Reverse Engineering the Response to "best smartphones" in Chatgpt 5.0

By Chris Byrne (14.8.25)

    This is my attempt to reverse engineer a response to a comparative entity prompt ("best smartphones") in Chatgpt 5.0 using the tool itself. Note I've broken some URLs below.

   In the USA for example, there are many thousands of "best smartphones"-type searches per month on Google alone, according to data from Google Keyword Planner - we might assume that LLMs might be used in a similar way to compare products etc. 

      See the original response to my prompt “Best Smartphones” below (note it expanded the prompt's response to make it current):

    “Best Smartphones of 2025.

1. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – Widely ranked Best Overall Phone thanks to its 200 MP camera, Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, long battery life, and AI tools. (Linked citations from TechRadar & Tom's Guide)
   

2. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max – Best iPhone with superb battery life, vibrant display, and leading-edge camera capabilities.(Linked citations from TechRadar & Tom's Guide)
   

3. Google Pixel 9 Pro / Pixel 9a – Best Camera Phone (Pixel 9 Pro) and Best Value Sub-$500 (Pixel 9a), lauded for AI and imaging. (Linked citations from TechRadar & Tom's Guide)
   

4. OnePlus 13 – Best Android Overall Value delivering flagship specs at a lower price point. (Linked citation from Tom's Guide)
   

5. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 – Best Foldable Phone, combining a thin, durable design with powerful cameras. (Linked citations from TechRadar & Tom's Guide)”

     Below based on using a direct prompt I have attempted to show how the response to my prompt “best smartphones” was created . I used the direct feedback from the tool itself. The below shows how Chatgpt used external web searches to supplement it's preexisting knowledge base.

     The stages in response formation Chatgpt stated were as follows:

1. "Understanding the Prompt & Identifying Intent

• Input: "best smartphones"

• Detected as a comparative prompt (a ranking expectation) about the "smartphones" category.

• Intent recognized: produce a ranked list, typically with justifications.
  
  

2. Finding Relevant Entities via Embeddings

• The phrase "best smartphones" is encoded into an embedding.

• This embedding is compared against entity embeddings.

• High-scoring candidates include: Galaxy S25 Ultra, iPhone 16 Pro Max, Pixel 9 Pro, OnePlus 13, Foldable variants (Z Fold 7).
  
  

3. Selecting Comparison Features

• For smartphones, typical comparison attributes include:

  • Performance (chipset, battery life)

  • Camera quality

  • AI/software integration

  • Value/price segment

  • Form factor innovation (foldables)
    

These attributes are implicitly weighted based on common review criteria.

4. Integrating Facts from Knowledge Sources

• Pre-existing knowledge suggests which models belong in each attribute category (e.g., Galaxy S Ultra = camera leader; iPhone Pro Max = ecosystem; Pixel = AI camera).
  

• Current retrieval updates those with 2025-specific facts:
  

Galaxy S25 Ultra — best overall and camera, Snapdragon 8 Elite, 200 MP sensor. Sources: https://www.techradar .com/news/best-phones-in-australia https://www.tomsguide .com/phones/toms-guide-awards-2025 & https://www.tomsguide .com/best-picks/best-phones

iPhone 16 Pro Max — best iPhone, strong battery/display. Sources: https://www.techradar .com/news/best-phones-in-australia https://www.tomsguide .com/best-picks/best-phones https://www.tomsguide. com/phones/toms-guide-awards-2025

Pixel 9 Pro / 9a — camera and value rankings. Sources: https://www.techradar .com/news/best-phones-in-australia , https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-phones https://www.tomsguide .com/phones/toms-guide-awards-2025

OnePlus 13 — best Android value. Sources: https://www.tomsguide .com/best-picks/best-phones https://www.tomsguide .com/phones/toms-guide-awards-2025

Galaxy Z Fold 7 — best foldable. Sources: https://www.tomsguide .com/phones/toms-guide-awards-2025 & https://www.techradar .com/news/best-phones-in-australia

5. Ranking & Scoring

• Entities are ranked by a combination of source authority and frequency:

  • Galaxy S25 Ultra appears across multiple categories → ranked #1.

  • iPhone 16 Pro Max follows due to brand and category leadership.

  • Pixel offerings and OnePlus fill niche roles (camera/value).

  • Foldable represented by Z Fold 7 for uniqueness.
    

6. Generating Human-Readable Text

• A clean, readable list is formed with each device’s claim and a short justification:

  • “Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – widely ranked Best Overall Phone…”

  • Summarizes the key attribute (camera, AI, battery, value, form factor).
    

7. Output Assembly & & Quality Checks

• Checks for clarity, grammar, and readability.

• Ensures each claim is supported by citations.

• Final answer delivered as above."
  
  

See my previous analysis of Chatgpt 4 .