

When looking to define "the best smartphone," the natural instinct for any processor nerd is to head directly to synthetic benchmark applications. Of course, it’s foolish to dictate a phone’s value purely by numbers but with so few differences between the two models, benchmarks can be a great tool to highlight the pros and cons of each.

Quadrant and GLBenchmark are the de facto standard for Android benchmarks, offering a battery of tests that taxes the processor, graphics capabilities, storage, and RAM. It’s by no means a perfect metric, however, as the final score in Quadrant is affected by screen resolution and whatever code is already running on the device, and the different processor architecture could also make for an inaccurate comparison. The RAZR M scored significantly higher than the i in both tests, but the performance gap wasn't noticeable in everyday use, and the pair handled all the games we tested with ease.

Benchmarks show gaps in performance that aren't apparent in everyday use

Our final benchmark test was SunSpider, a browser-based test that races to execute a predetermined set of JavaScript code. In the interest of fairness, we ran the tests on Chrome for Android rather than using the RAZR i’s preinstalled browser application. Although the RAZR i won this battle by a huge margin, Intel's always been good with browsers, and Chrome has just been updated to take advantage of its processors, so the results aren't surprising.

We also checked out the battery life on both phones. This was another area of strength for Intel. In our standard battery test, which cycles through websites and videos with the screen set to 60 percent brightness, the RAZR M lasted seven hours and 22 minutes, while the RAZR i lasted a full eight hours and 42 minutes. Where the phones truly differ, however, is in standby time. The RAZR i managed to last 72 hours of regular use, including pushing email to two separate accounts, with 12 percent of its battery remaining. In contrast, the RAZR M will get you a full day's normal usage, but not much more. Both have strong battery life compared to many Android devices, but from our tests and experience, it’s clear that Intel’s chip is far more frugal with power than the dual-core Snapdragon S4.