Mobile phones have now become a multi fashion accessory which is no longer a device just to stay in contact with others. From the stylish flip phones to the musical ringtones, your mobile phone is a statement about who you are and how you address the world. To purchase a mobile phone, you need to address a number of issues like which handset will suit you the best, what features you require, which mobile plan would work out for you, etc.

There are a number of mobile phone shops where you can compare a range of different offers from different phones and service providers very easily and arrive at a decision that works for you.

The first step would be to decide on the type of handset you need. You can choose from flip-phones and slider phones and many more designs. Colour screens are now standard in most models but colours, size and resolution can vary. The better the resolution, the better graphic images can be displayed and better backgrounds would be there. If you require additional memory for playing games and MP3 music, you can look for phones with slots for adding additional memory cards. Even the basic phones now come with a built-in digital camera having flash capacity, auto focus, self timing and zoom facilities. Many camera phones have come up with video recording and video conferencing facilities.

If you want to transfer files from your mobile phone to computer, look for the feature of USB port on a mobile phone which enables it to be connected to your computer. Voice-activated dialing feature and voice recording functions enable you to send MMS messages and voice memos.

For choosing a connection, there are essentially two choices for how you want to be connected to your phone network: pay as you go plan and contract plan. Some may charge a fee for early termination of a contract and some may charge for transferring your number to another provider. Pay as you go or prepaid plans are a popular choice especially if you don't make any calls. Contract plans require you to sign up a contract for a specific time period like 1-3 years.

Each of the major carriers can offer you a pre-packaged handset or a connection to their network on contract plan or prepaid plan. Often a contract may include a monthly service where you pay for a number of minutes of talk or sms as well as pay for the handset.

After reading this, you would surely get an idea of what things you should keep in mind while shopping for a mobile phone.