Methodology

Scoring algorithm v1.0

Every phone is scored in seven blocks: Smoothness (benchmark, RAM, storage, refresh rate), Battery (regulated EU-label endurance hours first, capacity only as a low-confidence fallback, charging speed, efficiency class, cycle life), Camera hardware (a physical light-capture proxy from sensor size and aperture, optical stabilization, telephoto reach, ultrawide, video), Screen (brightness, panel type, sharpness, refresh), Build & comfort (weight ergonomics, IP rating, drop standards, protective glass), Longevity (remaining vendor software support, 5G, eSIM, modern Wi-Fi) and Basics (NFC, 5G, USB-C, fingerprint, gyroscope). The overall score is their weighted average (20/18/17/14/12/11/8 %).

Every value is judged against a fixed, published scale — "45 hours of endurance is excellent" — never against the rest of the catalog. Scores therefore stay stable as new phones arrive, and one extreme spec-sheet number cannot distort anyone else. The complete scales are public, and whenever the scoring changes, we say so with a new version number — scores never shift quietly.

Dealbreakers cap the overall score with a visible reason instead of hiding inside weights: no NFC caps at 75, no 5G at 82, both missing at 70, microUSB at 75, under 64 GB storage at 75, and over 280 g or 14 mm at 80 for non-rugged phones.

Missing data never silently counts against a phone: when a value is unknown, that part of the score moves toward a neutral middle, and every phone shows how much of its rating rests on verified data. Phones with too little verified data stay out of the rankings. Camera scores measure hardware potential — sensor, optics, stabilization — and are labelled as such; real-world photo quality cannot be judged from a spec sheet, and megapixels alone earn nothing.

Devices are classed by signals (feature phones, foldables, rugged phones with MIL-STD, IP69, thermal cameras or outsized batteries); feature phones are not scored and rugged phones compete in their own ranking. The scoring system was developed through the cooperation of multiple AI models and validated in several rounds of qualitative testing, so that it is as useful as possible to visitors who come here for advice on picking a new device.