How we score products

1. The score you see: the expert average

For every product we collect the scores published by independent reviewers. Each one is converted to a 10-point scale (8/10 stays 8.0, 4.5/5 becomes 9.0, 87/100 becomes 8.7), and the score we show is their plain average. A product needs at least two published scores to get one; with fewer, we show no score rather than guess.

The same product gets the same score everywhere on the site: when a guide pick also has its own review, the expert scores both pages found are pooled, and every outlet is listed on the product's score bars.

2. How picks are ranked inside a guide

A buying guide starts wide: we gather the models that current expert guides recommend, research each one, and score every candidate with the same formula. Only the best-scoring handful make the guide.

• Expert & buyer ratings35%

  Published expert review scores (or verified buyer ratings where reliable data exists), turned into one comparable number.

• Expert recommendations20%

  How many independent, current best-of guides recommend the product. One mention is noise; six is a consensus.

• Value for money20%

  What you get for the price compared with the rest of the group. It earns the "Best Value" label but never decides "Best Overall".

• Retailer availability15%

  Sold by reputable retailers, so you can buy it, return it and get it serviced.

• Features10%

  Breadth of the feature set, taken from the manufacturer’s own specifications.

When a factor has no reliable data in a category (for example, no comparable prices), it is left out and the others are re-weighted, instead of handing every product the same made-up number. Best Overall goes to the highest score without value for money, so it is the best product, not the best deal; value earns its own label.

3. Where the evidence comes from

Specs come from each manufacturer's official pages. Scores and recommendations come from independent publications. The ones we cite most (number of products on the site each has scored):

• TechRadar · 198
• Tom's Guide · 124
• Trusted Reviews · 118
• TechGearLab · 61
• CGMagazine · 49
• PC World · 43
• Engadget · 34
• Digital Camera World · 32
• How-To Geek · 32
• PC Gamer · 32
• Android Police · 31
• SoundGuys · 27
• RTINGS · 25
• Stuff · 22
• Notebookcheck · 21
• Outdoor Gear Lab · 21
• What Hi-Fi? · 21
• Tech Advisor · 18
• TweakTown · 18
• PCGamesN · 16
• PhoneArena · 16
• Stuff TV · 16
• SafeWise · 15
• Creative Bloq · 14
• HomeOfficeResearch · 14
• Smart Home Explorer · 14
• The Ambient · 14
• Android Authority · 13
• Pocket-lint · 13
• Android Central · 12

…plus 570 more outlets that have scored one or two of our picks.

4. Checks before anything is published

• Every number in a guide is matched against the source data. A spec we can't trace back is removed.
• Every pick is checked against the maker's own site and major US retailers to confirm it is still sold new. Discontinued models are left out, even when older best-of lists still recommend them.
• A human editor reads and approves every guide and review before it goes live.
• Live picks are re-checked about once a month; when one goes out of production, its guide is refreshed. The date at the top shows the last check.