The Downgrade Test (Premium)

Different people approach tech hardware and software reviews differently, and we all have different respective levels of experience on which to fall back. But despite having reviewed software for over 25 years and PCs and other hardware devices for over 20 years, I still struggle sometimes to arrive at a complete understanding of the products. I would like what I write to be useful to others.

This explains why some of these reviews take so long, in part: I really do stress over that. But there’s a side issue with any review that relates to one’s personal needs. That is, I review products for readers. But I also evaluate them for myself. And in doing both, I often find comparing a product against some of the competition that I’ve also used.

Sometimes, I even look at much older, well-worn products that have stood the test of time to some degree.

For example, I recently picked up my 8-year-old Nokia Lumia 1020, which I remember fondly for its stunning rear camera and for pushing me off standalone digital cameras. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of yesteryear, but the Lumia 1020, for all its photographic wonder, is impractical today. And not just because of the underlying platform: That camera was slower than molasses when it was new, let alone now. More importantly, the 1020 camera was long ago surpassed by more modern camera systems with multiple lenses and advanced computational photography capabilities. Some may disagree with that, but it’s perhaps a bit too easy to confuse familiarity and nostalgia for “better.”

Comparing a new handset---like the OnePlus 9 and 9 Plus that I’m currently reviewing---to an ancient classic may be interesting on some level, and I’m sure at least some of you have seen YouTube videos like that. But comparing new handsets to their contemporaries---premium handsets from companies like Apple and Samsung---obviously makes a lot more sense. And that is what we more typically see from such reviews today, either explicitly or just in the sense that any assessment of a tech product would be---as it should be---colored by our previous experiences with other similar products.

That’s great, and it’s relevant. But I feel like there’s another kind of test that is equally valid, and this occurs to me in those rare moments when I review a product that I find myself liking enough to consider using full-time, replacing whatever solution I was already using. That’s when a review gets personal, when my mind narrows from its focus on the greater user base to what kinds of problems it might solve for me. Is this a product I enjoy so much that I would disrupt what I’m doing to make a change?

The test I’m referring to is what I call the downgrade test. The idea here is that in order to make a switch, the new thing must be obviously better than the old thing. And the way to really understand that is to pick up the old thing again, use it, and see whether you miss the new thin...