In Sagas, the scouter is used to represent the game's menu screens, and interestingly, it shows the power level of all the game's boss characters before they are fought (even characters like Frieza and Cell).

All of the levels on this list are taken from the manga, anime, movies, movie pamphlets, Daizenshuu guides, video games and stated mathematical calculations. After the Frieza Saga, the only power level stated by a scouter in the series is that of Future Trunks.

Dodoria's scouter displays three power levels. The Power Level (戦闘力, Sentō Ryoku, lit. "combat power" or "fighting strength"), referred to as Battle Point/Battle Power (BP) in video games, manga, and Dragon Ball Super: Broly, is a concept found in the Dragon Ball franchise created by Akira Toriyama.

As others have said, it's a matter of being different models. Here are the entries for the three different general types of scouters from Daizenshuu 7's item dictionary. Old-Model Scouter First Appearance: chapter 195 Category: battle item Explanation: An item used by Freeza and his men which analyzes battle power.

The scouter's most basic function is simple: to measure a fighter's power level, or ki. If the level is high enough, it also allows the user to get a general idea of that person's location. Using this function, Raditz was quickly able to find Goku at the secluded Kame House.