Wired’s ‘4 Best Smartphones’ list omits iPhone X
Wired published a list of ‘The 4 Best Smartphones Money Can Buy In 2018’ earlier today, crowning Google Pixel 2 as ‘the best overall’, while ommitting iPhone X.
Jeffrey Van Camp for Wired:
There are a lot of good reasons people may choose iOS over Android, but right now Google’s Pixel 2 and larger Pixel 2 XL are our picks for best overall smartphone. Google has made it super easy to buy its flagship phones unlocked, and all Pixel phones get security and software updates direct like clockwork.
Well kudos to Google for doing what Apple has always done. I still wouldn’t go near a Pixel phone. Google is way too early of a hardware manufacturer to be trusted (privacy reasons aside).
Jeffrey on the exclusion of iPhone X:
While we love the spiffy iPhone X, let’s get down to brass tacks: the cheaper iPhone 8 (and iPhone 8 Plus) are virtually identical in the ways that count.
Define ‘ways that count’. If he means specific components, then yes, there are core similarities. However, there are also core differences in terms of components (i.e. TrueDepth camera system and edge-to-edge screen). These components result in the individual user experiences of both models being radically different. There are even key UI elements that are different. If Jeffrey is saying these aren’t ‘ways that count’, then he’s missing the big picture. iPhone X isn’t just the future, it feels like the future. iPhone 8 is likely the last iteration of a tried-and-true 11 year old design. Let’s not pretend its going to be sticking around forever like the headphone jack. 1
While I think iPhone X is for everyone, not everyone may be ready for iPhone X. But to omit it completely is folly. In truth, iPhone 8/8 Plus and iPhone X all deserve to be on this list.
- Jeffrey also groans at the lack of a headphone jack across both Pixel and iPhone. ↩
