Evaluative (Matrix) Metering
A metering pattern that divides the frame into zones, compares their brightness against a database of scene types, and infers the photographer's intent.
In depth
Modern implementations also read colour, subject detection and focus point position, biasing the exposure toward a detected face or the active AF area. It handles most everyday light remarkably well, but its logic is opaque: two similar frames can meter differently because the algorithm classified them as different scene types.
Examples in practice
Recomposing so a bright window enters the corner of frame can shift matrix metering by a full stop even though the subject has not changed.