Galaxy Nexus web benchmarks outpace iPhone 4S as 'Woz' picks up early copy
Early web benchmarks for the Galaxy Nexus show that the flagship smartphone outperforms Apple's iPhone 4S in some areas, while Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has been spotted picking up a copy of the Galaxy Nexus at Google's headquarters.
After the Galaxy Nexus went on sale in the U.K. earlier this week, Anandtech obtained the results of several tests on the device. The smartphone, the result of a partnership between Google and Samsung, bested the iPhone 4S on the SunSpider Javascript benchmark and the Rightware BrowserMark.
Google has packed the Galaxy Nexus with the Texas Instruments OMAP 4460 processor and the Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX 540 GPU. According to the report, its CPUs are clocked "noticeably higher" than the iPhone 4S' own 800 MHz processors.
Apple's latest smartphone did outperform the Galaxy Nexus in the graphics department, however, as evidenced by the GLBenchmark 2.1 Egypt and Pro tests. The iPhone 4S makes use of the A5 processor, which makes use of the dual-core SGX 543MP2 GPU from Imagination Technologies.
"Google really pushed the performance of its software further with Ice Cream Sandwich, while GPU performance is limited by the SGX 540. The good news is that there's more than enough hardware at ICS' disposal to deliver a smooth experience," the report concluded.
Google and Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Nexus and the upcoming Android 4.0 update, dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich, at a press event in Hong Kong last month. A U.S. launch for the device was slated for late this month, though recent speculation suggest that it has been pushed back to December.
MacNN reports that some early adopters of the Galaxy Nexus are have encountered a volume bug with the device. Users have nicknamed it the "Self Aware Volume Ghost," as the flaw is said to randomly lower volume on the handset and sometimes prevent users from turning it back up.
It's possible that the bug has contributed to delays of the device. Wireless operator Vodafone said on Saturday that it is "continuing to test" the handset's firmware and plans to release the phone once tests are complete.
The Woz
The Galaxy Nexus hasn't arrived in the U.S. yet, but Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, also known as "Woz," has already got his hands on one. Android browser engineer Nicolas Roard reported via Google+ that Wozniak had been spotted picking up the device on the campus of Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.
According to MacNN, Wozniak was invited to pick up the device after he posted on Twitter that he was looking for it at Best Buy. Recent rumors suggest that Verizon will launch the Galaxy Nexus on Dec. 8.
Though he has expressed a growing interest in the Android platform, Wozniak also remains an avid iPhone user. Last month, he was first in line to purchase the iPhone 4S at an Apple Store in Los Gatos, Calif. Unlike with his recent Galaxy Nexus acquisition, Wozniak said that he wanted to get the iPhone 4S at the same time as other enthusiasts.
"I want to get mine along with the millions of other fans," Wozniak told CNN while waiting in line. "I just want to be able to talk to my phone."
In fact, Wozniak has admitted that his keen interest in cell phones sometimes leads him to carry as many as 10 different phones with him.
After the Galaxy Nexus went on sale in the U.K. earlier this week, Anandtech obtained the results of several tests on the device. The smartphone, the result of a partnership between Google and Samsung, bested the iPhone 4S on the SunSpider Javascript benchmark and the Rightware BrowserMark.
Google has packed the Galaxy Nexus with the Texas Instruments OMAP 4460 processor and the Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX 540 GPU. According to the report, its CPUs are clocked "noticeably higher" than the iPhone 4S' own 800 MHz processors.
Apple's latest smartphone did outperform the Galaxy Nexus in the graphics department, however, as evidenced by the GLBenchmark 2.1 Egypt and Pro tests. The iPhone 4S makes use of the A5 processor, which makes use of the dual-core SGX 543MP2 GPU from Imagination Technologies.
"Google really pushed the performance of its software further with Ice Cream Sandwich, while GPU performance is limited by the SGX 540. The good news is that there's more than enough hardware at ICS' disposal to deliver a smooth experience," the report concluded.
Google and Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Nexus and the upcoming Android 4.0 update, dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich, at a press event in Hong Kong last month. A U.S. launch for the device was slated for late this month, though recent speculation suggest that it has been pushed back to December.
MacNN reports that some early adopters of the Galaxy Nexus are have encountered a volume bug with the device. Users have nicknamed it the "Self Aware Volume Ghost," as the flaw is said to randomly lower volume on the handset and sometimes prevent users from turning it back up.
It's possible that the bug has contributed to delays of the device. Wireless operator Vodafone said on Saturday that it is "continuing to test" the handset's firmware and plans to release the phone once tests are complete.
The Woz
The Galaxy Nexus hasn't arrived in the U.S. yet, but Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, also known as "Woz," has already got his hands on one. Android browser engineer Nicolas Roard reported via Google+ that Wozniak had been spotted picking up the device on the campus of Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.
According to MacNN, Wozniak was invited to pick up the device after he posted on Twitter that he was looking for it at Best Buy. Recent rumors suggest that Verizon will launch the Galaxy Nexus on Dec. 8.
Though he has expressed a growing interest in the Android platform, Wozniak also remains an avid iPhone user. Last month, he was first in line to purchase the iPhone 4S at an Apple Store in Los Gatos, Calif. Unlike with his recent Galaxy Nexus acquisition, Wozniak said that he wanted to get the iPhone 4S at the same time as other enthusiasts.
"I want to get mine along with the millions of other fans," Wozniak told CNN while waiting in line. "I just want to be able to talk to my phone."
In fact, Wozniak has admitted that his keen interest in cell phones sometimes leads him to carry as many as 10 different phones with him.
Comments
Too bad the 4s was not 4G... That and a few other things were the deciding factors for me...
I really like The Galaxy Nexus. It looks like it will be my next phone....
Too bad the 4s was not 4G... That and a few other things were the deciding factors for me...
Android is going to push Apple to accelerate development of future iPhones. I've used both and my personal preference is iPhone. However, competition is a win for consumers. It forces companies to innovate and keeps prices in line. This is why I'm against AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile. I ran into Woz at the Apple Store Valley Fair Mall a few years ago. We chatted for a few minutes. Super-nice guy.
How dare you say Apple cares about competition.
The irony perhaps is that Woz can't get early access to any Apple prototypes.
10 phones? Why, to call himself? It's not like anyone else is calling him.
To win the benchmark wars. Every 3 weeks, some new Android product is better/faster/sexier/geekier than the one you bought. If you don't upgrade, you'll be laughed at by the other geeks.
If I'm reading this right, this story is unbiased. Cheers AI!!!
How dare you accuse AppleInsider of unbias! DED/Slash Lane/Prince McLean will personally accept your apology
Apple has designed the iPhone4S around their own iOS. What does it matter that the other phone has a faster chip or more memory? It probably needs it to run the latest Android OS smoothly. In the end, tech specs don't matter. What matters is the experience of using the phone is smooth and seamless.
If I'm reading this right, this story is unbiased. Cheers AI!!!
Yes until they left out the fact what is the battery life like.
Kind of wonder who is this appleinsider wonder who wrote the story.
Poor Woz. He didn't even realize that Google set out a trap to photograph him accepting the bait at Google HQ
The irony perhaps is that Woz can't get early access to any Apple prototypes.
woz is an id.
Friend of mine have one of those. Nice phone, unfortunately you pay the price for faster CPU and slimmer (and noticeably lighter) design. In this case, price is battery life. Unless you spend the whole day close to charging port, you may not be too happy with this phone.
As opposed to the 4S, which is clearly doing very well with battery life. 5.01 was supposed to address it and made things worse for some and now they are working on 5.02 for battery life. I know some will say they have no issues, but I know an equal amount who have terrible life, including me.
Better algorithms, and tighter code is not often a trade-off. Great!
Security costs. Data vs. cpu is a tradeoff. Lucid code another. Error checking, yes. Parameter constraints, sure. Flexible design, pricey.
When I was young and subject to hormone-induced stupidity, having my car do 0 to 60 in 4 seconds was important, as well was hitting 100 mph on some rural road. Luckily I lived to grow up, unlike some other local kids who didn't.
There are times when speed is important, and more times when increasing speed has no computational importance.
There is no good reason to hide an increase in speed, but knowing the trade-offs to gain that speed is critical.
Only tech geeks are concerned with tech specs. It's the experience that counts. I don't know about anybody complaining that the iPhone 4S is slow.
Apple has designed the iPhone4S around their own iOS. What does it matter that the other phone has a faster chip or more memory? It probably needs it to run the latest Android OS smoothly. In the end, tech specs don't matter. What matters is the experience of using the phone is smooth and seamless.
Josh Topolsky at the Verge has a pretty thorough review up. In his wrap up he says:
"The Galaxy Nexus is the best Android phone ever made. It's one of the best smartphones ever made, and with a couple of minor tweaks (particularly to the camera), it could be the best smartphone ever produced.
Still, there's really not much to knock here. The hardware is elegant and smartly designed. The software is beautiful and useful. Google has cleaned up a lot of the bad, and replaced it with a serious amount of good. It's faster, smarter, and a lot more friendly than any of its predecessors. Ice Cream Sandwich easily gives iOS and Windows Phone a run for their money, and in many ways, it's a superior operating system than either of them.
http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/17/2...y-nexus-review
This is from a phone that isn't intended to be top dawg. The Nexus smartphones aren't designed with the best available hardware intentionally. They're instead meant as reference devices for the other Android manufacturers as they finalize the phones designed with ICS in mind releasing this next quarter.
As opposed to the 4S, which is clearly doing very well with battery life. 5.01 was supposed to address it and made things worse for some and now they are working on 5.02 for battery life. I know some will say they have no issues, but I know an equal amount who have terrible life, including me.
my battery life sucked too!!! I turned off the location service for time zone and my battery now last all day.
Anything running Android = shit.
Actually, almost every review of the Galaxy Nexus has been overwhelmingly positive.