Which Kind of Smartphone User are You?

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Syed Rafie. If you would like to contribute too, please contact me.

With the release of the Samsung Galaxy SIII and rumours of the iPhone 5 on the horizon, now is as good a time as any to consider what your next smartphone should be.

Before that question can be answered though, let’s look at what are the most important things to be prioritised when taking in the latest technological offerings on the market.

To make this simpler, we’ve split them up into categories based on the kind of user (we think) you are.

The Business Power User

You’re on the go. You need all the information at your fingertips. You need speed. Connections. Instant access. Does that sound like you?

Then what you need to look at are connectivity options (3G? HSDPA? WiFi .n?), processors (dual-core or quad-core), RAM (1GB and above) as well as battery life. Consider the screen you’re going to be staring at for hours on end. Is it readable for long periods of time? Are the colours and contrast of a good enough standard? Will the battery hold up under continuous heavy load? Anything below 4 inches in screen size is asking for a lot of eye strain.

Is the OS quick, customisable and accessible? You need to fully exploit the capabilities of your phone and you need to learn it, realise its potential and set it up to get things done. Once you can answer all these questions, the road warrior in you will be one happy bunny.

The Social Media Darling

You tweet. You text. You check-in and foursquare. You geo-tag your photos and put your life on Facebook and other social media. Well hello there, Social Media darling.

Your needs are actually pretty similar to the business power user. However, you have one added caveat – style. That phone has to look good. Sleek, svelte and oh so pretty. Bear in mind however, that such phones come with a wealth of compromises. Big bright screen? Lower battery life. Super slim chassis and metallic finishing? Be prepared to deal with signal drops due to compromised antenna circuitry, and the constant threat of cosmetic damage.

Is the OS capable of keeping up with your constant app switching and updating? If a phone can say yes to all of these things, and you can say yes to the compromises, then you know you have the phone for you.

The Casual Lifestyler

The latest and greatest matter to you. Megapixels? Processor speeds? Bah, so what? Looking good is your thing. It’ll call, text, play some music and still look stylish. That’s you, Mr. Casual Lifestyler.

To be honest, you don’t need the big flashy screen, the shiny metallic finishing, the multiple apps or the ease of use. It just looks good, and you must have it! Motorla RAZR fans, we know the feeling. So here’s what we need to look at. How much do you actually want to pay for all this style? And what sort of style are you looking for?

That’s all you need to answer when it comes to choosing your phone, because you’ll happily live with all of the phone’s quirks and flaws. After all, style always has a price.

The Senior Citizen (or anyone else not technologically inclined)

You call. Text. And… that’s about it really.

Don’t buy a smartphone. You’re better off spending that cash on a nice set of clothes or jewelry!

Guest post: This article is written is by Syed Rafie who working as a writer and editor at Malaysia’s largest online shopping mall, Lazada Malaysia. Connect with him on Google+, or follow him on Twitter (@origamiblade).