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Benchmarks hint at Snapdragon-based Kindle Fire HD with 2,560 x 1,600 display
While benchmark leaks can be wobbly info-stones to tread upon, the arrival of some purported Kindle Fire HD scores could be the first steps toward a timely refresh. The results in question refer to a "Amazon KFAPWA" device with a reported Adreno 330 GPU, which by implication would likely mean a Snapdragon 800 SoC. The field that really leaps out, however, is that 2,560 x 1,600 resolution. If true, it could mean the 8.9-inch version is getting a bump from the previous iteration's 1,920 x 1,200 display. This certainly chimes with earlier reports, and, if nothing else, would certainly make that new browser UI all the more pretty to look at.
Samsung caught boosting benchmark performance numbers on Exynos devices (updated)
Benchmarks often catch the ire of critics because their scores don't necessarily reflect real-world experience, and it appears that some Samsung devices aren't helping that reputation out at all. Our friends at Anandtech started sifting through data for two Exynos octacore variants of the Galaxy S 4, and discovered multiple benchmarks that appear to run those devices at higher CPU and GPU clock speeds than they normally run. Some of the apps included in the report are GLBench 2.5.1, AnTuTu, Quadrant and Linpack. Coincidentally, the site also found code within the GS4 that indicates the existence of a program called "BenchmarkBooster," which is responsible for overclocking the processors when certain apps are running. Is this an evil plot by Samsung to take over the world using rogue benchmarking results? Is this something other manufacturers are doing? It's hard to say, but there is certainly something curious afoot. Check out the source to get all of the skinny on what exactly is going on. Update: Samsung has posted a short response on its official Korean-language blog, proclaiming its innocence, saying that the GS4 is designed to run at a higher clock speed on many full-screen apps, and that benchmarking apps simply fall into that category. On the other hand, it hasn't explained the "BenchmarkBooster" code, so we're still waiting on a more detailed explanation from the manufacturer. 2nd update: We now have an English language response from Samsung, which accepts that benchmark apps may run at higher clock speeds than some games, but again denies that this is a deliberate attempt to distort specific scores: "Under ordinary conditions, the GALAXY S4 has been designed to allow a maximum GPU frequency of 533MHz. However, the maximum GPU frequency is lowered to 480MHz for certain gaming apps that may cause an overload, when they are used for a prolonged period of time in full-screen mode. Meanwhile, a maximum GPU frequency of 533MHz is applicable for running apps that are usually used in full-screen mode, such as the S Browser, Gallery, Camera, Video Player, and certain benchmarking apps, which also demand substantial performance. The maximum GPU frequencies for the GALAXY S4 have been varied to provide optimal user experience for our customers, and were not intended to improve certain benchmark results. Samsung Electronics remains committed to providing our customers with the best possible user experience."
Early Mac Pro benchmarks show major speed increase
The new Mac Pro isn't supposed to launch until later on this year, but Geekbench has nabbed a new set of benchmarking tests which appear to be from the new machine itself. The computer is labeled as "AAPLJ90,1" in the report, which seems strange, considering that a retail build would probably be listed as "MacPro6,1." But perhaps that "J90" is a code name of some sort, suggesting a pre-release build. The machine in question is running a 12-core processor, and 64 GB (!) of RAM, along with a pre-release build (Build 13A2054) of OS X 10.9, which we now know as OS X Mavericks. The motherboard ID also matches one known to be in the new Mac Pro, so it's likely this set of benchmark results is legit, though it might not match up to a final release of the machine. And what's the verdict? It's fast, of course. Significantly faster, in places, than a current 2012 Mac Pro build. Of course, Apple bragged during WWDC 2013 that the latest model would be "up to 2X faster" than previous Mac Pros. While that might be true for some applications, this machine doesn't meet that figure consistently. Still, considering this is probably an early version that's less than fully optimized, there's no doubt at all that the new Mac Pro will be a very slick machine indeed. [Via MacRumors]
2013 MacBook Air benchmarks from AnandTech
The new MacBook Air went on sale this week, and customers want to know how this year's Haswell models compare to last year's Ivy Bridge units. Yesterday, Engadget benchmarked the new MacBook Air looking primarily at the SSD drive performance and now AnandTech has published its own report that includes CPU performance. The 2013 MacBook Air has a Core i5 CPU with a lower base clock speed than the comparable 2012 MacBook Air, but it has the same max turbo speed of 2.6GHz. Though the Haswell architecture improves the battery life in the 2013 MacBook Air, the CPU performance is generally the same between the two models. SSD drive performance in the new MacBook Air is boosted significantly by the adoption of PCIe-based SSDs. Hardware specs show that the PCIe 2.0 x2 interface is capable of 1 GB/s in each direction, and AnandTech recorded a respectable peak sequential read/write performance of almost 800 MB/s. There are a lot of other goodies in the AnandTech article for hardware fans to geek out on, so head on over and check it out.
NVIDIA Tegra 4 benchmarked, breaks all sorts of speed records (video)
When NVIDIA unveiled Tegra 4 back at CES, we scrambled to get hands-on with a reference device. And though our initial performance impressions were positive -- it runs 1080p video and games smoothly -- there was only so much we could say to illustrate how fast the performance is. After all, Tegra 3 already does a fine job handling games and full HD movies. What we really needed were benchmarks, some quantitative data to help show the difference between Tegra 4 devices and whatever's currently on the market. Fortunately for all of you, we just got our chance: here at Mobile World Congress, the company has reference tablets set up expressly for the purpose of running tests. So, we did just that... over and over and over until we had a long list of scores. Meet us after the break to see how it fared.
MacTech finds Parallels beating VMWare Fusion again in annual virtualization rundown
MacTech has posted its annual rundown of benchmarks between two of the most popular virtualization solutions out there on the Mac: VMware Fusion 5 and Parallels Desktop 8. Both are of course used to run Windows-compatible software inside of an OS X environment, and especially on the high end IT side (which MacTech covers well and focuses on with its ongoing conference series), just a few measures of speed or performance can make a big difference in productivity. Or, as the benchmarking study shows, game playing. As you can see in the comprehensive report, MacTech set up a series of Mac desktops and laptops, and then installed and ran both VMWare Fusion and Parallels on them, along with a series of games (including the great Warhammer 40000: Space Marine) and other productivity and benchmarking software. So who won? "When we look at the 'big picture' of all the top-level test results," says MacTech, "Parallels is, once again, the clear winner." Parallels has been beating VMWare in these tests for the past few years, and this year won over 68% of the tests by a total of 5% score or more. So if you need a powerful, comprehensive solution for virtualization, MacTech says the choice is clear. However, MacTech also says once again that both of these pieces of software work very well, and that virtualization is more viable than ever as a way to run even the newest Windows software like Windows 8. Bootcamp is still another option for running Windows on your Mac, but if you want to do it without even leaving your OS X environment, either Parallels or VMWare's Fusion will serve you well.
Samsung SCH-i425 Godiva outed in benchmark tests, headed for Verizon
Like Lady Godiva herself, a phone dubbed the Samsung Godiva has been seen naked -- at least as far as benchmarks are concerned. The site GLBenchmark has revealed it has a 1.4GHz MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 SoC on board, along with Adreno 305 graphics, a 720p screen, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and support for Verizon's LTE network. Its SCH-i425 model number points to the possibility that it might be the successor to the Stratosphere II (which was known as the SCH-i415) and could therefore sport a sliding keyboard, but that remains firmly speculative at the moment. Yet, seeing as how Samsung's mobile offerings at CES 2013 were practically non-existent, we're betting the Godiva -- unlike the Lady of Coventry's ride in the nude -- is more fact than fiction.
The Daily Roundup for 01.12.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Benchmarking CES 2013's flagship smartphones
As you might've noticed, CES 2013 didn't turn out much in they way of smartphone reveals. Most of the mobile industry's big guns held back their reserves (Sony aside), prepping behind-the-scenes for Barcelona's world stage and ceding this Vegas showcase to lesser known Chinese OEMs. So before we bid adieu to these vast convention halls and tuck in for the impending reviews, we've decided to roundup the show's only flagships -- ZTE's Grand S, Huawei's Ascend Mate and D2 and Sony's Xperia Z / ZL -- and pit them head-to-head in preliminary performance testing. Follow along after the break to find out which handset earns the top spot in this benchmark battle.
Samsung's $249 Chromebook lights up benchmarks with the latest Ubuntu build
A Googler managed to load up Samsung's latest Chromebook with Ubuntu and spelled out the process for like-minded DIYers in October, and now some benchmarks of Mountain View's $249 machine running Raring Ringtail -- which is still in development -- have surfaced. With a 1.7GHz dual-core Exynos 5 Dual processor under the hood, the ARM-based machine can hang with -- and in some cases beat -- the likes of a 1.8GHz quad-core dual-core Intel Atom D525 chip and a 1.4GHz quad-core Calxeda Highbank node in benchmarks using the Phoronix Test Suite. The rig also holds its own when pitted against a PandaBoard equipped with an OMAP4460 1.2GHz dual-core processor. Hit the source link to dig into pages of the test results for yourself. Update: Folks in the comments have pointed out that the Intel Atom D525 chip is a dual-core processor with four threads. We've updated the post accordingly.
Windows 8 upgrade diary: gaming and performance
It's been a brisk and mostly enjoyable two weeks since the launch of Windows 8 and the start of this diary. Whereas my last entry was all about productivity, there's now been ample opportunity to relax with the new OS, play a few titles in Steam, and run some general performance benchmarks. These not-so-onerous tasks were completed using an AMD FX-based triple-monitor gaming rig upgraded from Windows 7 Ultimate to Windows 8 Pro, with all games running at 5,760 x 1,080 and max detail settings, and all the hardware was kept constant to allow a before-and-after comparison. You'll find the results after the break, along with a few broader impressions of what Windows 8 might mean for an early-adopting desktop gamer.
Parallels 8 and VMware Fusion 5 go head-to-head in benchmark testing
Over the past two weeks, both VMware and Parallels released new versions of their flagship virtualization software for the Mac. First on the scene was VMware Fusion 5 (US$49.99 - $99.99), and last week Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac ($79.99) arrived. Both offer faster performance, compatibility with Mountain Lion and Windows 8, and new features for ease of use. Now MacObserver's Jim Tanous has done a side-by-side comparison of the two virtual machine apps, complete with detailed benchmarks of their performance in a variety of conditions. Tanous' detailed analysis shows that at least for the current incarnations of these two virtualization applications, Parallels Desktop 8 has the edge in terms of performance. He did see some anomalous results when running benchmarks on Windows 8 under Parallels Desktop 8, and chalked up the "too good to be true" performance figures to the way that Windows 8 is virtualized in Parallels 8. There are a plethora of charts to illustrate the results, and I suggest that you look at them over at MacObserver. Tanous brings up a final point that "Consumers may not be happy with the yearly paid update cycles, but the fierce competition between Parallels and Fusion has led the market to a mature and capable state and consumers of both products will likely be satisfied with their performance."
Early benchmark scores are in for the Sony Xperia T, TX and V
We've already benchmarked the Galaxy Note II and the ZTE Grand X IN at IFA, and as the week wraps up we're circling back to test the mettle of other handsets announced here in Berlin. We ran mobile benchmarks on Sony's new flagship Xperia T, the Xperia TX (the US version of the T) and the LTE-enabled Xperia V. All three devices pack dual-core Snapdragon S4 Krait processors clocked at 1.5GHz, and they're currently running Ice Cream Sandwich -- though a Jelly Bean update is reportedly on the way. Meet us past the break for a first look at how these smartphones stack up.
Samsung Galaxy Note II gets early benchmark treatment at IFA
Here at IFA, the Galaxy Note II's glossy plastic build is practically fading under the ambush of cameras snapping away at Samsung's booth, but clearly this phone is more than just a (super sized) pretty face, and it's time to take a look at what's under the hood. As mentioned in our hands-on, Samsung upgraded the original Note's dual-core 1.4GHz chipset to a quad-core 1.6GHz Exynos processor. We put the device to the test today to see how those amped-up insides reflect in the Note II's benchmark scores. As you'll see below, Sammy's latest handset fares significantly better than the original Note and the Galaxy S III. Galaxy Note II Galaxy Note (international) Galaxy S III (I9300) AnTuTu 11,736 N/A 11,960 Quadrant 6,644 3,810 4,454 Vellamo 2,466 901 1,751 SunSpider 0.9.1 (ms, lower is better) 1,330 2,902 1,460 CF-Bench 15,305 N/A 13,110 GL Benchmark Egypt Offscreen 114 fps N/A 99 fps Oh, what a difference a processor makes. Clearly the step up to a quad-core CPU is to thank for the large performance delta between the Note II and the last-gen Note, though the international version of the Galaxy S III, with a quad-core 1.4Ghz Exynos processor, also falls behind in Quadrant and other tests. The Note II also trumped its Samsung siblings on the browser-focused Vellamo benchmark, which hints at snappier performance on this phone. The phone's graphics chops look pretty good, too, if the GL Benchmark score is any indication. Our testing got cut short before we could run SunSpider, but we'll add that figure shortly. Update: We've added SunSpider as well -- the device clocked in at 1,330ms, which is a hair faster than the Galaxy S III.
ZTE Grand X IN: early benchmarks for the latest Intel-powered smartphone
It's a shame when phones feel outdated even as they hit the market, but that's sadly what happened with the original Grand X. However, as you may have heard a few hours ago, the handset's just had a healthy revamp. The spec-bumped version is called the Grand X IN -- it's due out next month and we've just had a chance to run some early benchmarks to test the performance of its vanilla Android 4 OS and new Intel engine. Among a range of improvements, including an 8-megapixel camera with burst mode (instead of the Grand X's dowdy five with no burst) and 1GB of RAM (instead of 512MB), the biggest change is that processor: out goes the old NVIDIA Tegra 2 and in comes a Medfield Z2460. Yep, that's the exact same chip we've seen put to good effect in the Orange San Diego, but how does it fare in this device? Click past the break for a head-to-head comparison with the San Diego, which is cheaper but slightly less well-built (and still running Gingerbread), and the Galaxy Nexus, which costs more but comes with a far better display.
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.
MacBook Pro review (13-inch, mid-2012)
When the MacBook Pro with Retina display is in the game, Apple's "regular" Pros may seem a bit like also-rans. After all, why would you choose them when you could get a brilliant 15-inch 2,880 x 1,800 IPS panel and a Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor? Well, price, for one thing. While we walked away from our Retina MBP review mighty impressed, that model starts at $2,199. The latest crop of Pros, meanwhile, keep the same pricing scheme as last year's models ($1,199 and up), but step up to Intel's third-generation Ivy Bridge processors. We took the entry-level 13-incher for a spin to get a feel for how the dual-core Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM and Intel HD Graphics 4000 stack up to the competition. Read on to see how it fared. %Gallery-161394%
Is Qualcomm considering an AR benchmark as 'the mother of all tests'?
Today at the Qualcomm mobile benchmarking workshop in San Francisco, Jon Peddie of Jon Peddie Research suggested that using augmented reality (AR) to test the performance of mobile devices could be "the mother of all tests." By stressing all processors and sensors on modern smartphones and tablets -- including CPU, GPU, DSP, ISP (image processor), GPS, gyro, compass, accelerometer, barometer, mic and camera -- the benchmark would represent the worst case scenario in term of computing load. While AR adoption is still in its infancy amongst consumers -- technology such as Project Glass still faces serious challenges -- Qualcomm's been very active in the field over the years and even provides an SDK for developers. Could this be a hint of what's coming from the company in terms of benchmarking beyond Neocore and Vellamo? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Juggernaut Alpha with Windows Phone 8 appears in benchmarks, shows how sharp it might be
A while back, we spotted the Juggernaut Alpha's unique and hard-to-forget moniker in a document listing a number of alleged upcoming Windows Phone 8 handsets, and now the device has managed to land itself in a purported set of early benchmarks. According to WMPoweruser, the Juggernaut Alpha results are from a Windows Phone app called WP Bench, where it clearly shows how much faster it is than its closest challenger -- nearly doubling its speeds when compared to those of the HTC Titan. Needless to say, if true, this kind of outcome is to be expected given all the improvements Microsoft announced last month, but this only gives us more to look forward to come that eventual WP8 fall release.
