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Samsung Fudging Benchmarks Again On Galaxy Note 3

tlhIngan writes "A few months ago, Samsung was caught gaming benchmarks on the Galaxy S4 (International version). They would lock the GPU at a higher-than-normal frequency when certain applications were run, including many popular Android benchmarking programs. These had the expected result of boosting the performance numbers. This time, the Galaxy Note 3 was caught doing the same thing, boosting CPU scores by 20% over the otherwise identical LG G2 (which uses the same SoC at the same clock). Samsung defends these claims by saying the other apps make use of such functionality, but Ars reversed-engineered the relevant code and discovered it applied only to benchmark applications. Even more damning was that the Note 3 was still faster than the G2 when run using 'stealth' (basically renamed) versions of the benchmarking apps which did not get the boost."

5 of 258 comments (clear)

  1. Re:If this was Apple... by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Are you implying that us android users wouldn't be "up in arms"? It affects us more. While apple sells two models of the iPhone, we have a multitude of android phones to choose from. Samsung messing with the benchmark has the potential to cause a customer to chose samsung over HTC, Google Nexus, or Motorola phone.

    --
    These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
  2. Re:Humans will be Humans by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If someone is surprised Humans are willing to cheat, rip off, etc to get ahead... well you haven't really been paying attention.

    Fixed that for you.

    I wouldn't want people to unfairly categorize you as a racist moron.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  3. No shock ... by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There's lies, damned lies, statistics, and vendor performance numbers.

    I'm a little disappointed that there isn't actually any penalties for fudging your benchmarks -- it's blatantly lying to consumers about your product.

    And to me, that seems like it's bordering on fraud.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  4. No Implication by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Are you implying that us android users wouldn't be "up in arms"?

    No implication is needed, we can see quite plainly there is very little outcry over this, just as there wasn't before. Android users simply accept this is the way things are, in a way they do not with any Apple problem whatsoever.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  5. 8 years ago? by mveloso · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's hard to find info on it, and it was at least 8 years ago. So you're saying that Samsung's benchmark juicing today is like Apple choosing the Intel compiler with extra options back in the day?

    This is what Samsung does, in pseudocode:

    if app.name == benchmark speed up

    This is what Apple did on its benchmarks:

    # for G5
    cc test.c -altivec

    # for x86
    gcc test.c

    If you can't tell the difference between the two, you're either stupid, or Samsung.