Samsung Again Caught Inflating Benchmarking Scores, Phil Schiller Calls 'Shenanigans' - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Samsung Again Caught Inflating Benchmarking Scores, Phil Schiller Calls 'Shenanigans'

Like it did with its Galaxy S 4 smartphone, Samsung has once again been caught artificially increasing CPU speeds on its Galaxy Note 3 phone when benchmark apps are running, reports Ars Technica.

Samsung uses special code inside its operating system to identify benchmarking apps by name to boost CPU clock speeds and prevent CPU cores from entering low-power modes. As a result, Ars discovered, Galaxy Note 3 benchmarks report CPU performance roughly 20 percent faster than most apps will experience on the device.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Benchmarks

The difference is remarkable. In Geekbench's multicore test, the Note 3's benchmark mode gives the device a 20 percent boost over its "natural" score. With the benchmark boosting logic stripped away, the Note 3 drops down to LG G2 levels, which is where we initially expected the score to be given the identical SoCs. This big of a boost means that the Note 3 is not just messing with the CPU idle levels; significantly more oomph is unlocked when the device runs a benchmark.

Apple executive Phil Schiller -- senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing and the most prolific tweeter amongst Apple's senior staff -- linked to the Ars article in a tweet, saying only "shenanigans".

Popular Stories

applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Scales Back Role as John Ternus Era Begins

Monday August 31, 2026 9:54 am PDT by
Apple's Phil Schiller is no longer going to run the App Store or oversee product events, reports Bloomberg. Schiller isn't leaving Apple, but he is narrowing his responsibilities and working on unspecified projects. Employees at Apple told Bloomberg that 66-year-old Schiller appears to be taking another step toward retirement. Schiller was Apple's marketing chief until 2020, when he...
Liquid Glass App Store Feature

Apple Plans to Squeeze More Revenue From the App Store, Report Says

Monday September 7, 2026 3:19 am PDT by
Apple is looking at further ways to monetize the App Store and increase the company's recurring revenue from the platform, according to a new report. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that newly appointed Apple CEO John Ternus and services chief Eddy Cue are behind the effort to raise margins from the App Store, which already generates Apple an estimated ...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....

Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
169 months ago
Apple executive Phil Schiller -- senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing and the most prolific tweeter (https://twitter.com/pschiller) amongst Apple's senior staff -- linked to the Ars article in a tweet, saying only (https://twitter.com/pschiller/status/385069430335488001) "shenanigans".

Phil is ****ing awesome!
Score: 84 Votes (Like | Disagree)
169 months ago
This is pretty hilarious actually. Why not just always run the CPU this way :rolleyes:

My guess is if they did, you'd get about 30 minutes of battery life...
Score: 68 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny Steps Avatar
169 months ago
Samsung is a joke lol. Apple will always be the superior company. If only there was a way to make others see this...like to baptize them or something.
Score: 59 Votes (Like | Disagree)
169 months ago
I'm personally banning ALL samsung device in my house. Washer machine, ssd, screen, tv and ....
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
169 months ago
What? Multi billion dollar corporations lying? I have never heard such blasphemy!
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
169 months ago
Does this seem more of a feature only to me?
When a particularly demanding task, like a benchmark, is executed, the CPU releases more power. I call this "efficiency".
And these numbers come out from the CPU's calculating power, not from nowhere.. how is this fake?

Because its only unlocking the power for these benchmarks. You don't get to experience that power in everyday use.

Its analogous to a governor on a car. Yes, the engine can take you to 200mph but if the governor only lets you hit 130mph then you can never use that extra 70mph.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)