The issue came to the fore when AnandTech published a detailed report into OnePlus’ sneaky performance-limiting practices. Reporter Andrei Frumusanu first found issues with benchmarks of Chrome browser, which were unusually low for Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor designed for high-end phones.
Further investigation found that the Chinese manufacturer possibly has a list of apps whose performance is limited, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat. Surprisingly, AndandTech’s report found OnePlus’ own apps in this list.
The issue escalated so much that Geekbench, a software that measures benchmarks of phones, decided to remove the OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro from its listings. It said, “ We view this as a form of benchmark manipulation.”
OnePlus’ statement to XDA Developers indicates that it indeed made these ‘performance optimizing’ changes:
The company added that this tweak resulted in lower ratings in benchmarking apps, but users matter more. Okay… so why not communicate these changes to them?
