Android Tablet Update

Just in case you thought you had no plans this weekend, we’re here to say, “Sure you do!” with another chance to win a Tegra 3 device in honor of the recent release of Sonic 4 Episode II. So far, we’ve given an ASUS Transformer Prime and Acer Iconia Tab A510 to two lucky readers, and this week we have the famed One X from HTC! Be sure to read more about what you can do to win and “get your Sonic on.”

The Trailer

The Download

Sonic 4 Episode II is available as a paid title for $6.99 and a lite version is free to install.

Sonic 4 Episode II THD SEGA of America PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Sonic 4 Episode II THD Lite SEGA of America PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

The Game

The Sonic 4 saga continues with Sonic’s beloved sidekick, Miles “Tails” Power. Players can now experience the Sonic 4 saga as never before with the addition of a brand new engine; bringing you gameplay with updated physics and HD graphics.

“Sonic 4 Episode II is very special because we’ve integrated community feedback into the game,” said Haruki Satomi, Senior Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “We have some of the most loyal and dedicated fans and I hope they enjoy this next chapter in the Sonic 4 saga.”

For the first time Android gamers can enjoy an experience that is nearly identical to the PS3 and XBox versions, and it comes at half the price. Players with Tegra 3 devices like the HTC One X or ASUS Transformer Prime will enjoy higher quality textures, better lighting and glow effects, and objects on screen that are absent from other mobile versions.

Episode 2 also features a collaborative multiplayer mode where players can team up with a friend via Bluetooth and take control of Sonic and Tails as they battle against Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic.

We just installed the game on our devices, so look for our full review in the coming weeks.

Release dates:

• May 15: PS3, Playstation Network, PC digital download via Steam
• May 16: TegraZone, Xbox Live Arcade
• May 17: iTunes App Store
• June: Google Play Store (non-Tegra devices)
• July: Xbox Live on Windows Phone

Pricing:

• PS3 and Steam: $14.99
• Android, iOS: $6.99
• Xbox Live Arcade: 1200 points

Episode Metal bonus pack:

Players who have Episodes I and II installed on the same device will gain access to a new bonus pack called “Episode Metal.” This unlockable story will feature a playable Metal Sonic, four exclusive levels, and allow players to discover the rebirth of Metal Sonic and learn more about how he survived the events at the end of Sonic CD. If you missed the first episode, grab it from the link below.

Sonic 4™ Episode I SEGA of America PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Benefits of Tegra 3

Tegra 3 offers gamers the most technically advanced mobile version.

• The Tegra 3 version of Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode II is the most technically advanced mobile version of the game, a near mirror-image of the full-blown PS3 and Xbox versions of the game.
• In fact, by enjoying a game with a gamepad (either with wired or Bluetooth controllers) and outputting the device to an television via HDMI, it’s the CLOSEST to the actual console experience you’ll get on a mobile device…. All with fast frame rates.
• Sonic on Tegra 3 has dramatically higher quality textures, better lighting and glow effects, and objects on screen that are absent from other mobile versions.

Non-Tegra vs Tegra 3 version of Sonic 4.

The Contest – Win an unlocked HTC One X

Brace yourself for lightning-fast web browsing, remarkable picture quality and seamless gaming visuals thanks to the powerful quad-core Tegra 3 processor. You’ll love the minimalist design and the camera that captures every moment (even in low light) with crisp, vivid, beautiful photos. It also lets you take a photo while shooting HD video. Plus, with Beats Audio you hear authentic, deep sound with true, finely-tuned details.

How to Enter

Draw a picture of any Sonic character and an Android character. Upload the picture anywhere you like and leave a comment with a link below.

Multiple chances to win: Today marks the middle of a multi-week promotion. We will have additional Tegra 3 powered tablets and smartphones to give away, so be on the lookout. Sega also provided us with some limited edition action figures and comics to give away, so go buy the game if you want a chance at winning some more swag.

Contest Rules

This contest is open to residents of any country. Entries will be accepted until Monday, May 28th. We’ll announce the winner on this page and on our Twitter account as soon as we draw.

Contest Winner

(coming soon)

Welcome back to the first ever TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards promotion. Last week we gave away a Transformer Pad prize pack to the lucky winner Droilfade and this week we are back with another one. Don’t forget that NVIDIA is also giving away 7 ASUS Transformer Pads with docks, Logitech Controllers and a Jambox Speaker, so make sure you go vote.

NVIDIA is celebrating the first year of TegraZone, the best place to find the hottest Android games for your Tegra-powered device. ASUS, NVIDIA, and Android and Me are partnering on a sweepstakes in which readers can vote on their favorite Tegra games for the chance to win the new ASUS Transformer Pad. Read on for the full details.

About TegraZone

NVIDIA debuted TegraZone one year ago and it now boasts over 3.5 million installs. Over 1.5 million unique visitors have used the app during the past quarter and the average user visits every 3 days. NVIDIA has also helped developers gain exposure for their games with an average conversion rate of 19%, compared to the 5% average conversion rate of Google Play. There are now close to 40 games optimized for Tegra devices and we are seeing the quantity and quality increase every month.

NVIDIA TegraZone NVIDIA PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

First TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards

Scan to vote.

Starting today and running through May 31st, users can vote for their favorite Tegra games in three categories. Every user that votes in the TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards will be automatically entered to win a free ASUS Transformer Pad from NVIDIA.

Award Categories include:

1. Best Graphics
2. Best Gameplay
3. Overall fun

Once the votes are tallied, the winners will be announced on June 6th at E3.

Vote now in the TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards

The Giveaway: ASUS Transformer Pad Prize Pack

Running latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the ASUS Transformer Pad is a value packed tablet that with multi-color style, and productivity with expandability when connected to the mobile dock. With a 1.2MP front and 8MP rear auto-focus camera with large F/2.2 aperture and exclusive office software, staying connected and productive has never been easier.

Gaming to go prize pack includes:

• ASUS Transformer Pad
• ASUS Mobile dock
• Logitech game controller
• Jambox Speaker

How to enter the weekly contest

Leave a comment below and tell us your favorite first-person shooter game on Android. Note that the game doesn’t have to be a TegraZone exclusive. It can be any first-person shooter in the history of Android.

We normally allow anonymous comments, but for this contest you will need to be a registered user to leave a comment. Not signed up? It only takes seconds to join.

Multiple chances to win: Users can win a tablet from Android and Me or NVIDIA. The Player’s Choice Awards will be running for several weeks, so be on the lookout for more chances to win an ASUS Transformer Pad. Don’t forget we are also running a Sonic 4 promotion that has another chance to win a Transformer Prime.

Contest Rules

This contest is open to residents of the United States, Canada, UK and Germany. Entries will be accepted for one week after the contest goes live. We’ll announce the winner on this page and on our Twitter account as soon as we draw.

Contest Winner

(coming soon)

The latest rumor circling the fabled 7-inch Nexus tablet claims that ASUS will soon be ramping up production of the tablet and will ship roughly 600,000 units of the device in June in time for a July release. According to the report, the Nexus tablet is expected to sell between two and two and a half million units between July and the end of the year.

Originally, the Google Nexus tablet was expected to launch in May, but the tablet launch was postponed to make changes to the design and find way to reduce hardware costs even further.

While there have been plenty of Nexus tablet leaks over the past months, Google has never officially acknowledged that they are working with ASUS on developing a tablet. Our assumption is that Google will keep things under wraps as best they can before officially unveiling the device during Google I/O in late June.

Originally, the Nexus tablet was rumored to be based off of the $249 ASUS MeMo 370T which was shown off at CES, but more recent reports indicate that Google may want to reduce the price even further by not including a quad-core processor, though we now expect that the Nexus tablet will likely ship with NVIDIA’s quad-core Kai platform.

We may not know exactly what Google has planned for its budget friendly Nexus tablet, but we’re sure that it will force Samsung, Sony, Asus, Acer, Motorla and other OEMs to produce basic tablets which will directly compete with the likes of the Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet.

How many of you already own an Android powered tablet? How much would you be willing to pay for a decently spec’d 7-inch Nexus tablet?

Today NVIDIA announced that their Icera 410 LTE multimode data modem was successfully validated by AT&T for operation on its 4G LTE network. This modem is designed for tablets and clamshell devices, but it’s an important step for NVIDIA that could lead to Icera LTE modems appearing in Tegra-powered smartphones.

“Validation with AT&T is an achievement that paves the way for NVIDIA Icera-powered LTE devices on the AT&T network through this year and next,” said Stan Boland, senior vice president of Mobile Communications at NVIDIA.

NVIDIA released their quad-core Tegra 3 chip last year, but you won’t find it inside any mobile devices at US carrier stores yet. The issue is that most US carriers are now demanding LTE connectivity, and the few modem providers that have gained approval to operate on these LTE networks (namely Qualcomm) are not interested in working with NVIDIA.

That should change in the second half of the year as NVIDIA releases their own LTE modem and the leading suppliers of cellular silicon solutions release additional LTE modems that will work with Tegra 3.

NVIDIA acquired the Icera technology last year this year ZTE announced the first smartphone based on both its Tegra processor and Icera modem, the Mimosa X.

Later this year we expect NVIDIA to reveal a newer chip called Tegra 3+ that should work with the latest LTE modems from GCT Semiconductor, Renesas Mobile, and ST-Ericsson. We also expect NVIDIA to release another chip codenamed Grey in early 2013, which will be their first Tegra chip to integrate an Icera LTE modem.

Head over to NVIDIA’s Icera products page for additional details on their modem lineup.

Last week, we celebrated the release of Sonic 4 Episode II, starring one of the world’s best-known video game characters, on consoles and mobile platforms. Congratulations again to Nicholas Vettese for winning an ASUS Transformer Prime! We’re continuing the celebration this week by giving another lucky reader a chance to win another “Sonic-ready” tablet, an Acer Iconia Tab A510. Read on for more about the latest release and what you can do to win!

The Trailer

The Download

Sonic 4 Episode II is available as a paid title for $6.99 and a lite version is free to install.

Sonic 4 Episode II THD SEGA of America PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Sonic 4 Episode II THD Lite SEGA of America PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

The Game

The Sonic 4 saga continues with Sonic’s beloved side kick, Miles “Tails” Power. Players can now experience the Sonic 4 saga as never before with the addition of a brand new engine; bringing you gameplay with updated physics and HD graphics.

“Sonic 4 Episode II is very special because we’ve integrated community feedback into the game.” said Haruki Satomi, Senior Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “We have some of the most loyal and dedicated fans and I hope they enjoy this next chapter in the Sonic 4 saga.”

For the first time Android gamers can enjoy an experience that is nearly identical to the PS3 and Xbox versions, and it comes at half the price. Players with Tegra 3 devices like the HTC One X or ASUS Transformer Prime will enjoy higher quality textures, better lighting and glow effects, and objects on screen that are absent from other mobile versions.

Episode 2 also features a collaborative multiplayer mode where players can team up with a friend via Bluetooth and take control of Sonic and Tails as they battle against Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic.

We just installed the game on our devices, so look for our full review in the coming weeks.

Release dates:

• May 15: PS3, Playstation Network, PC digital download via Steam
• May 16: TegraZone, Xbox Live Arcade
• May 17: iTunes App Store
• June: Google Play Store (non-Tegra devices)
• July: Xbox Live on Windows Phone

Pricing:

• PS3 and Steam: $14.99
• Android, iOS: $6.99
• Xbox Live Arcade: 1200 points

Episode Metal bonus pack:

Players who have Episodes I and II installed on the same device will gain access to a new bonus pack called “Episode Metal.” This unlockable story will feature a playable Metal Sonic, four exclusive levels, and allow players to discover the rebirth of Metal Sonic and learn more about how he survived the events at the end of Sonic CD. If you missed the first episode, grab it from the link below.

Sonic 4™ Episode I SEGA of America PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Benefits of Tegra 3

Tegra 3 offers gamers the most technically advanced mobile version.

• The Tegra 3 version of Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode II is the most technically advanced mobile version of the game, a near mirror-image of the full-blown PS3 and Xbox versions of the game.
• In fact, by enjoying a game with a gamepad (either with wired or Bluetooth controllers) and outputting the device to an television via HDMI, it’s the CLOSEST to the actual console experience you’ll get on a mobile device…. All with fast frame rates.
• Sonic on Tegra 3 has dramatically higher quality textures, better lighting and glow effects, and objects on screen that are absent from other mobile versions.

Non-Tegra vs Tegra 3 version of Sonic 4.

The Contest – Win an Acer Iconia Tab A510

“Featuring NVIDIA quad-Core performance, the latest Android 4.0 OS and an amazing productivity suite, you can multitask at a new level and surf the web without waiting. Preloaded entertainment apps like Kindle, Netflix and Google Music keep your entertainment at your fingertips wherever you are. So whether you need to be productive on the go or just want to stay entertained, the Acer Iconia Tab A510 will keep you at the top of your game.”

How to Enter

To enter to win the tablet, all you’ve gotta do is tweet at @NVIDIATegra with the hashtag #Sonic. Tell them how much you loved #Sonic as a kid, why Tails rules- whatever you feel like sharing. Use your own words, we love creativity! Just make sure to include @NVIDIATegra and #Sonic in your tweet. For your convenience, we’ve included a tweetbox below:

Multiple chances to win: Today is marks the middle of a multi-week promotion. We will have additional Tegra 3 powered tablets and smartphones to give away, so be on the lookout. Sega also provided us with some limited edition action figures and comics to give away, so go buy the game if you want a chance at winning some more swag.

Contest Rules

This contest is open to residents of any country. Entries will be accepted for 48 hours after the contest goes live. We’ll announce the winner on this page and on our Twitter account as soon as we draw. As always, we’ll be tracking tweets and picking winners via RowFeeder.

“At $199, you can just about buy a tablet at a 7-Eleven,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA CEO, when he was discussing the future of tablets powered by his company’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor. We have been discussing rumors of a $199 “Nexus tablet” for months and now it appears that could become a reality soon.

At NVIDIA’s annual meeting of stockholders the company revealed their new Kai platform, which will enable quad-core tablets running Android 4.x Ice Cream Sandwich to be developed and brought out to market at the $199 price point.

ASUS previously announced their $249 MeMo 370T tablet at CES, which included a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, but that device never came to market. Rumors suggested that Google was collaborating with ASUS to lower the price to $199 and sell it in their Play Store, but we are still waiting on official confirmation.

Now that the Wall St. Journal is reporting that up to five OEM partners will sell devices through the new Google Play Store, it looks likely we will see the ASUS 7-inch tablet finally go on sale. We don’t know exactly when it will hit stores, but Google’s annual developer conference is scheduled to begin on June 27th and that is when most are expecting some kind of announcement.

Some of the details and specs could change, but it’s highly likely we will be able to purchase a $199 tablet with Android 4.x and a quad-core processor in the coming months. I tend to gravitate towards the larger 10-inch tablets, but this 7-inch, $199 tablet should be the best deal available when it arrives.

Anyone still saving up for this?

The ASUS MeMo 370T that never went on sale looks similar to NVIDIA's Kai platform.

Sonic the Hedgehog has become one of the world’s best-known video game characters, with his series having sold more than 80 million copies. Gamers have normally enjoyed new releases of the series on home game consoles, but Sega is now releasing the latest Sonic 4 Episode II on mobile platforms at the same time. Read on as we celebrate the latest release and give away an ASUS Transformer Prime.

The Trailer

The Download

Sonic 4 Episode II THD SEGA of America PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

The Game

The Sonic 4 saga continues with Sonic’s beloved side kick, Miles “Tails” Power. Players can now experience the Sonic 4 saga as never before with the addition of a brand new engine; bringing you gameplay with updated physics and HD graphics.

“Sonic 4 Episode II is very special because we’ve integrated community feedback into the game.” said Haruki Satomi, Senior Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “We have some of the most loyal and dedicated fans and I hope they enjoy this next chapter in the Sonic 4 saga.”

For the first time Android gamers can enjoy an experience that is nearly identical to the PS3 and Xbox versions, and it comes at half the price. Players with Tegra 3 devices like the HTC One X or ASUS Transformer Prime will enjoy higher quality textures, better lighting and glow effects, and objects on screen that are absent from other mobile versions.

Episode 2 also features a collaborative multiplayer mode where players can team up with a friend via Bluetooth and take control of Sonic and Tails as they battle against Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic.

We just installed the game on our devices, so look for our full review in the coming weeks.

Release dates:

• May 15: PS3, Playstation Network, PC digital download via Steam
• May 16: TegraZone, Xbox Live Arcade
• May 17: iTunes App Store
• June: Google Play Store (non-Tegra devices)
• July: Xbox Live on Windows Phone

Pricing:

• PS3 and Steam: $14.99
• Android, iOS: $6.99
• Xbox Live Arcade: 1200 points

Episode Metal bonus pack:

Players who have Episodes I and II installed on the same device will gain access to a new bonus pack called “Episode Metal.” This unlockable story will feature a playable Metal Sonic, four exclusive levels, and allow players to discover the rebirth of Metal Sonic and learn more about how he survived the events at the end of Sonic CD. If you missed the first episode, grab it from the link below.

Sonic 4™ Episode I SEGA of America PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Benefits of Tegra 3

Tegra 3 offers gamers the most technically advanced mobile version.

• The Tegra 3 version of Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode II is the most technically advanced mobile version of the game, a near mirror-image of the full-blown PS3 and Xbox versions of the game.
• In fact, by enjoying a game with a gamepad (either with wired or Bluetooth controllers) and outputting the device to an television via HDMI, it’s the CLOSEST to the actual console experience you’ll get on a mobile device…. All with fast frame rates.
• Sonic on Tegra 3 has dramatically higher quality textures, better lighting and glow effects, and objects on screen that are absent from other mobile versions.

Non-Tegra vs Tegra 3 version of Sonic 4.

The Contest – Win an ASUS Transformer Prime!

Running latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the ASUS Transformer Prime is a high-performance tablet that with multi-color style, and productivity with expandability when connected to the mobile dock. With a 1.2MP front and 8MP rear auto-focus camera with large F/2.2 aperture and exclusive office software, staying connected and productive has never been easier.

How to Enter

Leave a comment below that describes your favorite Sonic memory and you’ll be entered to win. Did you play Sonic as a kid? Were you the only kid on the block with a Sega Genesis when all your friends had a Nintendo console? What was your favorite game to feature Sonic?

We normally allow anonymous comments, but for this contest you will need to be a registered user to leave a comment. Not signed up? It only takes seconds to join.

Multiple comments are allowed on this post, but each user will only be counted once. The winner will be chosen at random, so don’t bother downvoting each other.

Multiple chances to win: Today is just the first stage of a multi-week promotion. We will have additional Tegra 3 powered tablets and smartphones to give away, so be on the lookout. Sega also provided us with some limited edition action figures and comics to give away, so go buy the game if you want a chance at winning some more swag.

Contest Rules

This contest is open to residents of any country. Entries will be accepted for one week after the contest goes live. We’ll announce the winner on this page and on our Twitter account as soon as we draw.

Contest Winner

(coming soon…)

LG’s first quad-core superphone will be making its way to store shelves in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Italy, and Poland next month. Powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 processor and a 4.7″ True HD IPS display, the Optimus 4X HD has its sights set squarely on the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III superphones, giving users a solid alternative if they haven’t been blown away with either other device just yet.

The Optimus 4X HD takes full advantage of the larger display, and offers phablet features such as a new Quick Memo, which allows users of the 4X HD to jot notes over a screen image, and Media Plex, which provides desktop-like image and video playback.

The Optimus 4X HD will head to Asia, South America, and Central America in coming months, though no official word of a US release has been given. We expect this device to launch as the T-Mobile G4X later this year, perhaps shedding LG’s updated UI Overlay in favor of stock Android 4.

Confirmed specs of the Optimus 4X HD include:

• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with updated LG UI Overlay
• 1.5 GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor
• 4.7 inch 720p True HD IPS display
• 8 megapixel backside illumination rear camera
• 1.3 megapixel front camera
• 1 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage
• 2,150 mAh battery
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, WiFi 802.11b/g/n
• MHL, DLNA, etc.
• 8.9 mm thick
• SHSPA+ 21 Mbps support

NVIDIA is celebrating the first year of TegraZone, the best place to find the hottest Android games for your Tegra-powered device. ASUS, NVIDIA, and Android and Me are partnering on a sweepstakes in which readers can vote on their favorite Tegra games for the chance to win the new ASUS Transformer Pad. Read on for the full details.

About TegraZone

NVIDIA debuted TegraZone one year ago and it now boasts over 3.5 million installs. Over 1.5 million unique visitors have used the app during the past quarter and the average user visits every 3 days. NVIDIA has also helped developers gain exposure for their games with an average conversion rate of 19%, compared to the 5% average conversion rate of Google Play. There are now close to 40 games optimized for Tegra devices and we are seeing the quantity and quality increase every month.

NVIDIA TegraZone NVIDIA PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

My favorite TegraZone Game

I’ve played so many Tegra games and enjoyed a lot of them so it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I think I got the most enjoyment out of Shadowgun. I originally scored the game 7/10 for being too short and lacking a multiplayer mode, but the developer recently released an expansion pack with more levels and the free online multiplayer game is coming soon. Check out my full review of Shadowgun to see why bounty hunting has never looked so good.

SHADOWGUN THD MADFINGER Games PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

SHADOWGUN MADFINGER Games PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

First TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards

Scan to vote.

Starting today and running through May 31st, users can vote for their favorite Tegra games in three categories. Every user that votes in the TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards will be automatically entered to win a free ASUS Transformer Pad from NVIDIA.

Award Categories include:

1. Best Graphics
2. Best Gameplay
3. Overall fun

Once the votes are tallied, the winners will be announced on June 6th at E3.

Vote now in the TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards

The Prize: ASUS Transformer Pad Prize Pack

Running latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the ASUS Transformer Pad is a value packed tablet that with multi-color style, and productivity with expandability when connected to the mobile dock. With a 1.2MP front and 8MP rear auto-focus camera with large F/2.2 aperture and exclusive office software, staying connected and productive has never been easier.

Gaming to go prize pack includes:

• ASUS Transformer Pad
• ASUS Mobile dock
• Logitech game controller
• Jambox Speaker

How to Enter

For week 1 we’re going to make it super easy for you. Simply leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win. We normally allow anonymous comments, but for this contest you will need to be a registered user to leave a comment. Not signed up? It only takes seconds to join.

Multiple comments are allowed on this post, but each user will only be counted once. The winner will be chosen at random, so don’t bother downvoting each other.

Multiple chances to win: Users can win a tablet from Android and Me or NVIDIA. The Player’s Choice Awards will be running for several weeks, so be on the lookout for more chances to win an ASUS Transformer Pad. As each week passes, we will make winning a Transformer Pad take a little more effort (like starting a Thread).

Contest Rules

This contest is open to residents of the United States, Canada, UK and Germany. Entries will be accepted for one week after the contest goes live. We’ll announce the winner on this page and on our Twitter account as soon as we draw.

Contest Winner

(coming soon…)

Does the processor found inside your mobile device really matter? The average consumer doesn’t care what CPU is featured inside their smartphone, but it’s always a popular topic among the hardcore crowd. Today’s hottest mobile chips are NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4, so we put them through a round of benchmarks and experiences to see which came out on top. The results might surprise you, so read on for the full details.

Devices

Finally, we have both the Snapdragon S4 and Tegra 3 version of the HTC One X. We wanted to keep things simple, so we only used three devices. I decided to go with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus as the third device since it is currently Google’s flagship Android device.

Note: Our international HTC One X just received the 1.29 firmware update as we were working on this post, so we will update the benchmarks scores with new results if we find anything differs.

Benchmarks Used

For this round of testing, we used most of the popular Android benchmarks that are freely available in the Google Play Store. We decided to exclude Vellamo Mobile Web Benchmark since it is developed by Qualcomm. Linpack was also excluded because it’s a benchmark intended for use on supercomputers and it doesn’t produce consistent results on Android. Finally, for all browser benchmarks we used the latest Chrome Beta, since each device has a different default browser.

• Antutu Benchmark 2.7.3
• CFBench 1.2
• Smartbench 2012 1.0.0
• Quadrant Standard 2.0
• GLBenchmark 2.1.4
• MX Player 1.6d
• Chrome Beta 0.18.4409.2396
• Browsermark
• Moonbat JavaScript Benchmark
• Sunspider 0.9.1

Processing Benchmarks

Winner – Tegra 3: Not many apps are optimized for quad-core, but several benchmarks are. Tegra 3 manages to score a healthy lead in Antutu, CFBench, and Smartbench. In Quadrant we see Snapdragon S4 eke out a close victory, but the results are within the margin of error.

Graphics Benchmarks

Winner – Tegra 3: Both GPUs appear to be pretty evenly matched, but we give the slight advantage to Tegra 3. In Antutu and GLBenchmark Pro Offscreen, we see Tegra 3 and Snapdragon S4 are neck-and-neck. Antutu does not appear to be a very intensive graphics benchmark and the Pro test is the less demanding test on GLBenchmark. On the most demanding graphics test, GLBenchmark Egypt Offscreen, Tegra 3 holds a 10fps advantage over Snapdragon S4.

Browsing Benchmarks

Winner – Tegra 3: On browsing benchmarks, Tegra 3 wins every round. It’s interesting to note that the aging Galaxy Nexus wins both the Sunspider and Moonbat tests which are single-threaded. This could be from code optimizations that are targeted at the Galaxy Nexus. We can see the four CPU cores in Tegra 3 really shine in the Moonbat test with web workers set to 4 threads. This should indicate that Tegra 3 should perform faster on Chrome when multiple tabs are open.

Battery Life Benchmarks

Winner – Too close to call: Battery benchmarks are a tricky thing. There are not many standard tests out there (that we could get to complete on both devices), so we used MX Player and put a video (recorded by a One X) on an endless loop. Both devices lasted just over 6 hours, with the Tegra 3 version lasting an additional 9 minutes.

I found it interesting that the Tegra 3 version saw the battery warnings at 14 percent and 9 percent just a minute earlier than Snapdragon S4. However, when it came to the last 3 percent warning, Snapdragon appeared first and then died first. It looks like Tegra 3 has some extra battery management tricks that turn down the 5th low-power core when the battery is on its final charge.

Both of these devices were just released, so I expect HTC will work with NVIDIA and Qualcomm to continue to tweak power management settings and extend battery life.

Update: NVIDIA informs us that MX Player does not use their companion core very effectively, and ends up waking up the main cores periodically during playback. Battery life for video playback should be extended using the native gallery app.

Update 2: Head over to Anandtech for more extensive battery life testing. Brian Klug found that the Snapdragon S4 has longer battery life when it comes to 3G browsing and WiFi browsing, while Tegra 3 wins at WiFi hotspot and cellular talk time. Again, it looks like the results will vary with different use cases and are too close to call.

Marketing Benchmarks

Winner – Tegra 3: This one is pretty simple. When it comes to marketing speak, four is better than two.

Gaming Experience

Winner – Tegra 3: On most games, you can’t tell the different between Tegra 3 and Snapdragon S4. However, NVIDIA has their TegraZone program which has resulted in several exclusive titles for Tegra 3. Thanks to these extra games, we think Tegra 3 provides the better gaming experience right now. Qualcomm also has their Snapdragon Gamecommand, but it doesn’t feature any exclusive games for Snapdragon S4 yet.

Keep in mind this could change in the future if Qualcomm starts writing fat checks to Gameloft and other devs for exclusive titles. Qualcomm is a much larger company than NVIDIA and they could outspend them on game exclusives if they choose to.

Browsing Experience

Winner – Too close to call: When I was on WiFi, I could not tell a difference between the two devices in day-to-day browsing usage. This could change in future versions of Chrome or with newer firmware updates, but for now the two devices are equal.

Mobile Networks Speeds

Winner – Snapdragon S4: Not much to say here. LTE is faster than HSPA+. Snapdragon S4 has an integrated LTE modem, while the Tegra 3 version is currently paired with a HSPA+ modem. This will always depend on your location and carrier, but on AT&T the Snapdragon S4 version is much faster. I achieved download speeds of 50 Mbps on Snapdragon S4 with LTE, and around 10 Mbps on Tegra 3 with HSPA+.

Drive-by Conclusions

Tegra 3 offers more exclusive games, right now: Thanks to NVIDIA’s relationships with game developers, they currently offer a better overall gaming experience since they have more exclusive titles. This could change as Qualcomm steps up their efforts.

Snapdragon S4 has a faster modem, right now: Qualcomm has the only mobile chip with an integrated LTE modem, which gives them an advantage in network speeds. NVIDIA says their partners will have LTE modems out by the second half of 2012, so this advantage will be moot in a couple months.

Both chips are awesome and you can’t really tell a difference in normal usage: Even though Tegra 3 wins a majority of our benchmarks today, I can’t really tell a difference between the two devices. If you did a blind test between the two versions, I doubt you would be able to tell which is the quad-core Tegra 3 or the dual-core Snapdragon S4. NVIDIA has an advantage in exclusive games and Qualcomm has an advantage in LTE modems, but both of those arguments are going to be obsolete in the next couple months.

At the end of the day, it’s the consumer who wins this round of testing. Both Tegra 3 and Snapdragon S4 offer a better overall experience than the current generation of mobile processors and it’s significant. After using the HTC One X, I do not want to return to my Samsung Galaxy Nexus.