The Short Version
GoSolo is a specification database first. Every rating and review on this site is derived from a phone’s published spec sheet and public benchmark data. We do not physically test devices. We don’t run battery rundowns, measure display brightness, or shoot camera samples. Where we estimate real-world behaviour, such as battery life from capacity or charge time from wattage, the text says so.
The GoSolo Score (0–10)
The headline score is a deterministic, spec-based rating. It is computed the same way for every phone, so it is consistent and comparable, but it is a reading of the datasheet, not a lab result. It blends five areas:
- Performance (25%): the chipset’s standing, from a maintained table of ~190 processors ranked by their approximate real-world benchmark tier, falling back to a published AnTuTu estimate.
- Camera (25%): main-sensor resolution (capped at 48 MP, because higher-count sensors pixel-bin their output, so the headline number is marketing), sensor size, up to three real rear lenses, optical stabilisation, and video capability (8K, or pro-grade 4K such as 120fps or ProRes).
- Display (20%): panel type, refresh rate, rated peak brightness, and pixel density.
- Battery & charging (20%): capacity (the largest variant where a phone ships in several) and rated wired charging speed.
- Design & build (10%): materials and the official water/dust rating.
Rumoured or cancelled phones get no rating at all. For a phone that’s announced but not yet released, a spec the maker hasn’t disclosed (often the battery) is scored as average rather than as weak, and a phone needs at least three confirmed categories before we show a number.
We deliberately don’t score “value”, because we don’t hold reliable street prices for every market, and a value score without a real price would be invented.
Reviews
Reviews are written with AI assistance from the phone’s specifications, under editorial rules that forbid inventing numbers, hyping, or listing the absence of legacy features (no headphone jack, no microSD) as a flaw on a modern phone. The performance commentary is calibrated to the chipset’s tier so the words and the score tell the same story. A review can only ever be as good as the spec sheet behind it; sparse or unusual devices get shorter reviews rather than padded ones.
Where the Data Comes From
Manufacturer specifications, GSMArena’s public spec listings, and public benchmark databases. New releases are added automatically, and specs are refreshed when they change. If you spot an error, the fastest fix is to tell us which phone and which field.
What This Means for You
Use the score to shortlist and compare quickly. For anything that depends on hands-on experience, such as camera quality in low light, thermal throttling, or how a phone actually feels, read a review from someone who has held the device. Our job is to make the datasheet honest, complete, and comparable; we don’t pretend it’s more than that.