To judge which smartphone tests you can trust, check what each lab measures, how it gets its units and how it is funded. The labs below measure different things: camera, repairability, battery, and a broad lab panel. Their own pages do not show one lab covering camera, battery, display and repair together, so match the lab to your question.
Inadviser has run no test in this category and names no best product. This page lists existing tests and what each says about itself. Each fact was read on the lab's own page; the link and the date read are beside it. Last page read: .
Existing tests compared
Labs are listed in alphabetical order. The order says nothing about quality. 11 parts below say "Not stated" because the lab's page did not say it. No score, ranking or product list is copied from any lab.
Existing smartphones tests: what each measures, how it tests, how fresh it is, how it is funded and what it does not cover
Scores that, in its words, reflect the device's performance and the quality of the user experience, from protocols that gather hundreds of measurements in its laboratories.source, read
Camera tests cover HDR preview, zoom, motion and handheld autofocus, and video, combining controlled lab tests with perceptual review of real-life scenes.source, read
Instruments. Camera lab uses a mannequin and an HDR slide at stated light levels, a motion platform for handheld autofocus, and side-by-side perceptual judging of preview and output images.source, read
Who buys the units. Manufacturer relationships sometimes give it pre-production units; it states it will always buy a commercially available device in a store at a later stage.source, read
Camera tests launched in 2012; first protocol update in 2017; Wide and Night scores added in September 2019.source, read
Camera scores from protocol versions V5 and V6 are stated to be not directly comparable. It says protocols are regularly updated, with no schedule given.source, read
Since 1 November 2019 it allows retesting of some devices with new firmware if significant improvements were made.source, read
Began as the image quality team of DxO Labs in 2003 and became an independent company in September 2017.source, read
Sells testing tools, services and data to manufacturers; its site also has a cart and quote-request function.source, read
States it tests commercial devices whether or not the maker is a client, that all commercial device reports are available for purchase, and that it separates editorial from business-to-business work.source, read
States manufacturers do not pay to use its scores in their marketing material.source, read
Battery runtime in hours from timed discharge tests, combined into an Active Use score.source, read
Instruments. Each test times a discharge from full to empty, with brightness fixed at 200 nits on a white screen, fixed volume and stated radio settings; tests are automated by an industry partner.source, read
Who buys the units.Not statedLooked at: source, read
Battery test revamped in Fall 2023; the how-we-test article is dated 8 November 2023.source, read
Site copyright is held by Arena Kom OOD, and its terms of use are provided by that company.source, read
Terms say it may receive a referral commission on qualifying purchases made through its links, and that its affiliate programs are independent of the editorial review process.source, read
Its contact page carries advertising blocks labelled ADVERTISEMENT and an advertising enquiries link.source, read
Says runtime numbers and the Active Use score are for comparing phones that went through the same test; the score assumes only active use and excludes standby.source, read
Says real results vary with network conditions, background processes, ambient temperature and ambient light.source, read
Repairability, on a scale from zero (unrepairable) to ten (easiest to repair), based on how straightforward it is to disassemble and replace what is broken.source, read
Says a repairable product also needs parts, tools, documentation and software available, and no artificial barriers such as parts pairing.source, read
Instruments. Its engineers fully disassemble the device and record the results against a published scoring rubric; each device links to its scorecard version.source, read
Who buys the units.Not statedLooked at: source, read
Says it updates its scoring criteria at least once annually (article dated 18 May 2023).source, read
Scorecard versions run up to v2.2; it says devices scored in past years might not fare the same if re-scored today.source, read
Its site lists a Store selling parts and tools, and iFixit-branded apparel and accessories.source, read
States that manufacturers have begun to take note, that it works with them behind the scenes, and that it still calls out companies publicly.source, read
For smartphones: a practical test of telephony functions, a standardized Wi-Fi test, GNSS positioning, camera quality and power draw.source, read
Instruments. Wi-Fi is tested with a fixed reference router; GNSS on a known bike route recorded beside a navigation reference; camera with standardized reference cards; power draw with named benchmark apps.source, read
Who buys the units. Its imprint says an Austrian company coordinates test sample supply for reviews; one review states the test device came courtesy of the manufacturer's local branch.source, read
A related article on its new rating system v8 is dated 26 June 2024; the test-method page lists a modification date of 5 October 2026.source, read
Imprint lists Notebookcheck Publishing GmbH (Vienna) for advertising, site management and reviews, and Notebookcheck Digital Media SRL as legally responsible for editorial content; sole associate listed: H2L Media GmbH.source, read
Imprint says that company organizes all advertising including advertorials and affiliate, and that Notebookcheck receives money from Amazon when a user clicks an affiliate product link.source, read
Camera, battery, display, performance, call quality, durability, ease of use and security (update support, face-unlock spoofing).source, read
Says it lab tests more than 65 smartphones a year, with more than 300 individual checks and more than 40 separate tests behind each overall rating.source, read
Instruments. Robotic arm for battery and usage tests, microscopes for sharpness, light measurement for screen brightness, skin-tone mannequins for camera, 100 drop tests and a water immersion setup.source, read
Who buys the units. States it buys every phone it tests from retailers, not from manufacturers, so the tested phone matches what a consumer would buy, and that it accepts no freebies.source, read
States the test programme is reviewed annually, and that testing protocols changed in 2024 so older scores are not fully comparable.source, read
Recommendation labels are removed if a manufacturer stops updating a model; labels require at least two years of security support remaining.source, read
Operated by the Consumers' Association charity and its wholly owned subsidiary Which? Limited, whose commercial income, mostly member subscriptions, funds the group.source, read
Which? Limited earns commission from some retailer websites where consumers can buy products it features.source, read
Charges companies a fee to use its logo after a product meets its standard; says it shows no third-party display adverts and companies get no copy approval.source, read
If you want to know how easy a phone is to repair, use iFixit.Use iFixit. Its engineers disassemble the device against a rubric and score repairability from zero to ten, though software update support was not part of the scorecard in its 2023 article.
If you want a broad lab panel on units bought at retail, use Which?.Use Which?. It states it buys every phone it tests from retailers and runs camera, battery, display, durability and security checks, and it discloses affiliate commission and logo-licence fees.
If you want camera image quality measured in a lab, use DXOMARK.Use DXOMARK. It runs lab camera protocols with a mannequin, HDR slide and motion platform, says it buys a retail unit after any pre-production test, and also sells testing services to manufacturers.
If you want battery runtimes compared on one automated test, use GSMArena.Use GSMArena. It discharges each phone at fixed brightness and volume and says its numbers only compare phones that went through the same test.
If you want extra measurements such as Wi-Fi and satellite positioning, use Notebookcheck.Use Notebookcheck. Its method page lists a standardized Wi-Fi test and a GNSS route test, and its imprint discloses advertising, affiliate income and sample supply arrangements.
What this page does not do
It does not rank the labs or the products they test.
It states a lab's funding as the lab words it. It does not say any lab is paid or biased.
It has no affiliate links. Send a correction, with the page that shows it, through the corrections address.