Thursday, August 1, 2013

Samsung is Cheating in Benchmarks



All processors have what is called a "clock speed". It's the speed the processor can perform computations. You've probably seen it expressed as Ghz, such as a 2.8Ghz processor. Generally speaking, the higher the number the faster the processor (and that's a very basic way of looking at a more complex subject). A processor clock speed is set by the manufacturer, to run at the optimal speed, a mix of electricity use and heat. However, a processor can be "overclocked", making it run
faster. This increases its energy demands, and increases the heat it produces.

Why am I explaining this? Because Samsung is using overclocking to make their phones seem faster, specifically for benchmarks that measure performance. I've stated before that benchmarks aren't an accurate look at how a phone performs, but now we can be certain that any value involving Samsung devices has been falsified.

When a Samsung device discovers that it's being tested in a benchmark, it overclocks the processor. This isn't something that's done for just any taxing operation, only benchmarks. In fact, Anandtech, who runs benchmarks for multiple devices, found code in the phones called "BenchmarkBooster". Without a doubt, Samsung was manipulating benchmarks, making their phones look better than they actually were. The overclocking they were doing was far too high for normal levels of operation, and would have caused their phones to have even worse battery life and generate plenty of heat.

Samsung has proven time and time again that they're not a company that deserves our trust. Yet these deceptive tactics have allowed them to become the top Android manufacturer. If only more consumers knew, maybe other manufacturers would have a better chance.
Source: 9to5Google

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