After a long week at work, you finally come home, order your favorite pizza and settle in to watch a funny movie on your tablet or smartphone. You start downloading the film, expecting it to pop up on the screen within seconds, but several minutes later your mobile device is buffering away, unable to display the movie and making you want to toss your tablet into the trash.
While many people are quick to blame their network, they’re not entirely to blame. Slow data speeds are actually caused by a number of factors, from the processor in your smartphone or tablet to having too much stuff downloaded onto your device.
What Makes a Phone Lightning Fast?
How fast your smartphone or tablet works and its processing power are not tied to one single thing. A number of pieces of hardware need to get along well and work for your handheld computer to perform up to speed — literally. One of these pieces is the processor, which is essentially the brain of your computer. The processor will handle all of the commands that you give it, like opening up that movie that you wanted to watch.
How Does Processing Power Work?
To understand how a processor can impact the speed of your smartphone or tablet, we have to get into the nitty gritty of your handheld devices and the mobile platforms that are behind them. For example, Qualcomm’s TruSignal antenna boost technology can enhance radio performance for better mobile phone experiences. This translates to improved network reliability, faster data speeds and efficient power use — so your battery won’t conk during that movie. TruSignal is designed to optimize signal strength all the time, so your mobile device will be faster. If it has been some time since you have upgraded your smartphone or tablet, it may be time to invest in a new device with a superior mobile platform and processor.
Other Reasons Data Takes Forever to Download
In addition to an older processor, there are other reasons why your tablet and/or smartphone might be incredibly slow. A common reason is that your phone is too full. All of those selfies you took of you and your BFF and those dozens of apps that you downloaded will use up space, and when it’s getting close to the limit it will slow way down. To check how much space you have left and then remedy the situation, head to Settings and then Storage and then tap on Applications — then be really honest with yourself and determine which apps you use and which ones are just sitting on your phone taking up space. Tap the apps you no longer want and hit “uninstall.” If you are unsure of which apps and files you haven’t used that often, you can — somewhat ironically — download an app called Files Go by Google that will analyze your phone and determine what you can get rid of. The app is super basic with two tabs, Storage and Files. The Storage tab will show you how much space you have left on your phone and the Files tab will help you clear cached data.
Stop Blaming Your Network and Enjoy a Faster Phone
By understanding what makes your smartphone slow down, including the importance of a faster processor, you can help speed up your mobile device, have it working quickly once again and finally get to enjoy that movie that you’ve been waiting to watch.