Consumer Reports Buying Guide for Cell Phones

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Feature-laden models improve their photo, video, and music

The era of the cell phone as digital Swiss army knife, crammed with camera, MP3 player, and more, is changing. Some phone functions are thriving, others are evolving, and a few are still finding their feet. Here are some trends to note:

The smart phone grows up. There's more than one way to marry the cell phone to the robust e-mail, organizer, and file-management tools of a personal digital assistant, as the newest so-called smart phones show. After years of serving a niche of tech-savvy business professionals, a newer breed of smart phone, led by the BlackBerry Pearl, the Motorola Q, and others, has emerged for the rest of us who want simpler access to those useful features. Smart phones differ enough from plain phones that we've created a separate report (see Smart phones).

The camera phone retrenches. Cameras are as ubiquitous a feature as ever on phones, but with the exception of a few models, they still lack the multiple-megapixel resolution to make them true camera replacements. Also, in a September 2006 Consumer Reports National Research Center survey of almost 43,000 of our online subscribers in 20 cities, only 22 percent had sent or received photos with their phone. If people use their phone's camera at all, it's most likely for impromptu snaps of family and friends.

Bluetooth spreads. This wireless technology is another near-ubiquitous featuremost basic phones now have it. Bluetooth allows users to talk without holding handsets or fumbling with headset cords. New, smaller wireless Bluetooth headsets should have wider appeal (see Bluetooth headsets available to subscribers). Also, hands-free Bluetooth interfaces, now standard on most luxury cars, are spreading to the Toyota Camry, Dodge Caravan, and other family cars. (As a sign of things to come, some newer Bluetooth- enabled phones dont even have jacks for corded headsets, though they come with special adapters to let you plug them in.)

Multimedia stalls. Cell-phone carriers (Sprint and Verizon, in particular) continue to promote phones with multimedia capabilities. But these functions aren't gaining much traction, especially among Consumer Reports readers: In our recent survey of online subscribers, only 4 percent reported they download music to their cell phones, watch TV, or use GPS navigation services.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Because your choice of phones will be limited by your service provider, you need to decide whether to stay with your current provider or select a new one before you start shopping for a phone.

Decide how you'll use the phone. Putting aside smart phones, we classify phones as either basic or advanced. Choose a basic model if you need only voice and text messages, or want to limit cost and size (most models are compact and are priced between $20 and $150 or come free with a two-year contract). The keypad and overall operation is generally fairly simple. All allow you to store frequently used numbers and send and receive text messages, and many have basic cameras and wireless Bluetooth. To access high-speed networks (such as the EV-DO networks from Verizon, Alltel, and Sprint), and enjoy capabilities such as music and video-based services, you'll need to step up to an advanced phone. Other capabilities may include a multimegapixel camera, memory-card storage for music and pictures, and more options for custom ring tones, games, and other services. Some can connect directly to a printer to print photos. But such phones can cost upward of $150, even with a two-year contract, and some are more difficult to use for calls and text messages than basic models.

Consider the digital network. Major carriers use one of two digital networks: CDMA (Alltel, Sprint, and Verizon) or GSM (Cingular and T-Mobile). Which one your phone uses will greatly determine its features, and even some performance.

GSM phones, for example, provide more talk time on a battery charge, typically five hours and up, compared with three hours for a CDMA phone. Another GSM plus: These phones have a SIM card that stores your account information and your phone book. When you switch to a new phone, you can simply remove the card from inside the old phone and insert it into the new one. However, you can't use a T-Mobile SIM card in a Cingular phone, or vice versa.

Also, GSM phones work more widely around the world than do CDMA models.

CDMA phones, on the other hand, can have analog backup, which enables them to connect in coverage pockets where digital service is unavailable. Sprint and Alltel offer a good selection of such phones; Verizon has fewer, and support for analog is dwindling. No GSM phones have analog backup.

CDMA data networks are also faster than GSM. That enables them to deliver a wider variety of services and entertainment. There is a trade-off, though: CDMA phones that support those sophisticated services lack analog backup.

Hold the phone. In the store, check that you can comfortably access most keys with one hand. Make a test call and access menu items. We've found phones with touch-sensitive keys, such as the LG Chocolate, are harder to use than those with keys that give tactile feedback.

Check the display. Most color screens are fine in dim and normal light, but some are hard to see in daylight or under bright light. In our tests, phones that displayed incoming and outgoing numbers in large black type against a white background were the easiest to read under most conditions. Check to see whether battery-life, signal, and other indicators are legible.

Look for useful features. Among the most important factors to look for: A built-in speaker phone, which allows hands-free use in a car or elsewhere. (But avoid using any phone, even hands-free, while driving.)

IMPORTANT FEATURES

In addition to the useful phone and multimedia features of todays cell-phone models, consider whether you need the following:

Programmable jog dial. Lets you program all the pressure points on a circular jog as shortcuts to the most-used features and functions, such as address book and text messaging.

Standard headset connector. Also known as a 2.5-mm connector, this is compatible with most wired headsets and speaker phones. Models with this connector generally don't come with a headset. Found on most CDMA phones and GSM models. Voice command. Follows your commands right out of the box, without the usual training, and lets you dial numbers by pronouncing the digits. Some Sprint and Verizon phones go a step better by literally allowing you to call up and run applications without having to sift through menus manually.

Preset text messages. Besides providing a quiet means of communication, text messages have been known to get through even when networks are overloaded. Most phones come with preset messages, such as "running late"; or "call home"; And most allow you to program customized messages for an emergency or frequent use; for example, I've dropped Billy at soccer.

Copyright © 2003-2007 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.

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