Sports fans are, it has to be said, not exactly the most underserved community on the planet. Within seconds of launching your web browser, it is possible to find news on just about any sport you care to mention, and along with that news, you’ll find previews for events that are going to be broadcast live. The digital age has been very generous to those who love sport, and there’s no reason to imagine that that generosity will end any time soon.
2022 is a year that has piqued the attention of a larger than usual number of sports fans, too, because along with more than a few events that were pushed into this year by the pandemic, the final couple of months will be dominated by the World Cup. As we get closer to the main event, there are going to be increasing opportunities to follow the leadup ever more closely, and for any sports obsessive planning to purchase a new phone this year, the opportunities it offers for viewing will be a key aspect of the decision they make. What should they be looking out for?
Choosing The Best Smartphone For Watching Sport
The best screen for the job
It’s important to bear in mind that when you’re watching sport on a smartphone, a larger screen is better. This is never more the case than when watching ball sports; you don’t want to find yourself watching players’ reactions to judge whether a goal has been scored. It’s not just the screen size that matters, though. Clarity is of pivotal importance, so you’ll be best off looking for an AMOLED screen, which offers a clear picture whatever else is going on around you. If you’re worried about glare from the sun, there’s no need to be – the best screens cut through that. Also, the World Cup is in November, so it’s not going to be very sunny anyway.
A fast GPU
The more MHz your phone’s GPU has, the faster it will run, and therefore the better a streaming service it will provide. This will be essential for watching football, as anyone who has ever watched a stream on an underpowered device will be able to tell you. It’s possible to get devices with up to 840 MHz, which will leave you with easily enough power to watch the match with some still available to use at Cloud bet if you’re putting money on the line. Those phones are pricey, of course, so if you can’t get that much power, just aim for as much as possible.
Solid battery life/wireless charging
Let’s take a step back and bear in mind that if someone had told you during the 1998 World Cup that you’d one day be watching it on your phone, you’d have called them a liar. 24 years on, it’s a simple reality, and it’s a sign of how spoiled we are that we can get annoyed when watching sport drains the battery life of a device. The truth is that it’s always going to – driving that level of performance in a device that fits in your hand isn’t easy.
What you can look out for is a phone that has better battery life than competitors, and ideally one that can be charged wirelessly. The last thing you want is to celebrate a goal, disconnect your charger and watch as your phone goes dark – then eventually switch it back on to see that VAR has ruled the goal out anyway.
Keen tech writer outside of my day job in I.T. and spending time with my family.
