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Samsung have been accused of designing the Galaxy S4 chip to perform better in tests done by reviewers than in real-life situations. The tests involved the Samsung-designed Exynos 5 Octa chip used in South Korean and other international versions of the handset.
It was first discovered by a contributor to the forum Beyond3D on Saturday, whose response to the findings were: “Oh hell Samsung, shame on you! This GPU does not run 532MHz; that frequency level is solely reserved for Antutu and GLBenchmark among things.” The forum member, who goes by the name of Nebuchadnezzar is based in Luxemborg.
This claim was then followed up by Anandtech, a review site who are famed for their detail of computer chip tests. Two of its researchers reached the same results and confirmed the higher frequency was only available when carrying out specific benchmarks.
“This seems to be purely an optimisation to… deliver the highest possible GPU performance benchmarks,” they wrote. “We’ve said for years now that the mobile revolution has/will mirror the PC industry, and thus it’s no surprise to see optimisations like this employed.
“Just because we’ve seen things like this happen in the past, however, doesn’t mean they should happen now.”
Samsung’s Defense
Samsung has strongly denied the claim and issued a statement after the researchers released their findings. The company acknowledged that the two situations created different scores but said that the aim had been to prevent users from experiencing a fault.
Under ordinary conditions, the Galaxy S4 has been designed to allow a maximum GPU frequency of 533MHz,” it said.
“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.”
It is unlikey that these accusations will effect sales for Samsung but has resulted in them receiving negative press with some publications saying they “cheated” and “fudged” the results.
[Image via wired]