Apple's iPhone X bests Samsung's new Galaxy Note 9 in benchmark testing

Posted:
in iPhone edited August 2018
Early benchmark testing of Samsung's just released Galaxy Note 9 shows the flagship phablet is unable to top Apple's iPhone X with A11 Bionic processor despite hitting market nearly 11 months later.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9


Announced at a media event on Thursday, Samsung's new Galaxy Note 9 comes packed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, the same CPU that powers the Galaxy S9 and S9+ released in March. Also like the S9, the new Note 9 sports 6GB of RAM, or 8GB when purchasing the top-tier model with 512GB of onboard storage.

Putting Samsung's device to the test, Tom's Guide ran a series of benchmarks and compared the results with past performances logged by competing Android handsets, as well as Apple's iPhone X.

Starting with Geekbench 4, the Note 9 managed a multi-core score of 8,876, a more than 2,300 point improvement over last year's Note 8. The 6.4-inch phablet also outperformed its Galaxy S9+ counterpart, which put in a score of 8,295, making it the fastest Samsung handset available today. OnePlus' eponymous OnePlus 6, which comes toting 8GB of RAM, was the only Android device to turn in higher marks with a score of 9,088.

Apple's A11 Bionic SoC, as found in iPhone X with 3GB of RAM, outperformed all comers with a multi-core score of 10,357.

Moving on to graphics testing, the publication ran the demanding 3DMark Slingshot Extreme 3.1 test to find the Note 9 best its S9+ forebear with a score of 4,639. Apple and OnePlus both beat Samsung with scores of 4,994 and 5,124, respectively. It appears 3DMark has optimized its test suite since Tom's last ran the evaluation, as the S9+ previously hit a tally of 5,793, while the iPhone X notched 3,998.

Today's results are to be expected considering Samsung is using a fairly old-in-the-tooth Snapdragon processor.

Benchmark standings are due to change this fall, when Apple is expected to release a slate of new iPhone models presumably powered by a next-generation "A12" CPU. Little is known about the chip, though the silicon is anticipated to be designed in house and fabricated using TSMC's 7-nanometer process.

In June, an unverified Geekbench entry saw a mystery "iPhone11,2" device with "A12" CPU turn in respective single- and multi-core scores of 4,673 and 10,912, and a compute score of 21,691. The figures are a significant improvement from iPhone X, which averages 4,206 and 10,128 in single- and multi-core tests, respectively, and a Compute score of 15,234.

Stay tuned to AppleInsider for more on Samsung's Note 9. We will be putting the new handset through the paces in the coming weeks, including in-depth testing and real-world comparisons with Apple's latest hardware.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 59
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,879member

    Stay tuned to AppleInsider for more on Samsung's Note 9. We will be putting the new handset through the paces in the coming weeks, including in-depth testing and real-world comparisons with Apple's latest hardware.
    Why bother...
    edited August 2018 lkruppmejsricclaire1bestkeptsecretmacxpressGeorgeBMacSpamSandwichRayz2016watto_cobrabrucemc
  • Reply 2 of 59
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Benchmarks mean everything to tech nerds, just like market share means everything to financial analysts... except when Apple wins. Then benchmarks magically become meaningless and specs like cores and RAM and headphone jacks become paramount. Witness the “yeah but” brigade that will be here shortly. 
    TomEmejsricracerhomie3claire1badmonkStrangeDayswatto_cobrabrucemc
  • Reply 3 of 59
    nunzynunzy Posts: 662member
    Specs mean nothing. Apple has the best user experience no matter what the specs say. Apple carefully integrates the software and the hardware so it seems like it is faster.
    TomEmejsricberndogdewme
  • Reply 4 of 59
    tipootipoo Posts: 1,142member
    Their silicon team continues to impress me, but I start to wonder what that gets us when iOS has been dropping frames on animations since iOS7, and with iOS11 started losing out in memory residency tests for multitasking too. 

    Hopefully 12 fixes all this and it doesn't go back in future versions, but the silicon team must hate how much the software team hides their performance. The near doubled single core score is a silicon junkies curiosity but it should have been putting the UX way further ahead than it is.



    I see Samsungs "water cooling" again just meant a heat pipe though. 
    muthuk_vanalingamGabywatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 59
    Is this news anymore!?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 59
    Heck, my A9 devices still keep up with whatever I throw them. There is a point where the processor speed is a measurement of how much more than you need does it provide.
    claire1croprgatorguyGeorgeBMacwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 59
    anomeanome Posts: 1,533member

    Stay tuned to AppleInsider for more on Samsung's Note 9. We will be putting the new handset through the paces in the coming weeks, including in-depth testing and real-world comparisons with Apple's latest hardware.
    Why bother...


    Apple's latest hardware looks likely to change in the next month, so it might be interesting then.

    But probably not.

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 59
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    nunzy said:
    Specs mean nothing. Apple has the best user experience no matter what the specs say. Apple carefully integrates the software and the hardware so it seems like it is faster.
    One of the reasons it does have that best experience is because of the specs.
    muthuk_vanalingamwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 59
    ivanhivanh Posts: 597member
    Samsung’s strategy was wrong. They should use a 3-year-old device vs a 3-year-old iPhone, in order to prove endurance in performance. We all know that iPhone’s performance deteriorates every year on newer iOS versions.  SAmsung Android phones apparently do not have that problem.
  • Reply 10 of 59
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    ivanh said:
    Samsung’s strategy was wrong. They should use a 3-year-old device vs a 3-year-old iPhone, in order to prove endurance in performance. We all know that iPhone’s performance deteriorates every year on newer iOS versions.  SAmsung Android phones apparently do not have that problem.
    That’s being sarcastic, right?
    claire1radarthekatmwhiteacejax805redgeminipaStrangeDaysGeorgeBMacwatto_cobrabrucemc
  • Reply 11 of 59
    magman1979magman1979 Posts: 1,293member
    You should see the article about this over at 9to5Mac, the discussion thread has been FLOODED with vile Android trolls, quite disgusting!

    ivanh said:
    Samsung’s strategy was wrong. They should use a 3-year-old device vs a 3-year-old iPhone, in order to prove endurance in performance. We all know that iPhone’s performance deteriorates every year on newer iOS versions.  SAmsung Android phones apparently do not have that problem.
    You need to go rejoin your trolls at 9to5mac, they miss you!
    claire1mwhiteStrangeDaysGeorgeBMacwatto_cobrabrucemc
  • Reply 12 of 59
    KITAKITA Posts: 393member

    Moving on to graphics testing, the publication ran the demanding 3DMark Slingshot Extreme 3.1 test to find the Note 9 best its S9+ forebear with a score of 4,639. Apple and OnePlus both beat Samsung with scores of 4,994 and 5,124, respectively. It appears 3DMark has optimized its test suite since Tom's last ran the evaluation, as the S9+ previously hit a tally of 5,793, while the iPhone X notched 3,998.
    Sustained performance is the elephant in the room. We should wait until the Note 9 is properly tested before jumping to any conclusions. Clearly the iPhone can't even sustain anything close to that score.

    This is the Graphics score of the test ,not the combined score (Physics is excluded):


    The OnePlus 6 has, by far, the best Snapdragon 845 implementation with very little throttling (some of the gaming phones with high binned / overclocked SoCs might be even better, but they have yet to be tested). It's also important to note that this test is OpenGL on Android and Metal on iOS. Newer games, such as Fortnite, use Vulkan.

    I don't think the A12 will overtake that level of GPU performance, Qualcomm has a clear lead, and the 7nm Snapdragon 855 is only 5~6 months away (entered mass production a month or so back).
    tipooavon b7
  • Reply 13 of 59
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,384member
    tipoo said:
    Their silicon team continues to impress me, but I start to wonder what that gets us when iOS has been dropping frames on animations since iOS7, and with iOS11 started losing out in memory residency tests for multitasking too. 

    Hopefully 12 fixes all this and it doesn't go back in future versions, but the silicon team must hate how much the software team hides their performance. The near doubled single core score is a silicon junkies curiosity but it should have been putting the UX way further ahead than it is.



    I see Samsungs "water cooling" again just meant a heat pipe though. 
    I can't relate to this comment at all. My iPhone 7 is buttery smooth, I've never noticed any skipped animation or interface lag. 
    MisterKitclaire1acejax805GeorgeBMacmagman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 59
    When a guy is so proud of his car’s V12 48 valves engine. But your car only has 2 motors. However it is a Tesla model S P100D. 
    GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 15 of 59
    claire1claire1 Posts: 510unconfirmed, member
    lkrupp said:
    Benchmarks mean everything to tech nerds, just like market share means everything to financial analysts... except when Apple wins. Then benchmarks magically become meaningless and specs like cores and RAM and headphone jacks become paramount. Witness the “yeah but” brigade that will be here shortly. 
    ivanh said:
    Samsung’s strategy was wrong. They should use a 3-year-old device vs a 3-year-old iPhone, in order to prove endurance in performance. We all know that iPhone’s performance deteriorates every year on newer iOS versions.  SAmsung Android phones apparently do not have that problem.

    Yeah but

    KITA said:

    Moving on to graphics testing, the publication ran the demanding 3DMark Slingshot Extreme 3.1 test to find the Note 9 best its S9+ forebear with a score of 4,639. Apple and OnePlus both beat Samsung with scores of 4,994 and 5,124, respectively. It appears 3DMark has optimized its test suite since Tom's last ran the evaluation, as the S9+ previously hit a tally of 5,793, while the iPhone X notched 3,998.
    Sustained performance is the elephant in the room. We should wait until the Note 9 is properly tested before jumping to any conclusions. Clearly the iPhone can't even sustain anything close to that score.

    This is the Graphics score of the test ,not the combined score (Physics is excluded):


    The OnePlus 6 has, by far, the best Snapdragon 845 implementation with very little throttling (some of the gaming phones with high binned / overclocked SoCs might be even better, but they have yet to be tested). It's also important to note that this test is OpenGL on Android and Metal on iOS. Newer games, such as Fortnite, use Vulkan.

    I don't think the A12 will overtake that level of GPU performance, Qualcomm has a clear lead, and the 7nm Snapdragon 855 is only 5~6 months away (entered mass production a month or so back).

    Yeah but
    jkichline
  • Reply 16 of 59
    claire1claire1 Posts: 510unconfirmed, member
    Can't wait for the DED article on this!!! WOOOHOOOO!!!

    ivanh said:
    Samsung’s strategy was wrong. They should use a 3-year-old device vs a 3-year-old iPhone, in order to prove endurance in performance. We all know that iPhone’s performance deteriorates every year on newer iOS versions.  SAmsung Android phones apparently do not have that problem.
    Samsungs iPhoneys don't get upgrades 3 years later.  :(

    Not sure if sarcastic or iKnockoff fan. Either way can't wait for iOS 12 to speed up all iOS devices up to 4 YEARS OLD!!


    edited August 2018 radarthekatBluntmagman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 59
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,340member
    KITA said:

    Moving on to graphics testing, the publication ran the demanding 3DMark Slingshot Extreme 3.1 test to find the Note 9 best its S9+ forebear with a score of 4,639. Apple and OnePlus both beat Samsung with scores of 4,994 and 5,124, respectively. It appears 3DMark has optimized its test suite since Tom's last ran the evaluation, as the S9+ previously hit a tally of 5,793, while the iPhone X notched 3,998.
    Sustained performance is the elephant in the room. We should wait until the Note 9 is properly tested before jumping to any conclusions. Clearly the iPhone can't even sustain anything close to that score.

    This is the Graphics score of the test ,not the combined score (Physics is excluded):


    The OnePlus 6 has, by far, the best Snapdragon 845 implementation with very little throttling (some of the gaming phones with high binned / overclocked SoCs might be even better, but they have yet to be tested). It's also important to note that this test is OpenGL on Android and Metal on iOS. Newer games, such as Fortnite, use Vulkan.

    I don't think the A12 will overtake that level of GPU performance, Qualcomm has a clear lead, and the 7nm Snapdragon 855 is only 5~6 months away (entered mass production a month or so back).
    Funny how you always seem to see an"elephant in the room" named "Sustained Performance", as if that is the only metric of value for any phone. 

    Enjoy your day, 
    ericthehalfbeeclaire1Soliacejax805macxpressStrangeDaysRayz2016watto_cobrabrucemc
  • Reply 18 of 59
    geekmeegeekmee Posts: 629member
    Thank goodness for Samsung Note 9....without it we wouldn’t have anything to compare the iPhone X 😆
    claire1watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 59
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,303member
    When we hear Mac people whining about the "last gen hardware" and lack of 32GB RAM most Macs have at the moment, or when we hear iPhone people whining about the cost of the iPhone X, remind yourselves that Samsung just put out a brand new $1000-1250 phone using a dated (and slow to start with) Snapdragon processor that got its ass handed to it by an 11-month-old iPhone with half the RAM.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 59
    tmay said:
    KITA said:

    Moving on to graphics testing, the publication ran the demanding 3DMark Slingshot Extreme 3.1 test to find the Note 9 best its S9+ forebear with a score of 4,639. Apple and OnePlus both beat Samsung with scores of 4,994 and 5,124, respectively. It appears 3DMark has optimized its test suite since Tom's last ran the evaluation, as the S9+ previously hit a tally of 5,793, while the iPhone X notched 3,998.
    Sustained performance is the elephant in the room. We should wait until the Note 9 is properly tested before jumping to any conclusions. Clearly the iPhone can't even sustain anything close to that score.

    This is the Graphics score of the test ,not the combined score (Physics is excluded):


    The OnePlus 6 has, by far, the best Snapdragon 845 implementation with very little throttling (some of the gaming phones with high binned / overclocked SoCs might be even better, but they have yet to be tested). It's also important to note that this test is OpenGL on Android and Metal on iOS. Newer games, such as Fortnite, use Vulkan.

    I don't think the A12 will overtake that level of GPU performance, Qualcomm has a clear lead, and the 7nm Snapdragon 855 is only 5~6 months away (entered mass production a month or so back).
    Funny how you always seem to see an"elephant in the room" named "Sustained Performance", as if that is the only metric of value for any phone. 

    Enjoy your day, 

    Beat me to it. Always have to cherry-pick a specific test and attach a much higher importance to it while ignoring all others. Didn't we go through this awhile ago?

    BTW, if you want to really know how superior the A11 is you should compare processor scores vs number of cores. The A11 is far better than either the 845 or the 9810 (esp the 9810, which can't even run its 4 big cores at full speed, even for a second).
    Solimagman1979watto_cobra
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