Upgrading – what to choose?

The time has come. It has perhaps been long overdue and you’ve decided to put some time aside to make it happen. You want to upgrade your phone.

While you may feel like you are late to the party in upgrading your phone from an iPhone 4 or 4S, you really aren’t the only one.

There are plenty of people out there who don’t upgrade as soon as a new iPhone comes out. Some like to stick with what they have, others are tempted but wait until their contract ends.

But the question now is: Which iPhone?

Here we are going to list the pros and cons of the iPhone 5S and 5S which are available on our website.

iPhone 5S

 
Pros:

•    Sleek, thin and lightweight design with durable aluminium back panel
•    Improved front camera quality
•    Extremely fast – great 4G LTE speeds
•    Fingerprint sensor
•    Above average battery life – long enough to provide all day use for many
•    The screen is bigger and better
•    Supports iOS 7 & 8

Cons:

•    Aluminium back panel can be subject to dents and scratches.
•    Camera lacks optical zoom
•    Can be expensive

 iPhone 5C

Pros:

•    Available in a larger range of colours including pink, blue, green and white
•    Made from a polycarbonate shell, crafted from a single piece of plastic making it lighter
•    Has a better front camera than the iPhone 5
•    Relatively inexpensive upfront if tied to an expensive contract
•    Internally similar to the iPhone 5

Cons:

•    There is no 64GB version of the 5C meaning less storage then the 5S
•    Rear camera is of lower quality when compared to the 5S
•    The four inch Retina Display feels small compared with most Android phones.
•    No MicroSD Slot


To sum up overall: If you would like a cheaper phone and don’t mind compromising on storage space, then the 5C is the phone for you.

If you are looking for speed, durability and more storage, the iPhone 5S is the phone of choice. There is also the choice of the now discontinued iPhone 5 which is also available on our website www.hotbargainphones.com.

Top 5 Mobile phones of 2015

We’ve put together our top 5 mobile phones of 2015, which is the one for you?

1)    The iPhone 6/6 Plus

We believe it to be a real step forward for Apple. It comes with the usual ingredients that make the iPhone special and iOS 8 is the best software we’ve ever know. It’s simple and intuitive. The camera on the 6 is fast; pictures come out clear and bright.

The iPhone 6 Plus is bigger than bigger. Larger in size and thinner in shape. Powerful and power-efficient. Known as the first Apple Phablet, it is packed with things to love.

2)    OnePlus One

If you haven’t heard of OnePlus, there’s a good reason why. The phone is hard to get hold of with an invite-only system so the firm can keep on top of production.

It does everything else other phones can do, and it is value for money without the compromise.

3)    Nokia Lumia 830

Sleek and sophisticated, the Lumina is an eye-catching blend of polycarbonate and metal coming together beautifully. The 20MP camera will give you astonishing photos and the phone can be charged wirelessly.

4)    Moto X
This phone is said to hit all the right notes delivering stock Android inside a powerful high-end handset you can customize yourself. Uncluttered with decent front speakers and fairly smooth performance overall.

5)    iPhone 5/5c/5s

Okay so we’ve cheated a little here. The iPhone 5 was released in September of 2012, and the 5C and 5C were released 10 days apart in September 2013. However, we still absolutely love them. Solid, with a premium look and touch ID, it is still popular with consumers today.

As the largest supplier of used iPhones in the world, the iPhone would of course be our top choice.  All the iPhones in the series would make our top 5, nay 10. But we had to be fairish.

Second hand and refurbished means you can get a great deal without breaking the bank. We also offer Warranties, delivery worldwide and exceptional customer service.

Gaining is Winning

We are the largest suppliers of used iPhones in the world. We refurbish used and pre-owned phones, which we also unlock and make them available and affordable to you.

Why choose us?

•    We offer FREE insured delivery in the UK and FREE accidental damage cover (for 3 months).
•    100% warranty cover for 365 days.
•    Excellent customer service guaranteed.
•    An efficient technical team available.
•    The best prices and deals you can find.
•    Worldwide delivery available.
•    Orders dispatched between 24-48 hours after thorough inspection.
•    We buy unlocked phones from you!

We also sell accessories. From adaptors and batteries, to chargers, cables and data storage devices.

 

What are refurbishing phones?

Refurbished phones are returned or donated from the previous owner and made ready for resale. All phones are fully inspected and tested by our qualified engineers.
Refurbished phones can contain minor cosmetic flaws but this will not affect the phones function or performance.

Why are phones refurbished?

Mobile users tend to routinely upgrade their mobile phone every few years, with some trading up more frequently. Used phones are sent back to the manufacturer to be refurbished, especially if they are not very old.

Mobile providers do usually allow customers to return a phone within a short period of time – known as a “cooling off period”, if they do not like it or have changed their mind. These devices are usually in perfect working order, but because they have been used, they cannot be sold as new. They are wiped of all data and resold as refurbished.

Locked or unlocked?

A locked phone will only work with a specific provider. An unlocked phone will work with any provider. Most mobile phone companies install special “locking” software on their phones that prevents them from being used with any other network’s SIM card.

It’s important to remember that you may have to purchase a SIM to operate the phone if you no longer have a SIM or if the refurbished phone is in addition to your current phone.
There are benefits to both locked and unlocked, but unlocked has proved the most popular.

Used Vs Refurbished

A used phone is sold as it is. It has not been fixed or tested and comes with no warranty or guarantee. If a used phone has a cracked screen, it will be sold with a cracked screen.
A refurbished phone is thoroughly tested, repaired if necessary and has been cleaned.

Gaining a refurbished phone is a great result because they are sold for a lot less than a new phone.

The History of Mobile Phones

From the picture above, you can see just how much the mobile phone has changed over the past 30 years.    

Motorola was the first company to produce the handheld mobile phone in 1973. Martin Cooper, a Motorola researcher and executive, made the first telephone call from handheld subscriber equipment – weighing in at 1.1kg and measuring 23cm long, 13cm deep and 4.45cm wide, to Dr Joel Engel of Bell labs. The phone offered talk time of 30 minutes and took 10 hours to recharge.

 

Britain’s first mobile telephone call was made on January 1st 1985 and the first text message was sent via computer 24 years ago simply saying “Merry Christmas”. The original 160-character size limit for text was the brainchild of German engineer Friedhelm Hillebrand. He arrived at the number by typing a series of random questions into his typewriter, and after counting the characters, he found 160 to be “perfectly sufficient” to write in any question or thoughts one may have.

There are 40,000 masts today compared to just five (all in London), 30 years ago. Britons make over 130 million mobile phone calls every day while messaging app WhatsApp, sees 50 billion messages per day, more than all SMS combined.

Then:

Nokia’s 3210

The Nokia 3210 is one of the most popular mobile phones in history with over 160 million sold. Released in 1999, it ditched the antenna and was one of the first to allow picture messaging which was a huge selling point.

Now:

 

Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced a revolutionary touchscreen smartphone known as the iPhone in 2007 with the slogan “Apple reinvents the phone”. Steve described the iPhone as a combination of 3 devices: a “widescreen iPod with touch controls”, a “breakthrough internet communicator” and a “revolutionary mobile phone.”

Since the release of the First Generation phone, iPhones have exploded in popularity with a further 9 models being created.

 

What have you Googled in 2014?

How many times you google things you don’t know or want to know about it? If any of your work hardly gets completed without using Google, you might be interested in knowing what most of the people around the world were searching Google for this year? The year 2014 is about to end and Google has come up with its most-searched terms list once again. 

Every year Google rolls out the list of trending terms that are searched by its users all over the world. It’s always interesting to know which things have made people curious to know. It might come as no surprise that iPhone 6 is the winning term of year 2014.

The year began with a lot of buzz created by iPhone 6 though it wasn’t launched in the beginning, but speculations kept the market warm with respect to its looks and features. 

Samsung Galaxy S5 is the next most-searched term in the year 2014. Since the dominance of Samsung in the mobile industry is continuously increasing which created hype in the market for Samsung Galaxy S5 and that has been the reason of being second most-searched term. To remind you again what you have Googled in 2014, we bring a list of Google’s top trending terms of 2014. Since it's a technology blog, we have taken consumer Electronics Category only.

                                                                         1. iPhone 6

                                                                   2. Samsung Galaxy S5

                                                                         3. Nexus 6

 

                                                                              4. Moto G

                                                                      5. Samsung Note 4

                                                                              6. LG G3

                                                                           7. Xbox One

                                                                  

                                                                          8. Apple Watch

 

                                                                            9. Nokia X

                                                                                10. iPad Air

What are factory unlocked phones?

Mobile phones have become integral parts of our lives. While some people use the basic versions of mobile phones, others use high-end smartphones. There is hardly any person without a mobile now. There are two broad categories in which the mobiles are available – factory unlocked phones and locked phones.

Factory unlocked phones – what does it mean

Factory unlocked phones are those which can be used with SIM cards of any service provider. The hardware and software of the phones are not made for use with particular one service provider. People usually prefer factory unlocked phones over locked phones as these phones provide the flexibility of changing SIM cards as and when required. Customers can choose the service provider as per their own will by checking out the offers that providers give.

On the other hand, locked phones are those which are tied to a particular service provider. There is a bond with the mobile company and the provider for a fixed span of time. The phone can be unlocked after the contract period gets over. Since there is no freedom and flexibility in using locked phones, people generally avoid using these phones. Apart from restrictions on changing the service provider, locked phones have other limitations too, which makes using the phones difficult. 

Refurbished smartphones – high demands with people for its innumerable benefits

People often tend to get confused between refurbished phones and used phones. It is true that refurbished phones are not new, but they are not been into use much. It might happen that the buyer bought the phone and planned to change the same within couple of days. It is obvious that this phone cannot be sold in the market as a new phone. This phone is tested by experts, cleaned if necessary and then is brought into the market again. There should be no change in the functioning of the refurbished phone and should have the same warranty as the new phone.

The only benefit is that the price of such phones is way less than new phones of the same model and brand. It is possible to get all the attractive features on the phone by paying considerably less amount of money for the same. Getting full warranty on the refurbished phone is an additional benefit as such advantages are available with new phones only. If warranty is not being provided, it might not be a refurbished phone at all.

Hot Bargain Phones – great destination for finding used and refurbished phones

If you are intending to purchase refurbished and used phones, it is recommended to buy the same from trusted sources. Hot Bargain Phones is a reliable online portal where high end smartphones are on sale. Attractive discounts are made available on the phones. The rates of used smartphones on the site are less than half of the actual price. One thing is assured that there is no compromise with the functionality of the phones whatsoever. Majority of the phones that are sold on the site are factory unlocked phones.

Why to pay more when you can get the deal for less

The iPhone is a category in itself and though the competition has increased in the recent years, iPhone maintains its following and consumer base. Apart from offering a highly sleek and classy look, Apple has continuously been innovating to bring out highly powerful phones that are capable of a range of functionality. According to the latest statistics, there are 63.2 million iPhone users across the globe and the rate is just increasing every year. In October, 2014, there had been 85 billion downloads form the iOS store as compared to 75 billion in June 2014. Owning an iPhone comes with its own set of advantages. This is a device that is highly versatile, amazingly productive, and fast and seems to integrate everything that one can ask of a smart phone. iPhones have been setting new hallmarks ever since the first launch.

However, along with the advantages comes a big price tag. The iPhones are among the most expensive gadgets in its category. As such, it is not meant for the average smart phone user. However, with little research, one can in fact get a good deal out of a uses or refurbished iPhone.

Let’s take a look at the advantages of a used iPhone

The iPhones have been ideally designed for the mobile consumer. It has always come in a sturdy make and integrates a lot of detailing into the designing, the buttons, the touch sensitive keys and the images. The brand is known for its sleek but efficient designs which no other manufacturer has been able to replicate. The iPhone also integrates an iPod into the design of the phone. For the music loving crowd, this is s good as it can get. Going for a used phone will present the best functionality for teenagers and college goers who can’t afford a new iPhone but can invariably be benefited by one.

Secondly, the iPhone has proved to be a great piece of device for the internet loving crowd. The device gives access to a multitude of applications and blogging tools including Google Mobile, Dropbox, Adobe PS Express, Evernote, SoundCloud and Spreaker.

As such, an iPhone is the last piece of smart phone you will need to invest upon. Apple integrates the iPhone with every type of functionality that can presently be expected and also comes up with regular updates and additions to the iOS store. Further, the iPhone is among the fastest and most secure device when it comes to internet browsing or online payments. Many of the iOS apps are available for free and you need not spend extra amount to upgrade your device.

Saving money with used iPhones

As already said, iPhones are among the most expensive devices in this product category. However, there are many sellers dealing with used and refurbished phones that are as good as new and offered at an incredible price. As such, one can save a lot of money going for used iPhones than chocking your budgets with a new device.

Things to consider

In case you are planning to buy a used/refurbished iPhone, just make sure:

• Screen condition: Go for a phone that has been used with protective cases like OtterBox.
• Water Damage: Earlier versions of iPhones can suffer significant damage from water/moisture. Take a peek into the earphone jack and if it is pink, there has been some water damage.
• Electronic Serial Number (ESN): Always notify shoppers about the ESN. Also make sure it is not a stolen device.
• Go for a reputable seller.