Futuremark has finally launched 3DMark for Android, acknowledging that Google's mobile OS needs a little premium benchmarking too. This version was developed in cooperation with Imagination Technologies, Intel, Broadcom, Nvidia, Qualcomm and other companies. It provides everything users need to benchmark the performance of over 1,000 Android-based tablets and smartphones.
The Android version of 3DMark includes two benchmarks, Ice Storm and Ice Storm Extreme, both based on OpenGL ES 2.0. Ice Storm includes two graphics tests designed to stress the GPU's performance and a physics test to stress the CPU's performance. Ice Storm Extreme is designed for the latest devices, raising the render resolution to 1080p and using higher quality textures and post-processing effects.
"Ice Storm Extreme will soon be included in the Windows version of 3DMark too, allowing you to compare Android and Windows tablets directly," Futuremark said.
3DMark will soon be available for Windows RT and Apple's iOS. However, Android device owners wanting to see how their hardware performs can now download the free benchmark from Google Play here. The minimum requirements include Android 3.1 or later, 1 GB of RAM, 300 MB of storage, and an OpenGL ES 2.0 compatible GPU.
Just for giggles, I benchmarked both my Nexus 10 and Nexus 7 tablets, as seen below:
