A review is only as good as the process behind it. Here’s exactly how a device gets from our doorstep to a published score — and the principles we won’t bend on.
We use each device as a daily driver for at least two weeks — not a 48-hour first impression. Habits, annoyances and battery reality only show up over time.
Battery, charging, performance and durability are measured with the same methods every time, so numbers are comparable across reviews.
Every review breaks down into the same axes for its category. A 9 for battery means the same thing whether it’s a phone or a ring.
Reviews are living. A software update that fixes a flaw — or a recall that introduces one — can move the score, and we log why.
These aren’t marketing lines — they’re the rules we actually work to, and the ones you should hold us to.
We buy review units where we can and borrow them where we can’t. We never accept payment, gifts-with-strings, or pre-agreed scores to publish a review.
Six consistent axes per category force us to weigh the boring-but-important things — battery, value, software longevity — not just the headline feature.
Range, battery life and charging times are what we measured ourselves, in normal conditions, not what the box claims.
When something is outside our test window — long-term reliability, say — we say so rather than guessing.
Scoring scale. We score out of 10 to one decimal place. 9.0+ is class-leading and a confident buy. 8.0–8.9 is excellent with minor trade-offs. 7.0–7.9 is good but compromised. Below 7.0, look closely before buying. The headline score is our overall judgement, not a strict average of the axes — context matters.
Most reviews score against these. Categories swap one or two for what matters there — an EV is scored on range and charging; a ring on comfort and sleep accuracy.
| Design & build | Materials, ergonomics, durability and how it feels to live with |
|---|---|
| Performance | Speed under real load, and whether it holds up over time |
| The headline feature | Cameras, range, sleep tracking — whatever the category is bought for |
| Battery / endurance | Real-world runtime and charging, measured by us |
| Software & support | Quality today, plus how long it’ll keep getting updates |
| Value | What you get for the money, including ongoing subscription costs |
We’d rather know. Send a correction or request a review and we’ll take a proper look.