Why I'm Done With "Objective" Tech Reviews

A few weeks back I posted a video comparing the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to the Oppo Find N5. Despite the fact that much of the ground I would cover comparing those two phones can only be described as at least partially subjective opinion I tried my best to step outside the bounds of my own preferences and grade things as objectively as I could. For instance I awarded Oppo the category for screens despite the fact that I prefer the screens on the Fold 7. My reasoning was that if you break the screens down into subcategories Oppo won more of those.

I thought by doing this I was creating more value for my viewers but after some reflection I no longer think this. I think that on some level I was also trying to stifle arguments and accusations in the comments by being as “fair” as I possibly could be. Of course, that didn’t work either.

If you have seen my recent one-month review for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 you may have noticed that there is nothing like this at all. I simply explained how I felt about many facets of that phone and did not concern myself with whether or not something was my opinion or if it was some sort of objective truth.

Here's the reality: I just don't think that there is a good way to evaluate characteristics of a phone in a way that does not inject personal opinion. The more you excise your opinion from the evaluation the closer you get to just reading a spec sheet and there's absolutely no value in that. Going forward I'm just going to give you my opinions. I'm going to make it clear that it is my opinion as often as I can without being annoying, but I'm not going to concern myself with whether or not my opinion is going to run afoul of someone else's or conjure up all sorts of personal insults in the comment section.

If I tell you that I like the camera on a phone and you tell me that it's the worst camera on any phone ever, that's cool. That's just like your opinion, man.

When I was younger and I played more video games I found a game reviewer who seemed to generally like what I liked and dislike what I disliked. Because of that I knew that if he said a game was great I would probably enjoy it. Some of you will feel that way about me. Some of you will feel the exact opposite. You'll know that we're nothing alike and if I like something you're probably going to dislike it. I'm just going to trust you guys to be mature enough and intelligent enough to understand that when I say the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is my current favorite foldable that does not mean I am declaring that it is the best and if you like a different one you're wrong. For those of you who can’t handle that, enjoy your time in the shadow realm.