Glossary

Battery capacity maximum

The largest battery capacity in a power bank range is the ceiling for charging a phone more than once.

Battery health minimum

The lowest battery capacity a refurbished phone is allowed to have when it ships, expressed as a share of a new cell's capacity.

Battery life in hours

Stated battery life in hours shows how long a flagship wireless product runs before you reach for the charger.

Build size in mm

The longest side of the working volume on the biggest model, which sets the largest job each maker can take.

Build to order

A build to order machine is assembled after you order, so you can choose the processor, memory and storage.

Click and collect

Ordering online for store pickup, which some sellers here offer and others, including Back Market, do not.

Codecs

A codec is the compression format used to move sound over Bluetooth, and a phone or headphone pair supports a set of them.

Condition grades

The named wear tiers refurbishers use, from the top grade down, which set both price and expected wear.

Dead pixel policy

Whether a brand promises to replace a screen with stuck or dead pixels under its own stated terms, which is what separates a covered …

Enclosed

A machine with a sealed housing around its working area, which every maker in this comparison offers.

Extended warranty

An extended warranty is cover sold on top of the standard term, adding more months of protection once the original runs out.

Flight time (minutes)

How long a drone stays airborne on one charge, and the figure that decides whether a flight fits inside a single battery.

Founded

When a company started, a rough signal of how much of the current market it has lived through.

Free delivery threshold

The basket value at which a shop starts covering postage, set in the currency you pay in.

GaN

GaN is the chip material behind smaller, cooler chargers, and two of the compared brands sell them.

GPU brands

The graphics chip makers a retailer stocks decide which laptops, phones and small computers you can find with a discrete GPU.

Headquarters

Where a brand keeps its head office, which hints at how far you are from the people who make the call on a warranty.

IP rating

An IP rating shows how well a device resists dust and water, which decides where you can use it.

Laser power in W

The optical output of the strongest laser in a maker's range, which sets cutting speed and material thickness.

Legal entity

The registered company behind a brand, and the name to look for when you need an invoice or a claim.

Markets

The countries a brand will actually ship to, which decides whether you can buy from its own store at all.

Max output in watts

Maximum output in watts shows whether a charger or power bank can handle a laptop or is limited to smaller devices.

Max print speed (mm/s)

The fastest movement the print head is rated to reach, in millimetres per second, and the clearest single number for separating a fast printer …

Max video resolution

The highest video resolution in a range matters most if you crop, zoom or fly a drone.

Maximum refresh rate in Hz

The top refresh rate a seller's monitors reach, from Arzopa's portable panels to AOC and ASUS at the fast end.

Multi colour printing

Multi colour printing means a printer feeds more than one filament at a time, so parts come out in colour without swapping by hand.

Multiroom

Multiroom is speaker grouping across rooms, and none of the audio brands in this comparison support it.

Noise cancelling

Noise cancelling is a feature every compared audio brand offers, so the real choice is fit, battery and price.

Operating systems

The operating systems a brand ships on tell you what software you get in the box and what an upgrade might cost you later.

Panel types

Panel type is the technology behind a monitor's screen, and it sets contrast, viewing angles and response.

Platforms

The platform list shows which devices a controller, headset or handheld actually works with, and how far it stretches.

Price from

The cheapest item in a brand's own store, in local currency, which shows entry level rather than typical spend.

Price match

A store's promise to cut its own price when the same item is found cheaper elsewhere, which removes much of the risk of buying …

Product types

The kinds of gear a brand actually sells, which tells you whether it belongs in your shortlist at all.

RAM maximum

The largest memory option in a retailer's range is the ceiling for any single machine it sells.

Return days

How long you have to change your mind, send a fault back or cancel an order without arguing.

Stabilisation

In-body or gimbal shake control on the flagship, which all of the camera and drone brands here include.

Store categories

The departments a brand's shop is organised into, which shows how broad a one stop basket you can actually fill there.

Student discount

A reduced price offered to people who can show they are studying, which cuts the effective cost of a machine for enrolled buyers.

Support channels

The ways a brand lets you get help, and how much of the work you have to do yourself.

Trade in

A trade in service lets you hand over an old device as part of payment, which lowers the price of the new one.

Unlocked

A phone sold without a carrier lock, which every seller of refurbished handsets here states it provides.

Warranty length

A warranty length is how many months a retailer covers a phone or refurbished device before a repair is yours to pay for.

Warranty years

How long the maker covers a fault before you pay, and where a range means some lines are covered longer than others.

Weight in g

The mass of the lightest camera or drone each maker sells, which decides what fits your bag.

Wireless

A wireless keyboard or mouse sends input over a radio link instead of a cable, and every brand in this group lists wireless versions.