Smartphones VS Basic Phones…What fits your needs?

Today we are going to be talking about the difference between a smartphone and a basic phone. I know this seems like a simple subject but there are a lot of people out there that don’t understand the difference.

A basic phone has all the necessities that a normal cell phone would have; a dialer, text messaging, IM’ing, a camera, and Bluetooth. The basic cell phone is usually a flip phone or bar phone. I recommend this type of phone to most seniors. I get a lot of calls everyday from customers who want to upgrade their phones because there grandchildren push them to upgrade to an iPhone for example or a Samsung Galaxy. First of all this is not a good idea for seniors. Mainly because seniors are so used to having the tactile feedback you have when pushing buttons, on a smartphone you would have to use a full touch screen interface. This can get very frustrating, even for us techies. The basic cell phone is great because you can just flip it open and you’re off! No hassle and no confusion.

Now the smartphone can do many things, hence the name. A smartphone usually has the capability to connect to your Wi-Fi and can then download all the apps you want. These apps can be downloaded from app stores or the Google Play store and they range from apps that can help your health all the way to apps that can help you quit smoking cigarettes. The smartphone can hold your music and pictures and can also push all your emails straight to your phone. I recommend the smartphone for younger users or the techies out there. Also using a smartphone will always raise your monthly cell phone bill because having a smartphone on your cellular account will need more mobile data, which in most cases basic phones don’t need.

There’s no need to feel pressure from everyone who has a smartphone to go out and get one. I always tell my customers to buy an iPad or Tablet first and see how they like the feel of it. The tablet will give them a good start with what a smartphone can do and how it operates. There are so many smartphones out there as well that it’s hard to know what kind you will like the best. I have a few other blogs about some good smartphones and tablets you can also read those for some good reviews.

The point of this blog is to let people know that if you do have a basic phone and it’s working for you, there’s no need to go out and upgrade to a smartphone. The only real difference is if you need apps and email on your phone. But like I said you can always go out there and get a tablet or Ipad and just continue to use your basic cell phone.