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The phrase is:

... 40x zoom letting you get closer to the action than anything else on test.

I googled "than anything else on test" and the results are related mostly to sports equipment descriptions and e.g. cameras. Is this some idiomatic expression or should I understand it literally?

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2 Answers 2

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40x zoom letting you get closer to the action than anything else on test.

A less charitable interpretation than Brian Hooper's would be: "We tried three or four other devices, and the best they could do was 25x zoom".

The phrase looks to be advertising and as such, there's no assurance that 'on test' implies anyone conducted anything like a rigorous test program.

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On test in this context means currently being tested. This might be being tested by the speaker, by the speaker's department, or by anyone in the world. It means the same as under test.

This phrasing may also carry with it the implication that what is currently being tested is superior to anything else currently available (superior to anything that was tested in the past).

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  • The phrase is about a camera which is currently available and so is the sports equipment which is described with this expression e.g. in online stores. I guess they don't sell stuff which is in the test phase.
    – ghul
    Jul 24, 2013 at 11:28
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    Noi, but other parties (eg consumer associations or societies representing the users of the equipment) might decide to test a range of equipment at any time.
    – Colin Fine
    Jul 24, 2013 at 11:36

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