How we test

How we test

At IT Pro, we know that whether you’re procuring business equipment or just upgrading your home setup, making the right purchasing decision is important, and we know you trust us to help you make that choice. That’s why we take care to put every product we review through a rigorous testing process, including a number of benchmark tests to provide hard data on which products are worth your time and money.

For computing hardware like laptops, tablets and smartphones, we’ll measure the accuracy and brightness of the display, the power and performance of the internal hardware and the battery life in order to give you a complete picture of how each product holds up, as well as what duties it’s most suited to. For networking gear, we’ll measure the speed and range of connections, and for printers, we’ll test the print speed and output quality.

Along with these benchmark tests, we’ll also assess the real-world experience of living with and using these products day to day, analysing the design quality, visual appeal and any additional quality-of-life features that may impact your decision. We approach all of our reviews from a business and IT perspective, so we’ll primarily be looking at how suitable a product is for work tasks, rather than for personal entertainment.

Each hardware review includes a table at the bottom listing the specifications for the model being tested. We’ll also quote the price for that model (as set at time of writing) excluding VAT.

Outside of a handful of specific categories, benchmarks don’t apply to software in the same way, so our software reviews are based on how intuitive the interface is, what features it includes and how skilled it is at accomplishing what it sets out to do.

To help simplify your buying journey, we also curate product roundups and best-of lists, collecting our picks across a range of different categories. In most cases, these will be based on full reviews, but in all instances, every product that goes into one of these lists has been personally tested and approved by a member of IT Pro’s editorial team.

Some of our articles may include purchase links for specific products; when you buy something through these links, we may earn a small commission from the merchant in exchange for directing you to them. This does not influence our coverage or recommendations. We do not, and will not, accept any compensation in exchange for product recommendations.

How we test:

ITPro

ITPro is a global business technology website providing the latest news, analysis, and business insight for IT decision-makers. Whether it's cyber security, cloud computing, IT infrastructure, or business strategy, we aim to equip leaders with the data they need to make informed IT investments.

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