New dedicated Speed Test G YouTube channel: Speed tests galore!

Performance is one of the key factors to consider when buying a smartphone. It isn’t the only one, the camera is important, as is the price, but if you are spending your hard-earned cash you want to know that your device can play the games you like and smoothly run the apps you use.

To help you decide which devices perform better, I invented Speed Test G, a new testing method that bridges the gap between standard “synthetic” benchmarks and the next-to-useless (but bizarrely popular) speed tests.

Speed Test G is made up of 10 standalone Android apps. Each app performs a task or simulates a real-world usage scenario and then exits. Using a special launcher, the 10 apps are launched (just like a speed test) and the time measured for how long each task takes to complete (just like a benchmark). The result is a system which combines the best aspects of benchmarks and of speed tests. At the end, the launcher presents the overall test run time. This isn’t relative to a baseline, nor is it a weighted score — it is a measure of the time taken. Simple, reliable, and easy to compare.

The current home for these Speed Test G videos is the Gary Explains channel. There are over 30 videos on the current speed test playlist, some with hundreds of thousands of views. But popularity comes with a price. In this case, the price is a demand for more videos, with a greater combination of devices. Every new device adds more potential combinations and that number is growing monthly. Since the Gary Explains channel also covers other tech-related subjects, there is a danger that the Speed Test G videos could swamp the channel.

To avoid overloading the Gary Explains channel with multiple test run combinations, I have opted to start a new channel, the Speed Test G channel. While important Speed Test G videos will still appear on Gary Explains, the subsequent videos testing each new smartphone against existing devices will be published on the new channel.

Simultaneously, we are also launching a Speed Test G leaderboard and results page here on Android Authority. A leaderboard was one of the most sought-after features for Speed Test G, so here it is! You can also get it to quickly via the shortcut SpeedTestG.com. The results page is divided up into sections, one for each of the major manufacturers. There is also a “Must See” section and a “Fastest Devices” section.

More, more, more

Now that there is a dedicated space for Speed Test G videos, it means I can publish more videos, more often! I have a workflow in place and with some help from the Android Authority video team, the plan is to upload Speed Test G videos frequently, even daily if we can.

Also, we haven’t forgotten about improving the software and tests. Speed Test G 2.0 is still planned and we are working behind the scenes to bring you the next great version of this test. Likewise, we haven’t forgotten about the iPhone either. iOS is making things a little bit difficult, but we are trying to find solutions!

Learn more

If you are interested to know more about how Speed Test G works then please watch this video: Speed Test G – A new way to test real-life smartphone performance. If you want to see why Speed Test G exists, please watch this video: 5 Reasons Why Smartphone Speed Tests Are Fundamentally Flawed.

If you have any questions about the testing then please read the Speed Test G FAQ. Finally, if you see any errors or omissions on the leaderboard page then please send Gary a direct message on Twitter.