Sometimes, advertisers are misleading.

Its sort of their job.

If manufacturers had their way, youd upgrade your phone every year.

That seems a little weird for a unit thatusually costs upwards of $650, doesnt it?

You dont buy a new laptop or even a new tablet every couple of years just because.

Why do it with phones?

For a while that made sense.

Now, your cell plan is cheaperif youre not paying for a phone, too.

Phones do feel obsolete quicker than laptops and tablets, though.

Batteries can also start tolose their ability to hold a charge over time.

you could make a run at fight it, but eventually an old phone just cant keep up.

However, that doesnt mean that everyone needs the most expensive, top-of-the-line, flagship handset.

Even mid-range devices like theMoto Gare stupid cheap, and pretty decent phones!

without changing your hardware.

Well, not exactly.

For many phones, werewell past that.

TheLG G4, SamsungGalaxy S6, and theGalaxy Note 5all have displays with a resolution of 2560x1440.

Thatsmorepixels than most HDTVs.

So, why continue packing in more pixels if it doesnt matter?

Other factors like display key in (LCD vs.

LED), color calibration, and viewing angles will all affect how nice your screen looks.

This results in a more vibrant look.

Its like if your display was designed bythe guy who edited Speed Racer.

(Thoughyou can change this modeif you dont like the saturated colors.)

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus both had near perfectcolor accuracy representationin their displays.

This means the colors you see on screen should be just as vibrant (or dull!)

Technically the Galaxy Note 4 has more pixels.

Is it a better display because has more pixels?

Or because Samsung turned up the saturation and it grabs your attention more?

Of course, display quality isnt the only factor to consider.

The more pixels your equipment has to power,the faster its going to drain.

However, you’re able to still choose displays that work best for you.

Think of it a bit like the difference betweenThe AvengersandThe Dark Knight.

Also check to see how those high-res phones compare in battery life.

Older phones used to be huge bricks that were difficult to lug around.

Even before smartphones came along, manufacturers wererunning the thinness trend into the ground.

Thinner phones were popular because they were more portable and easier to fit in pockets and purses.

Who wouldnt want a thinner phone?

However, over the last few years, several new trends aligned to undermine the thinner is better case.

For starters,our phone displays are getting bigger.

Whether thats because everyone wants bigger phones, or because big phones are the only onesavailableis up for debate.

Making phones thinner is actuallybadfor big screen phones.

And its not like we have a problem with thick phones, if phone cases are any indication.

And that doesnt even considerthe massive tank cases that turn your phone into Fort Knox.

TheLG G4, SamsungGalaxy S6 Edge, andNexus 6Pare all around 7mm or so.

For comparison, the2015 Moto X Styleis11mm, but due to the curved back, youd hardly notice.

The new iPhone 6s isactually thicker than the last iPhone.

I didnt think so.

And, again, you should also consider battery life.

The thicker the phone, the more room there is for abig ass battery.

The spec to watch for here is mAh.

Imagine if you had to buy your television set from Comcast.

Or if you had to buy your car from BP.

Despite how much were used to buying phones from carriers, its actually a terrible practice.

In an ideal world, youd be able to buy your phone first, then pick a carrier later.

Of course, we dont live in an ideal world.

Carriers use this to wrangle customers in with exclusive phones that are only available if you switch carriers.

Carrier-branded phones also sufferslower updates than unbranded, unlocked devices.

But you should know theyre not the only places you’ve got the option to shop.

you’re free to also sometimes find deals with the manufacturer of your phone themselves.

Others, like the iPhone, will simply let you choose a SIM-free option at checkout.

Photos byWikimedia Commons,William Hook,Mike Mozart.