Every review on Pixel ends with a number out of ten. A number is useful only if you know what it means. This page explains how we test, how we score and why we sometimes change a score after a review goes live.
We use it first
A product becomes our main device for at least two weeks before we write a word. A phone goes in our pocket. A laptop goes to work. Earbuds go on the commute. Problems that never show up in a lab show up on day nine.
Then we measure
After daily use, we run the same set of checks on every product in a category.
- Battery: a fixed loop of browsing, video and standby at a set brightness
- Screens: brightness and colour accuracy with a colorimeter
- Speed: real tasks such as exporting a video, not only benchmark apps
- Audio: noise reduction measured with a test head in a sound booth
What the numbers mean
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 9.0–10 | Outstanding. The best in its class. |
| 8.0–8.9 | Very good. Easy to recommend. |
| 7.0–7.9 | Good, with clear weak points. |
| 6.0–6.9 | Fair. Better options exist. |
| Below 6 | Do not buy. |
A 7 is a good product. We use the whole scale, and we do not give a 9 because a product is new or expensive.
Price is part of the score
We score a product against what else you could buy for the same money. That is why a good phone at half the price can score close to the flagship.
A score is a summary, not a verdict. Read the pros and cons: your priorities are not ours.
Ravi Okafor
We update scores
Software updates fix problems and sometimes create them. When a product changes, we test again and update the review, with a note that says what changed and when.
A review, step by step
Here is what happened with one recent phone. We bought it on launch day from a normal shop. One reviewer moved her SIM card to it and used it for three weeks. She kept a simple diary: battery at bedtime, anything that annoyed her, anything that impressed her.
In the second week, the phone went to the bench for two days. We measured the screen, ran the battery loop three times, timed the charger and shot the same forty photos we shoot with every phone, next to two rivals. A second reviewer looked at the photos without knowing which phone took which.
Then both reviewers scored the phone separately in six areas: design, screen, speed, camera, battery and value. Their totals were 8.9 and 8.7. We published 8.8.
Why our scores can look low
Many sites give almost everything an 8 or a 9. If every product is excellent, the number tells you nothing. Over the last year, our average score was 7.4. Fewer than one product in ten scored 9 or more, and a handful scored under 6.
A low score is not an attack. It means that for the same money, we think you can do better, and the review says what we would buy instead.
Things we do not do
- We do not accept trips, gifts or paid placements from makers
- We do not publish a score for a product we used for less than two weeks
- We do not use affiliate links, so we earn nothing when you buy
- We do not let makers check a review, except to confirm technical facts such as a battery size
When we get it wrong
Sometimes we miss a fault that only shows up after months, or readers find a problem we did not. Tell us. We will test again, and if the score changes, the review will say so at the top with the date.
Who pays
Pixel is paid for by its members. We buy most products ourselves. When a maker lends us one, it goes back after the review. We do not take payment for coverage, and makers never see a review before it is published.
