This seems…a bit much

With all the new smartphones on the market, it’s an exciting time to buy. Companies like Samsung and HTC have released phones that are better than anything we’ve seen in history. And then there’s always Apple with its line of iPhone devices. There has never been a better time to buy a new smartphone.

There are so many choices, in fact, that you might have a hard time choosing the best one for you. Do you want an Android or an iPhone? What about Windows Phone or BlackBerry? Then there are choices about the devices themselves: small or large screen, for instance. You have many phones to choose from, and each one offers you something unique.

Confused? Here’s a little guide to help you narrow down the choices and find the phone that fits you perfectly.

1. Pick a carrier first

The most important factor to consider when buying a new smartphone is the network. While a smartphone is powerful by itself — it’s a mini computer, really — it is only as good as the network it runs on. A top of the line smartphone running on a second-tier network won’t do you much good. You’d probably be better off with a second-tier smartphone on a top of the line network.

There are two considerations with a network: coverage and costs. Different carriers cover different areas. There are many areas where Verizon has coverage and T-Mobile does not, and vice versa. In addition, each carrier has a different set of smartphone plans that fit different budgets. T-Mobile, for instance, has plans that run far, far cheaper than Verizon’s. If price is a big consideration for you, this is a factor you need to consider before deciding on a phone.

When it comes to smartphone usage, the network comes before the phone. Everything runs through the network. Choosing a poor one will create a negative experience, no matter what smartphone you buy.

2. Decide an ideal size

Today’s smartphones come in all different sizes. Older Apple iPhone models, in addition to many mid-range Android phones, come with 3.5-inch screens. For many consumers, that is too small. On the other extreme, many manufacturers have created “phablet” devices that can measure as large as 5.5 inches. Many consumers find these far too large and bulky. You will have to decide for yourself what size is appropriate.

Here is a quick chart of common screen sizes:

3.5 inches like the iPhone 4S. It is good for consumers who want a compact phone they can fit into tight places.

4 inches like the iPhone 5. It is good for consumers who watch a fair amount of streaming video and browse media-rich websites.

4.3 inches like the HTC One S. It is good for consumers who do a little more with their smartphones and need a larger surface area.

4.8 inches like the Samsung Galaxy S3. It is good for consumers who are power users, and who need extra screen real estate for web browsing, video streaming, and reading.

5.5 inches like the Galaxy Note 2. For professionals who take notes with a stylus and need other professional organization applications.

3. Look at software, not specs

When you see a new smartphone announcement, chances are there is an emphasis on specs. You’ll hear about the processor speed, the internal memory, and other technical details that manufacturers love to tout. But what does that mean to you? Chances a phone with a quad-core 1.5GHz processor won’t make your life any better than one with a dual-core 1.2GHz processor — if those terms even mean anything to you in the first place.

What makes a difference for the end user is software. Does the smartphone have the apps that you want and need? More importantly, does it run an updated version of the main operating system? With Apple you know the answer is always yes; they push out new iOS updates going back three or four iPhone generations. With Android some phones will always update. You can be sure that the Google Nexus 4 always has the latest version. The same goes for the Samsung Galaxy phones. Just avoid phones that ship with anything less than 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

4. Check the rumor mill

There might be a phone on the market that you like, but there’s a good chance that there is a phone you like even more coming soon. Manufacturers release many different phones every year, and each one builds on the last. The last thing you want is to buy a brand new phone, only to have an even better one come out in a few weeks. That’s why it’s important to check for rumored devices on sites like MobileMoo. That way you know about any devices that are coming soon.

Be careful to not wait too long, though. There will always be a shiny new phone in the rumor mill. If you wait a few months for one, chances there will be a new rumor of a phone that is even better. The game goes on and on, and you’ll be stuck with your old phone and no upgrade. Once you decide it’s a good time to buy a new phone, set a limit. Wait only a few weeks if there is a really nice phone coming soon.

5. Compare overall costs

The last thing you’ll want to compare is the overall cost of the phone. This isn’t just the base cost, but instead the total two-year cost of ownership. There are two main ways cell phones are sold:

A) Full-price, with no contract

B) Subsidized price, with a two-year contract

The best way to determine your overall cost is to figure out the two-year cost of ownership. Let’s take an example of both of the above.

A) The full-price phone costs $500, but the service costs $55 per month. Total two-year cost of ownership: $1,820.

B) The subsidized phone costs $200, but the service costs $90 per month. Total two-year cost of ownership: $2,360.

Doing this complicated math will make your smartphone buying experience much easier.

A few years ago, it appeared that HTC was the big up and comer in the smartphone world. Google contracted them to do the first Google-branded Android phone, the Nexus One, and it was easily the best Android smartphone of its time. With other exciting releases, such as the Incredible, coming around the same time, HTC was poised to become the biggest player in Android.

A year later, the picture didn’t seem as clear. The Nexus One, while being a quality device by all objective measures, did not sell well. Instead of contracting HTC to do the next generation Nexus, Google went with Samsung. And so started Samsung’s vault to the top. After the Nexus S they came through with the acclaimed Galaxy S II, followed by the Galaxy Nexus, and finally captivated the smartphone market with the Galaxy S III.

Where did that leave HTC? Mostly in the dust. Samsung dominates the top Android phone rankings with the top seven models. HTC squeaks in at No. 8 with the Desire HD, but it has only three handsets in the top 20, combining for just under 3 percent market share. It will take quite a bit of market movement for HTC to even crack the top five, let alone approach the top of the charts.

Recently the company went all-in with its latest smartphone, the HTC One. By all objective measures, it blows away everything HTC has done in the past. There is nothing about the One that isn’t top of the line. And yet, it’s hard to see how the One, in all its glory, will make a significant dent in Samsung’s dominance.

In fact, the HTC One might be proof of why Samsung will continue to be by far the biggest Android player.

It’s about marketing

How did Samsung get to its dominant position in the first place? By challenging the market. When it released the Galaxy S II, the iPhone was still the dominant phone on the market. Few people even questioned this. Android was just some up and comer that had too many problems. The iPhone was sleek and smooth. And then Samsung challenged that entire notion.

While Apple was stuck in the past with a 3.5-inch screen, the S II pushed the envelope with a 4.3-inch screen. Samsung tweaked its own user interface to be sleeker and less clunky than stock Android. They bumped up the camera. But most importantly: they put themselves up against Apple. They challenged the leader by creating a device that was different — better, as Samsung put it.

The pushing of the envelope only continued with the Galaxy S III. This time Samsung blew up the screen, far beyond even Apple’s increased screen size. They ran TV ads that made Apple fans look silly. In other words, they came down the aisle strutting, mocking the industry leader, and as a result claimed the position for themselves. HTC simply does not have that.

HTC One is no improvement

Forget specs for a moment; few people buy a smartphone based on specs anyway. What is the unique selling point of the HTC One? That is, what can HTC claim as a superior feature, in the same way that Samsung claimed superiority to Apple? The answer is too little.

Camera: The HTC One boasts a mere 4-megapixel camera, but HTC really focused on the quality of pictures taken. That’s a noble cause for sure, especially in the era of Instagram. But do people really buy a smartphone because of the camera? It might be a tiebreaker, but it’s hardly a primary focus.

User interface: HTC updated its Sense UI, and that’s a good thing. One of the major complaints about HTC devices has been Sense. While the new sense, which in many ways resembles Windows 8, might appeal to some users, others will be turned off by how it is force-fed. Not everyone wants their feeds on their home page.

Really, there isn’t much to brag about other than that. Using Gorilla Glass 2 on a 4.7-inch screen is good, but not groundbreaking. The same goes for the 1.7GHz quad-core processor. None of these features challenge anything in the industry. If anything, HTC is just playing catch-up.

Competition abounds

HTC might have more to worry about from the competitors behind it than the behemoth in front of it. After all, Samsung will sell plenty of Galaxy S IV phones no matter what HTC does. But there are some downriver competitors that could pose and issue for HTC. The underwhelming One will do it few favors.

LG has been making Android phones for years now, but it hasn’t made a big dent. Yet Google awarded LG the latest Nexus device, the Nexus 4, which is selling better than previous models. LG is also experimenting with the phablet form factor, which is gaining popularity with users. They might not be pushing the envelope, but they’re certainly trying new things.

Another thing LG has going for it: selection range. Even at carriers where they have a small presence, you can still get a wide-range of LG phones at a decent price. HTC, on the other hand, has done little but pump out handsets like the One X, which appears high-end but fails most tests. It seems that LG is honest about where it is as an Android manufacturer, and that could help it as it grows.

Don’t forget Motorola, either. They haven’t made many big moves in the industry lately (though there are people who swear by the Droid RAZR HD), but they are owned by Google now. They are also supposedly working on the X Phone, which could prove to be Google’s big play. If Google decides to push its own brand, HTC could be in further trouble.

Taken by itself, the HTC One is a quality phone. It has many high-end features, and the new Sense UI could appeal to a certain type of smartphone user. But when looking at it in the current market, it falls short — far short. It doesn’t do anything that the Galaxy S III cannot, and the Galaxy S IV is just around the corner. Competition from smaller players, such as LG and Motorola, will make matters even tougher for HTC. At a time when they needed to blow away users, they essentially kept the status quo. It’s a shame to see, especially from an Android player that seemed so promising just two years ago.