A number of test results show that the Galaxy S6 is the world's fastest smartphone after toppling competition six times out of a total of nine real-world and benchmark tests.
The LG G4 ended up as a runner-up while the iPhone 6 finished third. Other smartphones that were tested include the HTC One M9, Google Nexus 6 and Asus ZenFone 2.
For specs and features, the smartphones were tested based on their graphics, CPU, browser, processors and batteries. Performance testing was then conducted to know which device was the fastest when it came to real-world use, such as opening a huge file, offering lag-free gaming, launching the camera and loading an app.
The Fastest Phone Based on Benchmark Tests
Tests such as the 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Test and the GFXBench 3.0 Manhattan were conducted for the graphics benchmark testing. In the first test, all three seemed to have performed well but with the Galaxy S6 hitting a 3DMark score of almost 22,000 compared to the G4 and iPhone 6, whose scores were almost comparable but fall below 20,000, it was clear that the S6 was the winner.
The iPhone 6 performed slightly better in the GFXBench 3.0 Manhattan test when it placed second in off-screen and first in on-screen. The G4 ended up third in both off-screen and on-screen categories. Here, the devices were compared in terms of their fps (frames per second) rating; a higher fps is, of course, better.
However, a higher fps would also mean a lower resolution wherein less pixels are displayed on the screen. In order to reach a high fps, the iPhone 6 needed to push less than one-third of its main pixels. Though it runs in such speed, it's still considerably weaker at 720p screen compared to the Galaxy S6's 1440p.
In terms of the CPU and browser performance, the Octane 2.0 benchmark test reveals a score of over 9,000 for the Galaxy S6, beating both the iPhone 6 and G4, which had an almost identical score of a little over 7,000.
The next test is the Geekbench 3, which is a pure test on processors. While the iPhone 6 wins in the single-thread category, the Galaxy S6 was stretched for the most part in the multi-thread category.
In terms of specs, the iPhone 6 actually has the most powerful CPU among the three. The S6 and the G4 both take advantage of the so-called "Big Little" wherein the powerful CPU cores are paired with those that have less power. This way, the weaker cores are able to handle the most basic tasks. They could then switch easily to bigger cores when bigger tasks are also needed to be accomplished. The G4 is said to have two of the more powerful A57 cores as compared to the S6, which uses four.
In other words, the iPhone 6 may run a little faster when accomplishing most tasks but with the Galaxy S6 having extra cores which can come in handy on times when accomplishing a task is crucial, there's no question that the Galaxy S6 emerges as the winner in this aspect.
Another important point of comparison is the battery. Being able to do a lot of tasks may seem enough but not having a good battery may just bring more harm than good.
After conducting the GFXBench Battery Test, the LG G4 easily beats both the Galaxy S6 and the iPhone 6. This could be attributed to the device's slightly bigger battery and to its slightly less powerful specs.
The problem with powerful smartphones is that they can have a side effect such as heat. A "hot-feeling" phone feels uncomfortable to hold. Moreover, the heat can affect the phone's performance. In this area, the iPhone 6 emerges as the "most tolerable" among the three. After placing the three smartphones under a thermal camera, the iPhone 6 is shown as being able to spread the heat at around 31 degrees Celsius. Such heat feels just slightly warm to a human touch. The Galaxy S6, on its part, reached a total of 38 degrees Celsius and the heat is spread throughout the phone.
Overall, the Galaxy S6 is the fastest phone when it comes to specs and features.
The Fastest Phone Based on Real-world Performance
Scoring well in benchmark tests is just one side of the picture. The other side is measured by how the device performs real world tasks such as the ability to play a game that is lag-free, the ability to open a large file, or even the ability to launch the camera and its app.
There were at least 4 real-world tests that were conducted. Galaxy S6 managed to end up first in 2 of these tests and tied at the top spot with the iPhone 6 in one.
Such real-world tests include PDF Load Time, Camera Load Time, Gaming Performance and Video Editing. The LG G4 has the fastest camera load time wherein it needed only 52.5 milliseconds to launch the camera app and take a picture. The next spot goes to the Galaxy S6 (55.5 milliseconds) while the iPhone 6 comes at third (61.5 milliseconds).
Both the Galaxy S6 and the iPhone 6 achieved an average of 30fps in terms of gaming performance.
The last test measured each of the devices' performance in terms of WiFi speed. At this point, the Galaxy S6 again emerges as the winner since it was able to deliver a top speed of 206 Mbps which is 48 percent faster than the iPhone 6's speed of 135 Mbps.
The HTC One M9 comes next at 202 Mbps, followed by the LG G4 (160 Mbps), and the Nexus 6 (146 Mbps). Asus Zenfone 2 comes last at 130 Mbps.
Once again, the Galaxy S6 managed to outshine the rest of the pack. With an impressive performance in accomplishing real world tasks coupled with a high WiFi speed capability, the S6 is so far the fastest smartphone in the market to date.
