Seven things that decide it
- How many years of software updates. Check the maker's own published policy, not a review. A phone that stops getting security updates in two years is a shorter-lived phone, however fast it is today.
- Battery life as tested, not as specified. Battery capacity in mAh compares badly across brands and chips; look for a review that measured it.
- The screen. Panel type (OLED or LCD), peak brightness for use outdoors, and refresh rate. A dim screen is the thing people notice every sunny day.
- The camera you will actually use — usually the main one. Megapixel counts say little; sample photos in low light say a lot.
- Storage, and whether it can be expanded. Many phones have no memory-card slot, so the storage you buy is the storage you have.
- What owners complain about. Overheating, a weak modem, a software bug that never got fixed — the problems that show up after a month rarely make the spec sheet.
- Where you buy it. An officially distributed phone carries the maker's local warranty; a cheaper unofficial import often does not, and some countries have registration rules for imported handsets. Check before you save the money.
Where to look
- For the full specification sheet side by side: GSMArena's compare tool, or Versus. Both are very good at this.
- For update policies: the maker's own support pages.
- For battery, screen and camera tests: a review that measures rather than describes.
- For problems: owners' forums and Reddit, searched with the phone's name and "problem" or "issue".
In one step
Type two to six phones into compare⁄io and say how you use a phone — "photos of my kids indoors, I am out all day, I keep phones for four years". It searches the web for each, writes a verdict for that, fills a table of at least ten attributes with a source badge on every value, and gives the problems owners most often report a card of their own. Ask it anything afterwards: "is the cheaper one good enough for me?"
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Questions people ask
What is the best website to compare two phones?
For the full specification sheet, GSMArena or Versus. For "which of these is better for how I use a phone", with the problems owners report and follow-up questions, compare⁄io. Many people use one of each.
Can I compare more than two phones?
Yes. compare⁄io compares up to three at once on the free plan and six on Pro, and you can remove them one at a time until one is left.
Does it work for phones sold in my country?
Yes — name the exact model as it is sold where you live, and mention your country in the box under the items if price or availability matters. The search is a live web search, not a fixed catalogue.