Smartphone Users V. Experts: High Ratings From Experts Don’t Always Mean Satisfied Customers

Not all smartphones that receive high ratings from expert reviewers end up being popular, according to an analysis of ratings data from FindTheBest.

The report analyzed the ratings that expert reviewers gave smartphone models and compared them to consumers’ ratings of the same. It found that some phones that get very high ratings from expert reviewers don’t get the same glowing reviews from users.

For example, expert reviewers thought the Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II (NASDAQ:SSNLF) was a fantastic phone. It received a rating of 88 out of 100 on FindTheBest, a website that aggregates and analyzes ratings from tech review sites. However, smartphone users gave the phone a rating of 2.5 out of 5.

The reverse held true in some cases. Although expert reviewers gave the LG Optimus Elite (NYSE:LG) a low rating -- 48 out of 100 -- the same phone got an average rating of 4 out of 5 from users.

Here’s a scatterplot of a variety of smartphones, as rated by both expert (“smart”) reviewers and users: (To view a larger version of this chart, click here.)