How Scoring Works
Our scoring system is completely transparent. Every score is calculated from actual phone specifications, and you can see exactly how each score is determined. No black boxes, no mystery—just honest, data-driven scoring.
A deliberate design choice: raw spec-sheet numbers (RAM in GB, camera megapixels, battery mAh, charging watts) are scored with diminishing returns rather than linearly, and real-world proxies (like estimated screen-on-time) are preferred over raw specs when they're available. A phone with a bigger number on paper — more RAM, more megapixels, a bigger battery, faster charging — does not automatically score higher once it's past the point where that number reliably makes a difference in practice. This is why, for example, a phone with 8GB of RAM and a phone with 16GB can score similarly on Performance, and a phone with a smaller but efficient battery can outscore one with a larger but less efficient one. These scores are still our own analysis, not a guarantee — see our editorial policy.
Performance Score
Formula: Chipset Tier (60%) + RAM (15%) + Storage Type (15%) + Benchmark (10%)
Why these weights? Chipset tier already reflects the chip's generation and architecture (so we don't separately score raw clock speed — the same GHz means very different things on different chips), RAM affects multitasking, storage type impacts app loading speeds, and a benchmark score is a secondary signal only when we know which platform it came from.
- Chipset tier is rated 0-10 from a curated table of chip generations, not a raw spec
- RAM uses diminishing returns and reaches maximum score at 8GB — beyond that is a marketing number, not a felt difference
- Storage type scores: UFS 4.0/NVMe (10), UFS 3.1 (8), UFS 2.1 (6)
- AnTuTu and Geekbench scores are on completely different numeric scales, so each is scored against its own realistic range instead of one shared curve — we never compare an AnTuTu number directly against a Geekbench number
Camera Score
Formula: Sensor Size (~23%) + Aperture (~12%) + Megapixels (~18%) + OIS (~20%) + Zoom (~10%) + Video (~8%) + Front Camera (~4%) + Multi-lens (~3%) + Features (~2%)
Why these weights? Sensor size and aperture drive real-world light-gathering and image quality more than headline megapixel counts do, so they carry more weight than raw MP.
- Megapixels reach maximum score at 50MP — a 48MP sensor and a 200MP sensor score almost identically, since higher counts are mostly pixel-binned down anyway and don't reliably mean better photos
- OIS: Yes (10 points), No (0 points)
- Optical zoom reaches maximum score at 5x — periscope zoom quality varies more with sensor and processing than with the headline multiplier
- Video: 8K (9), 4K (7), 1080p (5), plus a frame-rate bonus
Display Score
Formula: Refresh Rate (40-50%) + Brightness (30%) + Panel Type (30%)
Why these weights? Refresh rate affects smoothness, brightness improves visibility, and panel type determines color accuracy and contrast.
- Refresh rate normalized to 120Hz = maximum score
- Brightness normalized to 2000 nits = maximum score
- Panel type: OLED/AMOLED (10), LCD (6)
Battery Score
Formula: Capacity (50-60%) + Charging Speed (25-30%) + Wireless Charging (15-20%)
Why these weights? Capacity directly affects battery life, charging speed reduces downtime, and wireless charging adds convenience. Raw battery capacity in mAh ignores how efficiently a chipset and OS use that capacity, so we prefer a manufacturer's own real-world screen-on-time estimate when it's published, and use diminishing returns everywhere else — this avoids systematically penalizing phones that use a smaller, more efficient battery instead of a larger one.
- When known, estimated screen-on-time reaches maximum score at 20 hours (preferred over raw capacity)
- Otherwise, capacity uses a diminishing-returns curve (square root, not linear) so raw mAh differences matter much less than they used to
- Charging speed reaches maximum score at ~65W — 100W vs. 240W adds only minutes in practice, so it isn't rewarded further
- Wireless charging reaches maximum score at 15W, today's common Qi/Qi2 baseline
Build Score
Formula: IP Rating (60%) + Materials (40%)
Why these weights? IP rating indicates durability and water resistance, while materials affect premium feel and durability.
- IP Rating: IP68 (10), IP67 (8), IP54 (6), IP53 (4)
- Materials: Premium materials like Titanium, Aluminum, Glass add points
Software Score
Formula: Update Policy (60%) + Security Updates (40%)
Why these weights? Update policy ensures long-term support, and security updates protect against vulnerabilities.
- Update policy normalized to 7 years = maximum score
- Security updates normalized to 7 years = maximum score
Scoring Profiles
You can adjust scoring weights based on your priorities:
- Balanced: Equal weight to all categories (default)
- Camera: Prioritizes camera quality (Camera 1.5x, others 0.8x)
- Gaming: Prioritizes performance and display (Performance 1.5x, Display 1.3x, others 0.8x)
- Battery: Prioritizes battery life (Battery 1.5x, others 0.8x)
Missing Data
If a specification is not available, it doesn't contribute to the score. Scores with missing data are marked as "Incomplete" and show a completeness percentage.
You can click on any score to see exactly which specifications were used and which are missing.