Best Gadget Review Sites
Best Gadget Review Sites

by Jeremy Cleland

When it comes to holiday shopping, gadgets may top your family’s wish lists.

According to Nielsen, “Americans now own four digital devices on average, and the average U.S. consumer spends 60 hours a week consuming content across devices.” The U.S. Digital Consumer Report goes on to say that the majority of U.S. households now own high-definition televisions (HDTVs), Internet-connected computers and smartphones. “In addition to more devices, consumers also have more choices for how and when they access content.”

So how do you separate the hype from the must-haves when it comes to spending your hard-earned cash on consumer electronics? To save you time and money, here are the best gadget review websites to make your shopping sidekicks before you hit the mall (online or off).

CNET

The site reviews everything from speakers to headphones, car tech and smartphones with a landing page for each technology category with a snapshot including its editors’ top picks.

What you’ll love:

CNET uses a simple 5-star rating, a “good” and “bad” summary, and a video overview for most of its reviews. Also the site typically offers price comparison links at the top of the review page.

engadget

A popular blog and review site, engadget reviews are quite detailed but you can scan the pros and cons list in its reviews for a quick assessment.

What you’ll love:

The site gives gadgets an overall score based on consumer ratings, engadget’s review and aggregating reviews from popular “critic” sites such as TechCrunch or The Wall Street Journal.

PC Magazine

PC Magazine used to be the “bible” of consumer electronic reviews and now the hard-copy magazine has given way to being an easy-to-search website in which products are actually tested.

What you’ll love:

The site offers round-ups like, “10 Best Tablets of 2015,” with an easy to scan grid that includes a link to the vendor with the lowest price, “editor’s rating,” and key features such as battery life, which allows you to easily compare models. If you want more details, you can read the full review for each device.

No matter which review site you use, double check the return policy — including any pesky shipping fees for online sites — before you buy.

Jeremy Cleland has been a spokesperson for several Silicon Valley startups, like Tesla Motors, and spearheaded global stories about technology featured in media like Vice, Time magazine, Forbes and Wired.com. He’s also the dad to a 5-year-old who is already more tech-savvy than him.

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