Smartphones are probably the most prevalent devices that we have in our lives. In some cases, it is no longer necessary for us to use laptop or desktop PC to do some tasks. For example, you can check emails and browsing the web to get the latest info with your Android smartphones. If you are attached to your Android smartphone a lot, it’s a good idea to know more about it. Here are top terms you should know.
Related: How to fix slow Android phone?
11 Popular Android Phone Terms You Should Know
- 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G
- SoC
- CPU and GPU
- VoLTE
- NFC
- RAM and ROM
- Megapixel
- AMOLED / OLED / IPS
- Li-ion
- mAh
- Ports
1. 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G
There are multiple network terms that you may hear, such as 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G. They specify generations of mobile connectivity, which ensures improved data speed, coverage and functionality. The latest is 5G technology supported by few phone models from Huawei and Samsung.
2. SoC
SoC or System on a Chip is essentially the platform where all of computing components are housed inside your phone. SoC usually contains processor, graphics processing unit, RAM, internal storage, audio chip, radios and others.
3. CPU and GPU
CPU or Central Processing Unit is a different name for the processor. It is the primary processing unit that performs complex calculations and handles multitasking. GPU or Graphics Processing Unit takes care of all the 2D/3D rendering, video playback, animations and gaming. Stronger CPU and GPU will guarantee faster overall performance.
Related: Fix Wi-Fi issues in Android phone.
4. VoLTE
VoLTE or Voice over Long Term Evolution promises voice communication with good audio clarity through the high-speed technology. This will help to reduce costs for long-range and International voice calls.
5. NFC
NFC or Near Field Communication connects smartphones and other NFC-capable devices to easily and securely talk to each other. It may appear to work like Bluetooth, but in the most direct and reliable manner. Instead of performing pairing between devices, NFC allows devices to interact in a more direct manner.
6. RAM and ROM
RAM or Random Access Memory is high-speed storage placed between the processing units and internal storage. When you tap an app on the display, all the necessary files are copied from the internal storage to the RAM, which are immediately handled by the processor. The app will be loaded and processed; you will immediately see that the app opens on the display. ROM or Read Only Memory is a small, high-speed storage with permanent data. You can’t write or delete data on the ROM. It contains crucial data, such as the operating system.
7. Megapixel
Megapixel means a million of pixels. It measures the number of pixels that made up a picture. A pixel is essentially a very small tile of color. If photo has low count of pixels, it will look blocky and blurry. The more pixels you have, the higher the image resolution and quality. If you have a 10Mp camera on your smartphone, it means that each of the photos produced has 10 million of individual pixels. However, you should know that photos with high pixel count would have immense file size and occupy a lot space in your internal storage.
8. AMOLED / OLED / IPS
There are popular display terms that you may hear before. AMOLED and OLED are display technologies based on the basic LED technology. IPS is another display technology is based on the LCD or Liquid Crystal Display technology. With AMOLED and OLED technologies, we may control how the light is emitted from each diode, so we can get punchy colors, high contrast and deep blacks. IPS technology is known for its contrast and color vibrancy.
9. Li-ion
Li-ion or Lithium-ion is a popular battery term that we find in many smartphone models. Li-ion is a popular battery technology, because it has high energy density and low self-discharge. Li-ion also has minimum memory effect, which cause batteries to permanently hold less charge.
10. mAh
mAh or miliAmpere-hour is the amount of power that a battery could deliver in one hour. Contrary to the popular belief, it doesn’t directly measure capacity of a battery.
11. Ports
Smartphones use different types of ports.
- The 3.5mm headphone jack is the primary audio port for earphone, headphone, microphone and speakers.
- Micro-USB is the most common port used on many Android smartphones to charge the battery and transfer data. It’s usually based on the USB 2.0 standards and on newer devices, on the USB 3.0 standards.
- USB Type-C is the latest port technology, which supports fast-charging capabilities and large data transfer.
- If you have iPhone, probably you might have heard of Lighting Port. This is the proprietary port technology from Apple.
Related: 11 things to consider before buying Android phone.
Final Words
These are common smartphone terms that used often on the daily basis. By knowing them, you will have better knowledge about your smart devices.
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