Typing on a smartphone takes some getting used to. Maybe that’s why people make up words and phrases that qualify as “texts.” If you haven’t joined the smartphone revolution yet, take your time finding a keyboard that feels comfortable before you buy the latest smartphone.

Otherwise, you could wind up becoming very frustrated with the lack of space that many smartphone keyboards offer. Shopping according to keyboard will also help you narrow down the smartphone selection, since many phones only offer one type of keyboard.

If you’re enchanted with everything that a phone has to offer, but you hate the keyboard, try and think about whether or not you’ll be able to get used to the keyboard offered. Here you’ll find some of our favorite smartphone keyboard options.

Touchscreens

Touchscreens are popular. Very popular. If you’re in the market for an iPhone, a touchscreen is your only option. In case you’re not familiar with the touchscreen, here’s a quick rundown. Touchscreens offer all the letters and numbers that you would find on a QWERTY keyboard.

But, instead of including physical keys, touchscreen keyboards include letters and numbers that you “touch” with your fingertips. Typing quickly on a touchscreen is possible, though this will take a lot of practice. If you currently have a Blackberry, you may find the transition to a touchscreen smartphone a bit tricky.

Most of the time, those touchscreen keys are too small to “thumb” in true Blackberry fashion. We strongly suggest giving a touchscreen a trial run before you buy this kind of phone.

QWERTY Keyboards

If you prefer a physical keyboard, you have a few more phones to select from. A number of Android phones include QWERTY keyboards, and, of course, Blackberry phones include QWERTY keyboards. These keyboards are miniature versions of a desktop or laptop keyboard, and you’ll actually feel something when you press the physical QWERTY keys.

Motorola, HTC, and Blackberry all make smartphones with decent QWERTY keyboards. Keep in mind though, that these keyboards are all spaced differently. So, once again, we strongly recommend that you use a keyboard of this type before you buy any smartphone.

Testing Out Keyboards

It’s not always easy to test out a keyboard. But, if you have the chance, head to your local super-sized electronics store. These stores carry all the top smartphones, and you’ll have the opportunity to play around with each keyboard before purchasing any of them. Try texting something (you won’t actually be able to send a text, but you’ll get the idea) using a touchscreen and tactile keyboard.

Find out which keyboard you prefer. If you’re like most people, you’ll prefer one keyboard over the other right away. If you really want to buy an iPhone, for example, but you aren’t crazy about the keyboard, remember that there are other alternatives (voice commands, for instance). Often, you’ll have to choose between the type of phone that you want and the kind of keyboard you have your eye on. In the end, the choice will be clear.