The battle for faster processing power while keeping power usage low (and, in turn, less heat to dissipate and potentially a long time before failure) is happening in the Android headunit battleground.
Benchmarking
Benchmarking is a software tool used to measure the performance of a system. Regarding an Android headunit, the performance is processing power, and the benchmarking tool is AnTuTu.
AnTuTu is a software benchmarking tool commonly used to benchmark phones and other devices. Comparing different benchmark apps is impossible, so the antutu has become the standard tool.
While benchmarking with AnTuTu – or any tool is not an exact science, the numbers generated can give a perfect way to compare the perceived speed of each Android headunit SoC.
AC8257 Benchmark
The AC8257 SoC with 4 GB RAM typically benchmarks on AnTuTu at around the 9000 level. This figure alone is meaningless but only valid when compared with another AnTuTu benchmark.
PX6 Benchmark
The PX6 (RK3399) SoC with 4 GB RAM will Antutu benchmark at around 11500.
Compare PX6 with AC8257 Benchmark
The PX6 scores around 11500, a significant jump over the AC8257 score of 9000. But a score of 9000 is still very respectable compared to the processors that came before it. While they will perform very well in an Android headunit, the PX6 will run faster and won’t buckle under the later generation of apps that demand more processing power to run smoothly.
Overall
Don’t allow just the processor to sway your decision on which Android headunit to buy. Many other factors, such as 360 camera built-in or HDMI output, maybe just as important. Both SoC processors mentioned are good, but if everything else is equal, the PX6-based units will beat the AC8257 every time.
