Consumer Reports yesterday posted its reviews of the iPhone 6 and 6+. By comparing those reviews to CR's reviews of existing Samsung phones, and assuming (as seems safe from initial reviews of the Note 4), we may have some idea of how CR will view the Note 4.
1. The S5 continues to top the CR list at 79 (out of a possible 100 points), which CR characterizes as very good.
2. LG3: 79 (very good)
3. iPhone 6: 78 (very good)
4. S4: 77 (very good)
5. LG2: 76 (very good)
6. HTC One (M8): 75 (very good)
7. Note3: 74 (very good)
8. iPhone 6+: 73 (very good)
Looking at the individual items that CR rates (as excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor), and limiting myself to the Samsung and Apple products, some of the ratings, including key differences are:
Battery life: The S5 and Note 4 are excellent; the S4, 6 and 6+ are very good.
Camera image quality: All are very good.
Camera video quality: All are very good, except for the S4 which is good.
Display quality: All are excellent.
Ease of use: The three smaller phones are excellent; the Note 3 and 6+ are very good. Perhaps CR downgraded for the impact of size on one-handed use.
Phoning: The S4 was excellent; the S5 and 6 are very good; the Note 3 and 6+ were good. From the brief written reports, I can't tell why.
Portability: All three smaller phones were excellent; the Note 3 and 6+ were very good.
Assuming that CR regards the Note 4 as an improvement on the Note 3, which already outranks the 6+, we may infer--the less charitable might say speculate--that the Note 4 will do even better, perhaps equaling or even surpassing the 6. If I'm right, however, about CR downgrading phablets because of their size, it seems likely that the S5 will remain No. 1. (Perhaps, however, CR also should tell us what the phablet scores would have been, if size-related issues were disregarded. We can much more easily judge the importance and impact of size for ourselves.)
Time will tell.
do you really care what Consumer Reports thinks about this phone?????
boy, the long wait for the note 4 really makes people desperate for any "news" about it..
Since it doesnt bend, or rip your hair out when you use it, isn't it the perfect phone?
Technically yes and no. CR is one of the top tech news reports that hundreds possibly even thousands visit daily. Positive news and review of a phone will boost the company's rating, production and income.
Yes, I do care. Consumer Reports provides disinterested evaluations of a variety of products. It tends to look for the steak, not the sizzle. As I consider whether to pre-order the Note 4, I want that kind of information. YMMV
wase4711 said:
do you really care what Consumer Reports thinks about this phone?????
boy, the long wait for the note 4 really makes people desperate for any "news" about it..
Since it doesnt bend, or rip your hair out when you use it, isn't it the perfect phone?
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Click to collapse
To each their own, CR is one of the last places I would consider for a review of a phone.
Having used the iPhone 6 and 6+ myself, the fact that the S4 (completely garbage phone that I sold a month after using it) scored higher tells you that overall experience is very subjective between the phones they review.
Without sounding like a fan boy, the fact that the S4 also scored higher than the M8 is also surprising as that was an amazing phone I had for 3 months.
an_xda said:
To each their own, CR is one of the last places I would consider for a review of a phone.
Having used the iPhone 6 and 6+ myself, the fact that the S4 (completely garbage phone that I sold a month after using it) scored higher tells you that overall experience is very subjective between the phones they review.
Without sounding like a fan boy, the fact that the S4 also scored higher than the M8 is also surprising as that was an amazing phone I had for 3 months.
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Click to collapse
agree 100%; frankly, I couldnt care less what ANY review site thinks about any phone I am interested in buying..I have my own brain, and ability to decide what I want, and that is based on MY observations, not any review site..
Links to reviews to pass the time while waiting for our phones. Feel free to add to the list in the comments.
The Verge:
https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/17/...-note-9-review-battery-specs-price-pen-stylus
8.5/10
Tech Radar:
https://www.techradar.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-note-9-review
9/10
Engadget:
https://www.engadget.com/2018/08/15/samsung-galaxy-note-9-review-s-pen/
9.2/10
Android Central:
https://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-note-9-review
9/10
CNET:
https://www.cnet.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-note-9-review/
9/10
Wired:
https://www.wired.com/review/review-samsung-galaxy-note-9
8/10
PC Mag:
https://www.pcmag.com/review/362994/samsung-galaxy-note-9
9/10
Mashable:
https://mashable.com/review/samsung-galaxy-note-9-review/#iAYn8DKxUqqK
9/10
Digital Trends:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/cell-phone-reviews/samsung-galaxy-note-9-review/
8/10
Here's the common things I'm sick of with these reviewers:
1) The s-pen isn't very useful.
Uh, yeah it is. It's why you buy this phone, so...
2) It's too expensive.
Review the phone. Is it good or not? Leave the value part for the consumer to decide. And it's not expensive if you think the S9+ was a fair price. This phone has more than $159 worth of upgrades!
3) It looks too much like the Note8 so it's not interesting.
Um, this happens to be a nearly flawless look. Why screw it up? They praise the look on the Note8, but want the Note9 to look different just to look different? That's stupid.
4) It didn't ship with Android 9 (but "might get it" in the future).
Who writes this crap? No kidding, it came out like a week after Android Pie was released! They can't just bake it right in when they're trying to launch the phone. Has a Note ever launched with the fall, new Android version? No. Does it get upgraded? Of course. This is not a thing to ding the phone for. It's asinine.
9to5 Google:
https://9to5google.com/2018/08/20/samsung-galaxy-note-9-initial-review/
(no score - extremely positive review though)
ZDNet:
https://9to5google.com/2018/08/20/samsung-galaxy-note-9-initial-review/
9.5/10
GSMArena:
https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note9-review-1803.php
(no score - generally quite a positive review)
Marques Brownlee has his official review out. He tends to have pretty good, thoughtful reviews:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihEhAbVRC78
Overwhelmingly positive review. He does not do scores.
This is a terrible review.
PC World:
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3299423/android/samsung-galaxy-note-9-review.html
8/10
Talks about how boring it is even though it's amazing... Calls the s-pen a gimmick, and says it's not worth the price increase over the Note8... This is what, $50 more than the Note8? Double storage, 23% larger battery, better s-pen features, etc.
PsiPhiDan said:
This is a terrible review.
PC World:
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3299423/android/samsung-galaxy-note-9-review.html
8/10
Talks about how boring it is even though it's amazing... Calls the s-pen a gimmick, and says it's not worth the price increase over the Note8... This is what, $50 more than the Note8? Double storage, 23% larger battery, better s-pen features, etc.
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It sounds like it was written for PC World by BGR.
I'm not a fanboi of any brand or phone,everyone (mfgs) has their own take & preferences (end users).
But,this is just another passive-aggressive volley,my choice of sites for getting info for all things related to smartphones are dwindling by the day.
This site (XDA News/Discussions) has its own biases as well,although,IMHO,I believe it's been dialed back quite a bit of late,KUDOS.
KOLIOSIS said:
It sounds like it was written for PC World by BGR.
I'm not a fanboi of any brand or phone,everyone (mfgs) has their own take & preferences (end users).
But,this is just another passive-aggressive volley,my choice of sites for getting info for all things related to smartphones are dwindling by the day.
This site (XDA News/Discussions) has its own biases as well,although,IMHO,I believe it's been dialed back quite a bit of late,KUDOS.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, it does have that BGR spin. They're so blatantly bias it's just insane. I despise that site
FLOSSY CARTER REAL REVIEW:
If you don't know, he's about as good as it gets. No sponsors, no ads, no begging for subscribers, and REALLY honest. It's a nearly 70 minute review!! I've been waiting for this one since the day the Note was released!
My review as real as it can be. Love this phone. Review is split into sections. Video and start and end is shot on Note 9. At 13 mins 5 secs, the photo gallery starts. About 50 shots and well worth seeing.
Someone posted a review that was 50 minutes long and I thought to myself, well that's just silly... then I recorded mine and it went over an hour... ?
I'm actually a little annoyed it went so long. I might try and do a new one, around 10 minutes, where I just summarise everything rather than the detail. What do you guys think?
AndyCr15 said:
Someone posted a review that was 50 minutes long and I thought to myself, well that's just silly... then I recorded mine and it went over an hour...
I'm actually a little annoyed it went so long. I might try and do a new one, around 10 minutes, where I just summarise everything rather than the detail. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the spirit of Android OS, by all means, make another one & link both to each, giving your subscribers the choice of viewing one or both.....
Sent from my SM-N960U using XDA Labs
Okay, I tried to be shorter... got it down to 20 minutes...
Every forum or YouTube videos I watch, all I see is people hating on this phone. I am actually pretty surprised, but how much negativity there is for the Pixel 4 line.
Android police poll, is heavily in the "hell no not buying" as #1
Two big tech forums I belong too, it's like 70% saying no way.
What's the deal?
I have a 64GB Clearly White 4XL on order. I go back to owning, the Nexus-One, Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Motorola Nexus 6, Nexus 6P, Pixel 2 XL, and Pixel 3 XL. And yes I agree, the Pixel 4 XL could have been better, for the price at least do better than OnePlus, give us 8GB RAM, a larger battery of at least 4,000mAh, a brighter display for outdoor use, go easy n the large forehead bezel, like have the thickness if possible. But saying that, I buy the Nexus Pixel line for the software and monthly security updates.
I am interested in seeing the full blown real reviews this week.
For a few reasons:
1. Not priced like a Nexus / 3a
2. No fingerprint sensor
3. Lack of Ultrawide 3rd camera
4. Small battery
5. Removal of Ultrawide front facing camera
6. Removal of front facing speakers
7. Big top bezel for Soli
8. Soli gimmick
9. Removal of unlimited original photo upload
10. No big leap in camera hardware
11. No surprises since it was leaked all over the place
12. Only 6 GB of RAM (finally)
13. Only Snapdragon 855 instead of 855+ processor
Having said all that, I still have one on preorder.
Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
Kusanagi Fire said:
For a few reasons:
1. Not priced like a Nexus / 3a
2. No fingerprint sensor
3. Lack of Ultrawide 3rd camera
4. Small battery
5. Removal of Ultrawide front facing camera
6. Removal of front facing speakers
7. Big top bezel for Soli
8. Soli gimmick
9. Removal of unlimited original photo upload
10. No big leap in camera hardware
11. No surprises since it was leaked all over the place
12. Only 6 GB of RAM (finally)
13. Only Snapdragon 855 instead of 855+ processor
Having said all that, I still have one on preorder.
Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3,9, and 12 are the disappointment for me. But that price thooooo, they could have gotten more attention if only they priced it right.
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Kusanagi Fire said:
For a few reasons:
1. Not priced like a Nexus / 3a
2. No fingerprint sensor
3. Lack of Ultrawide 3rd camera
4. Small battery
5. Removal of Ultrawide front facing camera
6. Removal of front facing speakers
7. Big top bezel for Soli
8. Soli gimmick
9. Removal of unlimited original photo upload
10. No big leap in camera hardware
11. No surprises since it was leaked all over the place
12. Only 6 GB of RAM (finally)
13. Only Snapdragon 855 instead of 855+ processor
Having said all that, I still have one on preorder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4 may be an issue for me but everyone's usage is different so I'll wait to see my personal results before I make a final judgement.
6 is a big one for me. Before the 4XL was officially announced, I was aiming to switch from my OnePlus 7 Pro so I could get front facing speakers. I always end up blocking the bottom speaker when watching stuff in landscape mode.
10 could be a reason for me but not too much since I know it's going to be better than my current OnePlus 7 Pro.
12 is similar to my point for reason 4 (wait until I can test myself). Users say Android 10 is RAM hungry so hopefully that 6 GB is enough.
13, Even though it's a slight upgrade, it would have been nice to get the + variant of the processor.
All other reasons I don't mind too much.
But yeah I do think the phone is getting a bit too much hate.
Honestly, just the fact that last year's Pixel 3 got discounted on Black Friday combined with the fact that the 4 isn't a massive leap in hardware / doesn't check some of the minimal requirements like 8 GB RAM, 855+, and Ultrawide camera (granted, there's not much more ground to cover these days) is reason enough for this phone to get tons of hate.
Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
Today Flossy admitted that he's been using the 3XL all along. He complained about that one much the way he will complain about this one in the full review. He'll says it's too expensive and many other things. Despite that he'll probably end up making it his work phone just as he did the previous Pixels. I wrote about this elsewhere but a search on Youtube will probably be able to find the dude from Unbox Therapy doing a pertinent video. He was in a suite in Vegas with a bunch of other young millionaires, Brownlee for example. The whole video was what is everyone carrying in their pocket, what was the phone they chose to use. The Pixel tied the iphone with few other phones mixed in. Brownlee had both. It wasn't because they were reviewing it, that was well past review time. It was the phone that millionaires who have tried everything and can afford anything decided they wanted in their pockets. There's a message there.
I do get it, the phone is too expensive for the specs, only a mother could love the looks, it's missing feature X and Y. But I'm sure that I'll enjoy using it in the day to day more than any other phone I could buy. It's always been that way. I couldn't make friends with the 3XL, the notch just killed it for me so I got a 6T. Nothing wrong with that phone but the next thing I knew I was picking up a 3AXL, should have been a downgrade, it was by the numbers. Wasn't long before I realized I wasn't going to use the 6T anymore and gave it to one of my grand kids. I've been using the 3A since.
Let the haters hate and enjoy your purchase. Flossy begin his quick look with talk of giving it a fair trial before he hung it, 5 minutes later he was giggling like a schoolgirl. The Pixel does that...
I agree with most here, the Pixel 4 XL could and should have been better;
- 8GB RAM
- 4,300mAh battery ( like the Note 10+ )
- Brighter display on par with the Galaxy S10 line
- Reduce the forehead bezel, to like half the size if possible, or actually do the Note 10 hole punch, and forget the faceID stuff, and keep the fingerprint scanner.
But it's funny, recent phones that I kept the longest last few years has been the Nexus or Pixel. Yeah I'd get bored with them, then I pick up the latest Samsung Galaxy whatever, and within in a few weeks already regret not having the Pixel. One time I went for the iPhone 7 Plus, when it was the hot new phone, and I was bored with my Nexus 6P, wow what a bad decision, not even a month later ran back to the Nexus, mainly because iOS is a Fischer Price kids OS, and totally blows, feels like a decade old operating system. Or I got the Note 5 at launch, was so happy to have that badass phone, but then I tried to turn it into a Nexus, deleting all the Samsung stuff, and downloading every Google app and setting defaults, and tried to make the Note 5 a Nexus Note LOL, where the phone I traded in for the Note 5 was the Motorola Nexus 6, and that thing was just so smooth, so cool, I regretted getting the Note
Point, the Nexus or Pixel phones, may be ugly, and not have the wham bam cool features, but using it day in day out, I just find them most comfortable and a joy. They are simple, they are minimalist, but they just work, and have a special thing about them.
Unfortunately, Google will never win because nothing is ever good enough for people and they will always complain about something.
techrider6262 said:
Unfortunately, Google will never win because nothing is ever good enough for people and they will always complain about something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This!
6GB RAM - My 3xl has 4 and I have ZERO problems running whatever. People need to learn that it's not necessarily about big specs, it's more about optimization. The 4's will run very smoothly with 6. Just because the S10 has 8, and the note has an option of 12 doesn't mean that does anything to speed up the phone.
128GB storage - This option is the same price as the s10 with that same storage. Maybe Google should add a third option with 256? Would that make some of you happy? It would be even more expensive though. But, again, same price as the s10.
Battery - My 3xl has a smaller battery and I get no less than 20+ hours with heavy use. Typically, I'll get 24+ hours on it. With the 90 Hz display being an as needed, I doubt the battery will last less than my 3xl.
Ultrawide camera - I DO have to agree here that it should have that. I know Google's camera's are amazing and this one will definitely be as good as the iPhone or Sammy's, but the ultrawide addition to camera shots would have been nice.
Removal of free original size photo backups - Sooo, Apple NOR Samsung, NOR any other OEM that I'm aware of ever offered this. I'm a system engineer and cloud architect. I'm here to tell you that the amount of storage and bandwidth required for unlimited originals for millions of users is INSANE. You have any idea how much this costs Google? There was no way that would ever last. It's $1.99 and $2.99 per month for the extra storage to keep original backups, plus you get other benefits. Also, grab Google Surveys app and you'll make more than the cost here by far every month. Get over it.
The front facing speakers - Definitely not happy about this. They could have fit the bottom speaker I bet. At least there's still stereo.
Anyway, anyone who wants to hate, please save us all from it and go elsewhere. This phone will be amazing and I'd put it up against ANY other smartphone. It'll be smoother and has release day updates and OS's.
Every year there are people trolling the new pixel (even the Samsung S7 edge though) threads for a couple months after release. It's incredibly stupid. If you don't like the phone, why are you here?
I haven't had time to watch the all reviews yet, but is the 4 XL battery life at least on par with the 3 XL's, or please don't tell me it's actually worse?
My Pixel 3 XL battery life is mediocre, not great, not horrible, I would like better, but certainly not worse, but could makedo with the same battery life. If the 4 XL has worse and less battery life than the Pixel 3 XL, then I need to cancel my preorder.
Zorachus said:
I haven't had time to watch the all reviews yet, but is the 4 XL battery life at least on par with the 3 XL's, or please don't tell me it's actually worse?
My Pixel 3 XL battery life is mediocre, not great, not horrible, I would like better, but certainly not worse, but could makedo with the same battery life. If the 4 XL has worse and less battery life than the Pixel 3 XL, then I need to cancel my preorder.
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Click to collapse
I'm trading in my 3xl for the 4xl and I believe the battery life will be the same or better.
It has a larger battery so even the smooth display shouldn't hurt it too much.
The reviews so far today have trashed the 4 but pretty much everyone agreed that the 4xl should be fine.
I'm excited even if the changes are not dramatic from 3xl.
Zorachus said:
I haven't had time to watch the all reviews yet, but is the 4 XL battery life at least on par with the 3 XL's, or please don't tell me it's actually worse?
My Pixel 3 XL battery life is mediocre, not great, not horrible, I would like better, but certainly not worse, but could makedo with the same battery life. If the 4 XL has worse and less battery life than the Pixel 3 XL, then I need to cancel my preorder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From The limited reviews and tweets that I have seen, it seems to be holding its own. Averaging between 4 and 6 hours of sot, from the initial reviews. But I'm sure that that will get better, over time, as it learns your usage. Definitely getting through a whole day though, and that's all that's important
I suppose a rooted 4 XL with the Franco kernel and his app Naptime, would extend battery life too?
Zorachus said:
I suppose a rooted 4 XL with the Franco kernel and his app Naptime, would extend battery life too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, these days the only reason I root is for custom kernels, and adaway
If the battery optimization time is the same as the 3XL then none of the reviewers have attained their final screen on time yet.
First reviews are out and they say battery life is horrendous, especially on the 4. I'll pass. Too expensive for too many compromises.
I have Android 10 running on my OG Pixel XL and have zero problems with it on an older chipset and 4 GBs, but I'm sure the extra 2 GBs will be beneficial/noticeable regardless.
I suppose the people complaining the loudest fall into 1 of the following 2 categories: trolls/iphone fanbois or people who don't feel the upgrade from the 3 (or any of the last gen phones) -> 4 is worthwhile. While that's a valid concern, it's worth noting that in recent years the yearly revision has become less substantial in recent years. I've held off for 3 years so going from the OG XL to 4 XL will be a massive improvement and something I'm greatly looking forward to.
msaitta said:
I have Android 10 running on my OG Pixel XL and have zero problems with it on an older chipset and 4 GBs, but I'm sure the extra 2 GBs will be beneficial/noticeable regardless.
I suppose the people complaining the loudest fall into 1 of the following 2 categories: trolls/iphone fanbois or people who don't feel the upgrade from the 3 (or any of the last gen phones) -> 4 is worthwhile. While that's a valid concern, it's worth noting that in recent years the yearly revision has become less substantial in recent years. I've held off for 3 years so going from the OG XL to 4 XL will be a massive improvement and something I'm greatly looking forward to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Every phone I've pre-ordered, it always starts the same way. Everyone has something to complain about before they even have the phone in their own hands. After awhile, the complaining, for the most part, dies down, and people realize they love the device. What boggles my mind is, why come to the forum to complain? Nobody forces an individual to buy the phone, let alone pre-order it. Instead of focusing on the negative, focus on the positives.
I'm going to vent a little bit...
I'm an older guy (48) and I've been doing tech and gadgets for over 20 years now. I love this site and have participated on and off for many years. There is a problem growing online and it is only going to get worse. The system here isn't equipped to counter a growing troll problem, so we all fall prey to the effects. Every aspect of the online consumer space is being manipulated by "troll farms" and it is obliterating the signal-to-noise ratio in everything from entertainment to personal devices. Across the board, every device is eventually portrayed to have some fatal flaw rendering it inferior. When in actuality, it can adequately perform the primary task and may only fall short in a single aspect depending on a very specific need that varies individually by consumer.
I used to participate here rather frequently, then I began to only stop by during a device's release to gauge anticipations and thoughts. Every year the noise has increased. Not just here though, almost every forum beyond a certain size has the same issue. Online sources and articles are not immune and are populated with extremely vocal "detractors" in the comment sections, they rally with a frequency and voracity that no ordinary working person could maintain. The methods used by professional trolls is complex, and unfortunately, PROFITABLE.
Without giving too much personal information, my wife WAS a partner in one of the largest PR firms in the U.S., and I can tell you that troll farms and bogus self-cross-referring review sources are real. Her firm never participated, but they could see it coming and now there's an entire "dark" branch of marketing and PR that has arisen (some would say re-emerged) that essentially has the ethics model of the old cigarette industry with the agility of a modern digital campaign.
So if you're wrestling with specs, don't kill yourself searching for the ultimate device. You can do three things and I promise you'll be as happy as you can be.
If you really care about what you're going to buy ,to the point that it may cause a devastating case of buyer's remorse you should:
- First, make lists. Make a list of what's important, make a list of what specs make your tech-feels tingle, make a list of devices and start prioritizing and crossing off.
- Second, do a one afternoon search (not one second longer) of trusted reviews and ignore very tilted reviews.
- Third, and this is crazy... Go to a store, look at the physical functioning device and play with it.
This should be an extra separate step, but whatever, I'm not going back to edit...
- Buy what you want and be prepared to return it within 30 days and pay a restocking fee. Don't like the fee? Too bad, that's life... If you don't like something you may have to pay to return it, it's the world we live in.
This should be one more step too. Damn, I really messed up.
- Unless you are doing ongoing development NEVER revisit the topic of purchasing and specs. Go and enjoy your device and every once and a while keep up with updates and new features. There's a whole life to live out there, so don't waste your energy spec-gazing or griping with trolls.
Online communities are becoming less valuable to me every day because of the noise, it's unfortunate.
Dusty Rhodes said:
I'm going to vent a little bit...
I'm an older guy (48) and I've been doing tech and gadgets for over 20 years now. I love this site and have participated on and off for many years. There is a problem growing online and it is only going to get worse. The system here isn't equipped to counter a growing troll problem, so we all fall prey to the effects. Every aspect of the online consumer space is being manipulated by "troll farms" and it is obliterating the signal-to-noise ratio in everything from entertainment to personal devices. Across the board, every device is eventually portrayed to have some fatal flaw rendering it inferior. When in actuality, it can adequately perform the primary task and may only fall short in a single aspect depending on a very specific need that varies individually by consumer.
I used to participate here rather frequently, then I began to only stop by during a device's release to gauge anticipations and thoughts. Every year the noise has increased. Not just here though, almost every forum beyond a certain size has the same issue. Online sources and articles are not immune and are populated with extremely vocal "detractors" in the comment sections, they rally with a frequency and voracity that no ordinary working person could maintain. The methods used by professional trolls is complex, and unfortunately, PROFITABLE.
Without giving too much personal information, my wife WAS a partner in one of the largest PR firms in the U.S., and I can tell you that troll farms and bogus self-cross-referring review sources are real. Her firm never participated, but they could see it coming and now there's an entire "dark" branch of marketing and PR that has arisen (some would say re-emerged) that essentially has the ethics model of the old cigarette industry with the agility of a modern digital campaign.
So if you're wrestling with specs, don't kill yourself searching for the ultimate device. You can do three things and I promise you'll be as happy as you can be.
If you really care about what you're going to buy ,to the point that it may cause a devastating case of buyer's remorse you should:
- First, make lists. Make a list of what's important, make a list of what specs make your tech-feels tingle, make a list of devices and start prioritizing and crossing off.
- Second, do a one afternoon search (not one second longer) of trusted reviews and ignore very tilted reviews.
- Third, and this is crazy... Go to a store, look at the physical functioning device and play with it.
This should be an extra separate step, but whatever, I'm not going back to edit...
- Buy what you want and be prepared to return it within 30 days and pay a restocking fee. Don't like the fee? Too bad, that's life... If you don't like something you may have to pay to return it, it's the world we live in.
This should be one more step too. Damn, I really messed up.
- Unless you are doing ongoing development NEVER revisit the topic of purchasing and specs. Go and enjoy your device and every once and a while keep up with updates and new features. There's a whole life to live out there, so don't waste your energy spec-gazing or griping with trolls.
Online communities are becoming less valuable to me every day because of the noise, it's unfortunate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely this. It's pretty darn clear that some people in the crowd are trying to spike the punch. Don't obsess over the minutiae, don't allow yourself to be herded just because it seems like sentiment is tilted one way. Figure out what you want out of a phone (is an ultra-wide camera REALLY make/break for you, or are you only thinking that because XYZ said to?). Put your hands on the device by visiting a Best Buy or carrier store. And lastly, recognize that software learns your habits (battery life after a few days won't tell you what long-term battery life means) and also gets updated (features get added, functionality becomes improved).
Be aware of the echo chamber effect and do your best to make up your own mind about the worthiness of a phone.