Mobile phone make arguments
 

I may be in the market for a new mobile (or a new to me mobile!).

So I have been keeping eyes on a popular UK bargain website with the words hot and deals in the title to see whats around.

I am surprised and disappointed in what I read. There is a great deal of fanboy oneupmanship going on in the world of mobile phones. Someone posts a mobile deal and immediately camps come forward to either support or attack the phone and its maker. Its not as simple as the old days of Spectrum V C64 or even Deep Purple V Led Zeppelin. Oh no its much or complicated than that.

It starts at the basic IOS v Android. The apple lovers V the apple haters.

But the world of Android itself goes deep. Samsung V Oneplus V Grey Chinese imports

People start quoting facts that may or indeed may not be facts or opinions. How pop out cameras on mobiles are either the future or a dust gathering unneeded extra. The version of android operating system is it would appear a source of conflict. How the model 3 before the current model worked last year and is therefore evidence of how the new model with work.

So I try to look at review sites. However these are equally clouded in mystery. Firstly they all have pop ups of things I don't want to see and I have pop ups disabled. Every site I now goes to wants me to accept or change my cookie preferences everytime I go to it. Can I actually believe the review. Are they being paid for them and frankly just who are the people reviewing them. I bought a magazine called what mobile but that was so glossy it blinded me when I opened it. Not so much a magazine it seems but more of a series of paid advertisements.

I have no idea where to look. If I write down what I need a phone for, what I use it for currently then frankly I don't need to change at all, except that there is a built in obsolesence to my phones. They can't get the latest operating system. The apps will no longer work unless you get the newer models.

I pay for 5 sim only deals at the moment. How that happened I have no idea. Only one is mine but I pay for the rest of the family. I struggle right now to remember exactly which networks I have contracts with. I know that some are cheap others more expensive with student amounts of data on them.

Is there anywhere that offers easy to understand objective reviews of mobile technology?

I’m not sure about straight up reviews - Tbh the mobile phone industry is big bucks these days, and yes people are gifted devices or sent them on the promise of a review - some paid even. If your not worried about keeping up - my sister just got a google pixel 3a and it’s a fab little phone - great camera - and ok the lower end of phone madness (£25 a month or something from mobiles.co.uk)
I will day o2 tend to be money grabbing pirates when you go direct to them so try mobiles.co.uk or carphone warehouse if you want o2
Money supermarket have a price comparison thing too.
iPhones - the se and 6s are the earliest model supported on the new iOS - so them and the 7 are due to be obsolete in the next 2/3 years (thanks apple) so if your an apple fan (I am ios with my iPad and phone) is go for an 8 or better (which unfortunately will cost you)

If you're looking for an Android phone, I would persoanlly only look at Oneplus or the Google Pixel's. The reason for that is that run vanilla android (or as close as possible in the case of the Oneplus).

Manufacturers put their own versions of android on the phones which can cuase real performance issues and delay the release of new updates

I have a Motorola G6. I had another Motorola before that and I bought it because Expert Reviews said it was the best combination of decent performance and low cost. I loved it so when it came time to replace it I stayed with Motorola and got a great deal from John Lewis. It was less than £200 but appears to be able to do everything that more expensive androids or iPhones can do.

Thanks for replies so far.

Sorry I mustn't have been clear. I'm not looking for recommendations for phones. I'm looking for a website/s which provides truthful reviews of phones.

I would never buy a phone with a sim as I feel it hides the true cost and I can get better sim only deals. I always buy phones separately.

T3 and TechRadar have good balanced reviews.

I got a Motorola G6 to replace a phone o broke just last week. It’s now less than £100 and fab.

Agree about TechRadar. Usually my first go to site when looking at a new tech purchase.

As the OP says, it is annoying with people defending their phone of choice to the hilt.

I have two requirements in a phone. Replaceable battery and sd card expansion. If it has those then its gravy.

And a decent (however that is defined) camera.