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?

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

The iPhone 6 Plus managed to get an even lower average score than its smaller brother, the iPhone 6, with an average rating of 3.2. The culprit seems to be its unwieldy size. Even fewer customers offered their insights on this device — 56 in total, the lowest of all eight smartphones we asked readers to rate.

>> See the In-Depth Apple iPhone 6 Plus Review

As with the iPhone 6, readers' favorite features of the iPhone 6 Plus seem to be the camera, the performance of the 64-bit CPU, the slimness of the device, slow-motion video and the wide variety of apps. The iPhone 6 Plus also brings some new well-liked features, such as optical image stabilization and a 1080p resolution. There are also storage options up to 128GB for those who aren't satisfied with the starting model's 16GB of onboard storage.

On the negative side, many issues remain, such as iOS 8 bugs, restricted functionality and a censored app store. The biggest issue, though, seems to be the large size of the device, which many users said they find uncomfortable. If the iPhone 6 Plus would have had smaller bezels, the device might have been easier to handle. Some iPhone 6 Plus customers don't like Apple's proprietary software and hardware, such as the nonstandard charger.

If you're an iPhone 6 Plus 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's the phone I picked from researching all the phones in the list, and I regret nothing. Flawless screen and amazing camera. The battery life is better than all of my past iphones, also. I have owned every generation."

Comment: "Apple tries to invade the phablet market and its initial attempt is a hit and miss, behind in some instances while being the first of its screen size to have a 64bit CPUZippy interface and wide selection of apps. Screen resolution is last year's trend, taller than the Note 3 which has a slightly larger screen. No longer easy to operate in one hand which was something Apple marketed the 5 and 5S on."

Comment: "iOS had issues to the point that the phone was replaced. Poor build quality. Phone felt flimsy and easy to break."

Comment: "A really great phone. I don't like iOS that much, also it maybe is a tad too big."

Comment: "Standard full-hdLarge screen available in large storage (e.g. 64gb and 128gb)Too big for my pocketNon-standard Charging (non-usb) connectionApple-censorship on apps and limitations of iOs"

Comment: "Best iPhone screen and so portable, with (at last) a proper full day battery life.Like: Stunning screen. Quality feel and build. Slimness. Usability. IOS 8 a solid step up from 7 and the integration with OS X Yosemite is excellent.Dislike: Very little; IOS 8 a bit flaky with some apps and the keyboard selector doesn't always work/appear."

Comment: "Better camera than my Nokia Lumia 1020, which shocked me. Best sound of any smartphone. Never have to search for accessories because they're everywhere. Love how thin it is. App and graphic speed is top notch. Mono sound on video and wish Siri was as smart as Cortana. Like the way Cortana answers calls and texts."

Comment: "Overall great experience with a few bugs at launch and large bezels. Large bezels. No homworries screen widgets."

Comment: "Bigger screen, battery, and OIS. Bezels too big, protruding camera and easily bent."

Comment: "Air drop, find my friends, encryption built in and the killer app- slow motion video! Larger bottom and top bezel. Walked garden apps."

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