Technologies

Buying a New iPhone or Android Phone? Consider These Things First

With so many choices, it’s difficult to pick the best phone for your budget. We’re here to help.

The best phones you can buy in 2023, like the iPhone 14 Pro, the Google Pixel 7 Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra, offer all the features you could possibly want. With their stellar performance, amazing camera systems and extra features, these top phones represent the pinnacle of mobile technology. So it’s unsurprising these premium phones come with sky-high prices to match. The huge costs of these devices mean they’re out of reach for many of us, or are simply unnecessary if you just need a solid device for your everyday essentials.

Read more: Best Android phone to buy in 2023

The huge number of choices from a variety of phone manufacturers should make shopping simple, but sometimes this makes it more confusing, whether you’re looking for the highest-quality, elite phone or a more affordable phone, like the Google Pixel 6A. The best devices on the market not only have different prices, they also have different camera specs, screen sizes and storage capacities.

How to buy a new phone: Top phone-buying tips

Know what you care about most: Is it screen size? Camera quality? Battery life? This will help narrow down your choices. Phones like the iPhone 14 Pro or Pixel 7 Pro, for example, pack incredible cameras that almost rival the quality you’d get from a DSLR. If you’re a photographer, then spending money here is a good idea. If not, you can likely save yourself a bundle.
Don’t discount the midrange: Features of last year’s flagships always trickle down to this year’s midrange handsets. You can get a great phone that does almost everything that a premium phone can do for a fraction of the price. Google’s Pixel 7 Pro packs a great zoom camera, but the base Pixel 7 has most of the same key specs and comes at a more reasonable price.
Shop the sales: Look for deep discounts and promo deals around major holidays, especially Amazon’s Prime Day and Black Friday. And find out what your grace period is in case you need a quick return or exchange.
Last year’s phones: They can often be a great deal, too. Wait for this year’s launch to get last year’s phone for less, when stores and carriers may be trying to offload their existing stock.
Hold the phone at a store first: You may love or hate the way it looks and feels in person.
Check if you’re already invested: Have you already bought a lot of iPhone apps and iTunes movies? Stick with an iPhone if you still want access to them. Likewise, if you’ve invested in loads of Android apps, you’ll want to stay on that side of the fence. Otherwise, it’s simple enough to switch platforms.
Buy a case and screen protector: You’ll protect your phone from costly damage, and will increase the phone’s resale or trade-in value for when you’re ready to move on.

Oneplus 9 phone plugged into a charging cable — Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Smartphone performance vs. budget

In general, performance lines up with cost. The very latest, greatest technology usually comes at a premium. Flagship phones pack the best cameras, the most powerful processors and may even sport cutting-edge tech like flexible displays. The high prices mean that these phones are only worth considering for those who want the absolute latest tech in their pockets.

Not everyone needs such top tech however, or may simply be unwilling to spend the $1,000 or more typically required to get it. Luckily, the midrange sector of the phone world has been one of the fiercest battlegrounds for companies to compete in, resulting in some amazing phones that won’t break the bank. Features like wireless charging and cameras with multiple lenses that were once the domain of flagships are now commonplace on midrange phones.

Even budget phones will still offer decent camera quality and enough power for you to enjoy all of your everyday web browsing, WhatsApp’ing and Instagramming.

4G or 5G?

5G is the latest standard that promises lightning-fast mobile data speeds when you’re out and about. Like any new technology, it’s commonplace to see it on higher-end devices but it’s also increasingly common to find on much more affordable phones too.

Coverage for 5G isn’t everywhere yet, so it’s important to ask yourself whether you need 5G speeds at all and crucially, whether they’re available where you live. If you’re planning on keeping your phone for at least a couple of years, you can safely expect 5G to become more of the norm in that time. If you’re on the fence about it now, it may be that in nine months you’ll feel differently and might regret not taking the plunge sooner.

Hand holding a smartphone with street and glass buildings in background. — Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Screen size

All phones have gotten steadily bigger over the last few years, with the iPhone 14 Pro Max measuring a whopping 6.68 inches and the Galaxy S23 Ultra coming in at 6.8 inches. Small phones aren’t that common anymore but there are a few options to consider if you don’t want a massive screen stretching out your pockets.

Apple opted not to update the iPhone 13 Mini this year, but it is still officially on sale through the Apple Store and at 5.4-inches it’s quite a lot smaller than the 6.1-inch iPhone 14. On the Android side, the Google Pixel 6A’s 6.1-inch display makes it one of the better smaller phones, but even then it’s hardly what you’d call tiny.

Camera performance

Camera features have been a major point for bragging rights in recent phones, with manufacturers always wanting a bigger, more exciting number, be it the number of megapixels or quantity of actual camera lenses. Three rear cameras are now common — a regular lens, an ultrawide lens and a telephoto lens — with even budget-focused phones packing multiple cameras.

Read more: Best camera phones to buy in 2023

This is great, as more lenses mean more shooting options when you’re out and about. But that doesn’t mean that any multilens camera is as good as another. As with processor performance, the more you spend, the better the results you’ll typically get, with the absolute best cameras around usually being found on the most expensive flagships.

Look out for features like optical (rather than digital) zooms, night mode for better low-light images, and optical image stabilization. Sometimes these features might not be clear, and it’s not possible to judge a camera’s performance just by looking at the specs. If you really care about your phone’s photography skills, then take some time to look at the reviews and see how its camera performs before you spend your money.

Battery life

Most phones, from the budget end through to elite flagships, can last most of a day on a single charge. Bigger phones might have bigger batteries, but they also have bigger screens and often more powerful processors, so they suck that extra juice down quickly. Few phones will give you more than a day of use. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Always plan on giving your phone a full charge overnight.

Look for features like fast charging, that allow your phone to take on a lot of power in a short space of time. Check to see if your phone comes with a compatible faster charger though, as an old USB plug may not support it.

Your battery will last longer if you avoid more demanding tasks such as gaming or video streaming. Keeping the screen brightness down will help, too.

Processor performance

Top-end phones pack powerful processors along with 12GB of RAM or even more. It’s enough to make these phones run any task without breaking a sweat, but you don’t need to spend flagship level money to get great performance.

Most decent midrange phones offer enough power to handle all of your everyday needs. You’ll still be able to play almost any game from the Google Play store and edit your high-resolution photos in apps such as Snapseed. There’s little you could throw at most midrange phones that they wouldn’t be able to handle.

As you move into the budget end of the spectrum, that’s when you’ll start to notice some slowdown with things like gaming. More demanding 3D games might look more stuttery and may even unexpectedly quit. However, basic tasks such as sending emails, listening to Spotify and browsing Instagram shouldn’t be a problem.

How much phone storage do you need?

Most phones, even the budget ones, come with at least 32GB of storage, of which 10 may be taken up by preinstalled apps and the phone’s operating system. If you don’t ever plan on recording any video and gaming isn’t your thing, 32GB might be enough, but otherwise you should consider 64GB or even 128GB to be a minimum.

Oneplus 9 Pro smartphone — Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Higher-end phones — particularly those that can record high quality 4K video — offer capacities of 256GB or more. With that much space, you’ll barely need to think twice about having to clear out old files.

If the phone supports microSD cards then it’s a different matter, as you can pick up 32GB microSD cards (or bigger) for very little money these days and popping one into your phone will dramatically increase the amount of storage you’ll have access to. Unfortunately expandable storage is a very rare feature on phones these days.

Bonus features

Many of these features are now common on phones at various price points and are worth keeping in mind when you’re shopping.

Fingerprint scanner or face unlock: A scanner may be on the back, or even invisibly built into the display. Biometric security, as it’s called, is more secure than having to remember a PIN.

Water-resistant: Do you often take calls in the rain? Look for a phone with at least an IP67 rating to keep it safe from water and spilled drinks.

Wireless charging: This is available on many phones, with some now offering faster wireless charging speeds, as long as you use a compatible charging pad.

Technologies

Coinbase Reveals Over 69,000 People Had Their Data Exposed in a Breach. Take These Steps Now

Coinbase refused to pay the $20M ransom for data that included names, emails and partial Social Security numbers. However, the company will cover any losses incurred.

Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US, revealed in a notice to the Maine attorney general’s office that 69,461 people were affected by last week’s data breach by extortionists.

Login credentials, two-factor authentication codes and private keys were not exposed in the breach, nor were the bad actors able to gain individual account access to investors’ funds. But cybercriminals are in possession of the following:

Names
Addresses
Phone numbers
Emails
Partial Social Security numbers
Masked bank-account numbers
Government ID images like driver’s licenses and passports
Account data, including snapshots and transaction history

In an SEC filing, Coinbase said that the threat actors paid overseas contractors in support roles for internal sensitive information. That info was then used to create a social engineering attack, demanding that Coinbase pay $20 million or the information would be released. Coinbase refused to pay.

«Instead of funding criminal activity, we have investigated the incident, reinforced our controls, and will reimburse customers impacted by this incident,» the company said in its statement. The company is cooperating with law enforcement and has set up a $20 million reward fund for information leading to the hackers’ arrest.

Some Reddit users have reported receiving unsolicited password reset messages as early as last week. It’s unclear if the messages are tied to the data breach, but if you receive an unprompted password reset message, it should always send up a red flag. CNET reached out to Coinbase for comment, but the company did not immediately respond.

Do this now to secure your crypto and data

While Coinbase has said that your seed phrase and investment account are safe, this breach exposed a lot of other sensitive information. Take these steps now to ensure your personal information is secure.

Use a cold crypto wallet

If you invest in crypto regularly, a cold crypto wallet — which is not connected to the internet and has to be manually plugged into your computer to access — can keep your digital currency secure in the event an exchange is breached.

Freeze your credit reports

You should freeze your credit reports and even consider locking your SSN, to prevent bad actors from making use of any of the information that was exposed. But beware of phishing attacks that aim to trick you into giving up sensitive data willingly.

Danni Santana, CNET’s identity theft editor, tested freezing his credit last year and said, «It’s worth the hassle of setting up accounts with all three major credit bureaus. I get peace of mind at zero cost to me.»

Alert your bank

If even partial bank account information was exposed, contact your bank and let them know. You can request a new checking or savings account. Even if the entire account number wasn’t revealed, it’s still best to err on the side of caution.

Sign up for a free identity theft and credit monitoring service

There are free services you can sign up for that will monitor your credit reports and the dark web for any of your personal identifying information. While these services won’t take action on your behalf, they can alert you so that you’re able to take action.

There are also paid identity theft protection services available that offer much better protection features. Some of these, like Aura, include identity theft restoration services in the event your identity is stolen and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.

Technologies

Ultron, Jeff-nado and New Tactics Mode: There’s a Lot Riding on Marvel Rivals Season 2.5

The midseason update adds a new strategist to the roster and brings an experimental autobattler mode to Rivals.

Marvel Rivals season 2 is approaching its midseason update next week, and today we got our first glimpse of some of the changes coming to the game.

The Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 update is a much-needed refresh for Rivals, which has struggled with declining Steam player numbers all season (not the full picture, but currently down to about one-third of the average players compared with January) and a player base that’s grown increasingly frustrated with one another.

What’s the cure for all this? Adding one of the most-anticipated new heroes and also leaning full bore into the zaniness by letting Storm and Jeff the Landshark team up to create a Jeff-nado.

Here’s what we learned about the Marvel Rivals season 2.5 update from today’s developer vision video.

Marvel Rivals season 2.5 start date

Season 2.5 kicks off next Friday, May 30, UTC. We don’t have an exact start time, but for these major season updates the game tends to go offline in the middle of the night ET/PT and come back online in the wee hours of the launch date.

New hero: Ultron

Officially announced at the start of season 2, Ultron joining the roster as a strategist might have been the most well-known «secret» that Rivals has been hiding since launch. If you’d asked me last year which role Ultron was most likely to slot into, I would’ve guessed duelist or vanguard, but a free-flying strategist with unique healing mechanics is a welcome change of pace for the role.

Ultron’s video preview shows us a strategist who can leap in the air to escape divers and who has an attack range to take on enemy fliers. This could make him a great counter-pick to certain enemy comps, but we’ll have to wait for his full kit details to know for sure.

I’d love to see more strategists with unique mechanics like Loki’s clones or Invisible Woman’s shields — as much as I enjoy the shoot-to-heal strategist gameplay, I think the game’s in a better place when there’s more variety in the roster. So I’m likewise glad to see that Ultron’s ultimate isn’t another variation of «big heals in a circle» like most strategists’ ultimates — instead Ultron shoots a series of rapid-fire beams that heal allies and damage enemies.

It’s no Loki Doppelganger, but it’s something different.

New map: Arakko

As usual, the midseason update adds a new map alongside the new hero — this time, we’re getting Arakko, the former sister island of Krakoa (season 2.0’s new map), which has been mechanized by X-tron, the version of Ultron that was reborn through Krakoa’s resurrection chamber. The map appears to be a payload map — convoy or possibly convergence — with heroes escorting the objective toward a lore-relevant destination.

A bunch of new team-ups and balance changes

The Rivals midseason patch is surprisingly hefty according to the latest developer vision video. The game is adding six new teamups, including a new one between Iron Man and Ultron, as well as two new team-ups for Jeff — the aforementioned Jeff-nado, plus the ability to use Venom’s symbiote to shoot healing tendrils onto (into?!) allies. Luna Snow can also give Hawkeye a stunning ice arrow, Rocket and Peni power up each other’s deployable abilities, and Punisher gives Black Widow’s rifle a piercing upgrade.

In exchange, season 2.5 will say goodbye to four previous team-ups, including the notorious Symbiote Bond wherein Venom players gave Spider-Man and Peni Parker an extra damage burst to help melt your backline. Also leaving are Luna Snow and Jeff’s ice combo, Hawkeye and Black Widow’s afterimage team-up and Ammo Overload for Rocket and Punisher. In addition, Iron Man will no longer benefit from a team-up with Hulk (though Namor still does).

Rivals devs also addressed the current metagame, framing it as a «rock-paper-scissors dynamic» among mobile dive compositions (Cap, Iron Fist, Human Torch), wall-and-brawl comps (Groot paired with other mid-to-close-range heroes like Thing, Winter Soldier and Mister Fantastic) and triple-strategist compositions. It doesn’t feel like the fairest analogy, as the devs pointed to both of the latter comps as countering the high mobility comps, rather than being a true (theoretical) rock-paper-scissors where each composition is strong against one alternative and weak to another.

Still, the developers are shaking things up in season 2.5 with balance changes, and the result is that Strange and Magneto are getting buffed while Groot, Cap and Emma Frost get hit with nerfs. Mobility-focused duelists Iron Fist, Human Torch and Psylocke are getting nerfs while Punisher, Storm and Squirrel Girl will receive «modest» buffs. The only strategist mentioned in the dev vision video’s upcoming balance tweaks was Luna Snow, whose ult charge gets another nerf, offset by a «mild boost» to her other abilities.

I’m a little worried about some of these changes on paper. Targeting overperforming heroes is fine, but buffs to heroes like Punisher and Squirrel girl feel risky. I’m not a fan of buffing «noobstomper» heroes into relevance, but I’ll wait until I see the details and how things feel in the game before I actually panic. It’s also a bit perplexing that Rivals devs seem focused on increasing ult charge requirements for Luna Snow instead of just making it last less than an eternity.

Other changes: New tactics mode, emoji

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the season 2.5 announcement was the addition of a new experimental mode called Ultron’s Battle Matrix Protocol. It’s an autobattler that lets you choose a team of six heroes, enhance their abilities, and unleash them against opposing teams. I have zero experience with autobattlers like Teamfight Tactics of Hearthstone Battlegrounds, but it was as fun watching a massive Venom looming over the battlefield as it was seeing a Namor with six (I counted) active turrets.

The game is also introducing emoji, finally allowing you to nonverbally express your disdain for the teammates begging for healing while Spider-Man and Iron Fist treat you like a punching bag.

Technologies

My Favorite Smartwatch Is Only $99 Today at Walmart Ahead of Memorial Day

The Galaxy Watch 4 smartwatch may not be the newest, but at $99, it’s basically a steal.

My phone pings constantly from where it’s plugged in across the room. But I’ve got my Galaxy Watch 4 on my wrist, so I can check to see who’s pinging me, which app the notifications are from, and whether it’s important enough to merit my standing up and walking the dozen or so steps to unplug my phone and look, or just respond on my smartwatch (or swipe the notification away).

Smartwatches are becoming more an more an essential tech item, but most people don’t need the latest and greatest version to get what they need out of it. One of the best ways to buy a thoughtful tech gift without spending too much money? Choose a previous version of a current device, especially if the earlier model offers everything they need. So if you’re searching for a cool gift for someone (or yourself), might I suggest my favorite smartwatch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4? Thanks to Walmart’s Memorial Day deals — its answer to Amazon’s Memorial Day Sale — the 40mm Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is only $99 right now.

SMARTWATCH DEALS OF THE WEEK

Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 42mm, Black, S/M 130-180mm, Sports Band):

$329 (save $70)
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (Bluetooth, 40mm, Cream):

$210 (save $90)
Amazfit Active 42mm Smartwatch With 14 Day Battery Life (Black):

$85 (save $25)
Garmin Forerunner 165 Running Smartwatch (Black):

$200 (save $50)
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (Wi-Fi, LTE, 47mm, Titanium Silver):

$510 (save $140)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why I love the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

Sure, it’s not the latest model of the Samsung Watch. That would be the Galaxy Watch 7 or Galaxy Watch Ultra. But it still has all the main features, including ECG, blood pressure monitoring, sleep monitoring, Google integration for most things and Samsung Health.

I’m not a fitness fanatic, so I don’t need all the latest tracking features or even the improved battery life and bigger screen size of the Watch 7, which has a list price of $300, but is going for just $209 right now if you do want the upgrade. The Galaxy Watch 4 has the fitness tracking I need without being overly complex. (Though it has advanced workout tracking for six modes including running, rowing and swimming, if you like those auto-detected tracking features.) For everyday use, I can check all my notifications and respond, take hands-free calls, track sleep and skip between songs when listening in Spotify. Oh, and check the time.

If you’re looking for a wearable, it’s the one I’d recommend checking out before looking into the latest version of the Galaxy Watch series. One caveat: Some people have complained that their battery is depleting quickly lately. Samsung has advice on how to run a diagnostic on your watch and remedy the issue.

Impulse Buys Under $25 That Make Surprisingly Great Gifts

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Why the Galaxy Watch 4 makes a fun gift

The Galaxy Watch 4 isn’t going to be a gift you give to the tech enthusiast in your family, or an Apple fan, but it’s perfect for anyone who wants a smartwatch but doesn’t want all the bells and whistles on offer, or someone who doesn’t know what they want in a smartwatch at all. For more, here are our other favorite smartwatches. If you’re looking to gift someone a new phone, CNET has rounded up the best deals on the Samsung Galaxy S25.