Cellular Phones Shopping Strategy

Look for a service plan suited to the way you intend to use the phone. Then select a handset that will perform reliably when and where you expect to make your calls.

- Choose the service plan first. Your yearly service bills will probably dwarf what you pay for the handset. Average users can face as much as a threefold difference in rates charged by competing carriers.

Expect to be offered a wide selection of cell phone models with any plan you choose. But the prices charged by each carrier or electronics retailer for the same handsets will vary, too. Don't conclude that the merchant charging the least for the handset will offer the lowest total cost for the handset and service.

- Make performance a priority. Each cell service provider will be able to provide dear signals in most parts of the territory its transmission antennas cover, but there will be pockets where cell signals will be spotty. You'll want to choose a phone that can ably compensate for a degraded transmission. Our tests have shown that not all phones perform equally well.

A good cell phone must have a receiver with sufficient RF (radio frequency) sensitivity to "hear" signals sent out by the phone company's base station transmitters, then pluck those radio waves out of the air. Most handsets don't have to work very hard to do this in the urban heart of a cellular service area because signal transmissions are strong, thanks to lots of closely spaced base stations located to handle the high volume of calls. But a good receiver is of paramount importance on the remote and rural fringes of a service area where transmitters are spaced farther apart.

A good handset should also compensate for "multipath" signals. When reflections of the signal arrive at your phone nanoseconds late, after bouncing off buildings, mountains, even passing trucks, you hear a rapid "pft-pft-pft" sound while moving or a static noise as you shift from spot to spot.

- Focus on features. While some features add to the usefulness of the phone you buy, don't compromise quality reception and call handling to get a phone packed with extras you may not need. Some salespeople may try to persuade you to spend as much as $250 to $400 more for a fancier model, but if you're a first time cell phone user, opt for a simpler model that performs reliably. You can always switch to a model equipped with features you decide you need when you renew your service contract. You'll probably discover that you can upgrade your handset for free with a new contract.

However, you won't know how well a phone works until you start using it in a variety of settings. If you choose a model that doesn't work well, you're stuck with it unless you're willing to pay a steep fee to prematurely terminate your service plan or to buy a new phone if the old one was purchased independent of a service contract.

- Decide what to spend. The same cellular handset can cost you $29 or $229 or nothing at all. That's because cellular providers and electronics retailers commonly "bundle" the handsets with a service plan that lets you send and receive calls with the phone. What you ultimately pay and whether you get a sleek, feature-laden model or a bulkier basic handset will depend on the monthly service plan you select.

Most cellular plans offer a choice of one or more cheap or "free" models each a basic cell phone. Of course, you don't really get something for nothing. What you pay for the handset is buried inside your monthly service charges. We calculate that for the one time $150 to $300 cost of each "giveaway" phone, a service provider can expect to earn revenues of more than $500 a year from the subscriber.

- What's in the stores. You don't have to buy a cell phone from a cellular service provider. Electronics stores, wholesale price dubs, office supply stores, and other retailers sell handsets, and any of them can hook you up with service from one of the carriers in your area. About half of all cell phones sold are Motorola products. Nokia, which also manufacturers Radio Shack phones, is the next most widely sold brand.

- Using the Ratings. We tested only handsets that use analog radio technology. Beyond sizing up how well each handset performed, we looked at the usefulness of features that purportedly make cell phones more convenient. Our tests of cellular phones found a dozen that rated very good overall. However, each had performance strengths and weaknesses. We found no relationship between price and performance.

Some cell phones excel at establishing and holding on to calls, an especially critical factor in remote areas where you'd most need reliable performance in an emergency. Another factor, talk time between battery charges, also varies widely. If you can't find a model, call the manufacturer.