What do you look for in a review?

[EmilieT]

Hey guys, 

One of the jewels of this Community is the Reviews board, in which we've compiled over a hundred device reviews written by all of you.

There are many ways to write a review, and things to spend time on and include in your post. Whether you consider yourself techy or not, one's perspective and experience with a device is always very insightful and everyone's welcome to contribute to this board!

Today we wanted to take some time to understand better what each of you is looking for in a review. This will be useful not only for us, but more importantly for anyone who's interested in or planning to write a review.

Any feedback you have on this is welcome, as always, but we put together a couple of points you could think about. Do you prefer a review ...

• Including many pictures?
• With very detailed text?
• Focusing on some key features of the device?
• Going through a general overview of the main specs?
• Centered on the device or more comparative?
• Personal?
• Technical? 

Looking forward to hear your thoughts on reviews! 

[Cleoriff]

Ok here goes.

*For me a great review must include pictures. (Old saying, Every picture tells a story) I don't mean photographs you have taken with the device...just pictures of it, what's in the box, Wallpaper and how it looks when it's set up.

*Technical specifications are fine though not necessary (as long as a link is provided to show the tech specs)

*Layout is extremely important. No one will read a long, long block of text, so headings (in a different colour) helps with the sections and breaks up the review into 'manageable chunks'

* If you are into photography, then these are great and comparison photos taken with another device are always good to see.

* Personal perspective is a must. @Glory1's review of her S10 wasn't in the slightest bit technical but showed clearly what she liked about the phone, how easy it was to set up etc. It made an excellent read.

*On the other hand and I'm sure a lot of people would agree, EVERY review written by @viridis is pretty awesome. Worthy of publication.

His reviews should be used as a template for how a review should be written.

It has to be remembered @viridis  is extremely technical and he covers absolutely everything.

However, his layout and presentation is second to none.

I like reading all reviews and am particularly proud of people who have only been here a short while and put pen to paper for our enjoyment.

*

[viridis]

Thanks @Cleoriff cc

On the flip side, what do I look for in a review, as a creator of the review I look for features and services that help with the creation of the review, every thing that is unique, or being the first this or that gives so much opportunity for discussion, the end result is hopefully an interesting article that appeals to newcomers and tech minded alike

[TallTrees]

What I like in a review of a mobile Phone~ Picking out some key points

1. Photos of mobile and including the inside showing sim position etc. and is access easy

2. Camera ~  is it more than needed or just right

3. Compare Performance ~ with other similar devices 

4. Price in comparison with others of similar performance

5. Is charging good and long lasting really?

6. Ear phone port whether it is availble

7. Whether it is more suitable for a high user

8. Would it be good for a low user or over spec 

Personal views would be welcome rather than too much tech

as there is already lots of tech available on the product from manufacturer

[gmarkj]

My 2p's..
-What is in the box (phone, hands free set, adapters, etc) --> Means I know what I get if/when I buy it.
-Short spec list, including SD card slot
-Examples of pictures the phone takes, with comparisons to other devices if possible --> You get an idea of the ability of the phone taking pictures
-How does it compare to rivals (in reviewers opinion)

Formatted nicely (headings, sections) is always a bonus. Proper English grammer/language is a must (no phone/text speak).

Editted to add: Photos need to be of reasonable size - not too big, not too small...

[anticpated]

The review in my opinion should concentrate on real world usage not the social media aspect which seems to dominate more professional reviews. Antutu benchmarks don't matter when you are checking e-mail on the train or on your break at work. If you are a gamer then maybe possibly just buy the greatest and fastest you can afford like a high-end android or iPhone.

Camera that use more hardware to produce effects like DoF (Depth of Field) or black and white shots should be emphasized. Selfy cams are irrelevant in my mind and anything above 4 Megapixels are going to be good enough.

The battery life is often down to the operating system and how much propriety pre-installed oem apps are put upon you. If that is a concern, you need look at more vanilla versions like Google Pixel, iOS or LG and Motorola which aren't too bad.

One thing that does concern me is that, often DAC's are hyped when they are part of a SoC solution like Snapdragon processors. In the real world, 384Khz and 32-bit won't make a difference if you are listening to most multimedia formats like m4a, mp3 or aac. If you are using high resolution FLAC, ALAC and uncompressed WAV then quite possibly especially if you are using higher end IEM or high fidelity headphones.

Battery life is often a concern for me these days as I never get a day out of my handset. Especially after 2 years. I think manufacters are limited by design aesthetics and squeezing out as much power by scale alone rather than the desired by many people. Although there is technical reasons why not every power solution is possible.

They are many things that often get missed like call quality, supported bands, wi-fi/4g/5g calling support and who actually supports them.  By the way, i'm just supposing 5g calling might be an option one of these days.

[Glory1]

I like reviews that are both technical and personal. I admit I don't understand all the technical information but I do learn something every time, so I find it helpful. I also want to know the user's personal view of the phone and both it's good points and bad. Pictures of the phone are also helpful.

A good review makes you want to keep reading right to the end, technical bits and all.

[EmilieT]

Thanks @Cleoriff, @viridis, @TallTrees, @gmarkj, @anticpated and @Glory1  for sharing your thoughts and preferences on what a device review should be like!

In case anyone is thinking of writing up a review of their device, this will definitely help them understand better how to go about it, and give them a few ideas on what to include and how to format their post