Which phone should I buy?
Every new phone is sold on its best feature, and review sites rank them on everything at once. Most people use their phone for a handful of things, though, and those few things decide whether they are happy with it two years later.
A decision matrix starts from those few things. Weigh them, score the phones you are considering, and let price sit on the same table as the camera.
Open the tool with this question filled in. Two to five minutes, no account.
Start this decisionWhat should you weigh?
Five factors cover most versions of this decision. Rename them, drop the ones that do not apply, and add your own. Phrase each so a higher score is always better.
- Camera
- In the light you shoot in most, often indoors and at night.
- Battery life
- Whether it gets through your heaviest day with charge left.
- Low price
- What you pay outright, or the total over the contract.
- Years of updates
- How long the maker promises security and system updates.
- Size in hand
- Whether you can use it one-handed, if that matters to you.
What does it look like worked out?
Three phones: this year's flagship, last year's flagship at a discount, and a mid-range model. Weights run 1 to 10, scores 1 to 5.
| Factor | Weight | New flagship | Last year's flagship | Mid-range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Battery life | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Low price | 6 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Years of updates | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Size in hand | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Total | 103 | 96 | 106 |
Each total is score times weight, added down the column.
Mid-range wins by 3 points. The mid-range phone wins by a hair over the flagship. Price is the whole story: the flagship is better on the camera and updates, and the mid-range is far cheaper. One weight settles which of those counts more.
Change the weight on camera from 8 to 10, keep every score the same, and New flagship wins instead, 113 to 112. The options did not change. One judgement about what matters did.
Where do people go wrong?
Scoring from launch-day reviews. Battery and update claims settle after a few months. Use owner reviews where you can.
Weighting features you will not use. A zoom lens you never touch scores nothing for you. Leave it off the table.
Common questions
- Is last year's flagship worth buying?
- Often. It usually keeps most of the camera and years of updates at a lower price. Put it in the matrix and see.
- How long should a phone last?
- Check the maker's promised update window. Score years of updates as a row if you keep phones a long time.
Ready to weigh your own?
The question and starter options come filled in. Change anything. AI suggests factors; the answer comes only from your weights and scores.
Start this decision