Products tested during review at TechPowerUp may receive the following awards.
Hardware vendors may print these awards on their product boxes, show them on websites or use them for other marketing purposes.
Editor's Choice
This is our most valuable award
It is given to a product that truly stands out from the competition, something that does a lot of things better than alternatives
The reviewer would buy this product with their own money
This award does not mean "Must Buy" or "Must Have," no product exists that everybody must buy or have
Cannot be combined with "Recommended"
Recommended
For things that didn't make Editor's Choice, but that are still a great product that deserves recognition
It is given to a product that has some flaws, but provides a competitive enough package overall, without qualifying for Editor's Choice
The reviewer would recommend this product to their friends, for specific usage scenarios
Cannot be combined with "Editor's Choice"
Budget
Given to a product that has a great price/performance ratio, comes at a highly affordable price point, or offers exemplary value otherwise
May be combined with the other awards
Innovation
For products that introduce a notable technological advancement
May be combined with the other awards
But Expensive
This award must be combined with "Editor's Choice", "Recommended" or "Innovation", to further expand on a conclusion for a product that's fantastic/recommended, but comes at a high price point
Cannot be given alone.
No Award
This does not mean that product is bad, but rather it is more likely that it's just not remarkable enough to stand out compared to alternatives
Do carefully read the conclusion and rest of the review to understand compromises you may have to make