TCL 10L vs LG Stylo 6: LOW Budget Battle!

We can’t put EVERYTHING into one phone. We need to choose features, and balance that against a target price. As we near the entry level tier of handsets, there’s also a little less room for price fluctuations. Devices with smaller margins won’t find the same dramatic sales, or the same bargain used prices, as more premium handsets.

Right now, mid-rangers are enjoying some time in the spotlight. Pricing from Nord to Velvet, and several phones in between, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore the competition of even less expensive devices. We should expect more compromises, but as long as we keep expectations properly informed, someone shopping a modest budget should still be satisfied.

What should we look for in a phone that costs less than a screen replacement on an iPhone 11? Continue reading “TCL 10L vs LG Stylo 6: LOW Budget Battle!”

LG Velvet Review: THE Mid-Range 5G All-Rounder!

Not quite my full review. I still can’t test 5G reception on my Korean Velvet, but we can talk about the rest of the phone! And there’s a LOT to talk about! It would be a mistake to look at the processor in this phone and make a conclusion on that one feature. The Velvet has a LOT to offer a BROAD range of consumers.

Let’s check it out! Continue reading “LG Velvet Review: THE Mid-Range 5G All-Rounder!”

Pixel 4XL: The most slighted phone of 2019 is still really good.

I’ve struggled with re-visiting the Pixel 4XL.

There’s an intangible quality to every phone that can’t quite be expressed by spec sheets and benchmarks. I can TELL you about the phone, and that still won’t properly convey how I FEEL about the phone.

With the Pixel 5 in limbo, it’s important to check back in with a phone that was pretty heavily panned by critics. For all my personal preferences on beastly hardware and mobile content creation, the Pixel 4XL is still the phone I have the hardest time taking my SIM card out of when I need to move on to a new review device.

There’s just something about the Pixel… Continue reading “Pixel 4XL: The most slighted phone of 2019 is still really good.”

OnePlus 8 Pro Camera Conclusion: OnePlus’ Most Important Camera

Two months in. Several updates later. Has OnePlus finally arrived at a true flagship grade camera? The hardware on tap is formidable, but does the software back it that hardware up?

Nothing to it, but to do it!

Let’s chat flagships, premium phones, and what makes for a good camera! Continue reading “OnePlus 8 Pro Camera Conclusion: OnePlus’ Most Important Camera”

OnePlus 8 Pro Review: Two Months with a True Flagship

It’s not a flagship killer. It’s a killer flagship!

There was much gnashing of teeth over price increases this year, and OnePlus took a lot of flack for the 8 Pro. Yet, when we really break this phone down, it wins a LOT of fights against top premium brands, while also maintaining a budget advantage.

This is premium territory, so we have to grade it by that price. Let’s see where this phone succeeds! Continue reading “OnePlus 8 Pro Review: Two Months with a True Flagship”

TCL 10 Pro Review: Feature Packed at a LOW Price!

There’s a strong argument to shop a new mid-ranger! As more phones compete with the Pixel 3A and the iPhone SE 2020, TCL has a mid-range option for folks focused on multimedia!

Let’s dig into the TCL 10 Pro! Continue reading “TCL 10 Pro Review: Feature Packed at a LOW Price!”

LG Velvet vs OnePlus 8: The fight for “Affordable” 5G!

Velvet vs OP8!

Looking at power, this is an easy win for the OP, but looking at the WHOLE spec sheet, LG is making a different argument for a feature packed phone. Two companies with very different solutions for bringing 5G down to more reasonable prices.

How much phone do you want? How much phone do you need? Continue reading “LG Velvet vs OnePlus 8: The fight for “Affordable” 5G!”

Tech Reviewers, Familiar doesn’t automatically mean “BETTER”

If tech reviewers can’t handle nuanced differences, then what good are we?

Different solutions will perform differently, and the different “feel” is what reviewers are meant to convey. It’s not a reviewer’s job to take the most popular solution for a need, and treat that as a “standard” by which every competing solution must be judged. That’s the easiest way to rig the game, and ensure that any competition is viewed as inferior.

Rationally, when presented with the paragraph above, most of us probably nod along. We “know” this. Yet when presented with actual reviews of consumer electronics, all too often, the review scene falls in line with whatever is most popular. It’s broadly the most familiar, and we use that popularity as evidence that it must be “better”.

Take keyboards for example. Continue reading “Tech Reviewers, Familiar doesn’t automatically mean “BETTER””