How to Buy a Cell Phone

The Specs Explained

While a cell phone can make your life easier, just getting one can be a huge hassle. When you look at handsets and service plans, the sales reps may bombard you with a ton of terms and restrictions.

The two most important questions to ask yourself before you decide on a phone and plan are, "How much will I use the phone?" and "Where will I use it?" These two questions will help determine how many minutes you need and whether to go with a local, regional, national, or international plan.

The service meter starts running the minute you place and receive calls. The most common plans are national plans, which allow you to call from anywhere in the United States (and perhaps from some parts of Canada) without additional charges. You may also be able to sign up for a local service plan that allows you to make and receive calls from within your local area without so-called roaming charges being added; or for a regional plan that allows you to call from a wider area without incurring additional charges. If you travel overseas, look for an international plan that lets you use your world phone stateside and in several other countries.

Many companies require that you buy a phone from them when you sign up. Some offer great discounts when you do so. In some cases, you can buy the phone from a third party and sign up for service with the carrier of your choice.

Cell Phone Specs

If you're shopping for a low-end cell phone, you can expect to spend anywhere from nothing to about $149. Many low-end phones are free when you sign a contract with the service provider, or after a mail-in rebate. Also, many cell phone companies offer great discounts when you purchase phones online. A typical cell phone costs anywhere from $150 to $299, while higher-end cell phones run $300 and up.

Because you'll be carrying the phone, its weight and size are fairly important factors to consider before you buy. Most cell phones weigh from 3 to 6 ounces; generally, the more expensive a phone is, the smaller and lighter it is. (PDA phones, however, are an exception to this rule; they tend to be bulkier and heavier than standard cell phones.)

Battery life is another important factor, since it determines how long you can go without recharging the phone, and you don't want to be stranded with a dead battery. Talk-time battery life can range from little more than 1 hour to over 10 hours, depending on your handset. "Standby battery life" refers to battery life while phone is on but not in use. Vendors will estimate both talk-time and standby battery life, but their estimates do not always reflect real-world usage; for more on battery life, check out PC World's cell phone reviews.

Today's phones let you do more than just talk. You can send and receive instant messages and even listen to songs or watch videos after downloading them. You need to take into account what you'd like to do with your phone before you can decide on the right handset for you. Most low-end phones support sending and receiving text messages, handling basic e-mail chores, and doing limited Web surfing. More low-end phones are adding features like built-in cameras and music playback, but if you want faster or more-advanced Web access, video playback and recording, or GPS functionality, you'll probably have to spring for at least an average or higher-end cell phone. And if you're looking for a phone that will let you view and/or edit Office documents, consider a more-advanced PDA phone.

Deciding between single- and dual-mode phones is less critical. Dual-band phones work on both analog and digital networks. They provide far greater coverage because digital networks don't cover the entire nation. Sound quality on analog networks isn't as good, however, and you may have to pay additional fees if you use the analog network on a digital plan.

Similarly, choosing among single-, dual-, tri-, and quad-band phones isn't critical for most users. The more bands a phone supports, the more frequencies it picks up. Quad-band phones, as their name suggests, operate across four frequency bands. As a result, theoretically, they provide better coverage than tri-, dual-, or single-band phones.