We’ve heard this a few times with a few of Samsung’s devices that they inflate their benchmarks. Basically what Samsung does is they overclock the CPU and GPU when certain apps are running, like games and benchmarks. Which is why we see their scores higher than they should be. However, according to Ars Technica, it looks like Samsung has gotten rid of the benchmark-boosting functionality in their KitKat update. Which is nice to see because the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S4 still tear up the benchmark scores even without inflating them. Ars Technica has done plenty of work to find out that the benchmark-boosting “shenanigans” have been omitted from the KitKat update, so you can check out their report in the source link below.
The Galaxy Note 3 is starting to get Android 4.4.2 – KitKat now in certain regions. We’re still waiting for it here in the US, and we’re expecting it before the end of this quarter. Although we have no idea when exactly it’ll be available for Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T or US Cellular. But as we always do, we’ll be sure to let you know when the update is available. And hopefully they’ve fixed the SD card issue Nick reported on this past weekend.
Since we learned that benchmark boosting is done by most OEMs and not just Samsung, we’ve changed how we look at benchmarks in our reviews. We still benchmark with AnTuTu, but we do put in a pretty general disclaimer about how benchmark scores don’t translate to real-world use. Which is 100% true. I’ve never been big on benchmarks because a high-benchmark doesn’t always mean it’s a great device, and smooth.
How many of you are glad to see Samsung get rid of the benchmark-boosting functionality in the KitKat update? Let us know in the comments below.