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Hey, Galaxy Note 9 owners: We want to hear from you
It's been four months since we reviewed Samsung's Galaxy Note 9, a handset that earned an unusually high score of 92. Since then, the phone has racked up a strong army of fans. When we tested it, we found it "lived up to its lofty expectations" with a large, brilliant AMOLED screen, significantly improved S Pen functionalities and an improved battery life that lasted around two days, on average. We also enjoyed the water resistance, fast Snapdragon 845 chip and the updated camera features. However, we were a little disappointed that the phone shipped with an outdated OS (Android Oreo). We also were less than impressed with Bixby, which reviewer Cherlynn Low said is "still kind of a mess." But that was our experience -- now we want to hear yours. A few of you have already submitted some thoughtful reviews of the Note 9 and have given the handset some outstanding scores, but we'd like to hear from even more real-world users. Are you using DeX mode much? Is the Intelligent Scan unlock feature working flawlessly for you? (Or does it fumble occasionally?) And how bad is Bixby, really? Share all your opinions and impressions on our Galaxy Note 9 database page and give it the score you think it deserves. Note: Comments have been turned off for this post, please submit your thoughts on the Galaxy Note 9 product page!
Tell us about your experiences with the Pixel 3 and 3 XL!
When Google released its latest Pixel phones back in October, we suggested in our review that the company had played it safe with the hardware. Even so, Android Pie (not to mention the Pixel-specific software tweaks Google made) are valuable enough that the Pixel 3 and 3 XL are worth their $799-plus asking price. With features such as transcribing voicemail calls, expanded screen-time controls and dedicated image processing chips, the Pixel 3 and 3 XL earned impressive scores of 90 and 89, respectively. But we'd like to hear from those of you who actually bought either of these two handsets. Write your own review of these flagship smartphones on Engadget's product pages and weigh in on how they're working for you. You had a lot to say in the comments -- now it's your turn to tell us if you really hate that notch and if the photography features are worth upgrading for. Note: comments have been turned off for this post; please go to the Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL review pages to leave your thoughts!
Apple fans: Tell us what you think of the Apple Watch Series 4
Apple's fourth and most recent smartwatch has been out for a few months, and in our review we deemed the device "bigger and better in every way that counts" and a "fleshed-out, worthy device in its own right." It earned a solid score of 87 thanks to its improved screen, new heart monitoring features and fun Walkie-Talkie conversations. In the course of testing the watch, we found the larger screen to be more immersive, resulting in fewer erroneous taps. The speaker is also louder (useful for Siri commands) and watchOS 5 performs snappily. Now we want to hear from you, the people who bought the thing. Does the edge-to-edge screen and more powerful processor make the Series 4 worth the upgrade? Have the advanced heart monitoring features been at all useful? Share your experiences over on our Apple Watch Series 4 buyer's guide page and let your fellow readers know how well the watch stacks up. Comments have been turned off for this post; please go to our Apple Watch Series 4 page to weigh in!
Here's what our readers think of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus aren't going to wow you with a new design -- that's not the point of Apple's 's' phones. Instead, they offer a lot of under-the-hood updates, including a faster processor, better cameras and the addition of a pressure-sensitive 3D Touch, leading our reviewer Chris Velazco to call the two phones "more than just a modest refresh." Now that many of our readers have gotten their mitts on one, we've taken a look at the user reviews to find out if the 6s and 6s Plus truly constitute a "worthy upgrade."
Tell us how you really feel about the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
It's been a week since the release of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and while this is an "s" year -- meaning a lot of subtle changes instead of a big redesign -- there's still a lot to like about this year's models. We appreciated the speedier Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and the optical image stabilization in the 6s Plus proved handy with video recording. But our reviewer Chris Velazco came away most impressed with 3D Touch, a "tremendously useful tool" that he "wanted to use all the time." And now we'd like to know if our readers agree. Plenty of you have upgraded to one of Apple's new phones in the past week, and now we're giving you an opportunity to tell us what your experience has been so far. Write a review in our product database for the 6s or 6s Plus and we'll feature some of the best ones in a future post.
Tell us how you really feel about iOS 9
Sure, new iPhones are being released today, but plenty of you have already made the jump to iOS 9. And, while we loved its refinements enough to call it "a must-have update," we'd like to know how it's faring out in the wild with our readers. Head on over to the Engadget database page to let us know what you think of all the improvements, including smarter Siri features, Slide Over multitasking and the Apple News app. Then, we'll feature some of your more eloquent and astute comments in a future post.
Here's what our readers think of Windows 10
Three weeks have passed since Windows 10 became available for download and, judging by the user reviews left on our product page, it's been one hell of a start. While many users seemed to agree with our positive assessment, a few of you inundated us with tales of woe, ranging from installation issues to slowdowns to crashing apps. We've gathered together some of the best reader reviews below to find out if Windows 10 really is a "must have" upgrade now, or if some of you might be better off waiting for a few of the kinks to be ironed out.
Tell us how you really feel about Windows 10
Windows 10 became available for download last week, and in our review we hailed it as the "most refined desktop experience ever from Microsoft." We were able to recommend it "without any hesitation," and with free upgrades for Windows 7 and 8 users, there are plenty of reasons to give it a shot. Sure, a few other outlets have reported running into some bugs, which might be a good reason to hold back. But that didn't stop over 14 million people from making the leap within the first 24 hours. So, we'd like to know what our intrepid readers think. Write us a user review on Engadget's Windows 10 database page to tell us all about the highs and lows of what Microsoft is calling "the last version of Windows ever," and we'll feature the most interesting or insightful ones in an upcoming post.
Here's what our readers think of the Fitbit Surge
Even as other companies plow ahead with their plans to put a smartwatch on every wrist, Fitbit is staying focused on fitness tracking via simpler wearables like the Flex and the Charge/Charge HR. But that doesn't mean the company is content with being outshone. With the Surge, Fitbit upped its game not just by including standard activity and sleep tracking, but also by packing in a GPS radio for more serious runners. However, despite those ambitions, we found it mildly cumbersome and lacking compared to more robust options from Polar, Garmin and TomTom. Indeed, we recommended it mostly for users "willing to sacrifice some style and comfort in the name of best-in-class step counting and sleep tracking." But judging from the reviews on the Surge's product page, it hasn't quite mastered the latter either.
Here's what our readers think of OS X Yosemite
The public beta of OS X El Capitan might be out now, but plenty of users will continue using OS X Yosemite through the fall and beyond. And at first glance that's just fine: In our own review we called Yosemite "a solid update for Mac users" that offered a "clean new design" and close integration with iOS devices. However, quite a few of our readers disagreed. Almost 30 of you chimed in on Yosemite's product database page to give this iteration of OS X a user score of 4.8 out of 10, possibly making it the most contentious product on our site. What is it about Yosemite that makes it more shaky than solid for many users?
Tell us how you really feel about the New 3DS and 3DS XL
With E3 starting next week, we're going to hear plenty of news from companies like Microsoft, Sony and yes, Nintendo. The company's Digital Event on June 16th promises new games for the handheld 3DS, making this a great time to upgrade to a New 3DS or 3DS XL. The latest 3DS offers improved 3D capabilities, built-in NFC support for your Amiibo figures and even a new C stick and ZL and ZR buttons for more control options. Nintendo has also said that some future games will only work on a new 3DS, making an upgrade necessary if you want to play some of the latest titles. While we certainly enjoyed the New 3DS' added features in our review, we'd like to know how it actually worked out for our readers. If you've picked up a New 3DS or 3DS XL since its release, let us know how you've been enjoying it by writing a review on its product page. We'll do a roundup of the best user reviews to find out if this upgrade is worth your hard-earned scratch.
Here's what our readers think of the Apple Watch
Long-awaited and eagerly anticipated by many, the Apple Watch finally arrived in April to fairly positive reviews. In our own write-up of Apple's first wearable, we admired its construction, calling it the finest we've ever seen from a smartwatch and similar to "something made by Tag Heuer or Cartier." In use, we found it "straightforward, if not always intuitive" with good notifications and comprehensive activity-tracking abilities. However, we had our reservations, noting that while it was the nicest smartwatch available, it wasn't very revolutionary and as such: "It's probably not compelling enough to buy one." But many of you did buy one, and you let us know in your reviews whether you were amazed by its capabilities or merely found it acceptable for a first-generation product.
Here's what our readers think of the BlackBerry Passport
Though BlackBerry has been trying its hand at touchscreen devices like the Z30 and the recently reviewed Leap, it hasn't left keyboard devotees behind just yet. Released last fall, the BlackBerry Passport combines a square screen with a three-row keyboard. Our review noted that the oddly shaped screen provides "a good viewing experience" and the keyboard is "an impressive feat of engineering." However, though the keyboard is "a powerful tool," the unusual dimensions make one-handed use awkward and the app ecosystem is still rather small. Most damning is the fact that the device's signature feature, the keyboard, "isn't among BlackBerry's best." But that's from the perspective of someone who had to type out a review entirely on the keyboard. Plenty of our readers have chimed in about their own Passport experiences to let us know how it fares in the hands of the common office worker and beyond.
Here's what our readers think of the Amazon Echo
Amazon seems determined to inch its way into every aspect of our lives. The company already has a phone, a set-top box and an entire line of tablets. But what about when you're nowhere near any such devices? Earlier this week Amazon introduced Dash, allowing you to order household products with the touch of a button. However, last year Amazon also released the Echo, a wireless speaker that doubles as a voice-activated personal assistant named Alexa. Need to play music, search the web or -- wait for it -- order products from Amazon? Ask and Alexa will make it happen. If having a virtual servant didn't already make you feel posh, it should be noted that the Amazon Echo ($199, or $99 currently for Prime members) is still an invitation-only product, making units hard to come by. Thus, we turn to our readers to find out if Alexa is your go-to gal, or if this is a waiting list you're better off skipping.
Here's what our readers think of the iPhone 6 Plus
Though the iPhone has always been a good (if not great) product, one area where it was lacking was size. If you wanted a bigger screen, you had to pick up an Android device. And plenty of people did, which is why Apple finally entered the fray last year with the iPhone 6 Plus. We really liked its camera and its beautiful display, though we found that the larger size "can fatigue even the biggest of hands if you hold on long enough." But while we didn't find the iPhone 6 Plus groundbreaking, we did note it brought much-needed freshness to Apple's lineup. But how did the 6 Plus' larger dimensions and updated design fare with consumers? Our readers were ready to let us know, writing reviews on the 6 Plus' product page to show us how this 5.5-inch device felt in their own hands.
Here's what our readers think of the Microsoft Band
When we originally reviewed the Microsoft Band, we felt it was more a proof of concept than an actual consumer product. We liked the potential of Microsoft Health as a cross-platform service that went beyond fitness to track your lifestyle for a more comprehensive picture of overall wellness. But we found the hardware to be lacking in one key area: comfort. In particular, we described it as "an ergonomic nightmare," and we weren't alone in our assessment. PC Mag called it "wildly uncomfortable" while CNET compared it to a shackle or handcuff.
Here's what our readers think of the Moto X (2014)
In his review of the second-generation Moto X last September, our Senior Mobile Editor Chris Velazco called it "a huge step forward from last year's model." He complimented the seamless feel of the edges and thought its improved OLED screen was "one of the nicest smartphone screens I've seen in a while." But not everything was pure love with the 2014 Moto X. The battery can squeeze out a day at most, and the front camera fails to be "consistently good" and is often slow to focus, with photos full of grain. But in spite of these flaws, Chris felt that the new Moto X "earned itself a spot in the pantheon of smartphone greats." That's a pretty big proclamation to make; how well does it hold up? To find out, we turn to the discerning opinions of our loyal readers, who have taken to the product database page for the 2014 Moto X to share their own experiences with the phone. With a user average of 9.2, it was a definite improvement over the original Moto X (which averaged a score of 8.8), but would they agree with our reviewer's assessments?
Tell us how you really feel about the Microsoft Band
When we published our list of Engadget's lowest-scored gadgets last month, quite a few readers took issue with the inclusion of the Microsoft Band on that list. In our original review, we dinged it for its poor battery life and for being incredibly uncomfortable, knocking the Band down to a score of 65 and placing it near the bottom of products we evaluated in 2014. But in the end, our review is really just one experience with Microsoft's new fitness tracker. Now we'd like to hear what you, our readers, thought of the Microsoft Band. Was it comfortable on your wrist? Do you love the plethora of sensors offered in the device? How do you feel about the Microsoft Health service? Leave your thoughts in a review on the product page for the Microsoft Band, and we'll feature the most interesting and insightful comments in a future post.
Here's what our readers are saying about the Moto 360
When Android Wear was announced back in March, we asked our readers in a poll which of the first two launch devices they wanted: the Moto 360 or the LG G Watch. The Moto 360 won hands down, by a three-to-one ratio. That anticipation only increased as competing Android Wear products hit the market first. The Moto 360 was finally released in September, and we gave it a score of 76 in our own review, saying Motorola's smartwatch "outclasses everything else on the market" and dubbed it "the Android Wear watch to beat." Now that this highly coveted wearable has been out for a while, how does it hold up to your scrutiny? We took a look at the user reviews you left us on the Moto 360's Engadget product page to find out where it delivered -- and where it stumbled.
Here's what our readers are saying about the Galaxy Note 4
Apple may have just stepped into the larger phone market this fall with the iPhone 6 Plus, but Samsung's Galaxy Note line of Android devices is currently in its fourth generation. Our own review of this 5.7-inch "phablet" noted how it's been given a chance to "grow, mature and dominate the genre." In fact, we called it "the best large-screen phone on the market." But does our proclamation hold up now that plenty of other people have gotten their paws on this S Pen-enabled workhorse? To find out, we've taken a look at the reviews that you, our readers, have left us on the Galaxy Note 4's product page over in our database.
