review roundup

Seven 'review roundup' stories March 2014 - May 2018

OnePlus 6 Review Roundup: ‘Flagship Killer’ keeps up with ever-more-premium flagships

Justin Duino May 21 2018 - 6:34 am PT

Since its inception, OnePlus has always marketed itself as the “flagship killer.” Basically, this meant that it would create smartphones that rivaled the flagship devices from Samsung, LG, and other as far as performance but at a lower price. While the company has done it again with the OnePlus 6, the continuing trend of increasing prices and premium features among “true” flagships of the world has left the Chinese company doing the same to keep up.
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Nexus 5X review roundup: An iterative tribute to the classic, but not much more

Stephen Hall Oct 19 2015 - 12:08 pm PT

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Last year we didn’t get a smaller-sized Nexus phone. Since the Nexus 5 came out, if you wanted a Nexus phone any smaller than the Nexus 6, well, you bought a Nexus 5. And since the Nexus 5 is over 2 years old at this point, it makes sense that Google would make 2015 the year that it introduced two handsets — one for those that still want or need a smaller phone in the form of the Nexus 5X, and one for the rest of us in the metal-bodied Nexus 6P.

We told you about the latter, higher-specification brother earlier today, but here’s what people think of the former…

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HTC One M9 review roundup: too similar to its predecessor to stand out against strong competition

Chance Miller Mar 22 2015 - 6:00 pm PT

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HTC revealed its 2015 smartphone flagship, the One M9, at Mobile World Congress earlier this month. The device was met with a seemingly ‘meh’ reaction at the time, with HTC fans complaining that the device was too similar to its predecessor and worrying about the use of the over-heating Snapdragon 810. This evening, reviews for the HTC One M9 have officially started popping up around the web and they give us a much more in-depth look at what the company has to offer as we head into 2015…

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Galaxy Note Edge review roundup: intriguing display w/ some neat tricks, but not worth the premium cost

Zac Hall Nov 13 2014 - 7:21 am PT

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Earlier this year at its Unpacked event, Samsung previewed its Galaxy Note Edge phablet with a special, curved part of the display that wraps around the right side. We’ve already given you our early hands-on and first impressions of the latest Samsung Galaxy Note variant, and today the reviews are starting to surface. So what’s the verdict on this unique take on a phablet? Check out our roundup below:
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NVIDIA’s Shield Tablet is now available, but is it worth your $300?

Mark Hearn Jul 29 2014 - 8:02 am PT

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After a thick layer of rumors, NVIDIA finally announced its Shield Tablet, which is now available today starting at $300. The chip maker’s new portable gaming device features an 8-inch 920×1,200 display, a Tegra K1 GPU, a 2.2 GHz ARM Cortex A15 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 5-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 4.0 and 16GB of storage space. There’s also a 32GB LTE variant of NVIDIA’s new gaming slate, which bumps the device’s price up to $400. Focused on gamers, the device also has an optional $60 controller that is somewhat reminiscent of the Xbox 360’s gamepad.

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Mis-Fire: Amazon’s first foray into the smartphone market fails to impress

Mike Beasley Jul 22 2014 - 6:44 pm PT

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Amazon has finally stepped into the ring to take on the current champions of the smartphone market with its own device, the Fire Phone. In what essentially boils down to a smaller version of the Kindle Fire tablet, the Fire Phone packs a custom-built operating system dubbed Fire OS, a “dynamic perspective” system powered by four front-facing cameras that allow you to control the phone and access advanced information just by moving your head, and more.

Tonight the first reviews of the Fire Phone have hit the web, and while many see some potential in the device, Amazon still has quite a few issues to covercome if it plans to truly put a dent in this market. Below we’ve compiled some excerpts from these reviews along with links to the full write-ups.

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HTC One (M8) reviews praise design & performance, camera quality disappoints

Chance Miller Mar 25 2014 - 10:06 am PT

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The reviews of the just announced new HTC One (M8) are officially out, and as of right now, it looks like HTC has a hit on its hands. Reviewers are praising the device’s stunning Gunmetal design, as well as its 5-inch display. Some reviewers, however, aren’t that big of a fan of the highly touted camera, saying its quality is often hit or miss and the software is somewhat clunky.

Gizmodo

Like last year’s One, the 2014 edition (HTC is calling it the “HTC One (M8)” but we think that’s ultimately more confusing) is machined from a solid block of aluminum, but it’s even more metal this time. Last year’s had a fair amount of plastic in the edges of the device, but this year it’s pretty much metal everywhere you look. It’s also had some of its sharp edges ground out, and you’re left with a smoother, slightly rounder device. It’s incredibly solid and it feels like it could take a bullet in the back and keep on going (it probably couldn’t, don’t try that, thank you).

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