How phones are scored and ranked

Which phones are ranked

The main rankings and lists contain only phones that are on sale in India and had their first India sale in 2026; the 2025 models have their own lists. Scores use every phone on sale in India that was released in the last 24 months (since 2024-10-24), so a phone's score is the same on every list. Upcoming and discontinued phones still have pages but are not ranked. Budget lists with a ceiling of ₹30,000 or more list only AMOLED and OLED phones, so an LCD phone cannot top them on one strong input such as battery size.

In a minute

1. Collect. We record each phone's specifications and India prices with a source and a date.
2. Convert. Every specification becomes 0 to 100 points on a fixed, published scale (for example 4,000 mAh = 0 points, 6,000 mAh = 65, 8,000 mAh = 100).
3. Weigh. The points are combined with published weights into a score for each category: camera, battery, display and so on.
4. Blend. Performance, camera, battery, display and the other categories combine into one overall score with the weights in the table below.
5. Rank. Phones are ordered by score inside each list. Budget lists are read from the top price window down.

Apart from the value score (which compares a phone with others at its price), no score depends on the other phones in the catalogue. Nobody types a score in by hand, and a missing specification is never guessed.

Criteria at a glance

Overall score weights

The weights are a judgement informed by published Indian buyer-priority surveys (several of which are sponsored by chip makers). The sensitivity test below shows which #1s survive changing them.

How to read a list page

Price windows

On "under ₹50,000" pages the best phones are shown first for ₹40,001 to ₹50,000, then ₹30,001 to ₹40,000 and lower, so a phone that costs half the budget does not hide the best phone near it. The full ranking follows.

Spec line

The line under each phone lists the facts of that list's own category: display details on a display list, camera details on a camera list.

Score and budget score

The score (0 to 100) is the same on every page. On budget lists the budget score shows where a phone sits among the ranked phones in that list.

% data

Shown when we have less than 80% of a category's inputs for a phone. Below 75% the phone is listed but not ranked.

Close call

Marked when the #1 stays first in fewer than 70% of 1,000 re-runs with each weight changed by up to ±25%, or leads the next phone by under 2 points.

Pending verification

The figures come from launch coverage and have not yet been checked against the maker's own pages. A phone is verified only with an official and an independent source for each key specification.

How a category score is calculated

1. Each input (for example battery capacity) is turned into a 0–100 value on a fixed scale with published anchor points. Where extra capacity matters less and less (brightness, benchmarks, sensor size, charging speed) the scale is logarithmic. Yes/no inputs score 100 or 0.
2. Inputs are combined with the weights listed for each category.
3. Each category has required inputs (battery capacity for battery, benchmarks for performance). Without them a phone is listed but not ranked in that category. A phone also needs at least 75% of a category's weight in known inputs. When an input is unknown and the category does not say otherwise, it is left out and the other weights are scaled up, so a phone is not marked down for a figure nobody published. Two camera inputs that makers often leave out (telephoto sensor size and stabilisation) count at the middle of their scale when unknown, because dropping them would let a phone gain by not publishing them. Refinement inputs (charging time, wireless charging, PWM dimming, colour depth) are used only when published. A stated LCD panel scores 0 for LTPO.
4. Ties are broken by the higher overall score, then newer release date, then lower price.

Categories

• Overall: A weighted blend of the category scores: performance 20%, camera 20%, battery 18%, display 14%, software support 10%, charging 8%, durability 6%, video 2% and audio 2%. The weights follow what Indian buyers say matters most when choosing a phone (Counterpoint, CMR and Counterpoint–Flipkart surveys, 2025–26). A phone needs performance, camera and battery scores, plus at least 75% of the total weight, before it gets an overall score
• camera phone: Rear-camera hardware: main camera sensor size (40%, required), optical image stabilisation on main camera (15%), longest optical zoom (15%), telephoto sensor size (15%), ultrawide camera resolution (15%).
• phone for video recording: Video recording hardware: maximum video resolution (30%, required), 4k video frame rate (25%), optical image stabilisation on main camera (20%), 4k selfie video (15%), chip gpu, 3dmark wild life extreme (10%).
• selfie phone: Front camera hardware: front camera resolution (40%, required), front camera autofocus (30%), 4k selfie video (30%).
• battery phone: Expected battery life from specifications: battery capacity (60%, required), battery capacity per inch of screen (20%), chip manufacturing process (10%), ltpo variable refresh display (10%).
• fast charging phone: How quickly the battery refills: wired charging watts per 1,000 mah of battery (50%, required), maker-stated 0–100% charging time (30%, when published), wireless charging power (20%, when published).
• performance phone: Chip speed from published benchmarks: chip geekbench 6 multi-core (35%, required), chip geekbench 6 single-core (30%, required), chip gpu, 3dmark wild life extreme (25%), maximum ram (10%).
• gaming phone: Hardware for gaming: chip gpu, 3dmark wild life extreme (40%, required), chip geekbench 6 multi-core (15%), display refresh rate (15%), battery capacity (10%), maximum ram (10%), stereo speakers (10%).
• display phone: Screen hardware: peak brightness (25%), oled/amoled panel (20%, required), display refresh rate (20%, required), pixel density (10%), ltpo variable refresh display (10%), pwm dimming frequency (10%, when published), panel colour depth (5%, when published).
• phone for long software support: The maker's published update promise: promised years of os upgrades (55%, required), promised years of security updates (45%, required).
• durable phone: Protection against water, dust and scratches: water resistance (60%, required), cover glass generation (20%, when published), metal frame (20%).
• phone for music: Audio hardware: stereo speakers (60%, required), 3.5 mm headphone jack (40%).
• value for money phone: How the overall score compares with what is typical at the phone's price. We fit overall score against the logarithm of price across all ranked phones. A phone exactly on that line scores 50; every overall point above or below it adds or removes 2.5, capped at 0 and 100. A value score is given only when at least 3 other ranked phones cost between two-thirds and one-and-a-half times as much, so the line is never stretched far from real comparisons

Prices and budgets

Prices are in Indian rupees for each variant, each with a date and a source. "Current" prices were confirmed on that date; otherwise we use the launch price. A phone counts as "under ₹X" when its cheapest variant costs ₹X or less. For RAM or storage filters (for example "8GB RAM under ₹15,000") we use the cheapest variant that meets the requirement. Bank offers and coupons are not counted.

Budget bands: under ₹8,000, under ₹10,000, under ₹12,000, under ₹15,000, under ₹18,000, under ₹20,000, under ₹25,000, under ₹30,000, under ₹35,000, under ₹40,000, under ₹50,000, under ₹60,000, under ₹70,000, under ₹80,000, under ₹1 lakh, between ₹10,000 and ₹15,000, between ₹15,000 and ₹20,000, between ₹20,000 and ₹30,000, between ₹30,000 and ₹50,000, above ₹1 lakh.

Feature filters

• 5G: phones with 5G.
• AMOLED: phones with an AMOLED or OLED display.
• 120Hz: phones with a 120Hz or faster display.
• 144Hz: phones with a 144Hz or faster display.
• LTPO: phones with an LTPO display.
• IP68: phones with IP68 or IP69 water resistance.
• IP69: phones with IP69 water resistance.
• wireless charging: phones with wireless charging.
• 100W+ charging: phones with 100W or faster wired charging.
• eSIM: phones with eSIM support.
• headphone jack: phones with a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
• expandable storage: phones with a microSD card slot.
• stock Android: phones with clean, near-stock Android.
• stereo speakers: phones with stereo speakers.
• periscope camera: phones with a periscope telephoto camera.
• 200MP camera: phones with a 200 MP camera.
• 6000mAh: phones with a 6,000 mAh or bigger battery.
• 7000mAh: phones with a 7,000 mAh or bigger battery.
• 8GB RAM: phones with a variant with 8GB or more RAM.
• 12GB RAM: phones with a variant with 12GB or more RAM.
• 16GB RAM: phones with a variant with 16GB or more RAM.
• 256GB storage: phones with a variant with 256GB or more storage.
• Snapdragon: phones with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip.
• Dimensity: phones with a MediaTek Dimensity chip.
• lightweight: phones with a weight of 185 g or less.
• slim: phones with a thickness of 7.5 mm or less.

Lists for different users

• students: Students usually need a phone that lasts all day, stays fast for years and costs little for what it offers. Weights: value 30%, battery 30%, performance 20%, software 20%.
• seniors: Older users benefit most from a bright, clear screen, long battery life, long update support and a sturdy build. Weights: display 30%, battery 30%, software 20%, durability 20%.
• content creators: Creators shoot a lot of video, use both cameras and edit on the phone. Weights: video 40%, camera 30%, selfie 20%, performance 10%.
• business users: Work phones should get security updates for years, last a full day and survive daily wear. Weights: software 35%, battery 25%, durability 20%, performance 20%.

Which lists get their own page

A combination such as "best camera phone under ₹25,000" gets its own page only if at least 5 phones qualify (3 for foldables, flips and iPhones) and, for lower-demand combinations, its top 10 is meaningfully different from the broader list. Otherwise the answer appears as a titled section on the broader page, such as Best Samsung camera phone under ₹30,000 on the "camera phones under ₹30,000" page.

Weekly and monthly snapshots

Live lists update whenever data changes. Each week and month the core lists are frozen into permanent archive pages that never change afterwards. Because scores come from specifications, lists mostly move when phones launch, prices change or data is corrected.

Data sources and verification

Specifications come from manufacturer India product pages and official launch announcements, with reputable Indian news outlets for prices when no official price page exists. A phone is marked verified only when its key specifications and a price have been checked against official sources. Unverified phones are labelled "pending verification". Errors are logged on the corrections page.

Budget scores

On lists limited to a budget, such as "under ₹25,000", each phone also gets a budget score: where its score sits among the ranked phones in that budget, from 0 (lowest) to 100 (highest). It answers "how does it compare with phones at this price?" The national score (the same on every page) is always shown next to it. With only a few phones in a budget the budget score is coarse, so the number of phones compared is always stated.

How much do the weights matter?

Weights are a judgement, so we test them. For every ranked list we re-run the ranking 1,000 times with each weight randomly changed by up to ±25%. Of 174 lists, the #1 phone stays #1 in at least 70% of runs and leads by 2 or more points on 79. The other 95 are labelled on their page as a close call or an effective tie, so you know the top spot depends on how much you value each feature.

Formula versions

Any change to scales, weights or rules gets a new version number. Frozen weekly and monthly rankings keep the scores of the version they were made with.

• Version 2.6 (24 October 2026): Prices: a phone's list price is now the cheapest variant whose price was checked on the most recent price date. A variant not re-checked then (out of stock, or not sold by the retailer we check) no longer sets the price or qualifies a "with 8GB RAM" style list, because its launch price may be out of date. The scoring scales and weights are unchanged, but several 2026 phones moved price band and their value scores changed, because 179 variant prices were refreshed from retailer listings on 24 Oct 2026 (many realme, vivo and iQOO prices rose).
• Version 2.5 (24 October 2026): Scores are unchanged. The main rankings and lists now contain only phones whose first India sale was in 2026 (`site.rankingYear`); the 2025 models have their own lists under /best/…/2025/. Phones from earlier years stay in the catalogue and keep their scores, and every score still uses the same fixed scales, so a phone scores the same in any list. Records, cheapest-with-X lists, brand rankings and comparison pairs use the 2026 models. Weekly and monthly archives made before this date keep the lists they were made with.
• Version 2.4 (24 October 2026): Camera score: when a phone has a telephoto camera but the maker does not state its sensor size, or the main camera's stabilisation is not stated, that input now counts at the middle of its scale (50) instead of dropping out of the average. Before, a phone was better off with an unknown than with a known small sensor. Unknown inputs still do not count toward data coverage. Effect on the all-years lists in force on 24 Oct 2026 (before the 2.5 rule moved the main lists to 2026 models): the Motorola Edge 60, Signature and Edge 70 Pro+ lost 3 to 5 points; the camera #1 under ₹30,000, ₹35,000 and ₹40,000 stays the Motorola Edge 60 and under ₹50,000 stays the Motorola Edge 70 Pro+ (within about 1 point of the Edge 60 and Vivo V70); under ₹60,000 the Signature stays #1 (about 3 points ahead of the Vivo X200T); under ₹1 lakh the Realme GT 8 Pro is now #1 and the Signature #2.
• Version 2.3 (24 October 2026): Camera score: the ultrawide input is now graded by its resolution (none 0, a 2 MP macro lens 10, 8 MP 40, 13 MP 55, 50 MP 85) instead of a yes/no. Same 15% weight. An 8 MP ultrawide and a 50 MP one no longer score the same. No other weight or scale changed.
• Version 2.2 (24 October 2026): Scores are unchanged. Budget lists with a ceiling of ₹30,000 or more no longer include LCD-panel phones, so an HD+ LCD phone cannot be #1 in a list of AMOLED rivals because of one strong input (battery size). The rule applies to every list whose ceiling is ₹30,000 or more (including under ₹30,000); LCD phones still rank in lists with a lower ceiling and in national lists. In practice it changed only the audio lists. On "under ₹X" pages the answer now also names the best phone priced inside that band's own window (between the next lower band and ₹X).
• Version 2.1 (24 October 2026): Scores are unchanged. When two phones tie on a category score (common where the scale tops out at 100, such as durability and software), the one with the higher overall score now ranks first. Before, the newest and then the cheapest phone won the tie.
• Version 2.0 (17 October 2026): Fixed, published scales (anchors) replace percentiles, so a score no longer changes when other phones are added and budget phones are no longer pinned near zero. Each category names required inputs; without them a phone is listed but not ranked. Minimum data coverage raised from 60% to 75%. Camera no longer counts video (video has its own category); megapixels and aperture removed; telephoto sensor size added. Performance and gaming use per-chipset CPU (Geekbench 6) and GPU (3DMark Wild Life Extreme) results. Charging uses watts relative to battery size, plus the maker-stated 0–100% time when published. Value is 50 for a phone exactly as good as expected at its price, instead of a percentile. Overall weights follow published Indian buyer-priority surveys.
• Version 1.0 (1 October 2026): First version: every input was a percentile among the phones in the catalogue.

Limits

Specifications do not capture everything. Image processing, real battery endurance, thermal throttling, software polish and build quality all matter and are not measured here. Treat scores as a structured comparison of hardware on paper.