Smartphones are hot right now, and why not? When you consider that you’re paying about the same price for the phone and the service, why not upgrade to a system that gives you so much more? Today you have choices from Apple’s iPhone to BlackBerry’s smartphones, and now a slew of Google Android phones at all price points and with a huge variety of features.

With a smartphone, you can track email, calls, text messaging and even you social networking, like Facebook and LinkedIn. You have access to thousands of applications, or “apps” that make your online usage more fun, more useful and give you tools and games that you can carry around with you. The hardest part about shopping for a smartphone is how to know what you need? Should you shop for the cheapest Android phone you can find, or do you want to get one with all the bells and whistles? Are you using it for business or just fun? And do you just have to have the latest Apple product, or do you want to explore the newcomer Android operating system? When considering what phone is right for you, you’ll need to take all of that into consideration. Mainly, whatever use you have for your smartphone, it will be covered with the variety of features and applications available across the board. But you may want to have two cameras, for example, front facing and rear facing, and you might be willing to pay extra for that phone. Or, you don’t want to spend extra cash every month on a 4G network, so you’ll stick with 3G and Wi-Fi access, and pay less for your data service.

There are even prepaid options now for Android and other smartphones, so you don’t need to get stuck with an expensive long term contract. Some of the phone offered in prepaid plans are top of the line, with competitive features, Wi-Fi and even 4G access. It’s up to you whether that’s a good option for you.

The best way to find the right smartphone is to start with a basic price in mind, and then see what’s available. If you find that you’ don’t need all the services that will cost extra, then you can compare less costly options. Or, you might see that for just $10 a month more, you can have better connectivity with a 4G network, and it’s worth it to you. Using a site like Amazon or other online retailers where you can see prices for hardware and services across many carriers can be a big help. You can see which one offers more for your money, and shop the full range of options available to you.