Electronics Accessories: Why We Don’t Review Everything
A brief explanation of why we don’t review all electronic accessories submitted to us, and some things we look out for when selecting quality products to test that you can use in your own search.
Why do we not review the vast majority of these products?
Our reasoning is simple:
With the extreme turnover rate within smartphone technology and manufacturer model offerings, often bespoke attributes like screen-size, charging capacity or technology, audio ports and waterproofing change significantly between models. Therefore, accessories made specific to a model may not be applicable to the next generation, giving a very tight window for their relevancy. Add onto this the over-saturation of manufacturers making cheap versions with different variations of the same accessory (for example, colors, lengths and amperage ratings for charging cables), and you have an extremely wide array of products with minimal variation that need testing within a very short period of relevancy.
Are there exceptions to this rule?
Absolutely. Charging banks and wireless chargers have more diverse applications, so we have an ongoing interest. Cables that offer swappable heads, outlet adapters, anything with a modular system that can be added onto in the future; all items that are interesting because their relevancy is not dependent on a single parent product.
Tips for Picking Electronic Accessory Products
Buy warrantied products to prevent against unnecessary disposal. Often if a product is warrantied the manufacturer they will recycle broken or disposed products for reuse, giving you, the consumer, both a replacement and a sustainable end to the damaged product.
Buy from name brand manufacturers. While many generic alternatives will appear that have hundreds of thousands of positive reviews on third party selling websites, often these numbers are inflated to sell a cheaper product that cuts corners in quality. Name brand manufacturers are also your best bet to find warrantied products if the marketplace you buy from does not offer a replacement guarantee.
Buy only what you need. While discounts for bulk buyers with products like screen protectors or charging cables may seem appealing, studies indicate that over time often consumers will not use the entirety of their bulk purchase, leading to situations where more products have been purchased than necessary at a larger cumulative price. Oftentimes as well, product prices will decrease with time, so a higher up-front cost per unit at the time of the first purchase may be significantly lower down the line. Just because a product is in demand at the moment does not mean the market will always be competitive.
Avoid higher-priced gimmicky products, as more moving parts often means more vulnerabilities. Products that are marketed with fun but ultimately unnecessary features are just marketing ploys to validate a higher price and therefore a higher margin for the manufacturer. More complex designs split the focus off of the practical function of the product, often leading to subpar performance in at least one of the feature offerings. Exercise caution if the main marketing point is also the gimmick rather than the functionality, as often the functionality has taken a backseat in the design process. Products that distinguish themselves through quality do not need a gimmick or alternative features as their primary marketing drive.
Tastemaker. “Electronic Accessories: Why We Don’t Review Everything” Tastemaker., Tastemaker, 30 June 2024, www.tastemaker.online.