Classified: The 4 things I look for in a smartphone

It’s easy to get caught up in all the marketing charm of tech companies, trying to convince ourselves that we can’t live without the latest features.

Every time I buy a new phoneI always take a step back and think about what I really want. What are my priorities? The specifications and features I am not willing to compromise much on. I have a list of four main things I look for in a smartphone and I’ll share it with you in this post, starting with the most important.

While everyone is obsessed with the latest SoC and that huge privacy-focused displayI’m more focused on how the phone looks and feels in the hand. I am a very visual person and I don’t see myself using an ugly phone, even if it is the most powerful and cheapest that exists.

The design has to evoke feelings. It has to tell a story. It has to display some character that is unique to a specific device. While it’s difficult to achieve that with a glass plate phone, there are several great options.

Personally, I love the look of the Pixel 10 Series. That signature camera bar is enough to distinguish the phones. Combined with some great color combinations (Obsidian is my favorite) and excellent build quality combining glass and metal, we have a winner.

I never use a case on my phone, which it doesn’t always end wellbut it is the only way to properly experience the beauty of a device. Putting a cheap plastic case on a $1,000 phone seems like a crime to me, especially when that phone was designed with great care and looks spectacular.

Small, medium and large phones. I have used them every year and have a clear preference. Small phones, possibly those with screens up to 6.3 inches, are the ones I like. If a phone is bigger, I cross it off my list immediately. A 6.3-inch screen is still pretty substantial, but it’s the norm for “smaller” flagships these days.

I’ve used both the standard (entry-level) Pixel phones and the more affordable A-series for the past few years, and I don’t see myself upgrading to anything bigger. A 6.3-inch screen from the Pixel 10, Pixel 10a, or the Galaxy S26For example, it is large enough to comfortably browse the web and even watch videos, and at the same time it is compact enough to use with one hand at the same time. It’s also very affordable, which is also important to me.

Personally, I’m more than willing to skip all the extras you get on big flagships like the Pixel 10 Pro XL and Galaxy S26 Ultra for the compact size of their smaller siblings. For now I’m comfortable with the thickness, so those super thin phones like the Galaxy S25 Edge Don’t do it for me, mainly for the next item on this list.

A great phone must have a big battery. Period. I don’t want to plug in my phone every night, so the ideal is to look for something that can last at least two days.

The Pixel 10a is pretty good in this category, with a 5,100 mAh battery paired with a 6.3-inch display. For reference, the huge 6.9-inch monitor Galaxy S26 Ultra It only includes a 5000 mAh battery, which is not good enough, especially considering the price of the device.

However, even the Pixel 10a is far from the strongest contender in this race. Chinese companies have turned to silicon and carbon batteries, which pack more charge into the same package. As an example, the OnePlus 15 It has a 6.8-inch screen and a 7,300 mAh battery, while the OPPO Find X9 Pro increase that up to 7500 mAh while keeping the same screen size.

These phones also beat Pixels and Galaxies when it comes to charging speeds, so I hope these two companies take notice. However, both models are too big for me, so despite excelling in the battery and charging departments, they’re not on my short list.

And while I love small phones, I avoid slim models like the Galaxy S25 Edge, as mentioned in the previous section, since a thinner body means a smaller battery.

Last on the list is the camera settings. It’s important, but I’m not as picky here as I am with some of the other things mentioned in this post. For example, I don’t need three or more rear sensors; a standard and an ultra wide camera are enough for me.

I look for simplicity. Without any friction. I like that the processing is precise, so I don’t need to edit the images after taking them. I’m especially worried about night shots, as I hate when I want to take a photo on a city street at night and it all comes out blurry.

Give me the Pixel 10a’s camera settings, for example, and that’s it. If it’s even more capable than that, even better, but I’m happy with what Google’s cheapest phone in its lineup brings to the table.

However, I am not very focused on the front camera as I barely use it. I do most of my video calls on my PC and I’m not a big fan of selfies.

These are my four pillars of a great smartphone: the four things that matter most to me and what I look for when buying a new device. Of course, I also care about performance to some extent. However, it’s less of a problem today than it was years ago, as even a mid-range phone can perform all the tasks I need with ease. I’m not a gamer so I don’t need the latest and greatest SoC.

I also don’t care much about wireless charging or the IP rating. They usually come standard on devices in my price range, but even if they didn’t, I’d be fine. I rarely use wireless charging as wired charging is faster and I’ve never had a problem with my phone falling into a puddle of water.

Now it’s your turn. What are the most important features you look for when buying a phone? Let me know in the comments.