Category: Editorials

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Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Dimensity 9000, and the Problems with POWER

I’m always going to be excited by better competition.

In 2019, the mobile landscape was dominated by Qualcomm and Apple SOCs at the premium tier of phones and tablets. HiSilicon’s Kirin was facing issues due to political pressures placed on Huawei. MediaTek maintained a respectable reputation as a mid-range and entry-level chip provider.

We didn’t have much choice in what powered more expensive gadgets.

Flash forward two years, we’re starting to get some insight on what will power devices in 2022, and this market is a LOT more exciting.

MediaTek took the wraps off a premium tier competitor. We’re about to hear more from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon team. Apple’s A15 is solidly refined over the A14. Google launched their first custom chip with the Pixel 6.

A stale landscape has exploded, and more companies are rumored to be designing their own solutions over the next several years.

When it comes to pocketable portable performance, we just have one small issue…

Power. Continue reading “Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Dimensity 9000, and the Problems with POWER”

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Google Should End The Pixel A-Series! Change My View!

Goodbye Pixel 5A?

Now with the Pixel 6, should Google discontinue their line of mid-ranger phones? Let’s geek out on some new hardware, and talk about future phone strategies! Continue reading “Google Should End The Pixel A-Series! Change My View!”

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Pixel 6 Pro: So much is riding on this one phone…

The Pixel 6 Pro is finally in my hands!

I’m literally MINUTES into setting it up, and getting the phone out of the box. I have some thoughts to share about this phone already. There’s a TON of pressure on Google to deliver. Let’s chat quick about what we should expect from a new phone launch… Continue reading “Pixel 6 Pro: So much is riding on this one phone…”

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120Hz iPhone ProMotion AND Better Battery! Praising Apple for the bare minimum…

Here’s the deal. I WANT people to like the gadgets they buy. I think it’s the saddest feeling in the world to put time and money towards a gadget which later turns out to be a poor fit for your needs. That’s why I think it’s so critical that reviewers get the details right, and why we need more nuance in tech conversations.

That said, we still need to balance our commentary and reviewing against the largest corporations, with the biggest marketing budgets, making the boldest claims.

My criticisms of a TRILLION dollar corporation have little to do with the people who enjoy that company’s products. If I criticize Apple, I’m criticizing APPLE. My frustrations with Apple run high because Apple business moves effect Apple consumers.

YOU are not Apple (unless somehow Tim Cook found his way to reading this, then Hello Mr. Cook!)

Now, that said, it is nice Apple finally figured out that we want larger batteries in our phones. Continue reading “120Hz iPhone ProMotion AND Better Battery! Praising Apple for the bare minimum…”

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What I mean when I talk about “weak” headphone amps on phones…

A quick test to show some of the differences in playback when we talk about different earbuds and different amps. Not all headphone jacks are created equal! Better DACs and amps improve our listening experience. Let’s see how that works!

SomeGadgetGuy DAC buying guide! https://somegadgetguy.com/2021/08/10/apple-music-lossless-amazon-music-hd-spotify-premium-tidal-masters-but-your-phone-doesnt-have-a-headphone-jack-dac-buying-guide/ Continue reading “What I mean when I talk about “weak” headphone amps on phones…”

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How techies get phone camera reviews wrong…

A camera isn’t the same thing for every consumer.

Even though standalone cameras have become less popular for consumer point and shoot use, we still see an incredible variety of hardware and form-factors. There is no universal agreement on what a camera “is”. People still have entirely unique needs where those differences matter to the individual.

This isn’t just some oblique idea of specialty or “pro” use. At a basic level, someone’s specific needs will be better fulfilled by a tool designed for those needs.

Yet in the world of smartphone camera reviewing, we crouch a significant portion of the conversation behind some idea of “The Avuraj CunZoomer™”. We build phone camera conversations around a fallacy that there is some common or objective agreement on what a camera SHOULD be.

It’s only at the most regressively basic level that we might find some agreement.

You should be able to push a button that results in an image being captured.

Beyond that, cameras should specialize. We should see different pros and cons. That’s what makes cameras exciting. Continue reading “How techies get phone camera reviews wrong…”

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WHY is the Pixel 5A camera SO good? It’s not what you think!

Camera conversations love to focus on new features and listing all the hardware specs, but trying to describe WHY one camera might be better than another requires a LOT more nuance. It’s not as simple as which camera has “the gooder colors”, we gotta dig deeper than that.

Let’s chat about how a camera FEELS in the hand. 👍

Continue reading “WHY is the Pixel 5A camera SO good? It’s not what you think!”

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Budget phones: When is Cheap, TOO Cheap? (Feat. Nuu X6 Plus)

While some of the most expensive phones of the year are shipping out to people who pre-ordered, I thought it would be kinda fun to chat about the LEAST expensive phone I could get my hands on this year!

Question for you. When is a cheap phone TOO cheap? I’m spending some  time with the Nuu X6 Plus, and it’s interesting taking an inexpensive  phone for a spin.

Let’s chat. Continue reading “Budget phones: When is Cheap, TOO Cheap? (Feat. Nuu X6 Plus)”

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