Benchmark Suite, Methodology And System Specs
Benchmark Suite
Our current Android test line-up comprises six key sections: CPU, Web, GPU, GPGPU, Display and Battery.
| HTML5 And JavaScript Benchmarks | JSBench, Peacekeeper 2.0, WebXPRT 2013 |
|---|---|
| CPU Core Benchmarks | AnTuTu X (Anti-Detection), Basemark OS II Full (Anti-Detection), Geekbench 3 Pro (Anti-Detection), MobileXPRT 2013 |
| GPU Core Benchmarks | 3DMark (Anti-Detection), Basemark X 1.1 Full (Anti-Detection), GFXBench 3.0 Corporate |
| GPGPU Benchmarks | CompuBenchRS |
| Display Measurements | Brightness(Min/Max), Black Level, Contrast Ratio, Gamma, Color Temperature, Color Gamut (sRGB/AdobeRGB) |
| Battery Tests | Basemark OS II Full (Anti-Detection), 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 available interval) |
| Volume | Muted |
| Wi-Fi | On |
Furthermore, for browser-based testing on Android, we employ a static version of the Chromium-based Opera in order to keep the browser version even across all devices. Due to platform restrictions, Safari is the best choice for iOS-based devices, while Internet Explorer is the only game in town on Windows RT.
Comparison System Specs
We’ll be pitting the Shield Tablet and its Tegra K1 SoC against an assortment of tablets, big and small, and new and old. As the Shield Tablet’s predecessor, the EVGA Tegra Note 7 with Tegra 4 SoC will demonstrate Nvidia’s progress. Since we don’t have benchmark results for the iPad Mini with Retina Display, a closer competitor to the 8-inch Shield Tablet, we’ll use the iPad Air running Apple’s A7 SoC instead. The Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) Wi-Fi represents Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa 5420, while the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) LTE uses the popular Qualcomm Snapdragon 800. Finally, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 805 MDP reference tablet will showcase the performance of Qualcomm’s highest-performing SoC.
The table below contains all the pertinent technical specifications for today’s comparison units:
The two Nvidia powered devices should bracket the GPU performance results, but how close will Adreno 420 be to Tegra K1? Apple’s A7 should still dominate the single-core CPU benchmarks, but the higher clocked -A15 cores in Tegra K1 are expected to close the performance gap.
