The best benchmarking apps to measure Android performance

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If you have an Android phone and enjoy tinkering with it, sooner or later you'll end up running some benchmarks to see how it performs. Benchmarking apps have become the quickest way to check the real power of a smartphone or tablet , see if it's overheating, or check if a system update has benefited it or, on the contrary, slowed it down.

However, it's important to be realistic: benchmark apps are very useful for comparing phones and detecting flaws, but they aren't the only way to choose a phone . Even so, if you want to measure CPU, GPU, memory, storage, battery, or even the processor's AI capabilities, or even perform touch tests , there are several comprehensive tools worth exploring and combining.

What is a benchmark in Android and why is it worth using?

When we talk about benchmarks, we're referring to standardized test suites that push a mobile device's hardware to its limits with specific workloads . These tests can focus on one or more components (CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, battery, modem, sensors, etc.) and ultimately generate a score or a detailed report.

The beauty of all this is that, since the tests are repeatable, you can compare your phone's performance with other models under the same conditions . This way you can see if it performs above or below expectations, if an Android update has improved performance, if a custom ROM performs worse than the stock ROM, or if changing the battery has restored some of the lost speed.

Android offers a variety of benchmarks: classic raw performance benchmarks (Antutu, Geekbench, 3DMark, etc.) , apps that simulate everyday tasks (PCMark), specialized storage tools (Disk Speed, Androbench), and hardware diagnostic and information utilities (CPU-Z, AIDA64, CPU X, Droid Hardware Info, etc.). There are even AI-focused tests, such as AI Benchmark, which measure NPU and GPU performance in machine learning tasks.

While benchmark scores are very useful, it's not a good idea to buy a phone just because it excels in a benchmark ranking . Factors like system optimization, thermal management, screen quality, cameras, audio, and the software itself greatly influence the daily experience and aren't always reflected in a single number. If you want to improve real-world performance, try some tricks to speed up your Android phone.

Antutu: the classic "all-in-one" tool for measuring your Android

Antutu is probably the best-known name when it comes to general Android benchmarks . Its function is easy to understand: to run a battery of tests that puts virtually all of the device's important hardware to work.

From the app, you can choose between a full test or individual tests. Antutu analyzes user experience (UX), CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage subsystem (I/O) , providing a partial score for each section and an overall score. In the processor section, it differentiates between single-core and multi-core performance, which is key to understanding how the SoC performs under both light tasks and heavy loads.

Many people only look at the overall score, but the total Antutu score only makes sense when compared to other phones running the same version of the test . Generally speaking, a phone that scores 20.000 points will be twice as fast as one that scores 10.000 under similar conditions of temperature, power mode, and open apps.

The app includes a ranking system where you can see how your device performs against other models , even those from different platforms. Antutu, in fact, offers tools for Android, iOS, Windows, and Ubuntu, making it possible to cross-reference very different devices.

Beyond performance testing, Antutu Benchmark also serves as a hardware information tool . It displays your device's exact model, motherboard, Android version, CPU type, number of cores, screen density, available RAM, internal storage, sensors, battery capacity and voltage, average processor temperature, camera megapixels, and much more. If you need to adjust colors, check out our screen calibration guide.

In the settings, you can enable continuous monitoring of CPU and battery temperatures , keeping the app running in the background to record the values ​​in a graph. This makes it easier to detect if any app or game is causing temperature spikes or if the system is overheating.

To obtain the most reliable results, it's best to close all background apps, ensure sufficient battery power, and avoid touching the phone during the test . It also helps to avoid plugging it into the charger while the test is running, to prevent overheating, and it's even advisable to clear the cache on Android before running long tests.

PassMark: technical tests, light and very complete

PassMark is another veteran performance tool that many know from PCs and servers. Its Android app replicates the approach of its desktop version: consolidating various technical tests under a single, simple interface.

With PassMark you can run tests on your CPU, memory, storage (disk), 2D graphics, and 3D graphics . The separation between 2D and 3D is especially useful because it allows you to see, on the one hand, the fluidity of the interface and simple tasks (scrolling, basic animations, flat elements), and on the other hand, how the device performs with more demanding 3D games and applications. If the interface feels sluggish, you can disable animations to see the difference.

Memory and disk tests help measure how quickly apps open, how long data takes to load, and whether the system feels responsive or sluggish . In the CPU section, PassMark offers several tests that evaluate both single-core and multi-core performance, providing a fairly comprehensive overview of the SoC.

One of its strengths is the online database that allows you to compare your phone's scores with those of a multitude of devices . You can compare it to other models in read/write speeds, graphics performance, or CPU power, giving you context to see if your device is average or underperforming.

Furthermore, the app displays a very detailed hardware specification sheet, eliminating the need to install other apps just to view specs . It includes information on the processor, memory, screen, operating system, and other key components, making it a fairly comprehensive solution for users who want something more technical without the hassle.

3DMark: a benchmark for measuring graphics power and gaming performance

If you're worried about how your Android device will handle demanding games, 3DMark is one of the best benchmarks you can install. It focuses on GPU and CPU performance under graphically intensive loads, with 3D scenes full of modern effects similar to those found in current video games. If you also want to maximize your game performance, see how to maximize your game performance.

The app organizes tests as data-driven stories, with graphs, rankings, and lists that go beyond a simple score . At the end of each test, you can see how your result compares to other devices of the same model, high-end phones, or tablets, and even see how the scores change with each system update.

3DMark automatically selects the best benchmark for your device based on its capabilities , so you don't have to download tests you won't be able to run. This saves storage space and download time, which is important if you're short on space.

Among its most well-known tests is 3DMark Wild Life , designed to compare Android phones from brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Motorola, Huawei, Sony, Vivo, and Oppo with the latest iPhones and iPads. This test applies a balanced graphics load for modern devices and generates a score that you can use to place your phone within the current market.

If your device is particularly powerful, you can take it a step further with 3DMark Wildlife Extreme , a test designed to push the next generation of devices to their limits. Most current phones barely reach a few frames per second in this test, so don't be alarmed if you see low numbers: it's specifically designed to be extremely demanding.

For mid-range phones, older devices, or tablets from a few years ago, 3DMark offers Sling Shot and Sling Shot Extreme , which allow you to compare modest Android devices with older iPhones and iPads. The results include a detailed analysis of graphics performance on less current hardware, useful if you want to see how your device has aged.

The big recent news is 3DMark Solar Bay, a benchmark specifically for Android with ray tracing support (Vulkan Ray Tracing) . This test only works on very recent devices with Android 12 or higher, at least 4 GB of RAM, and support for Vulkan 1.1 with ray query. It's divided into three sections with increasing loads, perfect for understanding how far you can push ray tracing in compatible games without significantly impacting FPS.

Solar Bay, Wild Life, and Wild Life Extreme all include two test modes: a quick benchmark to measure peak performance and a prolonged stress test to evaluate long-term stability . The latter is especially useful if you frequently play games for extended periods, as it shows whether the phone maintains its performance or suffers from thermal throttling when it gets hot.

3DMark for Android is completely free for personal use, with no ads or in-app purchases . However, it is intended for non-commercial use, so businesses and media outlets must request a specific license from UL if they wish to use it in professional environments.

Geekbench 5: Measuring CPU brute strength (and more)

Geekbench 5 has rightfully earned its reputation as one of the benchmark standards for measuring CPU performance in mobile phones, tablets, and computers . Its main advantage is that it is completely cross-platform: it has versions for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, among other systems.

On Android, the app runs single-core and multi-core tests , which helps to understand how the device behaves when only a lightweight thread is being used (for example, when opening a simple app) and when the system distributes the work across all available cores in heavy tasks or intensive multitasking.

During the benchmark, Geekbench bombards the CPU with varied workloads that simulate everything from office tasks to very demanding processes . Thanks to this, it obtains a fairly realistic score of the processor's raw power, something many manufacturers even use in their product presentations.

The app doesn't stop at the CPU. It includes a section called Compute Benchmark, focused on measuring the GPU's computing capabilities using APIs like OpenCL or, on other platforms, CUDA and Metal. On Android, these types of tests help to see the phone's potential in tasks that take advantage of graphics acceleration for intensive computing.

Geekbench 5 also incorporates tests in modern areas such as machine learning and augmented reality , which are increasingly linked to the AI ​​hardware integrated into current SoCs. These tests better reflect how modern apps use the CPU, GPU, and dedicated accelerators.

Once you've completed the test, you can upload the results to Geekbench Browser, the public database where thousands of scores are stored . This way, anyone can compare devices, check the results of models they're considering buying, or see how different ROMs and configurations perform.

In the information section, Geekbench displays a fairly comprehensive specification sheet for the device: processor name, number of cores, frequencies, device model, Android version, motherboard, and CPU governor type , among other technical data. This is invaluable information for advanced users who experiment with power profiles.

PCMark: real-world, everyday usage tests

PCMark adopts a different philosophy than many synthetic benchmarks. Instead of focusing on artificial algorithms, it attempts to mimic the tasks you perform daily on your mobile device : browsing the web, editing documents, working with spreadsheets, retouching photos, or assembling short videos.

Its most well-known test on Android is Work 3.0, an evolution of the older Work 1.0 and Work 2.0 . This test combines various alternating workloads to simulate realistic office and multimedia use, evaluating the system's performance as a whole rather than each component individually. If you're looking to optimize Android, check out our guide on how to optimize Android.

Unlike other tools, PCMark considers the CPU, GPU, memory, and storage to form an inseparable system . Therefore, its tests don't isolate each component individually, but rather evaluate how they coordinate to solve everyday tasks for the average user—something more representative than a simple synthetic calculation.

The app includes a handy real-time hardware monitoring feature . While benchmarks are running, you can see how CPU frequency, GPU load, battery consumption, and other parameters change. This helps you check if the manufacturer has done a good job of optimization or if performance drops sharply due to overheating or overly aggressive power management.

PCMark also includes dedicated benchmarks for battery life and storage performance . In the battery test, the phone performs real-world tasks for hours until the battery is depleted, generating a fairly reliable estimate of battery life. The Storage 2.0 test, meanwhile, examines the read and write speeds of internal memory, external storage cards, and typical database operations.

All results can be compared with other models via the Best Devices list . You can filter by brand, model, CPU type, GPU, or Android version, and even see how system updates affect a phone's ranking over time.

As for requirements, PCMark requires Android 5.0 or higher, at least 1 GB of RAM, and OpenGL ES 2.0 compatibility . After installing the app, you can choose which tests you want to download, add or remove benchmarks without losing previous scores, making it easy to try new things without filling up memory.

GFXBench Benchmark: Advanced, cross-platform graphics analysis

GFXBench, formerly known as GLBenchmark, is a veteran of graphics benchmarking. Its purpose is to measure GPU performance, long-term stability, rendering quality, and power consumption under demanding 3D workloads.

The app offers a wide range of tests, each focused on a specific aspect of the graphics card. These include Aztec Ruins, Car Chase, Manhattan 3.1, Manhattan, T-Rex, Tessellation, ALU, texturing, driver overhead, battery and stability, alpha blending, and fill rate , among others. Each test targets a specific part of the GPU, allowing for a very detailed analysis of performance. If you want to get the most out of your GPU and improve your gaming experience, check out our tips for improving game performance on Android.

One of its major advantages is that it allows cross-API benchmarking and is cross-platform thanks to OpenGL ES and Vulkan . You can see how your mobile device performs with different graphics APIs and compare it to other devices, including some desktop computers. Furthermore, many tests can be run in both on-screen mode (at the screen's actual resolution) and off-screen mode (at a fixed resolution), ideal for fair comparisons between mobile devices with very different screens.

The Aztec Ruins test, for example, simulates an environment similar to a modern video game with dynamic global illumination, HDR, real-time lighting effects, and SSAO ambient occlusion . GFXBench not only displays the frame rate but also battery consumption and stability data, so you can see if the device handles long sessions well or if it quickly loses power.

From the comparison section, you can compare your device's scores with those of other smartphones and tablets , while the information section offers technical details about the GPU, resolution, supported API versions, and other relevant data. All of this is presented in a fairly simple, multilingual interface suitable for advanced users and curious users alike.

Disk Speed ​​and other storage benchmarks on Android

Storage is that often-overlooked factor that, nevertheless, greatly impacts the perceived smoothness of a mobile device . Slow internal memory can ruin the experience, even with a powerful processor. This is where tools like Disk Speed ​​come in.

Disk Speed ​​is a very small app (barely 1,5 MB) designed to measure read and write speeds on different types of storage . It allows you to run tests on internal memory, microSD cards, USB drives connected via OTG, or even custom paths.

The app automatically detects the internal and external drives available on the device , greatly simplifying the process. It also includes a slider to choose how much storage space the test will use: selecting too small a size may result in unrepresentative results.

Before starting any benchmark, it's important to ensure that the storage being analyzed has at least 20% free space . If the storage is very full, the test can further strain the system and cause write crashes. It's also recommended to close all background apps to minimize interference.

There are alternatives like Androbench that measure IOPS and latency, but Disk Speed ​​stands out for its simplicity, low disk space usage, and ease of use in quickly checking the speed of any connected storage device . It's ideal for detecting slow microSD cards that are slowing down the system.

Hardware information and diagnostic apps: CPU-Z, AIDA64, CPU X, Droid Hardware Info…

Beyond pure benchmarks, there are apps designed to show you in great detail what's inside your phone and how it's performing . Notable examples include CPU-Z, AIDA64, CPU X, and Droid Hardware Info.

CPU-Z is the Android version of the popular PC tool. With this app, you can see the SoC type, the frequency of each core, the amount of RAM, the screen resolution, the exact make and model of the device, the integrated sensors, and the battery status (level, temperature, voltage). Everything is organized into tabs, making quick diagnostics much easier.

AIDA64 goes even further, offering a very deep view of both hardware and software . It details the operating system version, kernel, bootloader, libraries like zlib, system directories, battery status, Wi-Fi and mobile networks, real-time CPU and GPU frequencies, a list of installed apps, and a host of other technical parameters. Furthermore, it takes up relatively little memory.

The CPU X app combines hardware information with extra utilities. It provides data on the processor, cores, speed, RAM, cameras, and sensors , and includes tools such as an internet speed tester, temperature and battery amperage monitor, as well as a small arsenal of extras: a ruler, spirit level, compass, and emergency signal, among others.

If you're looking for something focused on technical specifications, Droid Hardware Info organizes the data into clear sections (device, system, memory, camera, battery, and sensors) . It's a quick way to check the internal configuration of the device, although in advanced options it may fall somewhat short of AIDA64 or other more comprehensive solutions.

Alongside these apps, there are also diagnostic suites like Phone Doctor Plus or Test Your Android , which allow you to manually test a good number of components: touchscreen, microphone, speakers, Bluetooth, GPS, camera, etc. They often include utilities like a flashlight or barcode scanner, although in return they display a lot of advertising, so it's best to use them patiently.

AI Benchmark: Testing Mobile Artificial Intelligence

With the rise in popularity of chips that integrate NPUs and dedicated accelerators, AI power has become almost as important as the CPU or GPU in some applications . AI Benchmark is a tool designed precisely to measure this aspect on Android.

The app runs 46 tests grouped into 14 sections, covering facial recognition, image classification, text prediction, photo correction and enhancement, bokeh effect using neural networks, and other modern algorithms . This gives you a pretty clear idea of ​​your device's AI capabilities.

AI Benchmark is compatible with SoCs that integrate NPUs and AI accelerators, such as MediaTek's Dimensity, Samsung's Exynos, Qualcomm's Snapdragon, HiSilicon's Kirin, and the latest Helio family . On devices without a dedicated NPU, it allows you to use the GPU as an accelerator by configuring the "Accelerate" option and enabling GPU acceleration.

For advanced users and developers, the app includes a PRO mode that allows you to upload your own deep learning model based on TensorFlow Lite and run it directly on your mobile device. This is very useful for testing how a specific neural network performs on the actual hardware where you plan to deploy it.

Thanks to these types of tests, it's possible to get an idea of ​​how well the mobile phone is prepared for AI camera functions, advanced voice recognition, or apps that rely heavily on neural networks —areas where simply having many CPU cores is no longer enough.

Other benchmark apps and related tools

Over the years, countless benchmarks have been used for Android, some of which have become somewhat outdated but remain useful on older devices . Among them is Quadrant, which for quite some time was a benchmark for measuring CPU, GPU, memory, and storage, offering both a free and a paid version.

Another classic name is Vellamo, a tool developed by Qualcomm to measure browser performance and system fluidity with HTML5 operations, page zoom and scrolling, simple 3D graphics, video playback, and memory and network access. It's now obsolete, but it was very important when Android was taking its first steps in the field of mobile performance.

In the graphics field, there was also the Antutu 3DRating Benchmark, focused exclusively on performance with OpenGL ES 2.0 , which showcased scenes with advanced particle systems, fluid animations, and complex shadows. It was one of the first attempts to specifically measure the graphical capabilities of mobile devices.

Looking at the PC world, we have tools like MemTest86, used for years to detect faults in RAM modules , or monitoring solutions like HWiNFO, designed for Windows and DOS. Although they don't have a functional Android app, they are considered benchmarks in their respective fields and have shaped the evolution of modern benchmarks.

On computers, we also find programs like RAM Booster, which display the total amount of memory (physical and virtual), the free RAM, and offer to automatically free up resources when a certain threshold is reached. On Android, there are plenty of apps that promise to "clean RAM," but you have to be very careful, because if they close processes that the system needs, it will reopen them repeatedly, and the result can be the exact opposite: increased resource consumption and worse performance.

With this arsenal of tools, it's now possible to measure virtually any aspect of your Android phone's performance : CPU and GPU power, thermal stability, internal and card memory speed, real-world battery life, battery health, hardware quality, AI performance… Ideally, you should combine several of these apps depending on your needs (games, daily use, diagnostics, artificial intelligence) and take the scores as a guide, not an unchangeable judgment, because what really matters is how your phone performs the tasks you do every day.