Reader Ratings And Advice: Flagship Smartphones

Round-ups
By The Readers of Tom's Hardware, Lucian Armasu
published

After reviewing several of the hottest smartphones on the market, we became curious to find out what our readers thought about them. How do these devices fit into daily life? And what are their long-term pros and cons?

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Apple iPhone 6

Although it's one of the most popular phones in the world and is made by one of the biggest tech companies, the iPhone 6 mustered only a mediocre average score of 3.3 out of 5 from Tom's Hardware readers. Also, only 69 customers weighed in (a low number compared to some of the others). The opinions were mostly split, with some loving it for how easy it is to use, and others hating it for not having powerful enough features.

>> See the In-Depth Apple iPhone 6 Review

The biggest point in favor of the iPhone 6 is the camera, which has improved on an already great smartphone camera found in the previous iPhone. Many of our readers love the screen and system performance of the device as well. Touch ID is one of the features that makes Apple stand out from the competition — not just because it has a fingerprint scanner, but also because it works well. Although the phone's design seems to be a slight downgrade from the iPhone 5s, it's very thin and is comfortable to hold in your hand, according to our readers who own an iPhone 6.

There's no point of beating around the bush: Many of our readers don't like Apple's walled garden, restricted functionality and the fact that they're forced to use iTunes, a piece of software that seems to be universally hated. In terms of hardware, the device doesn't lack too much, although some are disappointed that after three years, Apple still hasn't upgraded from 1GB of RAM.

Despite the phone's general good looks, the camera's protrusion from the phone's body is a minor annoyance to some users. According to some iPhone 6 owners, the phone's battery life could be better as well. Others wish the phone would've had a 1080p resolution and optical image stabilization like the iPhone 6 Plus.

If you're an iPhone 6 owner and you haven't given us your feedback yet, the form is still available. Below, you can see some of our readers' most representative comments for this device.

Top Ten Comments:

Comment: "It is a fine phone. It has one of the best mobile cameras. iOS has some impressive features, especially for backups and restoring new phones. It has the best Touch ID implementation to date.It is not as pretty as the iPhone 4 or 5. It is not water resistant. It is too big. Does not have microSD or removable battery. Does not have aptx bluetooth profile. iOS is playing catch-up. Apple walled garden philosophy. No front speakers."

Comment: "Too many restrictions: you can't install apps from outside the official app store, you can't freely move files in and out (I refuse to use iTunes, especially since there is no version for Linux)."

"ok, but expensive and ios bugs me

Comment: "A bigger iPhone is what we were waiting for, but I can't help but feel unimpressed by the iPhone 6.The camera is fantastic, as usual for Apple phones. The size of the phone is rather perfect. It's the same old iOS in iOS 8. There's not much new to brag about."

Comment: "The phone is fast in every way, simple, secure especially easy with touch id, and the apps simply work, no struggles and rare crashes.The stigma of owning an i-device, not as customize-able as you sometimes want, and even though has more and all the best apps, expect to pay for more of them than you would on android."

Comment: "Screen is too small. Not 1080p, what is this 2010?? Battery is still crap. It's made by Apple"

"It works and it works well but it's still lacking in substance.

Comment: "I have owned both Android and Apple products, this is by far the nicest phone I've ever had. The screen is beautiful and iOS 8.1 works great. The phone is thin and light but the fit and finish is flawless. I like the screen, I like iOS 8, I like the speed of the phone. I do wish that the camera didn't protrude out of an otherwise extremely thin case."

Comment: "Underpowered for the price compared to other more powerful phones.iOS is very restricted in the customisability compared to Android. Have to sync to iTunes to put music, videos, films, etc onto phone."

Comment: "Excellent phone, built with quality. Perfect size for one handed use, your ideal companion for iOS gamingThe resolution of the screen is not Full HD. Therefore i switched to an iPhone 6Plus"

The Readers of Tom's Hardware
40 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Janithdalw
    In my opinion best phones are,

    The best Hardware => iPhone 6 Plus

    The best Phablet => Note 4

    The overall the best phone => Note 4

    Better value for money => OnePlus One

    I don't know why Tom'shardware added the G3 into the list. It has a poor battery life and the display also not so good despite the 2K resolution. I would rather replace it with the Z3.
    Reply
  • Vorador2
    I'd say:

    If you have deep pockets and want a phone that provides a great (if constricted) experience, get the iPhone 6

    If you want a design that can turn heads and feel rock solid at the same time, get the One M8. Or better, wait for the upcoming refresh.

    If you can get an invite, get the OnePlus One. It's hard to get ahold of an unit, but it's probably the best device in relation to cost, and best device all around. If you can't, get the Moto G.

    And if you want the best big phone/phablet of the market, get the Note 4.
    Reply
  • Tomtompiper
    If you want a good phone around the size of an iPhone 6 go with the Sony Z3 Compact, it beats the iPhone hands down. I like big screens so my choice was the Note 4, and I'm very happy with my decision. The S pen is fantastic and the video quality is outstanding. If I was being ultra critical I would ask that the plastic inserts in the metal frame were better colour coordinated. http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=6538&idPhone2=6378
    Reply
  • AndrewJacksonZA
    Tom's, where is the Sony Xperia Z3 (and the smaller Z3 Compact?) I feel that you're missing out on what I feel is the best phone, with the best camera and, in my opinion, the least amount of customization to Android and what customization there is, is extremely intuitive useful.

    Or is this a primarily a US-based line-up, where you'll have to list the Xperia Z3v, the Verison version, which I don't think is on par with the international Z3?

    @Tomtompiper: I miss my stylus from the P990i days... :-)

    Thank you.
    Andrew
    South Africa
    Reply
  • Matous Mojzis
    Where is Sony Z3 or Z3 Compact ?
    Reply
  • wtfxxxgp
    I think that you should have done a very brief survey for all respondents to first complete before commenting on the handsets. That could have provided better context for the results. Not sure if this was done or not to be honest, but if not, then it would surely add value. Just as an example, 2 users have completely opposite opinions about battery life - yet the one uses the phone more for work-related activities, sees the occasional small video and chats - no gaming or movies or tinkering with apps and does not have LTE connectivity so doesn't use it. The other person that hates the battery is a heavy gamer when they're bored, or watches a full episode or 2 of a series on the daily commute and tinkers a lot with new apps etc. Suddenly very obvious why one person says that the battery life is great compared to the other one that thinks it sucks.
    Reply
  • firefoxx04
    Weird. My S5 has no lag even with "restrict cpu performance" enabled to increase battery life.

    The bloatware isnt even active.. its just installed and hangs out.
    Reply
  • randomstar
    I am a bit biased towards windows phones, and would love to see at least one of the top models here. I have not found anything that I feel compares well against my older 928 Nokia on the new iPhone.
    Reply
  • beetlejuicegr
    Where is the Nexus line?
    Reply
  • Lkaos
    Funny people saying an iPhone has the best sound when the phone's speakers are MONO and not STEREO....

    Reply