A Taste of Froyo: Google Android 2.2 Explored
by Saumitra Bhagwat on June 23, 2010 1:03 AM ESTPerformance
Well let’s just say that Froyo is really fast, at least on paper. The new JIT compiler for the Dalvik VM is about 2-5x faster than the one used in Éclair (v2.1) and CPU intensive code is executed much more efficiently. Memory management has also been improved and multitasking seems snappier. Basically, Froyo will not make your device run obscenely faster than before, but it will speed things up to the point where you’ll definitely notice a difference. That being said, Froyo still lacks the overall smoothness and responsiveness of Apple's iOS. It still suffers from sporadic stuttering and choppy scrolling. Animations are generally smooth, but are still prone to occasional slowdowns (something that Apple has actually introduced with iOS4). The issue is acutely exacerbated while using Live Wallpapers; that’s when phone feels really sluggish.
| Froyo Performance Tests | |||||
| Android Revision | Linpack (MFLOPS) | BenchmarkPi (ms - lower is better) | SunSpider (ms - lower is better) | ||
| Nexus One (Android 2.2) | 36.864 | 1165 | 5702 | ||
| Nexus One (Android 2.1) | 6.994 | 2820 | 14564 | ||
In terms of raw numbers, Froyo’s performance is hard to beat. The numbers speak for themselves; the Linpack benchmark shows a whopping 427% improvement from v2.1, while the BenchmarkPi and Sunspider tests post approximately a 140 - 150% boost in performance. Looks like the JIT compiler packs some serious under-the-hood optimizations. However, under normal usage scenarios, the performance delta isn’t as noticeable as the numbers lead us to believe. While things are quite snappy overall, don’t expect your phone to boot in 10 seconds.
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gayannr - Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - link
'Since I’m not important enough to have an exchange account, "is that sarcasm . lol
Saumitra - Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - link
No no, no sarcasm intended. I had an Exchange account briefly while I was in school, but that was a year ago. I'm really not important enough to have one ... ;)glynor - Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - link
You could test most of the Exchange features using a Gmail account and Google Sync.EricC - Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - link
" I'm really not important enough to have one ... ;) "Since I know the author, I can vouch for him on this one :D
Saumitra - Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - link
Hehe, Tim just sent me an email about this! :P5150Joker - Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - link
iPhone 4G or Sprint Evo 4G with Froyo on it?add119 - Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - link
You apple fan boy one android 2.1 came out in january 5th.. google release it with nexus one. Two android 2.0 came out in november with update 2.0.1 in december.Android 1.5 came out in may 2009 plz don't come mentioning phones without researching because all verizon phones has 2.1 os with sprint as well even htc hero and sammy moment has 2.1 os. T-mobile has mytouch3g slide with 2.1 os and cliq and cliq qt with be both getting 2.1 os next week. The only phone left behind is google g1 with 1.6 os and behold 2 with 1.6 os just released this week with that os changing from 1.5 os to 1.6 to behold 2. People if you going to buy any phoone don't go a&tt they suck like changing google option and take features away go with t-mobile or verizon. And, sprint sucks because they don't do ota they like giving update online with manuel. Personally that like rooting the phone it can mess your phone up.
whatthehey - Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - link
If you're going to be a tool and criticize an article, try learning how to speak and write intelligently first. Your rant is full of a list of phones and supposed release dates, but it has nothing to back it up other than the mindless diarrhea of the mouth that you spewed out. I don't care if the various releases of Android came out a month or two earlier than what was listed; what matters is whether the current 2.2 release is better, and that's what this article tries to cover.Saumitra - Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - link
Thanks for pointing that out. But, Eclair released on October 26th 2009, which is why I said November 2009 as a more general estimate. And yes, add119 learn to put down your thoughts a little more cogently.jasperjones - Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - link
Nice write-up, I've been running FRF50 on my Nexus One for the last few weeks and my experience has been similar.However, I feel the articles in the smartphone section could be more rigorous. I realize that we're dealing with different OSes as well as different devices at the same time. This makes comparisons and benchmarking harder. You cannot just throw out an NVIDIA card and put in an ATI card. But just because it's harder to line up various devices/software against each other doesn't mean you shouldn't try.