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If you've ever ventured onto Android forums, you will have encountered benchmark tests. Benchmarks are the perfect way to measure a handset's speed. Benchmarks consist of a series of tests that include executing mathematical equations, reading and writing data to memory, as well as rendering graphics. They are designed to replicate the tasks that smartphone hardware will encounter daily. They indicate the speed of individual components under various degrees of stress and can be used to identify bottlenecks or weak points in a system. More commonly, people like to use benchmarks to see how their device compares to others. Benchmark tests are only meaningful when viewed in context with other devices and most apps compile a list of devices to provide that context. We'll be using the most popular tool: AnTuTu Benchmark.
Get the app
Head over to the Google Play store and search for AnTuTu Benchmark. The app is free and works on all Android phones and tablets running Ice Cream Sandwich or later. It’s only a few MB in size so you should be able to find room for it even on a low-end handset. Install the app to continue.
Prepare for the test
You want your device running at full speed when performing benchmark tests. Therefore it’s a good idea to ensure it is fully charged before you begin and keep it plugged in too. You should also reboot to free up as much memory and other resources as possible.
Choose your test type
Launch AnTuTu. The app supports a wide range of tests including HTML5 rendering and a test for your system’s stability. See the panel on the right for more details on these. The main test that people use is for system performance including the processor and read or write speeds.
Get started and wait
Tap the massive Test button to begin. It’s important to let the test run without touching the device or interrupting the app (although you can stop the test if you need to). The test takes around five minutes to run fully and you get a handy percentage meter to show you its progress.
Other tests
The Antutu benchmark tests cover a number of areas. Most of them, such as I/O speed and multitasking performance, aren’t terribly exciting. However, there are also tests of graphics performance that run short game-like sequences with graphics of varying degrees of complexity.
How does it compare?
When the tests finish, you’ll see a screen that lists your results in a chart alongside other popular modern devices. This enables you to see how it compares to the rest of the market. In our example, the Nexus 5 ranks as being slightly slower than a Galaxy S5, but slightly faster than an LG G3.
Share your results
Sharing your results is a big part of benchmarking, especially if you get particularly good or bad results. The Share button will enable you to quickly post the information to social media, but you can also take a screenshot and post that image to a forum or website.
Performance breakdown
For more analysis of your results, tap the Details button at the bottom of the screen. This shows the results of each individual test. Sadly, there are no comparison charts here, but by comparing the numbers with other users you can pinpoint a device’s strengths and weaknesses.