<p style="text-align: justify;">Did you ever take a close look at a smartphone spec sheet? Have any idea what the numbers and letters mean, what they tell you about the smartphone?</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Here&rsquo;s what you need to know.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Processor&nbsp;</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The processor is sometimes listed as the SoC (system on a chip) or just CPU (central processing unit). The processor is essentially the brain of the smartphone, and as such is one of the single most critical specs to consider.&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">You may see a &ldquo;64-bit&rdquo; processor. This is an upgrade over the traditional &ldquo;32-bit&rdquo; processors. 64-bit processors are able to access bigger&nbsp;chunks of memory, run more complex apps, and are better able to handle multi-tasking&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Display</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">A smartphone&rsquo;s display is often front and center to a buyer&rsquo;s decision, and rightly so. You look at it and interact with it more than any other part of the phone, and displays that aren&rsquo;t of sufficient size or quality will spoil the experience.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Connectivity&nbsp;</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">We&rsquo;ve covered cellular networking technology, and all smartphones now support Wi-Fi, with most supporting the latest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ac. Some budget smartphones top out at 802.11n; previously the highest consumer standard. Most smartphones also support dual-band Wi-Fi, which means it can connect to both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks. The 5GHz networks typically provide faster and more reliable Wi-Fi, in part because they are less crowded with devices. But that&rsquo;s not all. Smartphones have a few other networking technologies:&nbsp;Bluetooth, NFC, USB</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Memory&nbsp;</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">System RAM and Flash RAM aren&rsquo;t the same thing, but both fall into the memory category. The amount of system RAM (random access memory) impacts the smartphone&rsquo;s ability to multitask, just as it does on your computer. Therefore, more RAM means more speed and stability &ndash; but it&rsquo;s also possible to overkill on RAM if you&rsquo;re not going to be utilizing it all that often.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Sensors&nbsp;</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Smartphones come equipped with all sorts of sensors that improve the user experience and turn them into something far more than &ldquo;just&rdquo; phones &ndash; or devices to be used for time-killing exploits like playing games and watching movies.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">C<strong>amera&nbsp;</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The lens and image sensor make up the bulk of the camera spec. Megapixel is the most common spec, and it refers to the number of pixels in an image, measured in the millions. Five megapixels is five million pixels. The more megapixels, the higher the resolution, and the greater your ability to crop a photo without experiencing pixelation.&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">There is much more to smartphone spec sheets, including networking bands, networking category, battery size (the bigger the mAh number, the better), charging technology, and build material, to name a few. Just remember, the spec sheet best serves as a high-level guide. Our advice is always to realistically evaluate your needs and read professional reviews.</p>