Zach Epstein of Boy Genius Report has some valuable insight to give on why now might be the very worst time to pick up a new Android handset. The reasons are simple: the year’s hottest new handsets have yet to launch (HTC One series) or even be announced (Samsung Galaxy III). On top of that, once you are locked into that 2-year contract then you are effectively stuck until your next upgrade comes around. The advice to abstain is completely spot-on if you don’t absolutely need to have a new phone now, having the latest and greatest hardware appeals to you, and you have the coin to drop on a new subsidized handset (which is usually between $200 and $300 these days).

That describes a smartphone early adopter like myself, but doesn’t apply to everyone. I have a friend who has been rocking a feature phone (or what we elitists refer to as a “dumb phone”) and needed a new handset right now. Considering she had to stay with AT&T, I pointed her in the direction of the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket. It is an excellent phone by all standards, packing a 1.5 ghz dual-core processor, LTE connectivity and a beautiful 4.5” Super AMOLED+ screen. It is her first smart phone and I know that it will deliver whatever she needs for the length of her contract, despite the Galaxy S III becoming available sometime during Q2.

Choosing a smart phone is a very personal and often pricey choice which depends on your own particular circumstances in order to make the right decision. Read Zach’s full article here.