[nikkisharif]

I've noticed several threads and actual face to face discussions talking about specs and why the device they have doesn't produce the same "numbers" (battery life, bars, speed tests etc) as the device they use to have. In each of these instances, the common factor is a perfectly working device but people are so caught up in the numbers they can't enjoy it.

I use to be one of these people and I was never truly satisfied with the device I had. Now I just enjoy the features and how well the device works for MY needs. If the battery lasts from the time I unplug it in the morning until the time I get in the house that night, I'm content. I could care less what the numbers say.

What are your thoughts about the subject? Should specs be the end all be all?

[thatotherdude24]

Specs are a bragging point. 'Dude my S5 is a quad core and is so much faster than any phone out'. I've heard that and many others. Often they're just repeating what the salesmen told them and have no idea what that actually means.


People are show offs. They have to out do the person next to them.


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[nikkisharif]

Specs are a bragging point. 'Dude my S5 is a quad core and is so much faster than any phone out'. I've heard that and many others. Often they're just repeating what the salesmen told them and have no idea what that actually means.


People are show offs. They have to out do the person next to them.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

So true!!! I couldn't agree more!

[thatotherdude24]

So true!!! I couldn't agree more!

Same thing with cars.....my $50,000 brand new truck is better than your $25,000 used truck.

How? We both drove to Walmart.


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[taz323]

I agree, if my device does what I need, when I need and is fast enough. That's all I care about.

[nikkisharif]

Same thing with cars.....my $50,000 brand new truck is better than your $25,000 used truck.

How? We both drove to Walmart.


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LOL I do have a car fetish, so during shows it definitely matters

I agree, if my device does what I need, when I need and is fast enough. That's all I care about.

Well said, Taz!! I think people forget about the simple things...does it work the way you need it to? That's all that matters

[thatotherdude24]

For speeds I think that's more carrier arguments than specific phones but it's hilarious to see somebody post a speed test on Facebook of 25mbps then somebody from a different carrier posts a screenshot of a 30mbps test saying how theirs is better.

I find it hilarious because at 25mbps you will not notice a difference from that to 30 and nobody needs even 25mbps for phone web browsing.


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[thatotherdude24]

LOL I do have a car fetish, so during shows it definitely matters

I gave a horrible example then


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[Highrisedrifter]

Out of the 'specs' of a phone, there are only a few things that really mean anything to anyone in a day-to-day world.

The primary concern seems to be "Is the battery going to last for the specific period I need it to last?" Which I would consider to be a completely valid and separate requirement to everything else. if the phone shuts off half way through your day then it's not much more than a pretty brick to look at and all the RAM or 1080p OLED screen won't make a damn bit of difference then.

The other thing is "Does it in every other way do what I need it to do when I need it to do it, without fuss?"

If you can answer yes to those two then you shouldn't give a tinker's cuss what RAM it has or whether it out-benchmarks Phone B.

Like Nikkisharif in the first post, i've seen this for myself time and time again.

[Jaguarr40]

I've noticed several threads and actual face to face discussions talking about specs and why the device they have doesn't produce the same "numbers" (battery life, bars, speed tests etc) as the device they use to have. In each of these instances, the common factor is a perfectly working device but people are so caught up in the numbers they can't enjoy it.

I use to be one of these people and I was never truly satisfied with the device I had. Now I just enjoy the features and how well the device works for MY needs. If the battery lasts from the time I unplug it in the morning until the time I get in the house that night, I'm content. I could care less what the numbers say.

What are your thoughts about the subject? Should specs be the end all be all?

Nikki you are so right and all I want to do with my iPhone 5S and iPad Mini Retina is 2 things... Use it and charge it.... Use it and charge it... That is all I care and while specs are nice I bought them for the 2 reasons I mentioned and so far they have not let me down. Thank you.

[acerace113]

Developers should be the only ones that care about phone specs.


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[Beyond Fire]

The only specs I care about is the size of the battery, since that is what keeps me going throughout the day and screen size/res since thats what I look at throughout the day. Apple has already proved that you don't need 10gb's of RAM and an over clocked Octacore CPU to run smoothly.

[Just_Me_D]

I've noticed several threads and actual face to face discussions talking about specs and why the device they have doesn't produce the same "numbers" (battery life, bars, speed tests etc) as the device they use to have. In each of these instances, the common factor is a perfectly working device but people are so caught up in the numbers they can't enjoy it.

I use to be one of these people and I was never truly satisfied with the device I had. Now I just enjoy the features and how well the device works for MY needs. If the battery lasts from the time I unplug it in the morning until the time I get in the house that night, I'm content. I could care less what the numbers say.

What are your thoughts about the subject? Should specs be the end all be all?

You are spot-on, Nikki. People do get caught up with specs more than they should. Case in point? Camera. Samsung, HTC and others are adding megapixels to their smartphone camera while Apple is maintaining an 8MP count and therefore, people are saying how behind the times the iPhone's camera is while totally ignoring how well the camera takes photos. Still, advertisers will take advantage of people's propensity to want the latest and greatest so they highlight the device's specs and ignore the fact that those same people will never understand or even use the highlighted specs...lol.

[Speedygi]

However, you see that most upgraded specs actually do provide a better, smoother experience for the users. Sometimes it amounts to less lag on more intensive tasks, or open up avenues for more intensive tasks to be possible. It's not like the specs have no real world benefits.

[mumfoau]

However, you see that most upgraded specs actually do provide a better, smoother experience for the users. Sometimes it amounts to less lag on more intensive tasks, or open up avenues for more intensive tasks to be possible. It's not like the specs have no real world benefits.

They do but I think the point is that Joe Consumer won't even get that deep into the spec sheet for most devices! The bloggers, YouTube sensation reviewers etc are more apt to delve into each entry on a data sheet.


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[rayz336]

I think people get caught up in specs but it's generally for a good reason. People don't want to get stuck with something that won't perform at the end of the day.

[iN8ter]

You are spot-on, Nikki. People do get caught up with specs more than they should. Case in point? Camera. Samsung, HTC and others are adding megapixels to their smartphone camera while Apple is maintaining an 8MP count and therefore, people are saying how behind the times the iPhone's camera is while totally ignoring how well the camera takes photos. Still, advertisers will take advantage of people's propensity to want the latest and greatest so they highlight the device's specs and ignore the fact that those same people will never understand or even use the highlighted specs...lol.

HTC uses a 4MP sensor for their Ultra pixel camera. Not sure what you mean there.

Samsung uses higher MP, but they also use high end dedicated ISP and processors, and their camera software is good and tailor able to almost any situation. The drawback is low light since you cannot have huge pixels at that resolution without a substantial increase in sensor size. The sensors are still more light sensitive and bigger than their predecessors, though, so they didn't just jam more resolution onto basically the same sensor (which a lot of people tend to act like they did)... Also, they're still innovating in other ways (Nokia PureView, Samsung ISOCELL, HTC UltraPixel and Duo, etc.) iPhone 5S had True Tone Flash (being fair, but phones like the M8 have already implemented that as well).

The only people still fighting the MP war are techies and super fans.

There is benefits and deficits to both.

Outdoor shots and those in good lighting, the Samsung devices win. Easily. In low light the iPhone will win.

The Samsung are better for video capture.

The iPhone is easier to operate (less options and modes, brainless navigation between them, auto HDR). But you can use Google Camera on a Samsung to get similar UX (or apps like Camera+ on the iPhone to gain capabilities there at the expense of ease of use).

It depends on what you demand of the device and which compromises you're willing to accept.

The MP are just the focus because they are the most obvious spec in the optics and have the easiest to discern impact on the photo output, typically.

For example you can get better landscape shots on a higher MP from far off due to how detailed the pictures are, as well as some superior panoramas - assuming the rest of the photo chain works well (and on phones from Samsung, Sony, Nokia it tends to deliver, for the most part).

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[Just_Me_D]

HTC uses a 4MP sensor for their Ultra pixel camera. Not sure what you mean there.

Samsung uses higher MP, but they also use high end dedicated ISP and processors, and their camera software is good and tailor able to almost any situation.

The only people still fighting the MP war are techies and super fans.

There is benefits and deficits to both.

Outdoor shots and those in good lighting, the Samsung devices win. Easily. In low light the iPhone will win.

The Samsung are better for video capture.

The iPhone is easier to operate (less options and modes, brainless navigation between them, auto HDR). But you can use Google Camera on a Samsung to get similar UX (or apps like Camera+ on the iPhone to gain capabilities there at the expense of ease of use).

It depends on what you demand of the device and which compromises you're willing to accept.

The MP are just the focus because they are the most obvious spec in the optics and have the easiest to discern impact on the photo output, typically.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 3 usibg Tapatalk.

Excellent point and thanks for the correction...

[theKHMERboy]

For me I just think people think way to much about phones and the specs and stuff.. There are all different types of phones and software a for a reason because people are all different and like different stuff. Yeah everyone likes to show off their newest and latest device but if you have the phone that you like and your comfortable with then it is the phone for you


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[Speedygi]

They do but I think the point is that Joe Consumer won't even get that deep into the spec sheet for most devices! The bloggers, YouTube sensation reviewers etc are more apt to delve into each entry on a data sheet.


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Now that's a little different, it is the job of the reviewers to dissect that information instead and present how those specs produce actual improvements. But even some actual video reviewers on YouTube nowadays fail to mention those specs and furthermore fail to expound upon them, what they are supposed to do anyways.

You see a lot of the public do those comparisons themselves, so maybe that explains the whole spec chasing thing a few people here have mentioned. It is really simple to me, they just want to see which phone will potentially work faster in the real world, nothing more.

[Coachbulldog]

I've always had three questions about any technology: (1) Can I depend on the tech product? (2) Is the tech product easy to use? (3) Does the tech product perform the tasks I need and want it to do? Since making the switch front BlackBerry three years ago, I would give the iPhone five stars in each of these categories.

It got to the point with BlackBerry that I could no longer depend on it. Numerous appearances of the "hourglass of doom" and endless battery pulls got to be too much. BlackBerry also no longer did what I needed and wanted from my phone. Poor camera and lack of apps made the decision to move to Apple's iPhone an easy one. The only tech specification I have any knowledge of is the size of storage so I know how much music and how many photos I can store on my phone. I also understand why battery life is important, but all of the tech numbers that describe the phones hardware mean very little to me. Dependable, easy to use, and does what I want/need it to do is all that matters.

[z33dev33l]

Not at all, my Lumia 920 with it's dated processor was running circles around every other device on the market when it came out and the specs were generally last year's model even when it first came out.

[Septembersrain]

The specs might initially draw me in but I've got my own reasoning. I've bought a lot of decent devices (5s for example) that just didn't jive with me. I care about the not only the functionality but the way it feels, looks, etc.

Buying a phone purely on specs happens but for me to keep them, they've got to have something more substantial.

I have to enjoy them.

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[Speedygi]

The specs might initially draw me in but I've got my own reasoning. I've bought a lot of decent devices (5s for example) that just didn't jive with me. I care about the not only the functionality but the way it feels, looks, etc.

Buying a phone purely on specs happens but for me to keep them, they've got to have something more substantial.

I have to enjoy them.

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Yup, and that's exactly why you went with the 5c...instead of a 5s, anyone else probably would have done the opposite, so that speaks volumes...

[Septembersrain]

Yup, and that's exactly why you went with the 5c...instead of a 5s, anyone else probably would have done the opposite, so that speaks volumes...

It's crazy but the blue color, it brings variety to my life. When I see it, I smile. There are so many pretty little cases and trinkets for it. I'm not usually very girly but this phone lets me be that...

My Note 3 is like a tablet. Only small enough to take with me everywhere. I do use the pen, though not very creatively. Haha.

My BlackBerry Z10 is a great phone but the battery life, I've had enough. It's my primary line and I don't have the patience to keep it near a charger.

Which is why I'm awaiting my Z30 today. =]


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