Ultimate Phone Buying Guide 2026: How to Choose the Right Phone — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00Suppose you go to a store with a budget
2. 0:01of 30,000 rupees. You've already
3. 0:03decided not to spend more than 30,000
4. 0:05rupees today. The shopkeeper shows you
5. 0:09a phone. 29,999 rupees, 12 gigabytes of
6. 0:13RAM, 256 gigabytes of storage, and a
7. 0:16200-megapixel camera. You like the
8. 0:19phone. Then he brings out another phone
9. 0:22. "Sir, this one has a better processor
10. 0:25. Just 4,000 rupees more." You think
11. 0:274,000 rupees is just a little too much.
12. 0:30Then a third phone comes along. It's
13. 0:3339,999 rupees. The camera is also
14. 0:36flagship-level. And before you know it,
15. 0:39you went into the store with a budget
16. 0:42of 3,000 and walked out with a phone
17. 0:44for 400 rupees. But the real problem
18. 0:47isn't that you spent 10,000 rupees too
19. 0:49much. The real problem is that you know
20. 0:52what that extra 10,000 rupees was for.
21. 0:56Now, the festive season is also coming.
22. 0:58Dussehra and Diwali will be sales
23. 1:00everywhere, and buying a phone in 2026
24. 1:03has become more confusing than ever.
25. 1:07Big numbers are written on every phone:
26. 1:1012GB RAM, 200-megapixel camera, 120W
27. 1:12charging. But does more megapixels mean
28. 1:16a better camera? And most importantly,
29. 1:19is the listed price the actual price of
30. 1:21the phone? This isn't a tech review
31. 1:24video. We won't unbox the phone here or
32. 1:28run benchmarks. This video is about
33. 1:31learning phone buying wisdom so you can
34. 1:33invest your hard-earned money wisely
35. 1:35this festive season. Today, we'll set a
36. 1:38budget. We'll consider the processor,
37. 1:41camera, battery, software updates, and
38. 1:44the brand's after-sales service. So,
39. 1:46let's get started. The first thing you
40. 1:49need to do before buying a phone is to
41. 1:51set your maximum budget. But this is
42. 1:54where most people make a mistake: they
43. 1:56only look at the listed price. Let's
44. 2:00say the phone costs 29,999. You think
45. 2:04it's within your budget. But the real
46. 2:06cost isn't just the price of the phone.
47. 2:09You might need to buy a cover or a
48. 2:11screen protector. Sometimes, you may
49. 2:14need to purchase a charger separately.
50. 2:16If you're buying on EMI, processing
51. 2:18fees or interest may also be added. And
52. 2:21if you're relying on an exchange offer,
53. 2:24the actual value of the old phone may
54. 2:26also vary. So, when setting your budget
55. 2:30, follow a simple rule: Don't spend
56. 2:33your entire budget on a phone. If your
57. 2:36total budget is ₹ 300, it's safer to
58. 2:39look for a phone priced at ₹
59. 2:4127,28,000. And don't immediately accept
60. 2:44an effective price of ₹ 29,999 listed
61. 2:47in an advertisement. Bank offers,
62. 2:50exchange rates, and other conditions
63. 2:53may vary. Always consider how much
64. 2:56money you have to pay out of pocket.
65. 2:58Once you've set your budget, don't keep
66. 3:01increasing it by adding ₹ 4,000 each
67. 3:04time, as that ₹ 4,000 can slowly add
68. 3:07up to ₹ 10,000. Now, let's move on to
69. 3:10the phone's most important hardware
70. 3:12component: the processor or chipset.
71. 3:15This has a direct impact on the phone's
72. 3:17speed, gaming performance, app
73. 3:18performance, and battery efficiency.
74. 3:21But people often get confused by the
75. 3:23name alone. Snapdragon, MediaTek
76. 3:26Dimensity, or Apple A-series are the
77. 3:29best options. The key is not just the
78. 3:33brand name. Look at the processor's
79. 3:36level and how powerful it is for your
80. 3:38task. If your job is to run WhatsApp,
81. 3:41YouTube, Instagram, and other normal
82. 3:43apps, you don't need the most powerful
83. 3:45chipset. However, if you play BGMI,
84. 3:49Call of Duty, or heavy games, the GPU
85. 3:51and phone's cooling become as important
86. 3:54as the processor. Benchmark scores are
87. 3:58useful, but not the whole truth. A
88. 4:01phone can perform very well in
89. 4:03benchmarks, but lose performance after
90. 4:05heating up during long gaming sessions.
91. 4:09So, in reviews, also look at how the
92. 4:11phone maintains its performance over
93. 4:13time. And remember, a phone with 12GB
94. 4:16of RAM isn't necessarily better than a
95. 4:19phone with a good processor and 8GB of
96. 4:21RAM. Both processors and RAM have
97. 4:24different functions. For the average
98. 4:26user, a balanced and efficient
99. 4:27processor is more important. Whereas
100. 4:30for gamers, a powerful processor and
101. 4:32good cooling are more important. And
102. 4:35one new thing in 2026 is that phone
103. 4:37prices have risen due to AI. To run AI
104. 4:41features, phones are now using more
105. 4:43powerful chips and more RAM. This
106. 4:47demand has led to a global shortage of
107. 4:49memory chips, and RAM prices have risen
108. 4:52. This means that a phone that cost ₹
109. 4:5630,000 last year could cost ₹ 35,000
110. 4:58this year, simply because it has AI
111. 5:01features. So, ask yourself this: will
112. 5:04you use those AI features every day? If
113. 5:07not, you're paying unnecessarily. Now,
114. 5:12let's turn to the thing that sells the
115. 5:15most phones: cameras—200 megapixels,
116. 5:17108 megapixels, or 50 megapixels. But
117. 5:22the biggest mistake when buying a
118. 5:23camera is that people choose a phone
119. 5:25based solely on megapixels. Megapixels
120. 5:28only indicate how many pixels the
121. 5:30sensor can capture; they don't indicate
122. 5:33whether the photo will actually be good
123. 5:35or not. Camera quality depends on many
124. 5:39factors, such as the sensor, lens,
125. 5:41image processing, stabilization, and
126. 5:43low-light performance. So, two phones
127. 5:47may have 50-megapixel cameras, but
128. 5:49their photos may look completely
129. 5:51different. Before buying a phone, at
130. 5:55least look at daylight, indoor, and
131. 5:57night photos. If you shoot videos, also
132. 6:00look for video stabilization, 4K
133. 6:02recording, and front-facing video. And
134. 6:05another thing: many phones have a good
135. 6:08main camera, but the ultra-wide or
136. 6:11telephoto camera is just for show. So,
137. 6:14don't just look at the camera's
138. 6:16performance. Consider the camera based
139. 6:19on the type of photos and videos you
140. 6:21take. If your only use is family photos
141. 6:24and social media, there's no need to
142. 6:26spend thousands of rupees extra on a
143. 6:29flagship camera. Now, let's talk about
144. 6:31the battery. 5000 mAh is almost the
145. 6:34norm these days. Some phones are even
146. 6:37offering 6000, 7000, and even 9000 mAh.
147. 6:41But don't choose a phone based on the
148. 6:43battery number alone. Battery life also
149. 6:46depends on processor efficiency,
150. 6:47display brightness, refresh rate, and
151. 6:49your usage. So, don't just look at the
152. 6:536000mAh battery in reviews. Consider
153. 6:56whether the phone lasts a day or a day
154. 6:58and a half in real life. Now, let's
155. 7:00talk about charging. Fast charging is
156. 7:02very useful, especially if you're a
157. 7:04heavy user. But don't just go by the
158. 7:08120W charging number. Check if the
159. 7:11charger is included in the box. Check
160. 7:13how hot the phone gets during charging
161. 7:15and the actual charging time. For a
162. 7:18normal user, 45W or 67W charging may be
163. 7:21sufficient. The same rule applies here:
164. 7:24you don't need the biggest number; you
165. 7:26need enough features for your needs.
166. 7:28Now, one thing people often overlook
167. 7:31when buying a phone is software updates
168. 7:33. If you're planning to replace your
169. 7:35phone after two years, this may not be
170. 7:37a top priority. But if you're buying a
171. 7:41phone worth $ 300, $ 500, or more and
172. 7:43want it to last for four years,
173. 7:44software support becomes very important
174. 7:46. It's important to consider the
175. 7:50company's continued availability of
176. 7:51Android or OS updates and security
177. 7:53updates. A phone's hardware can last
178. 7:57four to five years. However, if
179. 7:59software support ends early, its
180. 8:01long-term value may be diminished. For
181. 8:04example, the Samsung Galaxy M56 offers
182. 8:07six years of OS and security updates, a
183. 8:09significant strength in this price
184. 8:12segment. Therefore, when purchasing a
185. 8:15phone, don't just ask what processor it
186. 8:17has; also ask how long the phone will
187. 8:19be supported. Now, let's talk about
188. 8:22something that's often overlooked in
189. 8:24advertising: after-sales service.
190. 8:26Everything seems great when you buy a
191. 8:28phone, but if you later encounter
192. 8:30problems with the display, battery, or
193. 8:33charging, you realize how useful the
194. 8:35brand's service is. Brands like Samsung
195. 8:38, Vivo, and Oppo have extensive offline
196. 8:40service networks in India. There were
197. 8:43reports of OnePlus's future exit from
198. 8:45India, but the company dismissed these
199. 8:47as speculation, stating that its
200. 8:49business and service network are
201. 8:50currently operating in India. Therefore
202. 8:53, before buying a phone from any brand,
203. 8:56do one thing. Check if your phone has
204. 9:00an authorized service center and its
205. 9:02recent Google reviews. Now, when buying
206. 9:07a phone, you have six important
207. 9:09considerations: budget, processor,
208. 9:11camera, battery and charging, software
209. 9:14support, and after-sales service.
210. 9:17However, their priorities will vary
211. 9:18from person to person. If you want
212. 9:20reliable performance, a good battery, a
213. 9:24clear display, and 5G, prioritize these
214. 9:27. If you're gaming, the processor and
215. 9:29cooling will be more important. If the
216. 9:32camera is your main focus, look for
217. 9:34real-world camera quality instead of
218. 9:36megapixels. If you want a phone that
219. 9:38lasts for many years, consider software
220. 9:40updates and service availability. Don't
221. 9:44try to maximize every feature; invest
222. 9:46only in the things that are most
223. 9:49essential for your use. And now, the
224. 9:52most important thing when buying a
225. 9:55phone: consider what you'll actually be
226. 9:57using it for. If your main purpose is
227. 10:01calls, WhatsApp, UPI, and social media,
228. 10:03you don't need a flagship phone just
229. 10:05for show. Don't buy a phone that's more
230. 10:08expensive than you need just for the
231. 10:09sake of showing off. A phone is a tool.
232. 10:11It should make your work easier, not
233. 10:13your financial life difficult. So,
234. 10:16let's simplify the whole thing. Before
235. 10:19buying a phone, determine your budget.
236. 10:22Then, choose a processor based on your
237. 10:24needs. Focus on real-world results
238. 10:27instead of megapixels in the camera.
239. 10:29Along with battery, consider charging
240. 10:31speed and efficiency. Don't ignore
241. 10:34software updates. And be sure to check
242. 10:37the brand's service availability in
243. 10:39your city. And most importantly, don't
244. 10:42buy a phone more expensive than you
245. 10:43need just for the sake of showing off.
246. 10:47Because if you can get your work done
247. 10:49with a 15,000 phone, buying a 500 phone
248. 10:51won't automatically improve your life.
249. 10:56But if a 500 phone truly improves your
250. 10:59work, then that extra expense is
251. 11:01justified. Simply put, buy a phone as
252. 11:05expensive as is necessary for your
253. 11:07needs. So, tell us, which phone are you
254. 11:10going to buy? Leave your budget and the
255. 11:13name of the phone in the comments, and
256. 11:15subscribe to Rahul Explains Money
257. 11:17because spending money is easy,
258. 11:19spending it wisely is difficult.