1. How a RelyScore is built
Phone RelyScore keeps different evidence types separate so readers can understand what a score is based on.
- Technical facts: manufacturer specifications and other verifiable product data.
- Public owner evidence: model-specific user experiences, including both positive and negative reports.
- Internal testing: Phone RelyScore's own practical or long-term testing, when such testing has been completed.
- Critical-failure review: targeted checks for restart, shutdown, freeze, black screen, bootloop, GPS failure, mobile-data failure and touch failure.
An internet-based 8+ score may remain Provisional / PAL Candidate until the evidence base is sufficiently mature.
2. Evidence standards
A single isolated owner report is not automatically treated as a model-wide defect. The seriousness, specificity, independence and repetition of reports are considered before a critical pattern is declared.
- One credible critical report may justify a caution or score cap.
- A severe 5.9-level result should normally require a documented pattern supported by multiple independent reports.
- Evidence that a problem was fixed by a later update is considered.
- Problems from a related model are not automatically transferred to another model.
Scores can move up or down when new evidence materially changes what is known about a phone.
3. Editorial independence
Manufacturers, retailers, advertisers and affiliate partners do not receive a guaranteed score, and commercial relationships must not determine the reliability verdict.
- No manufacturer may purchase a higher RelyScore.
- A manufacturer response may add evidence, but does not automatically change a score.
- Product strengths remain visible even when reliability is rated poorly.
- Where a score changes, the evaluation history should be retained where practical.
4. Corrections & right of reply
Manufacturers, distributors, service partners, readers and other interested parties may contact Phone RelyScore if they believe a factual statement is incorrect, outdated or materially incomplete.
- Identify the exact phone page and the statement being challenged.
- Provide the correction or response and, where possible, supporting documentation.
- Phone RelyScore reviews the material against the same evidence standards used for the original evaluation.
- If a correction is justified, the page or score may be updated and the reason recorded.
A request for review does not guarantee removal, correction or a higher score. Evidence is assessed on its merits.
5. Manufacturer review and score withdrawal
A manufacturer may contact Phone RelyScore if it believes that an evaluation contains incorrect, outdated or incomplete information. The manufacturer may submit technical documentation, software-update information or other relevant evidence and request a reassessment.
Following such a request, Phone RelyScore may:
- correct factual errors,
- update the evaluation,
- temporarily mark the score as Under Review, or
- withdraw the published RelyScore while the case is being reviewed.
If a manufacturer specifically requests that a published RelyScore is withdrawn, Phone RelyScore may keep the phone listed with a neutral notice such as:
RelyScore withdrawn following a manufacturer request. No current Phone RelyScore is published for this model.
A manufacturer request does not automatically result in a higher score. Submitted evidence is assessed independently under the same methodology used for all phones.
6. Fair presentation of manufacturers and products
Phone RelyScore aims to distinguish verifiable facts from editorial judgment. Product comparisons should concern relevant characteristics and should not be presented in a misleading, confusing or unnecessarily derogatory way.
When a negative reliability finding is published, the goal is to describe the evidence and its practical meaning for users — not to insult a manufacturer or claim that every individual unit is affected.
Important: Public prevalence is often unknown. A documented pattern means that multiple credible cases exist; it does not by itself establish the percentage of all units affected.
7. Legal and editorial framework
This policy is designed to support transparent, evidence-based publishing. Danish marketing law prohibits misleading commercial practices and, for comparative advertising, requires objective comparison of relevant and documentable characteristics and prohibits denigration of competitors. EU rules on comparative advertising follow the same general principles.
This page describes Phone RelyScore's editorial policy. It is not a substitute for individual legal advice.