> Were they trying something that failed last minute
Seems likely. Your chip underperforms? Just block people from using benchmarking apps, and also tell the press you never cared about speed. Problem solved.
Seems likely. Your chip underperforms? Just block people from using benchmarking apps, and also tell the press you never cared about speed. Problem solved.
The massive problem, which has particularly afflicted Qualcomm and Intel in the past, is the difference between peak and sustained performance being absolutely huge, since running at peak would trigger thermal conditions necessitating dynamic down clocking to below normal speeds, which would then persist for a surprisingly long time before normal performance resumes. Certain groups would detect known benchmarking code and alter the acceptable thermal parameters for the execution of the benchmark tests. (i.e. allow the device to become unusually hot).
As others have mentioned this has all the hallmarks of an execution failure, either by Google, Samsung, both, or some unknown third party. Google have a cultural problem of believing way too much in theoretical untested potential solutions instead of aiming for the boring known to work but only 95% as theoretically good, only to find when building it reality is different enough to more than nullify the advantages. It has bitten them in this area before, and it more than likely will again.
I have worked with prototypes from other manufacturers that had to be recalled after burning people. I have also found bugs in SoCs that their manufacturers were lying to OEMs about, and had to explain to different OEMs what was going on, after they had shipped millions of units.
The simple truth is modern developers are irresponsible and so the manufacturers get to play everyone off against each other to spread as much self serving nonsense as possible.
there's an embedded URL linking to a YouTube video, which shows that the Google Play store won't allow the user to install Geekbench or 3dMark on the pre-released Pixel 8 review devices.