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The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and HTC One have been made to sit things out on the bench, as an independent testing site disqualifies them for apparently cheating benchmark tests.
Benchmarking site Futuremarks has delisted the One and Note 3, as well as the Note 10.1 and HTC One Mini. That means the four devices are disqualified from the FutureMarks rankings, rating phones and tablets by their performance in the 3DMark Android test.
First reported by Ars Technica, the controversy arose this autumn when it emerged that the Notes and Ones have been programmed to detect when a benchmarking test is being run, and ramp up to full speed ahead. That gives an artificially inflated sense of each device’s performance instead of a realistic result that reflects how the phone works when it’s in your hands.
But it’s not just Samsung and HTC attempting to game the system — research by hardcore testing site AnandTech suggests almost all Android manufacturers cheat at benchmarks, except Motorola and Google.
Futuremark’s league table is topped by the Microsoft Surface Pro and Pro 2, with the Samsung Galaxy S4 leading the Android pack. Apple’s iPad Air and iPhone 5S languish just outside the top 20.
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