PhoneArena Review Ratings are here: the most advanced smartphone review rating system

We are happy to introduce a new smartphone scoring system on PhoneArena, which has gone into effect starting in late September 2023!

This new system is a complete overhaul of the way smartphones are rated and it accounts for more nuance and detail. Our new rating protocol measures the performance of phones across twelve categories with carefully selected criteria to ensure that all devices are treated equally and to minimize personal bias.

The personal opinion of our experienced reviewers still matters, but subjective opinion is now expressed in the writeup, rather than affecting the score of a device. Many aspects of a smartphone experience are deeply personal and they will continue to be a part of our reviews, and we certainly don’t want to create reviews that lack character or color. However, those personal opinions are best expressed in writing and, we feel, have to be separate from the score of a device where cool heads should prevail.

So what’s this new PhoneArena Smartphone Review Rating system all about and how does it work?

After careful deliberation, we have come up with 12 fundamental categories that describe our modern smartphone experience:

For each category and for the final overall score, we use a 10-point grading scale, with 1 being the worst and 10 — the best.

Each category carries a different weight in the total score, and some categories have a bigger significance than others. We have used our judgment, readers’ opinions and common sense to find a balance that reflects the way most people use their phones. For example, battery life is something most people care about deeply, so it carries more weight than a category like charging speed. There will always be opinions about what matters most in a device, so that is why you can see the scores for each of these twelve categories and compared devices for each one of them individually.

Right now, you will find a widget with a summary of the scores right after the introduction section in most of our reviews from the recent past.

You can see how the PhoneArena Review Rating Widget looks below.

PhoneArena Review Rating Widget example

PhoneArena Review Rating Page: coming soon!

Coming soon: By the end of May 2024, we will launch a brand new benchmark section at PhoneArena, where you will be able to see all the ratings for phones we have reviewed using this new system.

The webpage will allow you to easily compare all phones that we have ranked.

For example, you will be able to see the best ranking phones by overall score, or just look at the phones that excel in, say, battery life, or photo quality. Additionally, you will be able to compare multiple device scores easily.

Is the price of a device accounted for in the score?

No.

However, as a rule of thumb, cheaper phones will get lower scores, while more expensive phones will receive higher scores, simply because they typically have more features.

We are not leaving it at that and in we will also show you more context for each score, so you get an idea of where the device stands among its peers too. And remember, that often a lower score will correspond to the lower-end class of the device, but it might still be outperforming its peers!

Explaining each of the categories

So let us quickly guide you through all the individual categories:

Category 1: Performance Daily

The perceived speed and smoothness for easy, daily smartphone tasks like calls, mails, web browsing and social media

For this category, we evaluate how well the phone performs in daily tasks. Questions that we ask when we come up with a score in this category are the following:

Category 2: Performance Peak

How well the phone performs for heavy-duty tasks and gaming

We have a separate category measuring more intense tasks and this score is based on a weighted mix of benchmark scores.

In the mix we have CPU performance tests and GPU / gaming-related benchmarks.

Category 3: Battery life

How long does it last?

Each phone we review goes through three battery tests. Using specialized equipment and software, we set each phone to a fixed brightness level to ensure an equal playing field and all phones are connected to a Wi-Fi network for these tests.

Test #1: Web Browsing — we run a script that cycles through a set of webpages and scrolls around at pre-set intervals, emulating a real world browsing session. This is our lightest battery test.

Test #2: Video Streaming — we run the same video playlist over a Wi-Fi connection and at the same video quality at the full size of the screen, and measure how long the phones last.

Test #3: 3D Gaming — we run a popular gaming title with the same graphics settings and in the same environment / level on each phone we test. This test stresses the GPU.

Based on those three results, we come up with a final battery score for this category.

Category 4: Charging

We measure and we rank

We use the recommended by the manufacturer charger and the cable that comes in the box to measure how long the phone charges from 1% to 100%. Based on the results, each phone is assigned a score.

Category 5: Wireless charging

We test the wireless charging speed too!

We use the recommended by the manufacturer wireless charger to measure how long the phone charges from 1% to 100%. Based on the results, each phone is assigned a score.

Category 6: Photo Quality

Assigning a score to an image is hard, but we have a new complex system just for that

Here is a brief explanation of the PhoneArena Camera Score. Under this new protocol, every phone goes through extensive testing, including all of its cameras across a number of different scenarios.

It’s an in-depth complex process that has both a machine element for precise calculation of deviation in exposure and color accuracy, as well as manual inspection of images by our experts to assess a number of additional camera elements.

Category 7: Video Quality

How good is the video quality on a 1-10 scale

Just like we have for photo quality, we use the PhoneArena Camera Score for video as well.

Just like for photography, here too we look at video quality performance across a number of categories, and the final score is used to arrive at a 1-10 score for the review rating.

Category 8: Display Quality

We do a number of lab tests measuring various screen characteristics

We use professional equipment and software to measure the characteristics of a phone display: maximum brightness, minimum brightness, color accuracy, and more.

We use these measurements to come up with a score that shows how advanced the display on a phone is.

Category 9: Biometrics

Fingerprints and face ID performance ranked by performance and accuracy

We test the performance of a phone’s fingerprint scanner or face recognition system for speed and accuracy, and assign a score based on the results.

Category 10: Audio

Evaluating a phone’s speaker system

We test the phone’s loudspeakers and assign a score based on how loud it plays, and the quality and richness of the sound. The classification is based on typical performance for smartphone loudspeakers.

Category 11: Software

The software update commitment matters

The defining factor in this category is the software update commitment for each phone and whether updates are expected to arrive in a timely fashion or with a delay. For examply, a phone which is set to receive five years of OS updates will rank higher than a phone that will only be supported for three years.

Each phone is assigned a score based on that software commitment and update delivery speed, and some other factors like software restrictions are also considered.

Category 12: Design

Build quality, materials, looks

How well is this phone designed? That can be a subjective matter,  but we have a set of criteria that help us come up with a rating based on the build quality, the materials used, any special design elements, and more.

Got any questions?

You can already see the new review score widgets in more than forty phones we have reviewed recently and all phones going forward will be reviewed using this new protocol.

In the early days, you will also see a short explainer of the score and why you should look at it in the context of the average values rather than just take the total value run with it.

However, many older reviews will probably remain with the previous scoring system. Remember that the scores from the new system and old system are not comparable.

Also, we will be happy to explain the details, so ask away! And… tell us what you think about this new system! Do you like it? Is there something else you would have included? The comment section is now officially open!