Re: Battery Life Test
I'm actually a senior editor at a couple of the internet's largest tech review sites so I figured I'd chime in here with my two cents about the battery tests.
For starters, yes, these tests are absolutely valuable, as they provide a (relatively) consistent basis by which to judge particular devices when subjected to particular sets of conditions. So, in that regard, yes, it is safe to say that, at 150 cd/m2 brightness (which is quite dim), the Droid Turbo's battery life is nothing special when compared to many other devices while surfing the web (though browser choice is also not mentioned in the article).
However, there is an extraneous factor in play here, and it surrounds the typical usage profile of a cellphone. Sure, if you use your phone as a computer or tablet primarily, then you can expect nothing special in terms of battery life from the Droid Turbo. That's surely due to the higher-resolution screen, as more pixels = more power consumption. But since most people use their phone for making and receiving calls, GPS, listening to music with the screen off, etc, this doesn't tell the full story by any means. Rather, thanks to continual advancements in chipset efficiency, it seems quite likely that we will see notably improved battery performance in those categories as compared to any measurements relying on screen time.
To put it another way:
Higher-res screen = more battery consumption with screen on
Greater chipset efficiency = lower battery consumption with screen off and other activities taking place
In other words, it just so happens that in this particular metric, the Droid Turbo is artificially handicapped out of the gate and thus is predisposed to underperform.
These reviews would be much more useful in my opinion if they did what we do with tablets and notebooks when reviewing them: that is, tested the phones under differing sets of conditions, such as a test where the screen remains off the entire time but a phone call is in progress or a song is playing at a particular volume.
I would have certainly preferred a 1080p screen as it is more practical and it would have allowed for absolutely unparalleled battery life in all categories, just as I would have preferred a 13 MP camera with OIS in place of the 21 MP (greater sensor noise) as it translates to more practical camera functionality. Unfortunately, engineers are slaves to the marketing department and pencil-pushers alike in all tech segments (as we quickly learn during our reviews of forthcoming notebooks and tablets), and so padding the spec sheet with bigger numbers often means more than simply designing a well-balanced product.
Still, I am probably picking one up tomorrow.
[/$.02]
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