What the reliability levels mean

Tech reporting is full of rumours, leaks and certification filings presented as fact. We mark every article with how certain the information is and what it rests on. The mark appears both in the list and at the top of the article, and it is not a feature — it is the reason the site exists.

OfficialReliability 5 out of 5: Official, the manufacturer's own release.

5/5

the manufacturer's own release

ReportedReliability 4 out of 5: Reported, independently verified by media.

4/5

independently verified by media

CertificationReliability 3 out of 5: Certification, a regulator database.

3/5

a regulator database

Credible rumourReliability 2 out of 5: Credible rumour, named leaker, two outlets.

2/5

named leaker, two outlets

Weak rumourReliability 1 out of 5: Weak rumour, one anonymous source.

1/5

one anonymous source

The level describes where the information came from, not whether we think the claim is likely. An official release is a 5 even when we doubt a marketing figure. An anonymous forum post stays a 1 even if it later turns out to be right.

The scale is built to work in greyscale and for colour-blind readers: the bar heights carry the level without colour, and the number and name are always spelled out beside it.