Benchmark Suite
Our current Android test line-up comprises six key sections: CPU, GPU, GPGPU, Web, Display, and Battery.
| CPU | AnTuTu X, Basemark OS II Full, Geekbench 3 Pro, MobileXPRT 2013 |
|---|---|
| GPU | 3DMark, Anomaly 2 Benchmark, Basemark X 1.1 Full, GFXBench 3.0 Corporate |
| GPGPU | CompuBenchRS |
| Web | Browsermark 2.0, JSBench, Peacekeeper 2.0, WebXPRT 2013 |
| Display | Brightness (Min/Max), Black Level, Contrast Ratio, Gamma, Color Temperature, Color Gamut Volume (sRGB/AdobeRGB) |
| Battery | Basemark OS II Full, BatteryXPRT 2014, GFXBench 3.0 Corporate |
Test Methodology
All handsets are benchmarked on a fully updated copy of the device's stock software. The table below lists other common device settings that we standardize to before testing.
| Bluetooth | Off |
|---|---|
| Brightness | 200 nits |
| Cellular | SIM card removed |
| Display Mode | Device Default (nonadaptive) |
| Location Services | Off |
| Power | Battery |
| Sleep | Never (or longest possible interval) |
| Volume | Muted |
| Wi-Fi | On |
Comparison System Specs
Along with the duo of Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) models, we have the iPad Air and EVGA Tegra Note 7 representing the latest SoCs from Apple and Nvidia. In addition, we have the Google Nexus 7 (2013) to provide a comparison point to the superpopular Qualcomm S4, which is used in far too many devices to mention.
The table below contains all the pertinent technical specifications for today's comparison units:
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| SoC | Samsung Exynos 5 Octa (5420) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974AA) | Apple A7 | Nvidia Tegra 4 (T114) | Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064-1AA) |
| CPU Core | ARM Cortex-A15 (4 Core) @ 1.9 GHz + ARM Cortex-A7 (4 Core) @ 1.3 GHz | Qualcomm Krait 400 (4 Core) @ 2.26 GHz | Apple Cyclone (2 Core) @ 1.3 GHz | ARM Cortex-A15 (4 Core) @ 1.8 GHz | Qualcomm Krait 300 (4 Core) @ 1.5 GHz |
| GPU Core | ARM Mali T628MP6 (6 Core) @ 600 MHz | Qualcomm Adreno 330 (32 ALU) @ 450 MHz | Imagination PowerVR G6430 (4 Cluster) @ 200 MHz | Nvidia GeForce ULP (72 Core) @ 672 MHz | Qualcomm Adreno 320 (24 ALU) @ 400 MHz |
| Memory | 3 GB LPDDR3 | 3 GB LPDDR3 | 1 GB LPDDR3 | 1 GB LPDDR3 | 2 GB LPDDR3 |
| Display | 10.1-inch TFT @ 2560x1600 (299 PPI) | 10.1-inch TFT @ 2560x1600 (299 PPI) | 9.7-inch IPS @ 2048x1536 (264 PPI) | 7-inch IPS @ 1280x720 (441 PPI) | 7-inch IPS @ 1920x1200 (323 PPI) |
| Battery | 8220 mAh (Non-removable) | 8220 mAh (Non-removable) | 8820 mAh (Non-removable) | 4100 mAh (Non-removable) | 3950 mAh (Non-removable) |
| Storage | 16/32 GB | 16/32 GB | 16/32/64/128 GB | 16 GB | 16/32 GB |
| Optics | 8 MP, AF, LED Flash | 8 MP, AF, LED Flash | 5 MP, F/2.4, AF, HDR, Dual-LED Flash | 5 MP, AF, HDR, Dual-LED Flash | 8 MP, AF, HDR, LED Flash |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0 | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0 | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, Lightning | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0 | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC |
| Size | 243.1 x 171.4 x 7.9 mm, 540 g | 243.1 x 171.4 x 7.9 mm, 547 g | 240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm, 469 g | 199 x 119 x 9.4 mm, 320 g | 200 x 114 x 8.65 mm, 299 g |
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As in the PC space, the specs race is interesting to watch in the mobile market. Android's sketchy performance (particularly in older versions of the operating environment) spurred a considerable amount of demand for faster, more powerful SoCs, while Apple stayed relatively modest when it came to its own devices. We suspect that while the Android tablets boast much higher clock rates and core counts, the iPad will hold its own against many of the tablets in our benchmarks.
With the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition), we obviously get two flavors of the device: one with LTE connectivity (and Wi-Fi connectivity) and one with only Wi-Fi connectivity. However, this also entails two completely different SoCs: the Exynos 5 Octa from Samsung in the Wi-Fi version, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 in the LTE version. Both versions function identically to the untrained eye, but the lab results will expose performance differences beyond connectivity.
- Samsung's S Pen Attack On The Full-Size Tablet Market
- Look And Feel
- Camera, Display, And Speakers
- TouchWiz: Samsung's Take On Android
- Samsung's Galaxy Note Enhancements
- Benchmark Suite And Test System Specs
- Results: CPU Core Benchmarks
- Results: GPU Core Benchmarks
- Results: Web Benchmarks
- Brightness, Black Level, Contrast Ratio, And Gamma
- Results: Battery Life
- Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) Wi-Fi Or LTE?
Your bar graph "MobileXPRT 2013" seems to be in error.
For example, the text says, "Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi leads with 300 points . . ."
but the bar is the shortest and indicates less than 150 points.
Samsung's Exynos-based Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi holds its own against the Tegra Note 7, while the LTE version of the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) again falls significantly behind its Snapdragon 800-powered Wi-Fi counterpart.
And this happens all throughout. The LTE is a Snapdragon, the Wifi is an Exynos. Keep repeating that to yourself as you re-write the descriptions and it will make this easier to read.
Your bar graph "MobileXPRT 2013" seems to be in error. For example, the text says, "Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi leads with 300 points . . ." but the bar is the shortest and indicates less than 150 points.
This benchmark's sub-tests produce scores in seconds (lower is better), and the overall score is given as a typical higher-is-better score, so the lowest bar indicates the fastest completion. Sorry about the confusion, I'll look into other ways to represent this test.
Samsung's Exynos-based Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Wi-Fi holds its own against the Tegra Note 7, while the LTE version of the Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) again falls significantly behind its Snapdragon 800-powered Wi-Fi counterpart.
And this happens all throughout. The LTE is a Snapdragon, the Wifi is an Exynos. Keep repeating that to yourself as you re-write the descriptions and it will make this easier to read.
Good catch, thanks! Fixed.
Actually, you'd think this has been phased out, but it's the current 10-inch Galaxy "Note" product, meaning it has the S Pen. The Galaxy "Tab" S does not - still unclear to me what makes the "S" stand out. I believe Samsung is literally attempting to offer an alternative product to every single other device in existence - complete mobile domination. I lost count of their current "Galaxy" line at 11 products, and that was awhile back.
The duo of Note 10.1 (2014)'s came in very handy both as comparison data in other articles and as testbeds for compiling our benchmark suite. Unfortunately, the article had to be pushed back several times, but the huge hardware difference between products carrying the same name was always something we wanted to illustrate, initially for the chipset-vs-chipset angle, but later for the optimization aspect as well. We're currently working through a small backlog of mobility articles, but each will be more timely than the last. My apologies.
It is a good review for apples to apples on the Samsung hardware options.
Would you suggest that this is "as-good-as-it-gets" for the few who prefer pen-based tablets? Any foresight in other pen based tablets?
Ninjawithagun,
Tablets are not modular like a pc... whilst it may have been good for the author the resolution issue with these benchmarks, an apples to apples comparison of the individual components would NOT help the user decide which unit as a whole is the fastest as indeed, they are NOT modular.
Ninjawithagun,
Tablets are not modular like a pc... whilst it may have been good for the author the resolution issue with these benchmarks, an apples to apples comparison of the individual components would NOT help the user decide which unit as a whole is the fastest as indeed, they are NOT modular.
Not true. Most (not all) tablets are in fact modular in that the CPU and GPU operate independently of one another. Case in point, the Apple A7 uses a dual-core 64-bit SOC processor and PowerVR G6430 graphics chip. The Samsung uses the Exynos 5 Octa processor with a Mali-T628 MP6 graphics chip. Your definition of modular is fundamentally flawed in that you think it pertains to physical ability for individual items to removed/replaced. Modular infers to the actual architecture of the system in that several different parts from different manufactures are integrated together to function as a whole unit.
Ninjawithagun,
Tablets are not modular like a pc... whilst it may have been good for the author the resolution issue with these benchmarks, an apples to apples comparison of the individual components would NOT help the user decide which unit as a whole is the fastest as indeed, they are NOT modular.
Not true. Most (not all) tablets are in fact modular in that the CPU and GPU operate independently of one another. Case in point, the Apple A7 uses a dual-core 64-bit SOC processor and PowerVR G6430 graphics chip. The Samsung uses the Exynos 5 Octa processor with a Mali-T628 MP6 graphics chip. Your definition of modular is fundamentally flawed in that you think it pertains to physical ability for individual items to removed/replaced. Modular infers to the actual architecture of the system in that several different parts from different manufactures are integrated together to function as a whole unit.
This does not argue to the point. Here's a fact and the crux of the matter... An apples to apples comparison of gpu's and processors does NOT tell the user how apps will perform on tablet x when constrained by their other components be it amount of ram, screen res, gpu, cpu etc.
i.e. benchmarks are not "fundamentally flawed" (nor is my understanding and use of the term modular)
FYI, the KitKat update makes the SD card practically useless. Rooting these tablets is frustrating at best, and the KNOX system is the most terrible idea Samsung ever came up with.
Looking back, I should have gotten a Nexus.
FYI, the KitKat update makes the SD card practically useless.
How can it be useless having 128 gb for music and videos/pictures? Maybe you can afford spotify and paying 15 dollars every month for an upgraded dropbox account, but many people don't, or even if they do, they do not have a reliable LTE signal 24/7.