Category rating — not an assessment of any specific brand
This rating covers a typical, mass-market
consumer electronics product based on publicly available data.
It does not name or assess any specific manufacturer or product.
Individual products may perform better or worse.
Learn about verified ratings →
Below HIP Mark threshold
Score 1.9/10 — Standard mark requires 6.0
Standard
Silver
Gold
Category best achievable: 6.4
Depleting — materials are being used up with no way to replace them
This is what a typical smartphone looks like today. It's made with care for the people and places involved. If the maker shares their data, the score usually goes up.
Category baseline
1.9 HIP
Below Standard
Category ceiling: 6.4 HIP
Regenerative Index
-7.0
Depleting
Category ceiling RI: -2.0
What this score means
This is the starting score for Smartphones, based only on public data. No maker has sent us
their own data yet. The ceiling score (shown below) is what a product can reach when the maker
shares real evidence. To close the gap, makers apply for a verified rating.
Make this product? You can raise this score.
The starting score for this category is 1.9 HIP.
With full evidence, a product in this category can reach 6.4 HIP.
Our first verified product scored 6.9 and earned the HIP Mark.
Share your product data and we score what you can prove.
Apply for verified assessment
What to Check Before You Buy
- Look for a published iFixit-style repair score. Above 7 means screw-fastened construction and accessible internals. Below 4 means a glued, sealed device.
- Confirm a long, stated software-support window. Five years minimum. Eight is what the ceiling looks like. Without it, the device becomes e-waste while the hardware still works.
- Ask for a take-back scheme. Recyclability without a return path is just theory. The ceiling assumes a verified maker-run take-back.
- Check the warranty and IP rating (water- and dust-resistance grade). A two-year warranty is the EU floor. Five years signals the maker expects the hardware to last. An IP55 rating or better guards against the water-splash damage that quietly retires millions of phones.
We do not name brands in our guides — we score against the category baseline. The four checks above are visible on any maker's product page if you look.
From our full buyer's guide →
Score Breakdown
How rare are the materials?
MSI · 20%
1.5
Why this score ▸
The product relies heavily on lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements, gold, tantalum, and tin, all designated as EU Critical Raw Materials or USGS Critical Minerals. With only 5% recycled content and an assumed high concentration of extraction in China, the supply chain faces significant scarcity risks typical of conventional consumer electronics.
Where do the materials come from?
SCR · 18%
2.0
Why this score ▸
The smartphone relies on rare earth elements and cobalt, which are predominantly sourced from China and the DRC respectively, both presenting high geopolitical and governance risks. No due-diligence programme or alternative suppliers are documented for these critical materials, resulting in a critical risk profile.
Can it be recycled?
RC · 18%
2.0
Why this score ▸
The smartphone is assumed to be glued with no take-back scheme, preventing practical material separation. Only metal components are likely recovered, while plastics and nichrome elements are typically landfilled, resulting in a score at the pre-verification baseline for sealed consumer electronics.
Can you fix it?
R · 13%
1.0
Why this score ▸
The smartphone is assumed to be glued shut with no spare parts available and no public service manual, aligning with the unrepairable category for sealed consumer electronics. The lack of fastener data and parts commitment indicates a design intended for replacement rather than repair.
Is it made fairly?
SEI · 8%
3.5
Why this score ▸
The smartphone is manufactured in China, a moderate-risk jurisdiction, with no submitted third-party audits, environmental certifications, or modern slavery statements. The absence of verified evidence places the assessment at the pre-verification baseline for this category, where ILO compliance claims are not independently verified.
How long will it last?
PL · 8%
3.5
Why this score ▸
The product has a 2-year warranty and a stated design life of 4 years, which aligns with the typical mass-market baseline for smartphones. The assessment assumes no IP rating or modular design due to missing data, and software support is not applicable as a distinct longevity factor in this generic evaluation.
Does it give back to nature?
RI · 15% · scale −10 to +10
-7.0
Why this score ▸
The product is classified as Depleting because primary materials are conventionally mined with only 5% recycled content and no verified take-back scheme. This does not meet the criteria for the Extractive band, which requires substantial recycled content or a take-back programme. The absence of regenerative certifications or closed-loop programmes confirms the score falls within the -7 to -6 range for conventional electronics.
MSI 20% · SCR 18% · RC 18% · R 13% · SEI 8% · PL 8% · RI 15% = 100%
About the HIP Methodology ▸
Starting scores are low on purpose. We only count what we can confirm from public data,
so most products sit between 2 and 4 out of 10 before a maker shares their own evidence.
That gap between the starting score and what a product could reach is the whole point.
When a maker proves what their product is really made of, the score goes up.
The HIP Mark shows it has been checked.
Read the full methodology →
Consumer Summary
This smartphone has a HIP Score of 1.9 out of 10, which matches the current market baseline for this category. Its Regenerative Index is -7.0, indicating that the device relies heavily on newly mined materials with very little recycled content. Overall, the product aligns with typical mass-market designs that prioritize new resource extraction over circular material use.
What This Means For You
When shopping for smartphones, look for models that explicitly state a higher percentage of recycled materials in their construction. Seek out brands that offer repair services, spare parts, and clear disassembly guides to extend the device's life. Avoid products that are sealed shut or lack a take-back program, as these make recycling difficult and contribute to resource depletion.
Data Transparency
This is a category rating based on publicly available data. The following data fields were not submitted by a manufacturer and have been estimated conservatively using open reference data and the category default assumptions table v0.1 (provisional — sources pending full citation):
material_percentagescountry_of_primary_extractionprimary_sourcing_countriestier1_supplier_countdue_diligence_standardalternative_supplier_existsdisassembly_typerecyclable_streams_pctrecycling_label_complianttakeback_schemedesign_for_disassemblyfastener_typespare_parts_availablespare_parts_years_committedservice_manual_publicifixit_scoreecodesign_in_scopemanufacturing_countriesenvironmental_certificationsthird_party_certificationrba_audit_completedmodern_slavery_statementilo_compliance_claimedip_ratingmodular_designsoftware_support_yearsprimary_material_originregenerative_certificationsclosed_loop_programmematerial_origin_certifiedregenerative_practices
A verified rating uses manufacturer-submitted data and produces a more accurate, product-specific score.
Material Watch Points
- Cobalt — EU Critical Raw Materials list
- Lithium — EU Critical Raw Materials list
- Rare earth elements — EU Critical Raw Materials list
- Tantalum — EU Critical Raw Materials list
- Tin — EU Critical Raw Materials list
- China — High concentration of global supply for key components
- Rare earth elements — China >60% global supply, high concentration risk
- Cobalt — DRC high-risk jurisdiction, no RBA audit
- No due-diligence programme documented
- No alternative supplier documented
How this score was calculated
The HIP Score is a weighted average of seven dimensions measuring material
resilience, supply chain integrity, and end-of-life characteristics.
| Code |
Dimension |
Weight |
Score |
| MSI |
Material Scarcity Index |
0.20 |
1.5 / 10 |
| SCR |
Supply Chain Risk |
0.18 |
2.0 / 10 |
| RC |
Recyclability and Circularity |
0.18 |
2.0 / 10 |
| R |
Repairability |
0.13 |
1.0 / 10 |
| SEI |
Social and Environmental Impact |
0.08 |
3.5 / 10 |
| PL |
Product Longevity |
0.08 |
3.5 / 10 |
| RI |
Regenerative Index |
0.15 |
-7.0 (raw) |
Regenerative Index note: RI scores on a unique scale of -10 to +10.
Before weighting, the raw score is normalised: RI normalised = (RI raw + 10) / 2.
This product's RI band is Depleting.
Weighted HIP Score: 1.9 / 10
· Methodology v1.5
Base weights shown. Some product types use category-specific weight profiles —
see full methodology for details.
Read the full methodology →
Data Sources
This rating draws on the following public sources:
USGS Mineral Resources Program (public domain) · EU Critical Raw Materials List 2023 (CC BY 4.0) · World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Category default assumptions table v0.1 (provisional — sources pending full citation)
All sources are public domain or published under open data licences.
Full source list →
About this rating:
HIP scores are based on public data at the date shown.
They show how well a product holds up over time — not a promise about safety or future supply.
Resourcehip is not liable for choices made based on these ratings.
Scope:
This is a category rating for Smartphones and does not assess any specific brand or manufacturer.
Individual products may perform better or worse than this baseline.
Produced under Resourcehip Scoring Methodology 1.5 (CC BY-NC 4.0).
AI disclosure:
An AI model scored this rating on our own hardware — no data was sent to the cloud.
A human reviewer checked and approved it before it went live.
Model: qwen3.5:35b.
AI transparency notice →
Not financial or investment advice.
Ratings are for consumer information only.
Dispute this rating · Our methodology · All ratings
Assessed: 2026-06-17 · Next review: 2027-04-28 · Methodology 1.5
