We agree. Beta testing is preferred. Privately. Better products is better than just more marketing of flawed products for the want of beta-testing feedback.
If you want free stuff why not just get a job and buy things.
If you like to make products better ,that is beta testing, and possibly none became aware of you.
A few people straddle both, they beta-test, then once announced show the review having had chance to improve the product.
Anker and sister companies still send out the “Beta Test Forms” but very very few get selected,
Power User area is more about Coupons and Deals now, and has been sort of retired with the testing area / testing club.
@professor & @jercox, I agree with you guys. I do wish there was more of a beta testing area for Anker. I have been doing beta testing on products for 5 years now and although I like reviewing products, I love being part of the team that truly has to test out a product or software that is not in the market and help the company in making it consumer and user ready.
@AnkerOfficial there are definitely areas within the Testing Area that could use some improvement and I do feel that the more attentive people within the community would be your greatest strength in making those improvements.
I am sure I speak for at least few of the members when I say we are here to assist and help in anyway. A lot of us are here not only to be part of the community or take part in reviews. But really love the products Anker has to offer and are willing to lend our time for the betterment of this community.
I love to participate in BETA program but it’s more complicated to get selected now.
@silverhwk89 Anker Does beta testing on certain products and as @Ice1 mentioned it is harder to get selected for it. I have been beta testing products for well over 10 years now and I agree, it is fun to test products out and provide feedback among a group of testers and the likes. But sometimes anker or its sister companies just want feedback on ease of use and functionality, they need our reviews to help guide others to the product hence these testing events.
Actual beta testing of products is done generally via email and your selected from a pool of users. And yes I know this because it’s been discussed before and I have beta tested products for them before.
Yup. I’ve done two beta tests for Anker products. They were supposedly pre-release versions, but both were pretty polished products.
The first was the Soundcore Strike 3 Gaming Headset. This was especially polished. Even the packaging looked like it was production ready. And I had zero issues with it. I didn’t do a whole lot of testing other than using it 10+ hours. I gave mostly positive feedback. The linked review came weeks/months after the testing ended, and this was 100% voluntary (not part of testing).
I am in the middle of the second test. Per NDA, I cannot discuss the product until it is released. I am doing a more thorough testing on this: complete functional testing as well as some load testing. I already filed multiple bug reports on it. Once testing is over and the product is released, I’m sure I’ll write a review for it (again, not a requirement).
But yeah, I agree with most here that the “We Love Testing” products are meant to be more for generating positive reviews whereas the beta testing is meant to hammer out bugs and improve the products.
I did beta testing for the strike 1 and then the strike 3. I have yet to leave a review as I have been pretty busy. I will get to it eventually.
I would like to do more beta testing- even if they have me return the products. I just like the assurance that someone is giving them honest feedback, rather then just complimenting in hopes of being chosen again. (I know others are honest too, I just like assurance)
Curious, was there anything you didn’t like about Strike 3?
I tried, but I couldn’t give much constructive feedback.
I didn’t want to get all nitpicky about sound since it wasn’t a studio monitor. Even so, it sounded as good or better than the $150 headsets that I have/had. Maybe it was a tad heavy? Even the ear pads that I thought I wouldn’t like when I first put on turned out nice, and the cooling gel seemed to work.
I didn’t have much criticism, but the control pads on both headsets we’re very cheaply made on my sets. Soundcore told me that they upgraded the quality of those on the final product due to my feedback.
I pretty much liked everything else about the headset.
The software for the strike 3 was a little bit janky, but it was an early beta version, so there wasn’t much more I could expect
I really like the final iteration, so your feedback most have helped some. Very comfortable.
I don’t use the app at all though. Tried it once, didn’t see much difference, it works just fine without.
I agree with your assessment of the app. I don’t find that I really need an EQ adjustment, or 3d sound adjustment for gaming. I guess I’m just not that serious.
Previously it looked like an app from like 2008, and it was really slow 
Sometimes, you just have to make a movie about Fight Club instead.
While this might be somewhat true for reviews, that is not at all how beta testing works. Companies try to select people who will provide the most valuable feedback and constructive criticism.
Yes I know, but there still may be a lot of people who don’t understand this, and try a the “compliments approach”
I never was asked to do any beta test.
But I was chosen for testing a speaker at a competition.
Power user is quite dead.
Depends which part of the company is funding it.
Product Managers want product feedback.
Marketing just want more people aware of the product.
Based on the first (and last so far to date) beta I tested for Anker, constructive criticism didn’t seem to come into it, it was a case of test and grade the product on 5 features from 1-5…not the best for feedback IMO…hopefully its changed more in the 2+ years since I tested a beta 
The last beta testing I did, I can tell you that the feedback everyone had given them was taken serious. So much so that updates have gone out and a new product revision is in the works. Sure it has pushed the product back from being released, but they actually want to get this right. So I’m glad everyone’s feedback has helped them for that product
They should not announce products until after they’ve been beta tested!