Prior to the launch of the HTC One (M8) last week, benchmarking results had the device blowing away rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S5, leading to suspicion in some quarters.

Those suspicions turned to straight up accusations when the phone performed much differently depending on the benchmarking test in operation.

Well, those inquisitive folks had every reason to be wary with HTC now admitting it optimises the performance of its smartphones when they detect the presence of benchmarking software like AnTuTu.

The firm told CNET: "Benchmarking tests look to determine maximum performance of the CPU and GPU and, similar to the engine in a high-performance sports car, our engineers optimise in certain scenarios to produce the best possible performance.

"If someone would like to get around this benchmarking optimisation there are ways to do so, but we think most often this will not be the case."

High Performance Mode for all

So not only does the Taiwanese company have a pretty plausible explanation for cooking the books to make it appear consumers get a more powerful phone than its rivals, it has actually turned it into something phone buyers can access themselves.

The company wrote: "For those with a need for speed, we've provided a simple way to unleash this power by introducing a new High Performance Mode in the developer settings that can be enabled and disabled manually.

"The HTC One (M8) is optimised to provide the best balance of performance and battery life, but we believe in offering customer choice, as there may be times when the desire for performance outweighs the need for battery longevity."

So there you have it. A neat high performance mode sits within the HTC One (M8) good luck optimising your HTC One (M8) to the full performance capabilities. Let us know how you get on in the comments section below.