How we score

Every product we publish is scored the same way, by the same method, with no human thumb on the scale. This page explains exactly how that number is produced — and, just as importantly, where it stops being useful.

What the VS Score is

The VS Score is a single figure from 0 to 100 that summarises how a product measures up on the specifications we track for its category. It is not a review score and it is not an opinion: it is arithmetic performed on verified specifications, run identically for every product in the category so the results stay comparable.

Each category has its own spec sheet — the same set of fields for every product in it — so two products are always measured on the same criteria. A phone is never scored against a monitor, and a spec that only exists in one category never leaks into another.

On a product page: measured against the category

On a single product page, every measurable spec is scored against the average of all the products we track in that category. Matching the class average scores 50; clearly beating it climbs towards 100; falling behind it drops towards 0. The quality bar on each spec card shows where that particular figure sits inside the full range for its class, and the overall VS Score is the weighted roll-up of all of them.

On a comparison page: measured against each other

On a head-to-head page the scale is the matchup itself: for each spec, the best value on the page earns 100%, the worst earns 0%, and everything in between scales linearly. That is why the same product can score differently on two different comparison pages — it is being measured against different rivals. The category scores in the breakdown are the weighted results inside each group, and the evidence line beneath each one names the specs that actually decided it.

How specs are weighted

Specs do not count equally, because they do not matter equally. Each one carries an editorial weight meant to reflect its real-world impact: the figures that decide how a product actually performs count for far more than the length of its colour options list. Those weights are set per category, applied to every product in it, and never adjusted for an individual product, brand or partner.

Our weighting is a considered default, not a universal truth. If the spec you care about is not the one we weight highest, use the weight tuner on any comparison page to re-rank the matchup by your own priorities — the scores recalculate instantly, in your browser, and nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

What happens to a missing value

Unknown values are never estimated. If a manufacturer does not publish a figure and we cannot verify it elsewhere, the spec is shown as Unknown and simply drops out of that product’s scoring — it is not penalised with a guess, and on a comparison page a spec only one side reports can never produce a “win”.

The trade-off is honest but real: a thinner spec sheet means a score built on fewer data points. That is why every product and comparison page states how complete its data is, and why a score built on a patchy sheet deserves more scepticism than one built on a full sheet.

Where the specifications come from

Specifications are compiled from each manufacturer’s official spec sheet, datasheet or support documentation first, cross-checked against trusted specification databases, and normalised into one schema so identical things are compared identically — the same unit, the same rounding, the same definition of the field. Where a manufacturer and a database disagree, the manufacturer wins unless there is good reason to think the published figure is wrong.

Every page shows the date its sheet was last verified. Products are re-checked when a manufacturer revises a spec, when a reader reports an error, and periodically as part of routine maintenance.

Prices and availability

Prices come from live retailer feeds via our shopping partners and refresh throughout the day. A missing price means no partner currently lists the product — not that it is discontinued. Price never influences the VS Score in either direction: an expensive product is not marked down for it, and a bargain earns no bonus. The figure shown at the retailer’s checkout is always the authoritative one.

What the score cannot tell you

A spec-sheet lead is not the same thing as a better product. Headline numbers describe capacity, not experience — software, firmware quality, thermals, noise and a hundred small details of everyday use decide how something actually feels to live with, and no table captures build quality, reliability or how long a manufacturer will keep supporting it.

Treat the VS Score as what it is: a fast, consistent way to shortlist, and a structured summary of everything that can be measured. The last step of the decision is yours.

Independence and corrections

No advertiser, retailer or affiliate partner can pay to change a score, a ranking or a verdict. Many of our links are affiliate links and we may earn a commission if you buy through one, at no extra cost to you — that funds the site and never touches the arithmetic on this page.

Our editorial guidelines set out the rest of our rules in full. If you spot an error in a spec, a score or a price, tell us — we will check it and correct the sheet.