How We Tested Apple’s iPhone 6 And iPhone 6 Plus
Benchmark Suite
Our current iOS test line-up comprises five key sections: CPU, Web, GPU, Display and Battery.
| HTML5 And JavaScript Benchmarks | JSBench, Peacekeeper 2.0, WebXPRT 2013 |
|---|---|
| CPU Core Benchmarks | Basemark OS II Full (Anti-Detection), Geekbench 3 Pro (Anti-Detection) |
| GPU Core Benchmarks | 3DMark (Anti-Detection), Basemark X 1.1 Full (Anti-Detection), GFXBench 3.0 Corporate |
| Display Measurements | Brightness(Min/Max), Black Level, Contrast Ratio, Gamma, Color Temperature, Color Gamut (sRGB/AdobeRGB) |
| Battery Tests | Basemark OS II Full (Anti-Detection), 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're employing 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
For this benchmarking session we’ll be comparing the A8 SoC in both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus to the previous-generation A7 in the iPhone 5s and several other smartphones running the popular Snapdragon SoC. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 represents the older Snapdragon 800 SoC. HTC’s One (M8) uses the faster 801 SoC and with a comparable screen size, is a direct competitor to the iPhone 6. The brand new Galaxy Note 4, which competes with the iPhone 6 Plus, uses the latest Snapdragon 805 SoC. We’ll wait for the next iPad Air to see how the A8 fares against Nvidia’s Tegra K1, since its thermal envelope is too high for a smartphone.
The table below contains all the pertinent technical specifications for today’s comparison units:
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
| Products | iPhone 6 | iPhone 6 Plus | iPhone 5s | HTC One (M8) | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 | Samsung Galaxy Note 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SoC | Apple A8 | Apple A8 | Apple A7 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AB) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM897AA) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 (APQ8084) |
| CPU Core | Apple Cyclone? (2 Core) @ 1.4GHz | Apple Cyclone? (2 Core) @ 1.4GHz | Apple Cyclone (2 Core) @ 1.3GHz | Qualcomm Krait 400 (4 Core) @ 2.26GHz | Qualcomm Krait 400 (4 Core) @ 2.26GHz | Qualcomm Krait 450 (4 Core) @ 2.7GHz |
| GPU Core | PowerVR GX6450 | PowerVR GX6450 | PowerVR G6430 | Qualcomm Adreno 330 (32 ALU) @ 578MHz | Qualcomm Adreno 330 (32 ALU) @ 450MHz | Qualcomm Adreno 420 @ 600MHz |
| Memory | 1GB LPDDR3 | 1GB LPDDR3 | 1GB LPDDR3 | 2GB LPDDR3 | 3GB LPDDR3 | 3GB LPDDR3 |
| Display | 4.7-inch IPS @ 1334x750 (326 PPI) | 5.5-inch IPS @ 1920x1080 (401 PPI) | 4-inch IPS @ 1136x640 (326 PPI) | 5-inch IPS @ 1920x1080 (441 PPI) | 5.7-inch SAMOLED @ 1920x1080 (386 PPI) | 5.7-inch SAMOLED @ 2560x1440 (515 PPI) |
| Storage | 16, 64, 128GB | 16, 64, 128GB | 16, 32, 64GB | 16, 32GB, microSD (up to 128GB) | 32, 64GB, microSD (up to 64GB) | 32GB, microSD (up to 128GB) |
| Battery | 6.91Whr (3.82V 1810mAh, Non-removable) | 11.1Whr (3.82V 2906mAh, Non-removable) | 5.96Whr (3.8V 1570mAh, Non-removable) | 9.88Whr (4.35V 2600mAh, Non-removable) | 12.16Whr (3.8V 3200mAh, Removable) | 12.4Whr (3.85V 3220mAh, Removable) |
| Size | 138.1 x 67.0 x 6.9 mm, 129 g | 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm, 172 g | 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm, 112 g | 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm, 160 g | 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm, 168 g | 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm, 176 g |
Apple’s A8 SoC should continue the iPhone’s dominance over the CPU and Web benchmarks, but what will be the performance advantage over the A7? Will Imagination Technologies’ latest PowerVR GX6450 be able to compete with Qualcomm’ Adreno 420 GPU and Snapdragon 805’s massive memory bandwidth?