Testing the best Android games
For today’s Android game tests, I’ve selected Genshin Impact at maximum graphics and 60fps, as well as Asphalt Legends and COD Mobile’s Battle Royale with Medium graphics and a maximum frame rate of up to 90fps (120fps on other phones), to provide a good mix of performance targets and graphics techniques. Let’s get straight into the results.
Even more demanding emulator tests
Based on our previous emulation performance test of the Pixel 10 series, OpenGL was clearly the better performer, so that’s where I started my comparison between QPR3 Beta 1 and the QPR2 update. I grabbed my usual assortment of games: Mario Kart Wii and F-Zero GX running on Dolphin, and the highly demanding Need for Speed: Most Wanted on the PlayStation 2 emulator NetherSX2. Just as with our Android games, there’s a consistent improvement in average and worst-case frames, resulting in smoother gameplay and fewer janks.
How much better is Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1?
As is typical for driver updates, it’s difficult to pinpoint precisely how much any specific title will benefit. We’ve observed some scenarios that show no meaningful improvement, while the best cases can experience a performance uplift of 15-25%. Typically, however, it appears that games and emulators are likely to gain around a 9% increase in average frame rate with the transition to QPR3 Beta 1. That’s a healthy performance gain, but it’s not going to suddenly transform the Pixel 10’s Tensor G5 into a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 competitor. Driver updates can only do so much. However, if you already own a Pixel 10, Google’s upcoming QPR3 update appears to offer a significant gaming performance boost essentially for free, and who can really complain about that?