations.
After you think you know as much as you'd like to know about phone A and phone B, the next integral step is to mozy on down to your local t-mobile dealer and physically play with the phones themselves. Ask the employees questions, although don't be surprised if they either give you the wrong answer or just don't have an answer. Check out all the features the phones have to offer first hand and add to your newly discovered plethora of knowledge. If you are ready to make your decision, then by all means you have reached the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If you still are not ready to make a decision, sleep on it. Come back around here and see if you can find answers to any new questions you might have. Once you feel comfortable in making a decision, make it! Its that simple!
SUMMARY: What really matters is how a phone stacks up against what you personally feel like you need in a phone. Take the time, about a half hour of research and synthesis, to come up with some good knowledge on what a certain phone can do and whether or not it could possibly be right for you. Play with the phones in real life and see if it works for you.
P.S. I cannot stress how important it is to fully utilize the
search button within the forum and read what has already been discussed. You may not realize it, but chances are other people might have exactly the same questions as you. For example, there are currently 3-4 separate threads all asking people to compare the G1 and the Samsung Behold.
*****Please also utilize this FAQ if you plan on asking other users to help you out in your phone buying decision*****
