MediaTek accused of performance test fraud. Chipset maker MediaTek is probably cheating in order to get better benchmark results in popular benchmarks.
Information about this appeared in the AnandTech article. It should be clarified that the test results do not have to reflect the actual performance of the smartphone. This is due to the fact that previously some mobile device manufacturers have already been accused of manipulating test results.
MediaTek Accused of Performance Test Fraud
According to the article, when launching the PCMark test, the MediaTek Helio P95 SoC chipset outperformed the MediaTek Dimensity 1000L. When smartphones with these chips were tested again on the anonymous version of PCMark, the difference in results was about 30% compared to the regular PCMark application that was installed on these gadgets. To check if the same problem exists with Snapdragon-based gadgets, the authors of the article tested a smartphone with a Snapdragon 765G processor. As a result, no difference in test results was found.
The authors of the article claim that MediaTek is aimed at the most popular tests. After checking the firmware files, the authors discovered the so-called “sports mode”. It is activated when certain tests are detected. After they are detected, the “sports mode” is supposedly activated in the smartphone. It greatly improves the performance of the gadget. In this mode, the processor builds up frequencies faster, while issues of thermal loads and overheating fade into the background. Thus, during the testing period, the mobile phone shows higher test results.
It is also worth saying that the system with the “sports mode” also determines the tests of PCMark, AnTuTu and GeekBench. Even some older devices, such as the Sony XA1 with MediaTek chipset, also had something similar with sport mode.
MediaTek claimed that it follows generally accepted standards, emphasized that the test results fully reflect the capabilities of its chips, and said that well-known brands “can independently configure their own mobile devices at their discretion.”