Why you can trust Engadget

Engadget has been testing and reviewing the latest consumer tech since 2004. Our mission is the same now as it was in the beginning: to assess and contextualize the newest devices and provide our readers with a better understanding of how a product works, its strengths and weaknesses and how it stacks up against the competition.

We value our editorial independence above all else. All of our reviews, buying guides and roundups are built off thorough research, benchmark testing, real-world use and our expert knowledge of the tech world. We do not let advertisers or affiliate partners influence our coverage. We do not accept money, gifts or favors from companies in exchange for coverage.

Companies often offer free travel and accommodation to facilitate the attendance of events. Engadget’s policy is to not accept such offers, unless there is no feasible way to arrange our own travel. On the rare occasion that we do accept paid travel to an event, this will be clearly noted within any article that results from our attendance.

How we test products

We choose which products to review independent of our parent company or advertisers. We rate products on a 1-100 scale, and the final score is chosen by our editorial team with no outside input.

Review units are usually provided by companies to Engadget free of charge. In most cases, at the end of our review period, hardware is returned to the company. Occasionally we may hold onto units for long-term testing, but under no circumstances do they become a reviewer’s personal property. Reselling of review units is strictly prohibited.

Engadget reviews typically include a mix of quantitative and qualitative testing. We run different benchmarks depending on the type of product we’re testing, but we always approach our reviews as consumers because we are consumers. We’re early adopters, tinkerers and generally tech-obsessed. And while we definitely spend more time than most with things like smartphones, laptops and robot vacuums, we still have questions when a new device comes across our desks: Does it deliver on all of its promises? Is it better than the next best thing out right now? Who should buy it or, more importantly, is it worth buying at all?

In order to answer questions like that, we aim to use the products we review as if they were our own. For example, we might carry a smartphone everywhere for days, taking selfies, playing games and annoying coworkers in Slack; or we’ll write a laptop review on that machine to see how the keyboard holds up over extended typing sessions. For things like synths and samplers, we use them for as long as we can so we can judge how usable the device is, both for seasoned creators and novices, and we make note of build quality, versatility and overall value.

We know that gadgets don’t exist in a vacuum, so placing them into context is just as important as judging their performance and features. That involves not only comparing a device to its direct competitors, but also thinking critically about who would get the most use out of it and if the value it provides justifies its price. No gadget is perfect, but one might be perfect for your specific needs.

Video game journalism requires a different methodology. Engadget publishes previews, reviews and trend pieces on gaming. When previewing a title, we will note how long we spent with it and which modes we had access to. Review codes are often provided to Engadget before a game is available to the public. We endeavor to finish every game we review, or where this is not possible (how do you complete League of Legends?), spend enough time with it to understand it fully. We do not numerically rate games, and our reviews instead comprise a mix of opinion, criticism and analysis.

For a full rundown on our VPN guide processes, you can refer to our specific article on how we test VPN services.

Affiliate links

Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn a commission.

Deals posts

We cover tech deals regularly. Just because you can get something at a deep discount doesn’t mean it’s the right device for you. Our team strives to put as much context into our deal coverage as possible to help readers make an informed buying decision.

The deals we highlight are centered on products from companies we believe to be reputable. We aim to only include good deals on Engadget. Many of the deals we highlight are on products we have already reviewed or evaluated for buyers guides; where we have tested a product, we will indicate the results of this testing.

Sponsored content

Engadget may run sponsored content in partnership with an advertiser or other third party. Such content is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of our editorial staff, and will be clearly labeled to reflect that. Engadget may earn a commission on products bought through sponsored content.