As consumers in today’s society, we all have to be weary of advertisements and claims. The public has a perception that advertisers are willing to mislead to a certain extent to create a non-existent need into a want. I’m going to discuss a relatively unpublicized issue in an area I’m really interested in: Smartphones.
Approximately six months ago, I was in the market for a new Smartphone. After reading reviews, blogs, and watching videos on YouTube, I ultimately decided on the HTC One S. It’s a fabulous phone. It has a sleek design, accompanied with industry leading performance with its new “Snapdragon S4” processor. I was pretty satisfied with the phone, until I came across a post on Engadget, a popular electronics blog, that claimed that HTC was utilizing a vastly inferior “Snapdragon S3” processor in an INDENTICALLY named phone in select markets. According to Engadget, HTC insisted that that it would “provide consumers [with] the same experience”, but this is not so according to tests. Although benchmarks do not translate exactly into real life performance standards, I was outraged as a phone enthusiast that HTC pulled a bait and switch maneuver. I understand that my area (Canada) was not affected, but overall, it repels me from HTC knowing that they used the goodwill of the positive reviews to sell an inferior product to select consumers. HTC made no attempt to distinguish the two models, even selling them at identical prices.
Back in June 2012, the Snapdragon S4 was the newest processor available, and therefore it had severe supply issues. HTC should have delayed the roll out of the One S to prevent confusion. As a person whom many friends consult for phone advice, I find it difficult to recommend HTC any further. Although I truly love my HTC One S, the actions of HTC rubbed many enthusiasts, including myself, the wrong way. We would be far more hesitant to recommend HTC phones now.
