Some people have said that the HTC One M8 processor was pumped up in order for the handset to obtain better benchmark results. HTC gave the response, of course it does, and it’s now a feature.
Whistle blowers have been on the case of the HTC One M8, this is the handset that has shown results that topped the charts. HTC however have only been more than too happy to divulge information.
Last Samsung got up in arms when code was found on the Samsung Galaxy S4 that sent the handset into overdrive when the device detected that benchmarks were running. We then went through the same thing with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and then we heard that all Android handsets that didn’t come by way of Google would do the same thing.
Even before the unveiling of the HTC One M8, leaked benchmarks for the handset topped their competitors, including the Samsung Galaxy S5, when it came to key tests, which included the overall performance of the handset.
The results have now been called into question and it seems that there is more than one version of the benchmarking app AnTuTu. GSMArena said that AnTuTu X was the latest version and this tries to combat techniques that would be classed as cheating. This is to provide an authentic measure of the capabilities of the phone in the real world.
It seems that when you benchmark the HTC One M8 on AnTuTu X, instead of the standard version, the handset falls behind that of the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Sony Xperia Z and the LG G Pro 2.
HTC was asked about the HTC One M8 and benchmark tests and they said:
“Thanks for your email about the HTC One (M8). Benchmarking tests look to determine maximum performance of the CPU and GPU and, similar to the engine in a high-performance sports car, our engineers optimize in certain scenarios to produce the best possible performance. If someone would like to get around this benchmarking optimization there are ways to do so, but we think most often this will not be the case.”
So HTC are not afraid to come right out and say that the HTC One M8 does go into high performance mode when it knows that benchmarking is going on. However the rep did make it clear that HTC doesn’t count this as cheating, but more of a feature.
“For those with a need for speed, we’ve provided a simple way to unleash this power by introducing a new High Performance Mode in the developer settings that can be enabled and disabled manually. The HTC One (M8) is optimized to provide the best balance of performance and battery life, but we believe in offering customer choice, as there may be times when the desire for performance outweighs the need for battery longevity.”
He went on to say that at the moment the mode isn’t available on the handsets in the US but it would be after a software update.
So it looks like from now on benchmarking doesn’t offer a true look at the speed of the phone for everyday use.
