Welcome to Ask Jerry, where we talk about any and all the questions you might have about the smart things in your life. I’m Jerry, and I have spent the better part of my life working with tech. I have a background in engineering and R&D and have been covering Android and Google for the past 15 years.
Ask Jerry
Ask Jerry is a column where we answer your burning Android/tech questions with the help of long-time Android Central editor Jerry Hildenbrand.
I’m also really good at researching data about everything — that’s a big part of our job here at Android Central — and I love to help people (another big part of our job!). If you have questions about your tech, I’d love to talk about them.
Email me at [email protected], and I’ll try to get things sorted out. You can remain anonymous if you like, and we promise we’re not sharing anything we don’t cover here.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Is this the right phone to buy?
A lot of people ask:
I need to buy a new phone and a particular model caught my eye. Should I buy it or not?
A variation of this question is the one I get most often. There are so many phones to choose from, some are obviously going to be better than others, and there is the whole value proposition to look at; you don’t want to spend more than you need to or spend it on the wrong thing.
This question is also one that’s impossible for someone else to answer. Good thing it’s easy for you to answer, provided you take a bit and consider all you options.
I know, I know, this sounds like a cop-out or a non-answer to a legitimate question. I promise it’s not. I have spent more hours than I can count dealing with all aspects of technology and have a good idea of what is good and what isn’t, but I don’t know what you need and can never know what you want unless you tell me.
Part of the answer is easier to answer because there are some phones you just shouldn’t buy if you need something reliable. If it’s made by a company nobody has ever heard of or one we’ve heard a lot of bad things about, don’t consider it. Likewise, read what people who did buy one have to say; if everyone hates it, skip it.
Android phone buying guides
I also tell everyone that being an early adopter often means you end up with a lemon. Never buy the first generation of any new technology if you need something you can depend on; let the people who want one for fun have the first dance. Gen one foldables and their janky busted screens fit nicely here. A few generations later, they’re fine, dependable products.
That leaves what you should buy. And here’s where you have to answer your own question.
What you need versus what you want versus what you can afford
Once you know these three things, your choices will be narrowed down quite a bit. the trick is being truthful to yourself so you make the right decision.
I (technically, my wife) was in this situation not too long ago. She needed a phone and she needed it now. She also needed it to be reliable enough to use every day all day, and we didn’t have a mountain of money to spend at the time. She decided on the Pixel 8a, and I thought that was a smart decision. It’s not fancy, it is reliable, and the price was right.
Of course, she wanted more; something a little more fancy or a little more high-end would have made her happy. But knowing what was needed (a basic, reliable phone with acceptable battery life) and what was priced right (we got a great deal thanks to a Google Fi promotion) helped me make the right decision. We can put a few dollars back and get something she wants later.
This was a phone emergency, replacing something that was damaged beyond repair.
You have to do the same thing. Something like a Galaxy A phone or a Pixel A phone might be a good fit at the right price. Maybe you need to step down and buy an ultra-budget phone (or you just want to save money because you’re frugal like that). Or maybe you can splurge and get the latest from Samsung or OnePlus.
The point is that only you really know the answer here. Make sure whatever you buy is exactly what you need, with as much of what you want and can afford thrown in.
