How we test products
How Digital Review Site tests and scores products: real-world use in Indian conditions, repeatable category tests, and a transparent score out of 10.
Every review on this site is based on hands-on use. Here is what that means in practice.
1. Real-world use first
A reviewer uses the product as their own for days or weeks, depending on the category — the actual testing period is printed at the top of every review. Phones go on our SIMs, purifiers run in our bedrooms, mixers grind our masalas.
2. Repeatable tests per category
Alongside daily use, each category has a fixed set of tests so scores are comparable across products, for example:
- Phones and laptops: standard battery rundown, charging time 0–100%, sustained performance and heat, outdoor screen visibility.
- Audio: noise-cancelling performance on public transport, call quality outdoors, measured battery life.
- Air purifiers: PM2.5 reduction over time in a sealed room against a reference monitor, noise at each fan speed, filter cost.
- Appliances: energy use, noise, and how they cope with Indian voltage fluctuations and water quality.
3. How we score
Each review has a score out of 10 built from category-specific sub-scores (shown in the score breakdown), adjusted for price. A product earns:
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 9.0+ | Outstanding — among the best you can buy |
| 8.0–8.9 | Excellent — easy to recommend |
| 7.0–7.9 | Good — right for some buyers |
| 5.0–6.9 | Average — better options exist |
| Below 5 | Poor — skip it |
4. Where review units come from
Every review states whether we bought the unit, borrowed it from the brand and returned it, or kept a unit the brand provided. None of these routes ever comes with conditions on what we write.
5. Keeping reviews current
Prices, software and availability change. We update reviews when something material changes and show the “updated” date at the top of the page.