Hey.
Not so long ago, we published material from Roman Belykh (My optimal smartphone in 2k19), in which he discusses what the optimal smartphone should be from his point of view.
At the very beginning of the text there is an amendment stating that such a smartphone is unlikely to be found, since it most likely does not exist. Despite the accuracy of this statement, I believe that I found such a smartphone for myself, and it happened unexpectedly and mostly by accident.
And this significant event happened exactly at the moment when I decided to close my eyes to my own prejudices.
Despite the peculiarities of the 'profession', which allows you to test a lot of devices from different manufacturers and study them not only externally, but also internally, which means that you can evaluate a very wide range of models and manufacturers, over time for everyone who works in this area, one way or another, its own table of ranks is formed, in which smartphones occupy certain places primarily on the basis of 'like the devices of this manufacturer'.
This position is not formed immediately. This is usually preceded by a long period of evaluation and comparison, which results in commitment to a particular vendor.
The weak link in this process is the specific time at which attachment is formed, which ultimately can affect objectivity.
Let me explain in more detail. For example, today manufacturer 'A' is an industry leader, style icon and trendsetter. Using the devices of this manufacturer, willy-nilly, you begin to get used to a certain level of comfort, the logic of the system's operation, capabilities, design, and you project it onto other manufacturers. And you also evaluate other manufacturers in terms of their position in the market at the time of the formation of attachment.
As a result, when the state of affairs in the market changes and the past leaders turn out to be not so leaders, the stereotype formed earlier may not allow to take a fresh look at the products of yesterday's representatives of the second echelon.
In my case, this happened with one Chinese company, which at one fine moment decided to become the sole leader and joined the race for the first place in the market, so much so that only chips flew from many of yesterday's leaders.
Despite the obvious progress and the qualitative breakthrough that the products of this manufacturer made in a very short time, the stereotype that 'this is a Chinese vendor' remained in the mind for a long time. This is what prevented the smartphones of this manufacturer from being considered as their next 'ideal smartphone'.
For some reason, the thought persisted in my head that they were sure to save somewhere in something, which means that there must be a compromise, and it can become a stumbling block that will not give the expected positive customer experience, and therefore, satisfaction with the product .
Source: www.engadget.com
However, the choice is given to be able to make it. But before that, it is imperative to weigh the pros and cons, and also to sort out your Wishlist on the shelves. It turned out to be easy, especially since the Wishlist has not changed for several years now:
- My ideal smartphone must be water resistant.
For many, this is a controversial parameter, and someone quite justifiably may argue that protection from water may never come in handy. Yes, I agree, but I still think that it is better for it to be, even if your leisure time is not as extreme as, for example, mine. Indeed, today a smartphone is an integral part of life, which means that it is necessary to be able to use this important part of life without experiencing discomfort due to such simple and frequent phenomena as rain, dirty hands, an accidentally spilled compote or a bathroom.
It is for this parameter that many smartphones from different manufacturers, very successful in other parameters, did not fit me. And every time I regretfully look at how a very successful device enters the market, which at the same time does not have protection against water.
- My ideal smartphone should have a comfortable body size with good ergonomics.
In other words, the smartphone should be comfortable in the hand without causing any discomfort. At one time, I was completely delighted with the case of the Samsung Galaxy S8, which turned out to be perfect both in terms of size and proportions. In particular, I really liked the narrow body, which made it possible to comfortably use the smartphone with one hand. It is gratifying that the fashion for the sausage case was picked up by other manufacturers, who began to experiment with the dimensions and proportions of their smartphones and produce narrow devices. Empirically I found out that the maximum width, after which the comfort disappears, is 73 mm. Ideally, of course, 69-71 mm.
- My ideal smartphone should have an Amoled screen.
Everything is simple here – I don't have problems with PWM, I don't cry in the corner from the 'terrible PenTile' and I don't even gouge my eyes out because of the bright, sometimes oversaturated colors.
- My ideal smartphone should have a large battery.
It is not so much milliamps / hour that are important here, but the real battery life. It is important for me that the smartphone live until late at night with 6-6.5 hours of screen glow.
- My ideal smartphone should have a great quality camera.
And both a photo and a video, both the main one and the selfie. Yes, I am one of those for whom quality and selfie cameras are important, since sometimes it is convenient to take a picture with a selfie camera so that you do not have to aim yourself at the main one or take out the monopod, and I am not ashamed to admit it.
- My ideal smartphone should support wireless charging.
A nice addition that you get used to very quickly. And its absence starts to cause discomfort when, instead of just putting the phone on the base, you have to look for the end of the cable, and then stick it into the phone. Yes, perhaps one can argue on this point – he is completely lazy, he is too lazy to stick a cable. Maybe. But on the other hand, why endure discomfort when you can not tolerate it. And for many manufacturers this feature has become synonymous with the word 'flagship'.
- Well, for dessert, one item, the absence of which in Samsung devices since the seventh generation has been poisoning my life for a very long time, is the infrared port.
Yes, nonsense, yes, little thing. But this is a trifle that is sorely lacking in public places, hotels, cafes, etc., when you cannot turn off the air conditioner blowing in your neck, muffle the screaming voice of the next 'Kiselev' TV.
For almost all of these parameters, Samsung devices suited me for a long time, since they almost completely covered my needs, giving for an adequate price tag (especially for devices of the previous generation) a full set of features that other manufacturers could not boast of.
But finding the perfect geek device is more than a search. This is a hobby, and a process that gives pleasure, and somewhere even leisure. And search for that and search, so as not to stop.
At the same time, there were even attempts to run over to the enemy, 'fruit' camp through the purchase of iPhone X, but this experiment ended in a complete fiasco literally two weeks later, exactly at the moment of realizing that the device for a significantly higher cost can significantly less and technologically lags behind the current 'robots' for years.
And all this time, I biasedly looked at the devices of the same manufacturer who began the expansion into the electronics market. As you may have guessed long ago, we are talking about Huawei.
For the first time, I began to consider the possibility of buying a smartphone from this Chinese company with the release of Honor 10. Yes, Honor is not quite Huawei, but de facto this is one and the same the same.
However, then I found too many 'buts' for myself, which outweighed the desire to try something new. Then there was the sensational P20 Pro with its photo capabilities Huawei, which did not suit me only in the size of the case. Namely, the width. That, however, did not prevent me from becoming the owner of the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus in the future. Yes, L – logic …?
But he was all right with the rest of the items, including the infrared port, which is of paramount importance to me.
And then came the Mate 20 Pro, which raised the bar even higher. It was at that moment that I seriously thought about revising my attitude towards the devices of this Chinese already A-brand and began to closely follow its product line.
And what was my disappointment when the next compact version of the flagship, the P30, was deprived of water protection. This crossed out all the other outstanding parameters of the device. What about the P30 Pro? The size. Well, the price tag.
It was at this moment that I remembered about last year's Mate 20 Pro, which is almost in no way inferior to the P30 Pro and at the same time has more convenient dimensions, and is also offered at a much more attractive price. It turns out that this last year's flagship turned out to be the most interesting offer on the market in terms of price / opportunity ratio. Apparently, this is why Huawei urgently curtailed the production of this model, so that it does not eat off the sales of the current flagship, which turned out to be only slightly better. This is also supported by the positioning of the company's rulers, where Mate occupies a position above the P.
Hence the logical thought – why overpay for the P 30 Pro, when you can buy the Mate 20 Pro, which is almost equal to it at an attractive price? This is exactly the question I asked myself when I was thinking about which one Huawei to buy.
But if you're a geek, you can't just go to the store and buy your favorite smartphone. Before that, you need to study the forums for nuances and pitfalls, which could not be avoided in the case of the Mate 20 Pro. The fault is the so-called 'Hulk' – a green display at the edges.
Source: www.slashgear.com
Perhaps this is the only serious drawback and risk. Yes, phones with a green screen are easily repaired under warranty, after which the effect does not return, but the fact itself is unpleasant. At the same time, there is an opportunity to avoid such a problem, since forum visitors collected statistics, thanks to which it became clear that the Hulk problem affects versions of the smartphone that have production display matrices LG, which were installed in the first batches of the device. In addition to the matrices LG, in the production of the smartphone, display matrices from BOE were also used, which were not seen in the greenery.
It is possible to check this parameter before purchasing. To do this, you need to install a special utility on your smartphone, which will show which display is used in this particular smartphone, LG or BOE. Also on the forum it was found out that the matrices LG are found in early batches, produced before mid-January 2019. Therefore, if the smartphone is manufactured after January, the risk is minimal. However, it is still worth checking.
For me personally, as a person directly related to the repair, the prospect of the repair itself is not a critical reason to refuse to buy, since if the repair was made at an official service center using original spare parts, the risk of getting a device with a defect tends to zero. And even if we are talking about a waterproof device.
After weighing all the pros and cons, as well as using the device for a couple of days (asked for a while), I decided to give a chance to the Chinese manufacturer and ordered myself Huawei Mate 20 Pro, which is still coming to me, but as soon as it arrives, almost immediately the baptism of fire will take place on a trip to the sea, where he will certainly be immersed in this sea.
And finally, a few words about the purchase.
There are several options.
- Official retail with a relatively high price tag. From the pros – a guarantee, which, given the history of the screen, will be useful.
- Buying the PCT version from hand at a very humane price. Of the advantages – the availability of a guarantee and the ability to check the version of the screen on the spot. Of the minuses is the incomprehensible history of the device.
- An order in a foreign online store, for example, on computeruniverse.ru (not advertising), at a price that does not greatly exceed the price of a handheld device, which is an undoubted plus, given that you will receive a completely new device. Among the disadvantages of this method is a confused guarantee with the need to send the device back to the store (within the first 6 months after the purchase, the store will compensate the shipping cost, later it will not).
- Purchase of a new device from servo carriers in the Russian Federation. Most likely, it will be Eurotest, which automatically adds all the disadvantages of the second and third methods, except for the possibility of a seller's guarantee (a dubious pleasure).
My choice fell on the order in Computeruniverse.
In my choice, I was guided by statistics showing that the Hulk appears in the first couple of months, or even a couple of weeks of using the device, which means, if something happens, I will have time for free delivery. Well, and the fact that the guarantee will be European, and I often visit Europe and on occasion I can repair the device, as they say, on the spot.
It remains only to wait for the purchase and develop new habits. I hope the Chinese manufacturer will not disappoint me, as the Korean manufacturer did not disappoint in its time.