Everyone buys a smartphone for a different reason. Some buy it for gaming, some for everyday use, and some use it as their primary business device. Each of these people has different requirements and so the smartphone they would choose, and subsequently, its features, will be vastly different.

Today, we are going to look at some specific requirements you should keep in mind when choosing a business smartphone.

Wireless Carrier

Many people buy a business phone under a contract or plan. Doing so is a great way of getting the latest device through the carrier they like most. When picking a carrier for your plan, ensure that the carrier has wide coverage. You should never drop any calls during meetings or important business negotiations.

There are several databases you can use to check the coverage for the various providers in your area. Just do not rely too much on the maps provided by different carriers because they can fudge them to make you think their coverage is better than it is.

Second, ensure the carrier is known for its great customer service. You want any issues with the network or phone you bought through them to be resolved as quickly as possible.

Lastly, compare the total cost of the plan across carriers. The upfront cost might be similar among multiple carriers, but there may be other costs hidden in their terms that you also need to keep in mind.

Wi-Fi Calling

Wi-Fi calling is relatively new and can be found on the latest Android and iOS devices. Wi-Fi calling uses your phone’s Wi-Fi network to make and receive voice and video calls without relying on a carrier.

To ensure you are always available for business continuity, you need to have a backup cellular connection. Wi-Fi calling comes in when you do not have adequate cellular coverage to ensure you are always online and available.

To make things easier, you could also use VoIP, which works similarly to Wi-Fi calling. The VoIP uses your wireless internet connection to give you a line you can use when you do not have adequate coverage. VoIP also has better call and video quality, depending on your connection, than a regular voice call. Lastly, VoIP and Wi-Fi calling help you avoid costly international charges if you conduct business overseas.

Connectivity

For fast downloads and smooth video calls, you need a phone with fast connectivity. This means a phone with 5G connectivity. Although buying a 5G phone can seem like overkill, you will be removing the need to upgrade once 5g is the de facto connectivity standard.

Also, check that the phone has VoLTE (Voice over LTE) capabilities. This is a feature that allows you to make calls over your cellular data connection over LTE. It is similar but not the same as Wi-Fi calling, but it also allows for clearer and more reliable connections compared to regular GSM connections.

Security

Your business phone will likely contain sensitive data such as contacts, emails, and documents. You want to ensure your phone is as secure as possible. The good news is that all modern smartphones come with adequate security features such as passwords, face scanning, and biometric authentication to protect your data.

Beyond this, you need a smartphone that receives regular security updates. Security vulnerabilities are discovered every day and malicious third-party actors can take advantage of these vulnerabilities in different ways. Ensuring your phone is updated and thus secure is crucial.

Lastly, you want to ensure additional features like Wi-Fi are also secure. Choose a phone that uses the latest Wi-Fi protocols. These protocols help protect you from the most common Wi-Fi attack vectors including spoofing and man-in-the-middle attacks if you ever connect to an unsecured network.

Features – Storage and RAM

Your business phone should perform well whenever you want to use it. For this, you need to ensure the phone has adequate specs. Start with the RAM and storage. The RAM dictates how many apps you can have open on your phone because each app consumes some memory.  The more RAM you have the better, but for business use, 4-8Gb should suffice.

The internal storage holds all data on your phone. There is a huge variance here because some people store all documents on their phones, some use the cloud, and some use a hybrid of both. A good place to start is 64 GB. You can go as high as 256 GB of internal storage for common use, but you can go further if you record videos and audio on the phone. For this use case, also consider a phone that allows for expandable storage.

Processor

You and your business phone can open apps quickly and do everything you want without stuttering. For this, you need a phone with a good processor. There are a lot of phones with a good-enough processor, such as the Snapdragon 700-series processors. These are likely good enough for you, but you can choose a phone with a Snapdragon 800-series processor.

The higher you go, the more you will pay for the phone, but the more it will be capable of. For example, choosing a phone with an 800-series processor means you are entering the gaming phone bracket, where phones can do everything you want them to in addition to playing casual and serious games. You will likely be able to play all modern games as well as casual games like casino games on your phone. You can download the games you like from the respective app store or read a guide to mobile casinos for real money to find casinos with some interesting games you can play.

Display

For a business smartphone, the display is usually not a huge consideration, but there are still a few things to think about. The first one is brightness. If you are going to be using your phone outside a lot, you need it to be bright enough that you can see whatever is on the screen in bright sunlight.

Second, you want the phone to be large enough that it is easy to see documents if you receive a lot of them. Ideally, you would read documents in portrait mode, and you want a phone with a display that is large enough to enable viewing at least one page at a time comfortably.

Build Quality

Build quality is subjective, but you want a phone that can survive the conditions you work in. If you work primarily indoors, many modern smartphones will suffice. If you work outdoors, however, you will need a rugged phone that can survive falls from a few feet. You also want the phone to survive light dust and water splashes.

Battery Life

Battery life is important because you do not want to be charging your phone all the time, especially when you are out of the office. Your phone should have about 8-12 hours of screen-on time and about 18-24 hours of standby time.

Lastly, check how fast the phone charges. You might want the phone to charge to 50% or 60% quickly before you leave the office for a trip.

While choosing a smartphone for business is very similar to choosing a phone for other uses, there are some specific things you need to watch out for. These are essential for ensuring you are always available, and you can use your phone for more than business when you have some downtime.