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Sony LT25i Tsubasa pops up in benchmarks, may swell the high-speed Xperia ranks
Add another future Sony Xperia model to a rapidly growing pool. The LT25i Tsubasa (not to be confused with the ST25i/Xperia U) has been caught by Tencent in AnTuTu and NenaMark2 tests, seemingly running the same mix of a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4, a 720p screen and Android 4.0 that we've seen in the upcoming Xperia T (LT30p). So what's different? There's rumors of in-cell touch to keep the display thin and vivid, but even the unverified source isn't certain that it will become a reality. The crew at Xperia Blog also claims that there will be international LTE and HSPA+ models along with China- and Japan-specific editions. Assuming the details are at all consistent with the truth, having the Tsubasa arrive on the scene mostly hints that Sony might be readying a broader speed-up of its roster than we first thought.
Rumored HTC One X+ with 1.7GHz Tegra 3 revealed in NenaMark report?
We've heard murmurings of it before, but they've been just that. Now we've got the first shred of hard evidence that the fabled HTC One X+ is actually real. Rumored to be heading to T-Mobile (or AT&T, depending on who you ask), this 1.7GHz super phone popped up over at NenaMark's site, bearing the model number PM63100. Sadly, that internal moniker doesn't really reveal much, but between that and the fact that it's running Jelly Bean 4.1.1 we're confident this isn't something already on the market. And the reported resolution of 1280 x 720 combined with its high-speed Tegra 3 innards puts this squarely in flagship territory. What else do we know? Not a whole heck of a lot. But, as always, the truth will be revealed in time.
HTC Vertex pops up in benchmarks, might bring a slice of One X muscle to tablets
HTC has been stoking the fires of anticipation for its return to tablets, and that small flame is quickly turning into a full conflagration. A slab nicknamed the Vertex has surfaced in benchmarks with a 1.3GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 and a 1,280 x 752 usable resolution that's noticeably wider than the similarly Tegra 3-equipped One X's 720p display. Other than Android 4.0 (and a probably Sense 4.0), however, there's scant else to go on. The last murmurs of a Vertex from the fall had it carrying a rear 2-megapixel camera and a front 1.3-megapixel shooter, but it's been long enough now that we wouldn't count on that still being true -- or that the new benchmarks necessarily reflect what we might get. Let's just hope that the resulting device is more competitive than the pricey Jetstream.
Samsung Galaxy S III gets benchmarked, shows plenty of promise
We're here on the floor at the Samsung Galaxy S III launch and we've just managed to get some alone time with the unit to get some benchmarks. Now, let's stress that the handset is a pre-production model, so we can't take these as gospel truth, but it's a good indication of how powerful that Quad-Core Exynos really is. The only thing that isn't working is SunSpider, since our results just didn't tally with the other tests available, so hopefully it's just a quirk. Head on past the break for a dose of nitty and a sprinkling of gritty.
Sony Tegra 3 slate benchmarked, Tablet S successor on the way?
If you're looking to benchmark tools for hints at Sony's next slate, then you're looking at a little number that calls itself the V150. According to the NenaMark Android GPU benchmarking tool, this 1.4GHz tablet rocks a 1280 x 752 display and Android 4.0.3. An Nvidia Tegra 3 helps this slate achieve a benchmark score of 59.70, which is well above the Tablet S' 42.89 average. Considering that Sony's last wedge-shaped wonder has already seen a sizable price drop, it's looking like the firm may be gearing up to announce its replacement. We're reluctant to make the call with only a single benchmark score to go by, but we won't stop you from speculating.
HTC Ville to run on a dual-core Snapdragon S4?
Well looky here. A phone bearing the alluring name of "HTC VLE_U" just cropped up on NenaMark2 with a healthy 57.50 average frame rate. More interesting than the score, however, is the reference to a Qualcomm Adreno 225 GPU, which -- assuming this is legit -- strongly implies the presence of a powerful Snapdragon S4 sitting in the Ville's engine compartment. This tallies with earlier hints of the Ville carrying a 1.5GHz dual-core processor along with a (roughly) qHD display, and it also lines up with another MSM8960 benchmark from a reference handset spotted a few weeks ago. By extension, all the Tegra 3 smoke that's been billowing out of HTC recently must come from an entirely different fire -- namely the Endeavor or One X. Either way, it's certainly nice to see HTC hotting up.
Qualcomm's MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 benchmarks pop up online
We put Qualcomm's S4 development platform through its paces (twice, no less) at CES, but shorn of the glitz of Las Vegas, does it have the oomph to wow us? Someone at the company loosed Nenamark 2 on the slate, producing a score of 54.90. Given the fact that its producing graphics for a 1024 x 600 screen, we're excited to see it comfortably edge the Galaxy S II Skyrocket (54.1) and Galaxy Note (32.8) -- with our mouths watering at the thought of what this 28nm CPU can do in a smartphone. We've included the benchmark in full after the break, if you're ready for such exciting revelations.
Engadget Primed: Using benchmarks
Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day -- we dig deep into each topic's history and how it benefits our lives. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com. Staring at your smartphone, you realize that there's something missing. It does everything you want it to -- very well, we might add -- but what hole is left to fill? We'll help you out with this one: you want bragging rights. There has to be a way to face your friends with confidence, right? All you need is a little nudge in the right direction, and in this edition of Engadget Primed, we'll give you that much-needed shove by explaining benchmarks. Perhaps you've seen us talk about benchmarks in our product reviews. We'll typically use them to gauge the relative performance of various devices, but discussing a Linpack score doesn't mean much without going deeper into what it actually means. What aspects of performance do these benchmarks measure, and what techniques do they use? How much can we rely on them when making purchasing decisions? Read on after the break for the full scoop.
Droid Bionic benchmark reports PowerVR GPU, new SOC inside?
A very strange thing popped up on mobile graphic benchmarking site NenaMark the other day -- an entry for the Droid Bionic. Now, it would be very easy to fake this test, and you'd be right to be skeptical given the incomplete score and the fact that it's reporting PowerVR's SGX 540 GPU, instead of the Tegra 2 we saw at CES. But, let's not be too hasty -- we heard back in April that NVIDIA's mobile chip wasn't playing nice with Verizon's LTE. Perhaps when Motorola said it was delaying the Bionic to incorporate "several enhancements" it really meant "rebuilding the phone with a more LTE friendly CPU." Both Samsung and Texas Instruments use the SGX 540, and Moto has previously turned to TI's OMAP for the Droid, Droid 2, and Droid X. Then again, a single, suspiciously low benchmark score isn't the most convincing basis for a rumor.
Sony Ericsson Azusa outed via NenaMark, reminds us of Xperia Arc
It doesn't matter how much you warn young phones about public benchmarking -- they just don't listen. An unannounced Sony Ericsson device, dubbed Azusa, was caught peeking out from behind an anonymous submission to the NenaMark Android GPU benchmarking tool. The resulting specs outed the device as a 854 x 480 resolution handset packing the same Qualcomm Adreno 205 GPU as the Xperia Arc. Unsurprisingly, the Azusa's single-test benchmark stats are about on par with its bigger brother, leaving us wondering -- what does the newbie bring to the table?
LG Star preview
The LG Star. The dual-core beast from the east that was once a mere twinkle in our eye has managed to find its way to the Engadget mansions, having been lent to us by a very generous (and very anonymous) tipster. It's clearly a test device, as evidenced by its diagnostics menus and lack of a lockscreen, but there's no disguising the power that lies within it. We put the Star through a battery of common Android benchmarks and the results were, in a word, outstanding. Basically, Tegra 2 will give anything your current phone's running an inferiority complex. Join us after the break as we delve deeper into this upcoming powerhouse of a handset from LG. One thing's for sure: CES 2011 can't come soon enough. %Gallery-110305%