If you want a new mobile phone then you might be a little overwhelmed at the array of devices on the shelves. There are tons of different mobile phones to choose from, and getting the right one can be tough. You’re looking at spending a few hundred pounds of your hard earned cash, so you need to know that you’re getting good value for money. But you also need to know that you’re getting a solid, reliable device, since most of us these days are dependent on a mobile for either work or personal reasons. Finally, you need to know that it’s the right phone for you, because most of us only buy a new mobile once every couple of years, so you’ll be living with your decision for a while. Ideally you should really compare mobile phones that you’re interested in. You can get mobile spec sheets online and use these to see how features match up. But these spec sheets are often loaded down with technical data, which can make reading them not only time consuming but also confusing. And that’s where we come into the picture. We’ve looked at some of the best new devices on the market and matched models up in head to head comparisons, allowing you to easily see which is the better phone. Interested in the phones that we’re looking at today? Then read on to find out more information to make sure that you’re making the right mobile purchasing decision and getting the best phone.
The Two Phones…
Samsung are one of the biggest and most successful mobile manufacturers on today’s market. They’re best known for their high end feature phones like the Galaxy S4. Whilst the S4 is an amazing phone, it’s also pretty pricey. And this is why Samsung have released a mini version, called simply the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini. The Mini lacks a few of the features of the original S4, but it’s much more affordable. It’s a nice little phone, but how much performance do you have to give up to get that low price? Huawei might not be your first choice of mobile brands, and they’re not the best known manufacturer around. However, the Chinese company have begun to earn a reputation for making some solid phones with good specs for low prices. Their latest mid-range phone is the Huawei Ascend Mate. This is a phablet device, meaning that it combines the traditional functions of a mobile phone with the larger screen of a tablet. It’s definitely affordable, and it does have some nice specs. But is Huawei really ready to compete with the likes of mobile giant Samsung?
The Two Prices…
Price is always going to be a factor when you’re mobile shopping, so it’s one of the first things that we look at. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is going to cost you around three hundred and seventy pounds for the SIM free hand set. The Huawei Ascend Mate is a little cheaper and will run you about three hundred pounds for the SIM free device. If you prefer getting a contract phone from a mobile operator, then the best deal on the Galaxy right now is from O2, where you’ll get the phone for no money down on a £22 a month plan. The best offer for the Ascend is from Vodafone, where again you get the phone for zero cash up front, this time on a £25 a month plan. Don’t worry about changing operators to get the best contract price. Simply ask your operator for your PAC code and then pass this PAC code along to your new operator to keep your current mobile number.
Why Go for the Huawei Ascend Mate?
The Huawei Ascend mate is cheaper, but it does have a couple of nice advantages over the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini. As a phablet it obviously has a larger screen, the Ascend’s display is 6.1 inches versus the Galaxy’s 4.3 inch screen. This means that not only do you get a better viewing experience for videos and for web pages and documents, but also that typing on the pop up on screen keyboard is a lot more comfortable too. And the screen has eighty per cent higher resolution, so it’s also brighter to look at. The amount of internal storage your phone has determines the amount of music, photos, games and other data you can keep on your device. In this case you get double the storage with the Ascend’s 16 GB internal memory as compared to the Galaxy’s 8 GB memory, and that’s a lot more space…
Why Go for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini?
But the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini has some solid advantages of its own. With a 1700 MHz processor the Galaxy is faster, more powerful and more responsive than the Ascend with its 1500 MHz processor. The screen on the Galaxy might be smaller, but it’s a Super AMOLED display rather than the older LCD technology used on the Huawei, so you get better and more vivid colour reproduction. And ten per cent more PPI (pixels per inch) mean that the Galaxy’s display is sharper and crisper as well. Because the Samsung has the smaller screen, it is the more portable device. It’s around half the size of the Ascend generally, and more than ten per cent thinner. Plus, it’s lighter, weighing in at only 107 grams versus the Ascend’s 198 grams. This means that the Samsung is just easier to carry around with you all day. Finally, the Galaxy runs the 4.2 Android Jelly Bean operating system rather than the 4.1 version on the Ascend, which should give it a little more speed and more stability too.
Which Should I Buy?
These are both great phones. The bigger screen and bigger internal memory on the Huawei Ascend Mate are pretty tempting. However, we’re going with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini for its faster processor, sharper screen and overall portability.
Phil Turner’s sister was totally confused when her new provider asked for the PAC code. Phil helped her out by explaining what it was and showing her how to get it with the help of sites like uSwitch.
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