Phone buying checklist
Open a section, slide each spec to what you want, and print your own phone wish list at the end.
How many times a second the screen redraws. Higher looks smoother when you scroll or play.
Slowed down so you can see it. Each dot is one frame.
The standard today, even on budget phones.
The panel itself. It decides how deep the blacks are and how readable the screen is outdoors.
Punchy colours and better outdoors. Common even on budget phones now.
How many pixels the screen has. More pixels means sharper text and photos, but past Full HD the difference is small on a phone.
AaSmall text on the screenand even smaller details in photosMagnified to show the difference.
Sharp for nearly everyone. The sweet spot.
Measured corner to corner in inches. Bigger is better for video and games, smaller is easier in one hand.
6.1″14.1 x 6.5 cm6.5″15.0 x 6.9 cm6.9″15.9 x 7.3 cmDrawn to the same scale. The coloured area is the screen.
The size most phones come in.
How bright the screen gets, in nits. It decides whether you can read it in direct sunlight.
Your bank OTP is 482913
Can you read this in the sun?
How the screen reads under bright sunlight, roughly.
Readable outside on most days.
OLED screens dim by flickering very fast. Some people get headaches at low brightness, and a faster flicker is easier on the eyes.
Fine unless dim screens strain your eyes.
The chip sets speed, heat, and how long the phone stays smooth over the years. Look at the family, not the core count or GHz.
Handles most games well. Same class as Dimensity 7000 series.
Working memory. More RAM keeps apps open in the background instead of reloading them.
Rough idea: filled apps stay open, the rest reload.
The comfortable minimum in 2026. Ignore "virtual RAM".
Space for apps, photos and videos. Most phones have no card slot, so buy enough now.
Room for about 20,000 photos, or about 4 hours of 4K video
Rough figures, after the system and a typical set of apps.
Fills up in a year or two with WhatsApp media and video.
How fast the storage reads and writes. You feel it when apps open, games load and photos save.
Good enough for everyday use.
How the phone moves heat away from the chip. Better cooling keeps games smooth for longer before the phone slows down.
Fine unless you play long games.
Capacity in mAh. Newer silicon-carbon cells fit more battery into the same size phone.
A full day with room to spare.
How fast it refills, in watts. Many phones now ship without a charger in the box, so check before you buy.
Empty to full, sped up.
Under an hour to full.
Charging by placing the phone on a pad, with no cable. Handy on a desk or bedside table.
Most phones under ₹30,000 have no wireless charging.
Phones put several cameras on the back, each seeing a different amount of the scene. Tap a lens to see what it captures, and tick the ones you want.
1xMain. The wide camera you use most, with the best sensor. Every phone has one, and its quality matters most.
2 real cameras. Count only these when comparing phones.
Sensor size and stabilisation decide photo quality far more than megapixels do.
Optical stabilisation gives sharper night shots and steadier video.
The sharpest and smoothest video the main camera can record. fps means frames per second.
Detailed video for keeping memories.
The selfie camera, also used for video calls. Autofocus keeps faces sharp at any distance.
Sharp selfies in good light.
Years of Android or iOS updates. Security patches keep banking and UPI apps safe.
A sensible minimum for a phone you plan to keep.
Some phones come with extra apps and show ads in system screens. Others stay close to clean Android.
Close to plain Android. Pixel, Motorola and Nothing phones are known for it.
The IP rating. Its last digit is water: 4 is splashes, 5 jets, 8 submersion, 9 hot jets.
Dust-tight and fine in heavy rain.
The glass on top of the screen. Tougher glass survives more drops and scratches.
Good everyday protection.
The material around the edges. It decides how solid the phone feels and how well it takes a fall.
Light and fine in a case.
Big batteries and cameras add weight. You notice anything over 210 g after an hour of scrolling.
Where most phones sit now.
How you unlock the phone. Faster and safer unlocking matters for payments and banking apps.
Under the screen. Works well, but not with wet fingers.
Check the phone supports the 5G bands your network uses. In India, n78 is the main band, and Jio also uses n28 for wider coverage.
Works on both Jio and Airtel 5G with good indoor reach.
The Wi-Fi standard. Newer versions are faster and steadier on a busy network, if your router supports them.
Better speeds and a steadier connection.
A short-range chip for tapping to pay with cards, pairing earbuds and reading metro cards.
Tap-to-pay and quick pairing. Common even on budget phones.
Two speakers give stereo sound for videos and games without earphones.
Fuller sound for videos and games.
A 3.5 mm socket for wired earphones. Most phones above ₹20,000 have dropped it.
Use Bluetooth earbuds or a USB-C adapter.
All phones use USB-C, but the speed differs. Faster ports copy files to a computer quicker and can output video.
Fine for charging and small transfers.
eSIM is a built-in digital SIM, so you can add a line without a card. Some phones sold abroad are eSIM only.
Works with any SIM card.
Turns the phone into a remote for your TV, AC or set-top box.
Use your normal remotes.
A microSD slot lets you add storage later. Few phones above ₹15,000 still have one.
Buy the storage you need up front.
Your wish list
PHONE WISH LIST
by TechPP Insights
Your next smartphone should have these minimum specs
Your picks will print here.
Scan to make your own wish list
techpp.app
Choose at least one spec to print your wish list.
Down to two phones? See them side by side or compare chips
Was this article helpful?
Comments
0Share your thoughts, questions, or feedback about this guide.