A long-running hands-on tech reviewer with a published testing method, but its "best of" picks ride on the same affiliate links it earns commissions from, which it discloses.
What it's really for A consumer-tech publisher; reviews monetized by ads and affiliate commissions.
What our grade covers The grade on this page is about its 5-star tech reviews and buying guides, not everything the site does.
High Scoring Confidence Checked against primary sources. We are confident in the facts and the grade here.
Advertisers and affiliate retail partners pay it most; by its own editorial guidelines, paying for ads or sponsorship does not buy editorial coverage or review placement, and paid content is badged "Paid Program" or "presented by."
Source →- Operating since
- 2006 (20 years) · source
- What it costs you
- Free to read The reviews are free to read.
- How they make money
- Makes money through advertising, sponsored/branded content, and affiliate commissions earned when readers buy through links on its site.
- What they do
- Publishes hands-on reviews and "best of" buying guides for consumer electronics and tech, scoring products on a 5-star scale after real-world and benchmark testing.
- What to watch for
- It earns a commission when you buy through its recommendation links, a built-in incentive (disclosed in its own policy) that "best of" affiliate publishers carry, so its picks are not a purely commission-blind verdict.
- Composite score
- 4.00 / 5.00 → grade A-
How the grade was reached
Does the site take money from the very entities it ranks? Pay-for-placement, vendor-funded data, and affiliate commissions all pull this down. The less the ranking can be bought, the higher the score.
What is the ranking actually built on? Hands-on testing scores highest, then verified first-hand reviews, then opinion or popularity surveys and self-reported figures, then pay-to-rank, which scores lowest.
Is the methodology published, specific, and reproducible? Can a reader see how a given rank was reached, or is it a black box?
Are commercial relationships, sponsorships, and affiliate arrangements disclosed clearly and near the rankings themselves, rather than buried?
How hard is it to game? Controls against fake reviews, solicited reviews, and vendor gaming raise this; an open box anyone can stuff lowers it.
Evidence
- Digital Trends' own testing overview states editors test products in the real world and also run objective benchmarks (colorimeters for TVs/monitors, battery-life loops, synthetic benchmarks), with category-specific 'how we test' methodology pages and a defined 0.5-to-5-star scoring scale. Source: Digital Trends - How we test →
- Editorial guidelines state staff and freelancers 'cannot accept compensation of any kind in exchange for a review,' that editorial maintains independence from other departments, and that the company may earn affiliate commissions while branded articles are badged 'Paid Program' and sponsorships marked 'presented by.' Source: Digital Trends - Editorial Guidelines →
- Digital Trends was founded in June 2006 by Ian Bell and Dan Gaul, is operated by the privately owned Digital Trends Media Group, generates revenue primarily through advertising, and in 2021 partnered with Valnet to pool resources. Source: Wikipedia - Digital Trends →