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Samsung: We don’t cheat on benchmarks

Published Oct 3rd, 2013 10:10AM EDT
Samsung Benchmark Cheating Response

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BGR reviewed Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 recently and said that the humongous handset is likely the best smartphone Samsung has ever made. As good as it is, however, it also marks the second time Samsung has been accused of gaming benchmark testing apps in order to boost scores. A subsequent study found that Samsung isn’t the only smartphone vendor that cranks up the heat when benchmarking apps run, but the company has issued a response to the allegations and denied any wrongdoing.

“The Galaxy Note 3 maximises its CPU/GPU frequencies when running features that demand substantial performance,” a Samsung spokesperson told CNET UK. “This was not an attempt to exaggerate particular benchmarking results. We remain committed to providing our customers with the best possible user experience.”

Public relations responses are typically intentionally left open to interpretation, but this particular statement leaves no room for guessing. Samsung has said that well-respected tech sites Ars Technica and Anandtech are flat-out lying.

In reporting their findings, the sites said that Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 and several other smartphones juice test results by optimizing CPU and GPU performance only when a handful of popular benchmark test apps are running. According to Samsung, however, these optimizations occur whenever the Galaxy Note 3 and other accused devices are “running features that demand substantial performance.”

Which is true? Will we ever know? Does it even matter? As dozens of smartphone enthusiasts ponder these questions and more, the rest of the world will likely forget all this happened in a matter of hours.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.