10
Apr
unnamed (1)

[New App] Rightware's Basemark X Is A Benchmark App Based On The Cross-Platform Unity Game Engine

Posted by in Applications, News

If you don't keep an obsessive eye on video game development, you might not be aware of Unity. It's a 3D game engine that makes it easy to develop games for multiple platforms and multiple rendering engines, including Direct3D, OpenGL, and (on Android and iOS) OpenGL ES. It's not the most powerful or flexible thing around, but a lot of developers rely on the tool. Now they've got an easy way to estimate game performance on different Android hardware, via the Basemark X benchmark from Rightware.

Basemark X is also pretty impressive as a demonstration of the graphical power of Unity 4.

26
Nov
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AnTuTu Benchmark Updated To V3.0, Adds A Whole Bunch Of Things

Posted by in Applications, News

AnTuTu is quickly becoming one of the most popular benchmarks on Android, and for good reason: the devotion of its developer to providing timely updates is admirable (even if his talent for GUI design isn't... at all). The bump to version 3.0 brings a host of major changes, including a brand-new OpenGL ES 2.0 3D benchmark, along with a new 2D benchmark specifically for testing (wait for it) 2D gaming performance.

Screenshot_2012-11-26-08-51-44 Screenshot_2012-11-26-08-54-53 Screenshot_2012-11-26-08-55-48

The UI has apparently been updated, too, but that's sort of like spotting the rearranged living room furniture in an episode of Hoarders.

Of course, benchmarks aren't really about aesthetics (well, maybe Vellamo is), so much as they are numbers.

14
Nov
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New 3DMark Set To Bring Consistent Cross-Platform Benchmarking To Windows, Windows RT, Android, iOS

Posted by in Android OS, News

Popular benchmark and performance test maker Futuremark today announced that their 3DMark product, "the world's most popular benchmark and PC test," will be getting an update that brings it to Windows, Windows, RT, Android, and iOS, allowing the tool to join the ranks of cross-platform benchmarkers like the popular GeekBench.

The new version of 3DMark, which is expected to hit "before the end of the year," will include three all-new tests designed to benchmark devices from smartphones all the way up to high-performance gaming PCs.

The trio of new tests, which increase in intensity, methods, and purpose, include Ice Storm (for mobile devices and "entry level hardware"), Cloud Gate (for Windows notebooks and typical PCs), and Fire Strike (for high-performance gaming hardware).

20
Sep
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Qualcomm's Vellamo Benchmark Suite Goes 2.0, Brings Beautiful New UI And Brand-New CPU Benchmark

Posted by in Applications, News

Do you enjoy knowing how fast things are? Then Qualcomm's revamped Vellamo suite is probably something you should check out. Vellamo has been the web benchmark of choice on Android for some time now, but this new update brings some major improvements.

First, the UI: it's completely different. It's actually really nice, certainly the prettiest benchmarking tool I've ever seen on Android (I mean, who really cares, but still). Just look at the screenshots:

Screenshot_2012-09-20-13-47-13 Screenshot_2012-09-20-13-47-17 Screenshot_2012-09-20-13-47-21

The next big change comes in the form of a brand-new CPU benchmark called Metal. Metal compiles the results of a number of benchmarks like Dhrystone 2.1 and Linpack into a single, overall score, allowing you to get a feel for your CPU's overall performance.

18
Sep
1

Engadget Benchmarks The RAZR i, It's Probably Not The Powerhouse You Were Expecting

Posted by in News, RAZR i

Right after Motorola made the RAZR i official, the very first comment on our post was "Benchmarks ASAP!" because everyone wants to know how Intel's Medfield processor compares to the more common ARM-based chips that we're used to seeing. Engadget spent some time doing exactly that this morning, and the results are, well... less than impressive. Have a look:

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The only area where the RAZR i outperforms its Snapdragon S4-touting cousin (the M) is in the SunSpider benchmark, which tests browser performance. Do these scores mean the RAZR i is a bad phone? Heck no. Benchmarks are fun for looking at raw horsepower, but the real test is once you get the device in your hands.

01
Aug
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GLBenchmark 2.5 Released, Brings Support For 1080p And A New Version Of The Egypt Benchmark

Posted by in Applications, News

When it comes to mobile benchmarks, there are a few names that almost instantly come to mind: Quadrant, AnTuTu, CFBench, etc. However, those primarily test the CPU; when it comes to testing the GPU, one name stands above the rest: GLBenchmark.

A new version of GLBenchmark recently landed in the Play Store, bringing with it some changes that drastically increase the benchmark's relevance on modern devices. For starters, the Egypt benchmark, now known as Egypt HD, has been completely overhauled with richer textures, a new environment, varied shading, and more dynamic lighting/camera angles. In other words, it works the GPU a lot harder.

07
Jul
2012-07-07_12h05_06

The Great Android Police Storage Benchmark: 11 Modern Devices Compared In 13 Tests

Posted by in Devices By Manufacturer, Features, News

A week ago, I posted a head-to-head comparison/buyer's guide of the Asus Transformer Pad (TF300), Transformer Prime (TF201), and Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700). The most upvoted comment: how is the internal storage performance? So I sat down to benchmark 6 devices.... and with the help of the team, ended up benchmarking 11:

  • HTC One S (S4)
  • HTC One X (T3)
  • Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx
  • Samsung Galaxy Nexus (Android 4.1 - Jelly Bean)
  • Samsung Galaxy Nexus (Android 4.0.4 - Ice Cream Sandwich)
  • Samsung Galaxy S III (S4)
  • Asus Transformer Pad (TF300)
  • Asus Transformer Prime (TF201)
  • Asus Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700)
  • Nexus 7 (Android 4.1 - Jelly Bean)
  • Toshiba Excite 7.7

The Tests

At Mekerz86's suggestion, we used both RL Benchmark and AndroBench, both available for free on the Play Store.

21
May
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Quadrant Advanced and Professional Editions Now Available In The Play Store

Posted by in Applications, News

Are you a benchmark junkie, or do you know someone who is? If so, Aurora Software just released some tools to the Play Store that are sure to help feed your addictions: say hello to Quadrant Advanced and Professional Editions.

For the uninitiated, Quadrant has been a standard for Android benchmark tests in Android since, well, basically forever. Previously only available in the SlideMe store, the Professional and Advanced versions are now available in the Play Store.

2012-05-21_12h38_59

So, what's different about this pair of benches over the free, Standard version? More info, of course! Basically, the Advanced edition offers sub scores, offline score viewing, custom settings, and zero ads.

25
Apr
htc-one-x-press

[Head-To-Head] Tegra 3 HTC One X Vs. S4 One X In Bootup And Benchmark Battle

Posted by in News, One X (Endeavor)

With the upcoming release of AT&T's HTC One X, many people are wondering how it compares to the international version, which packs NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 instead of Qualcomm's dual-core Snapdragon S4. One user out in YouTubeLand happened to get their hands on both variants and decided to boot them up simultaneously, as well as run AnTuTu Benchmark to see how they compare head-to-head.

While I realize that benchmarks are definitely not a definitive answer to how well the device performs, they do give a rough idea of what the device is capable of. Plus, they're just fun.

Left: Tegra 3 One X; Right: Snapdragon S4 One X

Right out of the gate, it's pretty clear that the Tegra 3 phone is quicker on bootup.

18
Apr
RIMG_1467_1600x1200

T-Mobile HTC One S Review: The Future Is Now

Posted by in HTC, One S (Ville), Phone Reviews, Reviews, T-Mobile
Last Updated: April 30th, 2012

An Android phone is like a Leatherman Tool. It does a lot of things - without a doubt, a triumph of function over form. Android is the world's most versatile mobile operating system, the most tweakable, the most adaptable, and the most fully-featured. It just does more than any other comparable product out there. But if Android is a Leatherman, the iPhone is the basic Swiss Army Knife - compact, simple, iconic, and good enough for the vast majority of people, even if it does do a little less.

Building on that analogy, Android users, even die-hard fans, actually look at their phones more like tools.

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