Inconsistent reviewing
Preface: this is NOT an anti-Apple rant or any kind of accusation of bias, it's simply a request that reviews are more consistent. So:
Got the new issue through the post yesterday, flicked through the Smartphone group test, very interesting, won't spoil it because there'll be people that haven't read it yet but interesting result.
However... The HTC One X+ has a couple of things flagged as "Cons" against it, from memory, "average" battery life and no SD card slot.
Now, I wouldn't argue with that, if it weren't for the fact that the iPhone 5 has, according to the review, almost the same battery life (they're both quoted as being able to drain the battery within a day's hard use, actually seems quite optimistic to me) and NO SD card slot. Both phones (as tested) are 64GB devices and yet there's nothing in the iPhone "Cons" section about the battery or the card slot, suggesting that these aren't actually problems for the iPhone, only for the One X+, which seems a little unfair to me.
Would it be possible to make these tests a little more consistent? If something is an "issue" for one phone, then it must be for any other phone that shares the same "issue". I could understand if the One X+ only had 16GB of memory, for example but it doesn't, it has 64GB (and bear in mind the iPhone is available with only 16GB, would the lack of SD card slot be an issue then?).
I also understand that that isn't the reason the One X+ was docked a star.
For clarity, I own neither an iPhone or any member of the HTC One family, although I do own an older HTC phone.
No, that got 5 stars! 
Annoys me how little emphasis is ever made of signal strength & call quality. Not absent in the whf test but its a PHONE. Too much emphasis on smart
Annoys me how little emphasis is ever made of signal strength & call quality. Not absent in the whf test but its a PHONE. Too much emphasis on smart
It's not about that though. It's about the device's video and audio capability as it's What Hi FI 'Sound and Vision' - not What Hi Fi Mobile Telephony... If you want a review on the phones per se then there are other mags for that.
Annoys me how little emphasis is ever made of signal strength & call quality. Not absent in the whf test but its a PHONE. Too much emphasis on smart
The other thing is, for a lot of smartphone users nowadays, this isn't as important as other factors. I do use my iPhone as a phone on occasion (hardly ever though to be honest), but I use it far far far more for web browsing, emails, music, sat nav, games, watching videos etc. etc.
And yes, I do realise this doesn't apply to everyone, but I'm pretty sure it represents the majority of smart phone users now.
Annoys me how little emphasis is ever made of signal strength & call quality. Not absent in the whf test but its a PHONE. Too much emphasis on smart
The other thing is, for a lot of smartphone users nowadays, this isn't as important as other factors. I do use my iPhone as a phone on occasion (hardly ever though to be honest), but I use it far far far more for web browsing, emails, music, sat nav, games, watching videos etc. etc.
And yes, I do realise this doesn't apply to everyone, but I'm pretty sure it represents the majority of smart phone users now.
Yes but that's because we're all geeks with no friends, so who'd want to ring us?
Sorry but for me the word phone is important. I would not dream of watching a movie on my phone. I have a decent system to play music and watch films. Some modern smart phones are appalling for calls. A camera may be useful and an mp3 is reasonable but surely a good phone needs to be a good phone.
What about if you're on an 8 hour bus journey?
Annoys me how little emphasis is ever made of signal strength & call quality. Not absent in the whf test but its a PHONE. Too much emphasis on smart
The other thing is, for a lot of smartphone users nowadays, this isn't as important as other factors. I do use my iPhone as a phone on occasion (hardly ever though to be honest), but I use it far far far more for web browsing, emails, music, sat nav, games, watching videos etc. etc.
And yes, I do realise this doesn't apply to everyone, but I'm pretty sure it represents the majority of smart phone users now.
Yes but that's because we're all geeks with no friends, so who'd want to ring us?
Sad but true. 
A recent study showed that making calls was only 6th on the list of things that people use smartphones for.
I don't have the link to the study but from memory it was one of the better ones. Obviously there will be variation between individuals, but smartphones do seem to be realising the vision of being a 'remote controls for our lives'. I have mine with me 24 x 7 nowadays (charging on my bedside table when I sleep).
Then I accept I am in a minority. I have a phone for calls and texts. A camera for good photos. A tablet for internet, email & movies on a bus. HiFi for movies & music. An MP3 player when on the move. Can any one device do all these things well? Except for occasional use I would say no but for many without the need for quality then so many options are available
What do you carry all these things around in? Is the table 3G? If so that's two mobile contracts you're paying for if you're out and about.
I think you need to investigate a bit further, a couple of years ago you might have been right, but I don't personally think you are now. I certainly don't see any point in a standalone mp3 player for example and there's some pretty decent phone cameras around now, not comparable to a dSLR obviously but then you can't carry one of those in your pocket.
What about if you're on an 8 hour bus journey?
Can any one device do all these things well?
Yes!
What do you carry all these things around in? Is the table 3G? If so that's two mobile contracts you're paying for if you're out and about.
I think you need to investigate a bit further, a couple of years ago you might have been right, but I don't personally think you are now. I certainly don't see any point in a standalone mp3 player for example and there's some pretty decent phone cameras around now, not comparable to a dSLR obviously but then you can't carry one of those in your pocket.
Accepting I am in the minority I don't wish to argue but just offer an opinion. I carry all my devices in the car using tethering for my tablet. A large usb stick has all the photos, music & videos I need and aare used in the home, car or on the move. Can I use a phone to watch a movie? No thanks. A phone to take a good hd video? No thanks. Each to his/her own but I still wish phone reviews helped us to choose a phone which worked well as a phone
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Maybe there were so many cons with the iPhone that they couldn't fit in the sd card and battery?
HiFi / A/V / Bedroom