[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Bassarnis:
I can somehow relate to the OP. My first smartphone was a Nokia 3360, then a Nokia N95. Both of them i kept for about 4-5 years and then i bought my first android. The lag on my X10 was starting to get noticable in less than a year.

I was expecting that when you buy a 500 euro phone that it would be top of the line and would at least last me a good 4-5 years. All of the previous phones mentioned before costed me about 500 euros when i bought them. So, as far as i had seen, it would take a long time before i upgraded my X10.

Seeing dual core phones perform way smoother made me buy a Galaxy S II when it first came out. Unfortunately, once i read about its screen issues i couldn't help but notice the yellow tint/burn in its screen. To be brief, after lots of replacements i ended up getting a refund and used the money to upgrade my PC.

Thats when it hit me. Coming from a N95, I used to think that smartphones are devices that had a constant, almost lag-free experience. When it comes to android though, i couldn't be more wrong. Thats a whole other story. Android is dangerously close to PC territory.

Seeing that android devices are like PCs, you should get in the frame of mind that what you pay is what you get. If you spent 200 bucks on a netbook, it won't be as powerful and fast as a 500 euro laptop. Its best to save money and go for the best.

Bit of costumer advice here.

There are a few questions that you should ask yourself before buying a phone.

1) Which brand should you buy?

Each manufacturer is known for something that they do best and each has its advantages/drawbacks.

2) Have you read

at least

5 reviews about it? Which are the drawbacks?

Not that you should trust anything you read on the internet, but its a good indication.

3) Have you visited a forum where users of the phone post about it? Which are the things that are more discussed?

Again, take this with a grain of salt, since if all you read in the first page is about issues, doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with the device. Non the less, its an indication of what you can expect to encounter.

3) Have you googled lets say "galaxy note issues/problems" before buying it?

The most important things to google about are battery, screen and sound quality in calls.

4) Are you familiar with the operating system?

If not, i am sure you will find thousands of youtube clips to get you started.

5) When should you buy it? Should you wait for the prices to drop or wait for the next best upcoming device?

Quad core phones are just around the corner. If past is any indication, when LG first released the first dual core smartphone, it was full of issues. From random reboots to i don't even know what. Its an infinite circle though. Waiting for things to improve means that another new device is coming, with it's own set of issues. If you ask me, i was about to buy the Galaxy nexus, but when i read about the volume bug, i steered as far away as possible. Don't get me wrong, its a great device. But, with the non-existent quality check, screen lottery and phones rushing around the factories half baked having bugs in their operating system, you should carefully plan the "when".