An update for 3DMark Android Edition is now available from the Google Play store. While most of the changes in this update are minor optimizations and small bug fixes, there is one change to the Ice Storm Extreme test that is worth explaining in detail.
There are three tests in 3DMark Ice Storm and Ice Storm Extreme: Graphics test 1, Graphics test 2, and the Physics test.
The two graphics tests are designed to measure GPU performance. You can use the Graphics score to compare GPUs between different devices. The Physics test is designed to measure CPU performance and you can use the Physics score to compare CPUs across mobile devices.
Ice Storm Extreme raises the rendering resolution from 720p to 1080p and, while this is fine for the graphics tests, we have noticed that the additional rendering load can affect the Physics test score on devices with low-end GPUs.
With this update, the Ice Storm Extreme Physics test now runs at 720p to ensure the result is not influenced by the GPU. Ice Storm Extreme scores may improve slightly on devices with low-end GPUs. Score are unaffected on the majority of high-end devices.
As a rule of thumb, Ice Storm Extreme is the better test for devices that can run the standard Ice Storm benchmark at more than 40 frames per second.
What's new in 3DMark Android Edition v1.0.2-1109
New
- Added chipset model to device detail pages.
Improved
- Ice Storm Extreme Physics test for measuring CPU performance now runs at 720p to ensure the result is not influenced by the GPU. Ice Storm Extreme scores may improve slightly on devices with low-end GPUs.
Optimized
- Faster image loading in the Device Channel.
- Better score bar scaling in search result lists.
- Reduced app size to 149 MB.
Compatibility
- Automatically skip demo on devices with TI OMAP 44xx chipset to avoid a memory-related crash. There will be some visual corruption during the Physics test however this does not affect the score and you will now be able to complete all the tests on these devices.
- Automatically skip demo if the device runs out of memory during the demo, typically on devices with 512 MB of memory. The recommended minimum device memory for 3DMark is 1 GB (1024 MB).
Fixed
- Fixed a bug that prevented your best score being shown as your Highest Score.
- My Device now shows the Android OS version installed on the current device. Device Channel detail pages show the Android OS version shipped with the model.
Test your Android device with 3DMark
3DMark is a free Android benchmark app available worldwide for more than 1,000 compatible Android smartphones and tablets.
3DMark is also available for Windows PCs and is coming soon to Apple iOS and Windows RT devices.
