iPhone 13 Stupidity of “Tech Reviewers”

[ian87w]

The top 2 tech reviews are MKBHD and MrWhoTheBoss you can go off what they say all the time as they tell the truth

Wait, who? MrWhoseTheBoss MrOPPOShill? LOL.
The only good thing of him is his calm voice tone.

 

[sdwaltz]

As I look back at the last 4 years I still vividly remember when the iPhone X came out and the various reactions. Almost every “tech reviewer” or website said you absolutely shouldn’t buy the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 was a great phone to buy. Even at the time, the average person could see how utterly stupid those “expert recommendations” were.
The iPhone 8 was probably the worst possible phone you could buy. It was on the 4th year of a cycle that began with the iPhone 6 and already looked incredibly dated. Everyone knows that whether is cars or phones, it’s always best to buy when there’s a redesign. If you had the bought the “terribly overpriced” iPhone X 4 years ago, today you would have a phone that still works perfectly and looks almost identical to the newest phone Apple has. If you had bought the iPhone 8, you would basically have an iPhone 6 that looks awfully in need of an upgrade. The iPhone X works out to be $250 a year and still looks and works great.
The lesson here is simple, most “tech review websites” and single “tech reviewers” never take time into account when recommending a phone. You should probably do the exact opposite of what they recommend or say.

Although I prefer the X-and-newer phones to the iPhone 8, it's clear that you are the one who doesn't know what you're talking about here.

To say that buying an iPhone 8 means you basically are buying an iPhone 6 shows lack of ignorance around the specs and seems that you only care about what the phone looks like. The 8/X had the EXACT SAME internals and were the same exact phone with a different shell, not to mention the camera in the 8/8 Plus was leaps and bounds better than the camera in the 6.

It came down to a matter of preference - do you want Touch ID or Face ID?

 

[aue123]

Have never heard of these guys besides MKHBJ and that’s only because he’s mentioned so much in these forums.

So far I’ve seen people don’t like negative apple reviews. Or too nerdy and they don’t cater to “normal” people even though we all post endlessly on a Macrumors forum. Or the YouTubers live in their own stuck up world. Or they’re biased and click happy to buy more teslas.

Basically for me the question is the reviewer worth watching or reading? Usually I only look at the ones that have been doing this since the palmos days. Usually mac ones. Who really researches iPhones anymore? (Well sure the average joe might but he’s not on macrumors daily either). It’s more of thing to see people you’ve read over the years reactions.

you’ve never heard of lew from unbox therapy ?

 

[KOTN91]

I do agree with the OP that the X has obviously aged much better than the 8, which was dead on arrival and should never have been realised

But I certainly don’t recall the reviews at the time recommending the 8 over the X. Iirc tech radar which I would think of as one of the more prestigious reviewers pretty much rubbished the 8 and said how dated it was at the time, and that the X was the one people should buy

 

[cardfan]

you’ve never heard of lew from unbox therapy ?

Nope. Lol

 

[turbineseaplane]

"Review" is usually the wrong word with most of the video channels we are all thinking about here.

"Hype generation"
"FOMO Creation"
"Lust for it"

And the like are all more on point - generally - channel dependent.

Companies have long ago realized that a weakness for consumers is their affinity and attachment to certain personalities or a "style" of video, etc. It's a great way to manipulate people.

We all think we are more discerning and getting "the real scoop" from X,Y,Z preferred source..
When really they are nearly all bought out by sponsorship money somewhere in the flow which is very much influencing what they say and how they say it.

 

[cardfan]

"Review" is usually the wrong word with most of the video channels we are all thinking about here.

"Hype generation"
"FOMO Creation"
"Lust for it"

And the like are all more on point - generally - channel dependent.

Companies have long ago realized that a weakness for consumers is their affinity and attachment to certain personalities or a "style" of video, etc. It's a great way to manipulate people.

We all think we are more discerning and getting "the real scoop" from X,Y,Z preferred source..
When really they are nearly all bought out by sponsorship money somewhere in the flow which is very much influencing what they say and how they say it.

Or more like I need to feel good about my 1000 dollar purchase. I need reaffirmation. Goes and reads tons of reviews. Oops. That one didn’t think much of it. Ughh. Stupid reviewer.

 

[aue123]

Or more like I need to feel good about my 1000 dollar purchase. I need reaffirmation. Goes and reads tons of reviews. Oops. That one didn’t think much of it. Ughh. Stupid reviewer.

i’m not a broke d’ck so yes.. i actually feel great about my purchase..

i’ll take a picture of my lambo tonight 😎

 

[840quadra]

Even though I sometimes review aspects of a given device on YouTube, I personally can't stand most YouTube videos claiming to review a piece of technology. Most aren't objective, and have a really hard time getting to the point.

Call me a human backside, but I am so over "Hey be sure to Comment, Like, subscribes and hit the BELL". I actually stop watching most videos if that is included within the first minute. I get that for some this is a form of income, it just isn't one I am interested in supporting (with some exceptions).

 

[Bethanie21]

Well from what John Poser and Mac Rumors has leaked and he did leak the 13 witch was 100% right if you think this looks like the 13 well you are silly

https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/iphone-14/

Didn‘t know he works for Apple and therefore knows a year in advance what the next iPhone will look like 🤣

Your posts on this forum are really childish and petty, calling people names and throwing insults at people simply enjoying their new iPhones. Grow up.

 

[nicho]

I do agree with the OP that the X has obviously aged much better than the 8

It has? Look at how many iOS features require iPhone XS or higher, and that list grows exponentially each year.

 

[danny842003]

As I look back at the last 4 years I still vividly remember when the iPhone X came out and the various reactions. Almost every “tech reviewer” or website said you absolutely shouldn’t buy the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 was a great phone to buy. Even at the time, the average person could see how utterly stupid those “expert recommendations” were.
The iPhone 8 was probably the worst possible phone you could buy. It was on the 4th year of a cycle that began with the iPhone 6 and already looked incredibly dated. Everyone knows that whether is cars or phones, it’s always best to buy when there’s a redesign. If you had the bought the “terribly overpriced” iPhone X 4 years ago, today you would have a phone that still works perfectly and looks almost identical to the newest phone Apple has. If you had bought the iPhone 8, you would basically have an iPhone 6 that looks awfully in need of an upgrade. The iPhone X works out to be $250 a year and still looks and works great.
The lesson here is simple, most “tech review websites” and single “tech reviewers” never take time into account when recommending a phone. You should probably do the exact opposite of what they recommend or say.

I got an 8+ on launch saved some money and had a great phone for two years. I then got an 11 and now a 13, I still haven’t seen the need to pay the premium for the top of the range phone.

 

[Al Rukh]

For real review of iPhones, Anandtech is the goto site. They're the only one actually doing an actual tech review, deep diving into the SoC. Literally nobody else did this. They are arguably the only real tech site if we want to get technical. The rest are just lifestyle sites.

MKBHD is a casual reviewer. What I like about him is that his opinions and views are well explained without going too much into either fanboy/hater sides. He's quite neutral, and usually hit some points more than just the marketing points. However, he seems to be more interested in doing other things now, and his reviews, although have excellent production value, are getting lighter and lighter.

The next one I like is mrmobile. He sounds quite genuine, and he will specify the gadgets he bought himself. He's a fan of foldables, and he actually buys them himself after getting a review unit.

Many "popular" sites like the Verge is just, excuse the word, trash. Their "reviews" are basically talking the exact same points as the marketing list put out by the manufacturer, and nothing more.

I agree to an extend. If one doesn’t want all the tech mumbo-jumbo, they should really watch MKBHD. It’s not that he’s not technical. He is very well versed with specs as well but he condense tech specs and real-world effect into something layman could understand. He’s very, very good at that. I think he’s still the go-to person when it comes to camera reviews, regardless.

 

[janeauburn]

As I look back at the last 4 years I still vividly remember when the iPhone X came out and the various reactions. Almost every “tech reviewer” or website said you absolutely shouldn’t buy the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 was a great phone to buy. Even at the time, the average person could see how utterly stupid those “expert recommendations” were.
The iPhone 8 was probably the worst possible phone you could buy. It was on the 4th year of a cycle that began with the iPhone 6 and already looked incredibly dated. Everyone knows that whether is cars or phones, it’s always best to buy when there’s a redesign. If you had the bought the “terribly overpriced” iPhone X 4 years ago, today you would have a phone that still works perfectly and looks almost identical to the newest phone Apple has. If you had bought the iPhone 8, you would basically have an iPhone 6 that looks awfully in need of an upgrade. The iPhone X works out to be $250 a year and still looks and works great.
The lesson here is simple, most “tech review websites” and single “tech reviewers” never take time into account when recommending a phone. You should probably do the exact opposite of what they recommend or say.

They're getting paid for writing--and they can write. But you wrote that silliness above for free.

Who's stupid?

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I had an iPhone 8 from launch day (*runs and hides under a bridge* 😛) - it was the buggiest iPhone I’ve ever owned. At the time though I didn’t want to spend £999 on a phone, I thought it was ridiculously overpriced (still kind of do…). Do I regret not getting the X? No. I had the 11 Pro the year after, I find it’s better to go for the refined version of an iPhone.

The XS was the phone that followed the X... 11 Pro came a year after the XS

 

[Zaft]

I really only watch MKBHD.

 

[Dented]

As I look back at the last 4 years I still vividly remember when the iPhone X came out and the various reactions. Almost every “tech reviewer” or website said you absolutely shouldn’t buy the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 was a great phone to buy. Even at the time, the average person could see how utterly stupid those “expert recommendations” were.
The iPhone 8 was probably the worst possible phone you could buy. It was on the 4th year of a cycle that began with the iPhone 6 and already looked incredibly dated. Everyone knows that whether is cars or phones, it’s always best to buy when there’s a redesign. If you had the bought the “terribly overpriced” iPhone X 4 years ago, today you would have a phone that still works perfectly and looks almost identical to the newest phone Apple has. If you had bought the iPhone 8, you would basically have an iPhone 6 that looks awfully in need of an upgrade. The iPhone X works out to be $250 a year and still looks and works great.
The lesson here is simple, most “tech review websites” and single “tech reviewers” never take time into account when recommending a phone. You should probably do the exact opposite of what they recommend or say.

I don’t at all remember this consensus against the iPhone X, I’d say most of the tech reviewers were more inclined to rave about it because price was/is less of a consideration for them and they always prefer the shinier newest toys.

Was the X a better long term purchase? Not convinced about that either. The 8 was a solid phone at a decent price and essentially the best ”conventional” iPhone Apple ever made, at least until the later SE (the existence of which proves there is still a demand for that type of phone at the right price).

With the iPhone X you were paying a hefty premium in order to beta test a completely new design (based on exactly the same core technology) and iron out the hardware bugs for Apple. I agree with others that buying at the first redesign is the worst thing you can do whether it’s cars or phones - far better to wait until the kinks are worked out in (what used to be known as) the S cycle. With the X the battery life wasn’t great even when new, that first gen Face ID wasn’t very quick, and the lack of RAM has hobbled it over time. Sure, maybe if you squint at your iPhone X today you can imagine its a 13 Pro, but it sure doesn’t perform anything like that on any level.

Four years is a long time and I’ll bet most iphone X purchasers traded up long ago and didn’t get anything like the value out of it that you suggest.

 

[skaertus]

As I look back at the last 4 years I still vividly remember when the iPhone X came out and the various reactions. Almost every “tech reviewer” or website said you absolutely shouldn’t buy the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 was a great phone to buy. Even at the time, the average person could see how utterly stupid those “expert recommendations” were.
The iPhone 8 was probably the worst possible phone you could buy. It was on the 4th year of a cycle that began with the iPhone 6 and already looked incredibly dated. Everyone knows that whether is cars or phones, it’s always best to buy when there’s a redesign. If you had the bought the “terribly overpriced” iPhone X 4 years ago, today you would have a phone that still works perfectly and looks almost identical to the newest phone Apple has. If you had bought the iPhone 8, you would basically have an iPhone 6 that looks awfully in need of an upgrade. The iPhone X works out to be $250 a year and still looks and works great.
The lesson here is simple, most “tech review websites” and single “tech reviewers” never take time into account when recommending a phone. You should probably do the exact opposite of what they recommend or say.

I bought the iPhone X at the time, but I can see the point of some of these tech reviewers.

The iPhone X was indeed terribly overpriced, but I did not think twice and bought it right after launch anyway, and it was the 256 GB version. By doing that, I sent a message to Apple that it was perfectly OK paying $1,149 for a smartphone.

Back in 2017, only four years ago, $700 would buy a high-end smartphone. But, because, just like me, many people bought into Apple's hype, it kept the prices high for its top-range products and other manufacturers saw room to raise their prices as well. Now, a mid-range phone costs $700 and a high-end one would be in the range of $1,000.

That is the great job we did to ourselves when we just trusted Apple as if it had our best interests in mind. A lesson I learned is that if everybody keeps buying the highest-end products, then manufacturers will keep raising the prices until not everybody can buy them anymore. I am no longer attached to Apple or to any other vendor; I choose my products based on cost/benefit and that is what everybody should do.

 

[Racineur]

I bought the iPhone X at the time, but I can see the point of some of these tech reviewers.

The iPhone X was indeed terribly overpriced, but I did not think twice and bought it right after launch anyway, and it was the 256 GB version. By doing that, I sent a message to Apple that it was perfectly OK paying $1,149 for a smartphone.

Back in 2017, only four years ago, $700 would buy a high-end smartphone. But, because, just like me, many people bought into Apple's hype, it kept the prices high for its top-range products and other manufacturers saw room to raise their prices as well. Now, a mid-range phone costs $700 and a high-end one would be in the range of $1,000.

That is the great job we did to ourselves when we just trusted Apple as if it had our best interests in mind. A lesson I learned is that if everybody keeps buying the highest-end products, then manufacturers will keep raising the prices until not everybody can buy them anymore. I am no longer attached to Apple or to any other vendor; I choose my products based on cost/benefit and that is what everybody should do.

So well said. Samsung has his high end Galaxy near or over 2000$ now. Apple is a most disappointing company. We get into bandwagon and we clap our hands at higher than necessary prices. I've been a fanboy since 1982. No more. I am keeping my old 6s or I'm buying a new phone, be it an Android that will cost me 200$ and will do just fine to send emails and texting. But I understand many people are not in my situation. They want, they crave or they need the latest iPhone for their work or they standing. This is how I see the 2021 smartphone scene. As fro Apple, too bad. I'm not going to a 1000$ + phone. Take in account I'm in Canada and prices are almost 200-300$ more here.

 

[Abazigal]

I am no longer attached to Apple or to any other vendor; I choose my products based on cost/benefit and that is what everybody should do.

What makes you think we are not doing likewise when we purchase Apple products?

 

[skaertus]

What makes you think we are not doing likewise when we purchase Apple products?

I did not say we are not. And I also did not say I would not buy any Apple products. What I meant is that I would no longer buy into the hype.

I see many people in this forum saying that they will buy Apple no matter what; and that Android and Windows are crap and that they would never touch them. The worst thing about being an Apple fanboy is probably that Apple will take every advantage of it and that the fanboy's behavior will never be rewarded. And the only reason why Apple products have not yet skyrocketed even more is that Android and Windows exist.

I will look at all options before buying anything. I can buy an Apple product, but only if it provides the best cost/benefit ratio. I will not simply buy it before looking at everything the competitors can offer.

 

[skaertus]

So well said. Samsung has his high end Galaxy near or over 2000$ now. Apple is a most disappointing company. We get into bandwagon and we clap our hands at higher than necessary prices. I've been a fanboy since 1982. No more. I am keeping my old 6s or I'm buying a new phone, be it an Android that will cost me 200$ and will do just fine to send emails and texting. But I understand many people are not in my situation. They want, they crave or they need the latest iPhone for their work or they standing. This is how I see the 2021 smartphone scene. As fro Apple, too bad. I'm not going to a 1000$ + phone. Take in account I'm in Canada and prices are almost 200-300$ more here.

I am in Brazil.

The 128 GB iPhone 13 costs $1500. The 1 TB iPhone 13 Pro costs $3000. And even the 64 GB iPhone 12 costs $1300. Taxes are incredibly high, but so is the hype, as Apple is considered ultra-luxury here.

The 256 GB Samsung Galaxy Fold 3 is selling for $2300, which is the same price as the 256 GB iPhone 13 Pro. Still very expensive. But Apple is particularly greedy.

I simply refuse to buy phones at these prices, even though I have the means to. Phones such as the 1 TB iPhone 13 Pro Max and the Galaxy Fold 3 are here to test the limits of our wallets and check how deep are our pockets. If we keep buying them, Apple and Samsung and everybody else will come up with even more expensive phones, until we are unable to keep up with them. I am not playing this losing game.

I bought a 256 GB Xiaomi Poco F3 for $550 a few weeks ago. It is nowhere near the iPhone 13, but it is also much cheaper. And it has a fast processor (Snapdragon 870) capable of performing all tasks seamlessly; more than enough storage; a bright 120Hz AMOLED screen; stereo sound; a camera that takes decent photos; and it comes with decent battery life and Gorilla Glass 5. It has everything I need and it serves me perfectly well. I do not need a faster processor or more storage or a faster or brighter screen in my phone. I see no difference at all. If in a year or two I see the need to upgrade, then I will gladly do it. I would be worried to upgrade yearly, though, if I had paid over $2000 for it.

 

[haruhiko]

The iPhone X is a classic but it’s not especially good as a phone. Yes it look modern, but the battery life, the processing power, the camera, comparing with the current flagship, it’s a bit lacking.

For example, smart HDR is not available, it probably also doesn’t have a dedicated neural engine. Yes the look is modern and nobody would think you’re using a very old phone as compared with the 8, but on the other hand, it’s also an iPhone 8. The XS, however, will hold up much better in my opinion. So just enjoy what you have and what you like.

For YouTubers, everyone is chasing for views and subscribers, it’s a business to make money so everyone will exaggerate everything to get views. For general entertainment it’s fine, but I don’t go there for serious advice.

 

[furious]

My problem with tech reviewers is the video and presentation style.

1 minute introduction with the dreaded like comment subscribe ring the bell
Out of context graphics
1 minute ad
Repeat of the introduction
5 minutes of listing the specifications list on the products website
3 minutes discussing the media release
1 repeat of the introduction and ad.

10 minutes of nothing. The videos add nothing to my knowledge of the product. All done in a hyperbolic style with everything being amazing or ground breaking. Gosh!


They all scramble to be the first. I want to watch the first genuine review of the product. Not a regurgitation of the media release.

 

[skaertus]

The iPhone X is a classic but it’s not especially good as a phone. Yes it look modern, but the battery life, the processing power, the camera, comparing with the current flagship, it’s a bit lacking.

For example, smart HDR is not available, it probably also doesn’t have a dedicated neural engine. Yes the look is modern and nobody would think you’re using a very old phone as compared with the 8, but on the other hand, it’s also an iPhone 8. The XS, however, will hold up much better in my opinion. So just enjoy what you have and what you like.

For YouTubers, everyone is chasing for views and subscribers, it’s a business to make money so everyone will exaggerate everything to get views. For general entertainment it’s fine, but I don’t go there for serious advice.

I would not say it is a "classic" after only four years of being released.

It also seems a little unfair to compare a product released in 2017 to the current flagship phones. Compared to other phones back then, it was great, although also very expensive. And it still holds on its own.