Technologies

Need a New iPhone or Android Phone? Consider These Things Before You Buy

Whether you want Apple’s best phone or the cheapest Samsung Galaxy, these shopping tips will help you make the most of your money.

The best phones you can buy in 2025, including the iPhone 16 Pro, Google Pixel 9 Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, have a lot in common, from their high-performing processor and cameras to their big, vibrant displays. These elite handsets are the pinnacle of today’s mobile technology, so it’s no surprise that these fan-favorite phones have something else in common too: Steep prices.

Priced at $1,000 and up, these devices are out of reach for many of us — or simply unnecessary for those who just want an all-around device for everyday use. Thankfully, there’s a huge array of options out there catering to all needs and budgets, whether you’re looking for top-end model or a more affordable option, like the Google Pixel 9A.

You’d think the vast number of choices would make shopping simple. But the reality is that sometimes all the options make it more confusing. To help you cut through some of the jargon and spend your money sensibly, I’ve put together tips for buying a phone.

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 16 Pro, Galaxy S25 Ultra or Xiaomi 15 Ultra, for example, pack incredible cameras that almost rival the quality you’d get from a mirrorless camera. If you’re keen on photography and always want to carry a superb camera for when inspiration strikes, 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 9 Pro packs a great zoom camera, but the base Pixel 9 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. If you’re careful with how you use your phone, it should last for years.

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 foldable displays. The high prices mean that these phones are worth considering only by 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.

Screen size

All phones have gotten steadily bigger over the last few years, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra measuring a whopping 6.9 inches. Small phones aren’t that common anymore, with almost no phones measuring under six inches in size.

Apple killed off its iPhone Mini line, and while its 2022 iPhone SE remained the smallest iPhone you could buy, the company replaced it with the 6.1 inch iPhone 16E, which hardly qualifies as small. On the Android side, the Google Pixel 8A’s 6.1-inch display makes it one of the better smaller phones, but like the iPhone 16E, it’s hardly what you’d call tiny. Google replaced it recently with the Pixel 9A and in so doing increased the screen size to 6.3 inches. Sorry, small phone fans, looks like you’re out of luck.

Software support period

A phone remains safe to use only as long as it receives security updates from the manufacturer to protect it from hackers. In the past, this was a bigger concern since most phones were supported for just two or three years, leaving them with a short shelf life. Today, however, extended support has become a competitive feature, with Google now offering an impressive seven years of software and security updates on its latest phones.

It means the most recent Pixel 9 Pro will still be safe to use in 2031, while Samsung has promised a similar support period for its Galaxy S24 and S25 lines. Samsung’s Galaxy S20, released in 2020, received its final security update in 2024, however, so it’s important to confirm how long your phone of choice will be safe to use, especially if you’re buying an older phone on the used market. A longer support period not only gives you better value for money over the lifetime of the device, it’s also better for the planet, as it keeps older, but still usable phones out of landfill and reduces the number of new devices being made and shipped.

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 Phone to Buy in 2025

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. Some phones, like the OnePlus 13, support 80W fast charging that will take it from empty to full in around 30 minutes. Check to see if your phone comes with a compatible fast charger though, as an old USB plug likely won’t offer the power output required.

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 and if you’re really trying to eke out that last few percent to help get you home, turning off Wifi and Bluetooth can also help.

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 or Adobe Lightroom. 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.

4G or 5G?

5G is the latest standard that promises lightning-fast mobile data speeds when you’re out and about. While 5G coverage still isn’t everywhere yet, it’s widespread enough that you should absolutely look toward a 5G phone. And that’s easy, as almost all of them are, from top-end flagships down to entry-level budget phones.

The only reason you should consider buying a 4G phone now is if you’re looking at the used market and you’ve found a good deal on an older-generation model that will tide you over for a couple of years.

How much phone storage do you need?

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

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. However, most phones will support external storage over USB-C, so if you’re going on holiday and want to shoot a lot of high-resolution video, taking a small SSD drive to offload your footage to might be a good idea.

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

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for May 30, #249

Here are the hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 249, for May 30.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Connections: Sports Edition has a killer purple category today. Even after I read the category name, it took me forever to think of what the third answer stood for. (We explain it below.) Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Yer outta here!

Green group hint: Move towards a TD.

Blue group hint: They guard the net.

Purple group hint: Hockey teams.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Throw out of a game.

Green group: Football running plays.

Blue group: Hall of Fame hockey goaltenders.

Purple group: First three letters of NHL team names.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is throw out of a game. The four answers are boot, chase, eject and toss.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is football running plays. The four answers are counter, dive, draw and reverse.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Hall of Fame hockey goaltenders. The four answers are Hasek, Luongo, Parent and Roy.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is first three letters of NHL team names. The four answers are fly, map, pan and pen. (Flyers, Maple Leafs, Panthers and Penguins.)

Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories

The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.

That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently.

#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.

#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.

#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.

#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.

Technologies

Summer Travel Plans? How to Check Your Flight Status With Your iPhone’s Hidden Tracker

Tucked away in your iPhone is a hidden flight tracker. Here’s where to find it and how to use it.

Summer is approaching fast, and if you plan on flying during this travel season, staying on top of your flight status is imperative. Airports can be hectic during peak travel times, and changes can happen at any moment. Some of those changes are easy to manage, while others restrict your time and could potentially cause you to miss your flight or connection flights if you’re not careful.

Luckily, it’s never been easier to get up-to-date information about your flight. For starters, your airline probably has an app, and if not, you can check their website. If you’re in a hurry, you can Google the flight number. Or you can just use your iPhone’s built-in flight tracker that’s sneakily tucked away.

That’s right: your iPhone has a flight tracker that you may have never known about. It’s there for when it’s needed. Below, we’ll show you have to access it in not one, but two places, so you never have to go hunting for your flight info elsewhere again.

For more, don’t miss what the new JetBlue and United Airlines partnership means for your next trip.

How to track your flight via iMessage

Before we start, there are a few prerequisites you must meet:

Make sure iMessage is enabled (it doesn’t work with SMS/MMS).
You’ll need your flight number somewhere in your text messages, whether you’ve sent that information to someone (even yourself) or it’s been sent to you.
The flight number must be sent in this format: [Airline] [Flight number], for example, American Airlines 9707.

Launch the native Messages app on your iPhone and open the text message thread that contains your flight information. You’ll know the flight tracker feature works when the text with the flight information appears underlined, which means it’s actionable and you can tap on it.

If your flight is still several months away or it’s already passed, you might see a message that says, «Flight information unavailable.» You might also see another flight that’s not yours because airlines recycle flight numbers.

You can check your flight status from Spotlight Search, too

If getting your flight information from Messages wasn’t easy enough, you can also grab the details right from your iPhone’s home screen by swiping down and adding your flight number into Spotlight Search. Even better, this works with Spotlight Search on your Mac computer, too.

How to access the hidden flight tracker

Although the airline name/flight number format highlighted above is the best way to go, there are other texting options that will lead you to the same result. So let’s say we stick with American Airlines 9707, other options that may bring up the flight tracker include:

AmericanAirlines9707 (no spaces)
AmericanAirlines 9707 (only one space)
AA9707 (airline name is abbreviated and no space)
AA 9707 (abbreviated and space)

I would suggest you keep the airline name spelled out completely and add a space between the two pieces of information — like in the previous section — because for some airlines, these alternative options may not work.

Real-time flight tracking

Once everything is set, tap on the flight information in your text messages. If the feature works correctly, you should see the following two options appear in a quick-action menu:

Preview Flight: View the flight’s details. Tap this to view more information about the flight.
Copy Flight Code: Copy the flight code to your clipboard (in case you want to send your flight details to someone else via text or email).

If you select Preview Flight, at the top of the window, you’ll see the best part of this feature: a real-time flight tracker map. A line will connect the two destinations, and a tiny airplane will move between them, indicating where the flight is at that exact moment.

Underneath the map, you’ll see important flight information:

Airline name and flight number
Flight status (arriving on time, delayed, canceled, etc.)
Terminal and gate numbers (for arrival and departure)
Arrival and departure time
Flight duration
Baggage claim (the number of the baggage carousel)

If you swipe left on the bottom half of the flight tracker, you can switch between flights, but only if there’s a return flight.

For more travel tips, don’t miss our test on whether AI can help you fly more sustainably.

Technologies

Is It Really Safe to Buy an Old or Used Phone? Here’s What You Need to Know

It might not be safe to use an older or used phone. Here’s how you can be sure and how to protect yourself.

The best phones you can buy right now all come with top specs, a plethora of features and pro-level camera systems. But these flagship handsets, like the iPhone 16 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, also demand a lot of cash if you want to slide them into your pocket. It’s no surprise that many of us look toward more affordable options instead of opting for the latest model. You can save a bundle by looking toward used or older devices. After all, older hardware is usually fully capable of handling what you need it to, and it’s more environmentally friendly to keep using phones for longer, rather than sending them to landfill.

But while these old smartphones might be cheaper, they may not be safe to use, especially if you bought a used phone that’s more than a few years old. The problem is that older phones might run outdated versions of Android or iOS, which means they often don’t have critical security updates that can keep you and your data safe.

If you’re concerned about security and privacy — and you should be — here are some things to consider.

Read more: Make Your Phone Last for Years With These Easy Tips

What is a security patch for a phone OS?

Hackers are constantly looking for cracks and holes in your phone’s software to exploit. Whenever hackers discover a new hole, phone-makers usually get it fixed, and that fix is sent out to your phone to make sure that nobody can take advantage of it. That’s a security patch. You’ll likely have received plenty of them over time as cybercriminals are always trying to find new ways to circumvent the security on your phone.

It’s a continual game of cat and mouse, with hackers finding holes and software providers patching them up. And on the cycle goes. Most of the time, you’ll never know about it, but it’s the thing that’s keeping your phone up to date and protected against known threats.

Why do manufacturers stop sending out security patches?

All manufacturers including Samsung, Sony, Google and OnePlus only provide support to a phone for so long. Each new handset that’s released and each new version of Android requires new threat assessment and patching. That’s a lot of work, and it means that finding and patching those holes for every single handset spanning years and years just becomes unfeasible.

As a result, Google and the phone-makers eventually have to cut off support for older handsets. Those handsets then will no longer receive security updates, meaning that when a threat is detected on that phone, it simply won’t be fixed.

So is using an out-of-date phone safe?

As Christoph Hebeisen, director of the security intelligence company Lookout, explained, «We do not consider it safe to run a device that does not receive security patches. Critical security vulnerabilities become public knowledge every few weeks, or months, and once a system is out of support, then users who continue to run it become susceptible to exploitation of known vulnerabilities.»

According to Hebeisen, a vulnerable phone could allow full access to everything that’s on your phone, including your personal and company emails, contact information, your banking details or audio of your phone calls. A hacker could continue to have access to this information for as long as you continue using the compromised handset.

How do I know if my phone is too old?

Finding out if your phone is still supported and receiving security patches often isn’t straightforward. To start, go into Settings and check your software updates. Install the latest version that’s available. Usually it’ll give you some indication of when the phone was last updated. If your phone says it has the latest OS software, but that latest version was installed many months or even years ago, it’s bad news. Your phone is probably no longer supported.

Sadly, manufacturers don’t give you a warning that tells you when they’ve dropped support for a phone, so you either find out through a rude awakening like I mentioned above, or figure it out yourself through some other means.

Previously it was common that phones may only be supported for a few years, but thankfully most companies — including Google and Samsung — have upped their game, offering support for at least seven years on their recent generations of phone. Google’s latest Pixel 9 and 9 Pro will still be safe to use into 2031, while Apple’s iPhone XR, released six years ago, is still compatible with the latest version of iOS. Companies such as Fairphone take that even further, promising at least eight years of support, while even budget phones like the Nothing CMF Phone 2 Pro come with six years of support.

But longer support periods have been something of a recent trend so if you’re buying an older-generation phone on the used market, it’s possible its support period may be shorter, and may even be out of support already.

Finding out if your Android phone is supported will involve some digging. Samsung sent me its list after I contacted its PR team, and it’s available online here, and while it makes it clear which phones are currently supported with updates, it doesn’t say for how long those updates will continue. Google has a page that clearly tells you when your Pixel or Nexus phone will lose security support. (Spoiler alert: All Nexus and Pixel phones up to and including 2021’s Pixel 5A are all out of their official support periods.)

Your best place to start is with the support pages on your phone manufacturer’s website. You might not notice immediately if your phone is out of date. The most obvious sign you’re on old software might be when you look for new apps to download. Many apps will simply be incompatible due to the software and hardware limitations on your phone and you won’t be able to install them.

How can I tell if my phone has been hacked?

Whether you’d ever notice if your phone’s security was compromised is difficult to say. Cybercriminals don’t exactly make it known they’ve accessed your device, so you’ll need to look for signs. Popups that might appear on the phone are a big giveaway, as are any apps that suddenly appear that you didn’t download.

Also watch out for unexplained high data usage, as it could be that malicious apps are using a lot of data in the background. Other indicators can also include unusually high battery usage and sluggish performance, but both of these can also be attributed to using older hardware that degrades over time.

Read more: Best Android VPNs

How can I keep myself safe if I have an old phone?

As Hebeisen says, the best way to keep yourself safe is simply to not use a phone that’s no longer supported. If you’re short on money, can’t afford to upgrade just yet or you’re using an older phone temporarily for whatever reason, there are a couple of things you can do that could help.

First, you should make sure the phone has the latest software installed. If you bought it used, make sure to fully factory-reset the phone. Ensure that you only download apps from the Google Play Store (rather than from third-party or unofficial app stores) and certainly avoid installing apps by downloading the APK file from a website. This can often be a way that malicious software weasels its way into a phone.

You can help protect your personal information by simply not giving too much away in the first place. Don’t do any banking on the phone, don’t sync your company email accounts and don’t send sexy pictures or have sexy video chats until you’re back on a protected device. (Even over a phone, it’s important to practice safe sex.)

According to Hebeisen, if you don’t take such precautions, «this might enable an attacker to observe and manipulate almost everything happening on the device.» That’s a cold shower, right there.