Samsung will pay Galaxy S4 owners $10 for benchmark cheating

In 2013, Samsung was caught inflating the Galaxy S4’s CPU and GPU scores in benchmarking applications, resulting in higher performance metrics than actually possible in real-world use. In the end, that sly move finally caught up to Samsung. If you’ve ever owned a Samsung Galaxy S4, the company now owes you roughly $10.

Samsung has settled a long-standing class-action lawsuit (PDF via The Register) for $13.4m. That payout breaks down to $2.8m in settlement costs and $10.6m in injunctive relief. That $2.8m payout makes out to about $10 per Samsung Galaxy S4 owner.

On top of that, Samsung will refrain from using the manipulating benchmarking code in its smartphones for three years. After that, the company is free to use the code again, but this could obviously open the door for future lawsuits.

The Register reports that Samsung Galaxy S4 owners will soon receive an email explaining how to apply to receive their $10. A timeframe was not stated, but we will be sure to update this article as we learn more.

Also read: All the companies we caught cheating on benchmarks in 2018

Cheating on smartphone benchmarks is, and always has been, and thing. Companies have done it since the dawn of the smartphone benchmark app, and they continue to do it today. Bottom line: You don’t want to make your smartphone buying decisions based on benchmark scores.