A Geekbench test report by Ars Technica revealed that an iPhone running TSMC A9 chip lasts two hours longer than one running Samsung A9 processor. Users may run an app to know if their phones carry Samsung A9 or TSMC A9 brains.
International Business Times reported that Ars Technica published a Geekbench report showing that an iPhone with TSMC SoC has a better battery life than one with Samsung processor. The tests that were conducted include Wi-Fi browsing, Geekbench 3, WebGL, and GFXBench. Overall benchmark scores reveal that the Samsung A9 chip resulted to shorter battery life compared to the TSMC A9 chip in the iPhone 6s.
On the other hand, Apple refutes the report saying that the Geekbench test was inaccurate. Ars Technica admitted that the test has limitations as there ae unknown variables like the components used in both processors, which may affect the end result. Ars Technica believes that the data they gathered can be considered credible enough just like Apple's estimated figure.
Wired reported that Apple released a statement to TechCrunch saying, "Certain manufactured lab tests which run the processors with a continuous heavy workload until the battery depletes are not representative of real-world usage, since they spend an unrealistic amount of time at the highest CPU performance state. It's a misleading way to measure real-world battery life. "
Apple claims that a Geekbench report is better suited in measuring processor performance rather than battery life. The report stated that Geekbench works by putting more strain on the processor compared to a normal amount of usage. As such, the result could greatly vary from what it should be. It is further stated that the only way to correctly test the processor's effect on battery life is to collect data from a big number of units, much like what Apple does in its "Diagnostics & Usage Data".
VCPost earlier reported that the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus carry both Samsung and TSMC A9 processors. There are rumors that Apple will be partnering with TSMC in producing its future A10 chips.
Users can identify which kind of processor their iPhones are currently using with an app called Linum Device Info Lite. The app can be downloaded from the App Store. The following shows how to interpret the results: N71AP for Samsung 6S, N71MAP for TSMC 6S, N66AP for Samsung 6S, and N66MAP for Samsung 6S Plus.
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