Huawei was caught cheating on phone benchmarks

You'd think smartphone manufacturers would have learned their lesson after being caught cheating multiple times, but that's apparently not the case. UL Benchmarks (aka the Futuremark team) has delisted Huawei's P20 Pro, P20, Nova 3 and Honor Play fro...

Major benchmarking service delists Samsung and HTC phones it suspects of cheating

Oh yes, things are really starting to kick off in the arcane world of smartphone benchmarking. First, there came clear evidence of phone makers manipulating scores in apps like AnTuTu and GFXBench, and now a more mainstream benchmarking company, Futuremark, has publicly delisted specific Samsung and HTC phones that it suspects of cheating. Futuremark says that the devices in question -- including the Galaxy Note 3, HTC One and HTC One Mini -- fail to adhere to the fairness policy, which requires that a device treats its 3DMark app just as it would treat any other app, with no tailor-made bursts of performance designed to achieve artificially high scores. Clearly, this bad behavior is just as endemic as we originally feared, so benchmark apps either need to toughen up, as Futuremark appears to be doing, or they need to find entirely new ways of measuring performance.

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Via: HotHardware, The Register

Source: Futuremark

3DMark benchmarking app arrives on iOS, allows cross-platform comparisons

DNP 3DMark benchmark test available for iOS

Since there aren't many benchmarking apps for iOS, we totally understand if you resented 3DMark's Android-only release in April. Good thing Futuremark finally launched an iOS counterpart, giving you a way to test hardware and pit the results directly against those of Windows and Android devices. The tool comes with three benchmarking modes that gauge CPU and GPU performance: the basic Ice Storm test, the more demanding Ice Storm Extreme and a new one called Ice Storm Unlimited, which lets you make chip-to-chip comparisons between phones and tablets. 3DMark will work with hardware running iOS 6.0 or higher (except if it's a 4th-gen iPod touch), but you'll need at least 174MB of free space. While this'll surely make a lot of people happy, it's not the end of the tool's foray into new platforms -- Futuremark plans to unleash a Windows RT version in the future.

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Via: Shacknews

Source: iTunes

Moto X benchmarks and specs slip out, point to a fine mid-tier phone

Moto X benchmarks reportedly slip

We've already seen Motorola's rumored Moto X in press renders, photos, videos and even the hands of a Google executive; why not throw some benchmarks and specifications into the mix? Android Police is more than happy to add that grist to the rumor mill with a set of photos that reportedly show the AT&T Moto X ("Ghost") running AnTuTu and 3DMark tests. If accurate, the scores hint at a mid-range Android 4.2.2 phone whose 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro and 2GB of RAM produce good (though not great) results. The rest of the visible specs are equally middle-of-the-road -- we see a 720p screen, 16GB of built-in storage, NFC, a 10.5-megapixel rear camera and a 2.1-megapixel front shooter. The hardware alone may not tempt customers, then, but Motorola could be counting on customization and software tricks to lure more customers. We'll know the full story on August 1st.

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Source: Android Police

On your mark, get set, benchmark! 3DMark Android Edition now on Google Play

On your mark, set, benchmark! 3DMark Android Edition now on Google Play

Android just gained another go-to for benchmarking. After failing to hit the 2012 mark for its Android-specific performance software, Futuremark's finally delivering on its promise and making 3DMark available today on Google Play. Typically used as a PC benchmarking tool, the free-to-download app now lets users catalog and compare performance across Windows and Android devices -- iOS and WinRT versions are still listed as "coming soon." There are a few caveats to use, though, as the application requires a smartphone or tablet running Android 3.1 or higher, with 300MB of storage space, a minimum of 1GB RAM and the ability to play nice with OpenGL ES 2.0 (which is about 90 percent of all Android devices, according to Google). Who knows? It could even find a permanent place in our own Android reviews soon. Only time and testing will tell -- check after the break for a video preview of what's in store.

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Via: Xperia blog

Source: Google Play, Futuremark

3DMark Android Version Released: Mobile Benchmarking with Sizzle

Computer geeks have been using various flavors of 3DMark to benchmark their computers for years. The cool thing about their benchmark suite is that it has visually impressive tests that challenge both the GPU and CPU inside your computer. The scores are then mashed together to give you a total score allowing you to directly compare the performance of your machine to other users regardless of the platform or hardware.

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Benchmarking fans can now get their hands on 3DMark for Android. Like the PC version, the Android version of the benchmark suite tests the GPU and CPU. There are two tests for the GPU with the first graphics test focusing on triangle throughput. The second graphics test focuses on pixel processing. The physics test is designed to focus on CPU performance by making it crank through a ton of calculations.

3DMark for Android is available now and requires Android 3.1 or higher, and will be coming to iOS and Windows RT devices in the near future. It would be nice if they made a Mac version someday too.

[via C|NET]

Futuremark Unveils New 3DMark Benchmark for Gamers


Gamers, reviewers, and computer enthusiasts have used the 3DMark benchmark for years. The benchmark is used to analyze the performance on comparable and repeatable tests across a multitude of...

New 3DMark arrives for Windows, gaming PCs brace for punishment (video)

New 3DMark arrives for Windows, gaming PCs brace for impact

There's nothing quite so crushing to the self-esteem of a gamer as a new 3DMark build: even a year-old flagship PC can feel like a clunker as it struggles to get a decent frame rate in Futuremark's visually intensive tests. It's time to get masochistic once again, as the Windows version of the 2013 3DMark release is at last available. The software's showcase benchmark is Fire Strike, for brag-worthy rigs with high-end DirectX 11 graphics; there's also a Cloud Gate test for mere mortal DX 10/11 PCs, and Ice Storm for older DX 9 hardware. 3DMark is waiting both as a stand-alone download and through Steam today, while those who take their gaming on the road will have to wait for the still-in-progress Android, iOS and Windows RT releases to make their tablets cry for mercy.

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Via: Steam

Source: Futuremark