Galaxy Nexus vs iPhone 4S: Samsung Beats Apple In Browser Tests, Loses in Hardware Benchmarks

Tweet

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone in the world is not officially available in the USA yet, but it looks like the device is already testing great in benchmarks. The Galaxy Nexus has been proven to beat Apple’s latest iPhone, the iPhone 4S, in tests, at least the GSM/HSPA+ version, as the CDMA/LTE model is yet to be launched.

According to AnandTech, Google has done a lot of optimization when it comes to browser speed, and that’s apparently clear in the “usual browser benchmarks.” The Galaxy Nexus manages to beat the iPhone 4S when it comes to browser tests as seen in the screenshots below.

But the processor on the Galaxy Nexus isn’t able to beat the competition, being ranked only fourth after the iPad 2, the iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy S II. The same thing is valid for GPU performance where the Galaxy Nexus is surpassed by the same three devices, as shown in the following screenshots. It’s interesting to notice that Samsung didn’t necessarily try to beat its own products, when it comes to hardware. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung decided against turning the Galaxy Nexus – which is also a Google product – into its flagship device with a few months before the Galaxy S III will be announced.

The publication further mentions overall Galaxy Nexus performance:

Performance is pretty much as expected in both areas: 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.

Apparently the thing to remember here is that Samsung’s smartphone does not rely on hardware to offer a great mobile performance. Instead it’s the software’s job to help customers make the most of it. Ice Cream Sandwich is what makes the new Nexus deliver better results in those browser benchmarks, and it will be interesting to see how other devices will test once the Ice Cream Sandwich will be available to them.

Apple already proved with its recent devices that it’s not all about the hardware in new products, as software is also a very important component when assessing their performance. When the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S came out they were not the best devices when it comes to hardware features alone, but it was Apple’s iOS ecosystem, software and apps, that turned them into best sellers.