The 6 Fastest Smartphones Ranked According to Geekbench Speed Tests

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Geekbench runs thorough tests and keeps a running track record of which smartphones are, on a hardware level, the fastest (and you can even run your own Geekbench speed tests if you really want to). While many things affect smartphone speed, these benchmarks are useful when trying to find out which phones perform the best, as they show which devices can handle complex tasks with the least trouble.

Traditionally, iPhones do very well on the Geekbench ranks, typically scoring the top positions with ease. So let’s take a look at the latest mobile benchmarks to see which devices are doing the best right now, and how firm the iPhone’s lead still is.

Geekbench uses a baseline score of 4000. This is the score of an Intel Core i7-6600U, which the study uses as the generic comparison for pretty much everything. In this case, a phone rated 8000 would be twice as fast as that processor, a phone rated 2000 would be half as fast, and so on.

Keep in mind, Samsung’s new Galaxy S10 lineup will fare on par with Apple’s gracefully aging lineup – although Geekbench’s official scores still show Apple’s devices on top.

[Update: Since the writing of this article, Geekbench has updated its list of overall smartphone rankings. It its findings, Apple’s aging iPhone XS Max, XS and XR still overtake Samsung’s new Galaxy S10 lineup. The S10 lineup has proven to be more powerful than Apple’s older iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X however.]

Geekbench

Continue reading to learn more about the 6 Fastest Smartphones Ranked According to Geekbench.

1) iPhone XS Max

With a single-core score of 4797, and a multi-core score of 11268, the iPhone XS Max has the lead among smartphones, so if you’re looking for the fastest phone – it’s an easy choice.

It’s a large smartphone, which could help boost its overall speed and operation more than you might think. Its size gives extra room for hardware spacing, temperature management and other factors that can make a difference while running its processor.

The XS Max, for those who are curious, uses an Apple A12 Bionic chip rated at 2490MHz. Apple’s proprietary A-series chip line has done wonders for iPhone’s top-rated performance and is a key reason why iPhones tend to take leading spots.

2) iPhone XS

The iPhone XS uses the same A12 Bionic chip that the XS Max uses, and in fact receives the exact same single-core benchmark score of 4797 from Geekbench. If you’re looking for the fastest phone, that gives you some choices regarding size. Of course, more complicated tasks are often easier to control with a larger screen, but it’s nice to know that the smaller screen tied for first place. So no matter which XS model you choose, you’re getting an incredibly powerful device.

3) iPhone XR

The next phone on the list is the iPhone XR. The XR also uses the same A12 Bionic chip with the same 2490MHz rating – but this time, it got a slightly lower single-core score of 4794, and multi-core score of 11219. Why the difference? Maybe it was just a random test variance. Maybe its cheaper materials really did have an impact on speed. Either way, it’s nice to know that the most affordable model of Apple’s latest iPhone lineup is essentially as fast as its most expensive models. When it comes to processor performance, you really aren’t giving up much.

4) iPhone 8

That’s right, the iPhone winning streak keeps on going straight into the prior generation. The iPhone 8 uses an older A11 Bionic chip rated at 2,390MHz, but still manages to outperform the latest phones from other brands. It garners impressive results with a 4226 single-core score and a 10152 multi-core score.

5) iPhone 8 Plus

Here we have an interesting occurrence. The 8 Plus uses the same chip as the iPhone 8, but scored slightly lower on its benchmark tests. Here it seems that its size did not help the iPhone 8 Plus perform better than its smaller sibling in single-core testing. We’re not entirely sure what to make of that, but it’s worth noting. 4223 single-core score. 10190 multi-core score.

6) iPhone X

The iPhone X rounds out the list as the 6th fastest phone, using the A11 Bionic chip. If we were to extend the list a little bit, the next phone finally interrupts the iPhone’s winning streak – it’s the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, which uses a proprietary Samsung 8-core chip. Then it’s back to the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7, with even older chips that nonetheless beat newer Android models in single-core tests. After that, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro makes it on the list, followed by a variety of other Samsung Galaxy S9 models.

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