PC reviewers spent the past month showing that “old” desktop GPUs still chew through 2026 AAA games, and the lesson translates: an older phone with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Apple A15 is often closer to a flagship than the marketing copy suggests, and a benchmark is the fastest way to find out. The best benchmark apps for Android cover CPU, GPU, storage, and sustained thermal load with results comparable across devices. We tested seven of the most-used Android benchmarks for repeatability, score stability under sustained load, and how honest they are about thermal throttling.
What to look for in an Android benchmark app
Five criteria sort the useful tools from the rest.
Workload realism. Synthetic peak numbers are easy to game. Workloads that mirror real-world tasks (web browsing, photo editing, game frames) tell you more.
Sustained-load testing. A 30-second sprint flatters phones with weak cooling. A 20-minute stability loop shows the real number you would see after a long session.
Cross-platform scores. Geekbench and 3DMark publish iOS and Windows scores too, which makes phone-to-laptop comparisons possible.
Result transparency. Public scoreboards expose abnormal results. Apps that gate scores behind sign-in or hide their scoring formula are harder to trust.
Storage and memory tests. A benchmark that only tests the SoC misses the most common modern bottleneck: cheap UFS or eMMC storage that bottlenecks app launches and game loading.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Paid tier | Cross-platform scores | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu Benchmark | Quick all-in-one score | Free, ads | None | Android, iOS | The score every spec sheet quotes |
| Geekbench 6 | CPU and memory | Free, no ads | Pro $9.99 | Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux | Apples-to-apples vs laptops |
| 3DMark | GPU stress | Free, ads | $0.99 unlock | Android, iOS, Windows | Wild Life and Steel Nomad |
| GFXBench | GPU sustained load | Free, no ads | None | Android, iOS, Windows | 20-minute Aztec Ruins loop |
| PCMark for Android | Real-world tasks | Free, no ads | None | Android | Web browsing and photo workloads |
| CPU-Z | Hardware identification | Free, ads | None | Android, Windows | Reads silicon ID, ROM info |
| AndroBench | Storage I/O | Free, ads | None | Android | UFS vs eMMC speed test |
#1. AnTuTu Benchmark, best for a single composite score
AnTuTu Benchmark is the score the Android spec-sheet world quotes. The 10.x series ships separate CPU, GPU, memory, and UX subscores, then sums them into the headline number. A 2026 flagship lands somewhere around 1.8 to 2.4 million; a 2022 mid-ranger is closer to 500k. The result page links straight to AnTuTu’s online ranking so you can place your phone against the global pool.
Where it falls short: Removed from Google Play in 2020 over data-collection concerns. Now only on third-party stores. The composite score is famous but not the most useful for predicting any one workload.
Pricing: Free, ad-supported. No paid tier.
Platforms: Android, iOS.
Download: Aptoide
Bottom line: Pick AnTuTu if you want one number to compare against every Android review on the internet.
#2. Geekbench 6, best CPU and memory benchmark
Geekbench 6 runs single-core and multi-core CPU workloads modeled on real tasks: PDF rendering, HTML5 parsing, ray tracing, machine-learning inference. The 6.x rewrite added a shared-memory workload that punishes weak cache layouts. Results upload to Primate Labs’ browser, where you can pull comparable scores from MacBooks, Windows desktops, and other phones.
Where it falls short: GPU compute test exists but is less detailed than 3DMark or GFXBench. The Pro tier unlocks offline runs and CSV exports.
Pricing: Free for browser-uploaded runs. Pro tier around $9.99 USD for offline use.
Platforms: Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: Pick Geekbench 6 first if you care about CPU performance and want to compare your phone to a laptop you might buy.
#3. 3DMark, best GPU stress benchmark
3DMark ships several GPU workloads aimed at phones: Wild Life Extreme for current flagships, Steel Nomad Light for the mid range, and Sling Shot for older hardware. The stress test variant runs the same scene for 20 loops and reports best, worst, and stability percentage; that stability number is the most honest measurement of thermal throttling you can get without a thermal camera.
Where it falls short: Install size approaches 1 GB once test data is downloaded. Some tests are gated behind a one-time $0.99 unlock.
Pricing: Free with ads. Optional $0.99 unlock for all tests.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: Pick 3DMark if your goal is to know whether your phone will hold its frame rate in a 30-minute gaming session.
#4. GFXBench, best sustained-GPU benchmark
GFXBench focuses on raw GPU output across a battery of scenes (Aztec Ruins, Manhattan, Car Chase, Tessellation). The Aztec Ruins Vulkan test at 1440p has become the de facto reference for ARM GPU comparisons in technical reviews. The on-device sustained run produces a clear frame-time graph that exposes where the GPU steps down.
Where it falls short: The Android build’s UI is dated. Less mainstream than 3DMark; the public scoreboard is smaller, which makes peer-comparison thinner.
Pricing: Free, no ads, no in-app purchases.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, Linux.
Download: Google Play · GFXBench site
Bottom line: Pick GFXBench when you want a long, repeatable GPU stress test and a clean frame-time graph.
#5. PCMark for Android, best real-world workload benchmark
PCMark for Android runs five workload suites that mimic typical phone use: web browsing, video editing, writing, photo editing, and data manipulation. Scores correlate better with everyday responsiveness than a synthetic peak number. The Work 3.0 suite is the headline test.
Where it falls short: No iOS port for comparison. Newer Snapdragon and Tensor chips often hit the scoring ceiling, making top-end phones cluster together.
Pricing: Free, no ads.
Platforms: Android only.
Download: Google Play · Futuremark site
Bottom line: Pick PCMark if synthetic benchmarks feel disconnected from how you actually use your phone.
#6. CPU-Z, best for hardware identification
CPU-Z is not a benchmark in the scoring sense; it reads back the silicon. SoC model, core layout, current clock speeds, GPU vendor, RAM type and frequency, ROM version, sensor list, battery health, thermal probe readings. Pair it with one of the scoring apps above and you have the full picture of why your phone scores what it scores.
Where it falls short: No score, no comparison. Banner ads in the free build.
Pricing: Free, ad-supported. No paid tier.
Platforms: Android, Windows.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: Pick CPU-Z to find out what silicon is actually inside the phone you bought, especially for budget devices that re-use older SoCs.
#7. AndroBench, best storage I/O benchmark
AndroBench measures sequential and random read/write speeds for the internal storage and any mounted SD or USB device. The headline numbers (sequential read, random read 4 KB) distinguish UFS 4.0 phones from UFS 2.2 phones and from the cheaper eMMC chips still shipped in budget models.
Where it falls short: Single-purpose tool. Not useful for SoC comparisons. Banner ads.
Pricing: Free, ad-supported.
Platforms: Android only.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: Pick AndroBench when you suspect storage is the bottleneck, especially before buying a refurbished phone whose listing does not specify UFS version.
How to pick the right benchmark app
- If you want one number to quote in a review: AnTuTu.
- If you want CPU scores comparable across platforms: Geekbench 6.
- If you want to test thermal throttling under sustained load: 3DMark Stress Test or GFXBench Aztec Ruins.
- If you want results that track real-world responsiveness: PCMark for Android.
- If you want to know what hardware is actually inside the phone: CPU-Z.
- If you suspect slow storage: AndroBench.
Install three: Geekbench 6, 3DMark, and CPU-Z. Those three cover CPU, GPU under load, and silicon identification with no overlap. Add AndroBench if you ever buy a budget or refurb phone.
FAQ
What is a good AnTuTu score for a 2026 phone?
A 2026 flagship lands around 1.8 to 2.4 million. A solid mid-ranger lands around 700k to 1.1 million. A budget phone under $200 may score 300k to 500k.
Why does my phone benchmark higher right after restart?
Phones throttle when they get hot. Right after a restart, the SoC is cool, so single-shot benchmarks return peak numbers. The stress-test variants exist to show what the phone holds under sustained load.
Is AnTuTu safe to install?
AnTuTu was removed from Google Play in 2020 over collection-policy concerns. The current builds on verified third-party stores like Aptoide are scanned for malware. Install from a verified store, not from a search-result aggregator.
Is Geekbench accurate for comparing phones to laptops?
Yes, within reason. Geekbench 6 runs the same workloads on each platform, and the scoring model is published. A modern flagship phone scores in the same range as a recent ultrabook on single-core, then trails on multi-core because phones run fewer high-performance cores.
Does benchmarking hurt the battery or the SoC?
A single run does not. Running stress tests back to back for hours can warm the phone enough to age the battery faster than normal use. Run benchmarks sparingly.
What benchmark do hardware reviewers actually use?
Most use a combination: Geekbench 6 for CPU, 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test for sustained GPU, and AnTuTu for the composite score that consumers recognise. PCMark gets cited for real-world tasks.
