Similar to Samsung, the manufacturer Xiaomi is said to have falsified the benchmark results of its smartphones. The performance of some smartphones when using 3D Mark, Geekbench and Co. is said to be higher than in conventional operation. We summarize the allegations against the manufacturer.
- Xiaomi was caught optimizing the hardware performance of its devices for benchmarks
- Smartphones are said to have recognized benchmarks and adjusted their performance accordingly
- For users, this means lower performance in everyday life than measured by benchmarking tools
Through testing with its own benchmarking software, GeekBench, developer JFPoole found that Xiaomi intentionally underperformed the performance of a handful of Android games and apps . During the test, the developer disguised certain applications as a GeekBench app and found that the results are higher compared to undisguised games posing as Fortnite, Call of Duty and Co.
The claims are also supported by Android Police, who have tested multiple spoofing scenarios on the Xiaomi 12 Pro and Xiaomi 12X . They also found that benchmark scores were lower for apps and games. Single-core and multi-core scores were higher when disguising these apps as benchmarking tools.
Hardware throttling mainly occurs on devices using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. However, other models such as the Xiaomi 12X (Snapdragon 870 SoC) are also affected. Both parties mention that Xiaomi uses an identifier on the devices, reminiscent of the uproar surrounding Samsung’s benchmarking manipulations a few months ago. However, Xiaomi still limits the manipulation by the type of chipset.
Why do manufacturers throttle the phone’s hardware performance?
There are several reasons why Xiaomi, Samsung and other manufacturers do this. The most logical reason is to extend the phone’s battery life. To a certain extent, this actually makes sense, since most applications do not require a great deal of computing power.
It’s different with games , as less performance degrades the gaming experience. Most gamers also prefer high performance and better frame rate per second when gaming. This problem could affect the decision to buy the next smartphone after the manipulation becomes known, if the Xiaomi manufacturer does not offer a solution.
Another reason is to avoid overheating problems. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, like its predecessor, is known for producing more heat compared to the less efficient and older Snapdragon chipsets. So maybe Xiaomi would rather avoid the overheating complaints than throttle the performance of their devices themselves.
What’s your take on the latest controversy surrounding smartphone throttling? Would that stop you from making a purchase?
