Let me begin with a full disclosure, if money isn’t an object, please know that I am the kind of guy who will buy the latest and greatest phones available. I will also change my phone every 6 months. Don’t judge, I’ve always been a mobile phone enthusiast, especially the smartphones.
As you probably can tell from my cheesy full disclosure, at this time in my life money and how much a phone cost is a huge factor in how I chose my phones.
By the way, since I’m still on the full disclosure train, it might interest you to know that I just bought the Oneplus 7 Pro a couple weeks ago. Yes, I know the phone has been in the market for a little over a year now, but that’s the phone I ended up with in July 2020.
Let’s talk about how I came to that decision.
As with everything we buy, market availability plays a big role in how we settle on the products we use. So yes, what was available in my market (USA) factored a lot in why I ended up with the OnePlus 7 Pro.
If you didn’t already know, most of the phones available in the US market are sold through the networks, like T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and what have you (we refer to them as carriers). And that’s how most Americans buy their phones – through the networks.
Is it better to buy a cell phone online or in a store?
The problem with buying from the networks’ stores, however, is that, first and foremost your options are limited.
Two, their phones always come locked to the networks, which means you’re not able to switch networks as you please. I on the other hand hate for my phone to be locked to any network. I love the freedom of being able to just pop any SIM card into my phone and I’m good to go.
So, as a rule, I don’t buy my phones through the networks. I must admit that I tried it twice, once with Sprint and the other with Metro PCs, and each time I didn’t like it.
That leaves me with the other ways phones are available in the US, which is through online platforms like Amazon and Ebay, and the third option, which is to buy directly from the manufacturer if they have an official US sale channel.
I opted to go the third route – buy directly from the manufacturer – OnePlus USA. As such, my phone came unlocked and is not locked to any network.
Another factor in choosing my phone is the specs sheet, whether you believe it or not. I’ve always been the specs count guy. How much are you able to pack in a phone at a reasonable price?
This is why the Oneplus was appealing to me. It comes with 8gigs of RAM, 256GB of internal storage, three camera setup in the back with a 48 megapixel camera as the main shooter, 90hz refresh rate for fast and smooth scrolling, QHD AMOLED display, pop-up front facing camera, and yes, at a price that I consider reasonable and affordable? Sign me up please.
How much did I buy this beauty for? It cost me $550. For the specs and features, it is a steal.
Finally, I understand that this is purely my own process of coming to smartphone purchase choice. However, it will be different for different people based on the needs of individuals and personal preferences. By all means, do you.
You can check the full specs of OnePlus 7 Pro.