Samsung Galaxy Nexus & Ice Cream Sandwich Review
by Brian Klug & Anand Lal Shimpi on January 18, 2012 1:34 PM ESTThe Browser
The improvements to the Android web browser are some of the most noticeable in Ice Cream Sandwich. Browser performance both in JavaScript rendering and web page scrolling is worlds better than in Gingerbread. We've already explained why scrolling is smoother (full OpenGL ES render path), while the js performance improvements come courtesy of a newer V8 rendering engine in ICS.
The browser in 4.x also includes essentially everything that made the browser in 3.x smooth as well. As opposed to the Android 2.x browser's immediate rendering system - which would redraw the page in its entirety as you zoomed and panned around and seem choppy as a result - Android 3.x/4.x now render tiles into a backing store for webpages. This is the same system that iOS, webOS, and Samsung's custom browsers use, and as a result panning and translating around is now just as smooth as it is in those platforms. To be totally honest, this is probably one of the single largest and most welcome improvements over Android 2.x because of how dramatic the difference is.
Android 4.0 browser with visual indicator enabled (left), debug settings (right)
In Android 4.0 you can actually go inside the debug settings for the browser (enter about:debug into the address bar, enter, then a new settings pane emerges) and enable or disable OpenGL assisted rendering for the browser. With it off, it feels just like 2.x's choppy stock browser, and with it on, it feels buttery smooth like 3.x. The difference is beyond dramatic. This is actually a feature that was present in Android 3.x as well.
A look at SunSpider and Browsermark performance tells us all we need to know about how the JavaScript V8 engine performance has changed under ICS:
While companies like Motorola and Samsung backported parts of the Honeycomb browser to their own Gingerbread browsers, the stock Gingerbread browser needed work. ICS modernizes the Android web browser and finally removes the need for third party customizations, at least from a performance standpoint.
| Gingerbread vs. Ice Cream Sandwich | ||||
| Gingerbread | Ice Cream Sandwich | |||
| Browser |
 |
 |
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The ICS browser is still WebKit based and uses a much newer version of WebKit than what you'll find in Android 2.3.6. Compared to the latest Honeycomb browser however there's not all that much difference in version number. The ICS browser does still use an older version of WebKit than Mobile Safari in iOS 5.0.1:
| User Agent String Comparison | |||||
| Device | OS | WebKit Version | UA String | ||
| Apple iPhone 4S | iOS 5.0.1 | 534.46 | Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3 | ||
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Android 4.0.2 | 534.30 |
Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.0.2; en-us; Galaxy Nexus Build/ICL53F) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30 |
||
| ASUS TF Prime | Android 3.2.1 | 534.13 |
Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 3.2.1; en-us; Transformer Prime TF201 Build HTK75) AppleWebKit/534.13 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Safari/534.13 |
||
| Google Nexus One | Android 2.3.6 | 533.1 | Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.3.6; en-us; Nexus One Build/GRK39F) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1 | ||
HTML5 compatibility is fairly similar to Honeycomb, although a significant improvement compared to Gingerbread. If you haven't had any experience with Honeycomb tablets, the ICS browser will feel like like brand new technology.
| The HTML5 Test | ||||||||
| Test | Apple iPhone 4S | Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Google Nexus One | ASUS Eee Pad Transformer | ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime | |||
| OS | iOS 5.0.1 | Android 4.0.2 | Android 2.3.6 | Android 3.2.1 | Android 3.2.1 | |||
| WebKit Version | 534.46 | 534.30 | 533.1 | 534.13 | 534.13 | |||
| Total Score | 305 (and 9 bonus points) | 256 (and 3 bonus points) | 182 (and 1 bonus point) | 222 (and 3 bonus points) | 233 (and 3 bonus points) | |||
| Parsing rules | 11 (2 bonus points) | 11 (2 bonus points) | 1/11 | 11 (2 bonus points) | 11 (2 bonus points) | |||
| Canvas | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | |||
| Video | 21/31 (4 bonus points) | 21/31 | 21/31 | 21/31 | 21/31 | |||
| Audio | 20 (3 bonus points) | 20 (1 bonus point) | 20 (1 bonus point) | 20 (1 bonus point) | 20 (1 bonus point) | |||
| Elements | 22/29 | 23/29 | 13/29 | 20/29 | 20/29 | |||
| Forms | 77/100 | 57/100 | 33/100 | 54/100 | 54/100 | |||
| User Interaction | 17/36 | 17/36 | 0/36 |
0/36 |
0/36 | |||
| History and navigation | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0/5 | 0/5 | |||
| Microdata | 0/15 | 0/15 | 0/15 | 0/15 | 0/15 | |||
| Web applications | 15/20 | 15/20 | 19/20 | 15/20 | 15/20 | |||
| Security | 5/10 | 5/10 | 5/10 | 5/10 | 5/10 | |||
| Geolocation | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | |||
| WebGL | 9/25 | 9/25 | 0/25 | 0/25 | 9/25 | |||
| Communication | 32/36 | 12/36 | 9/36 | 10/36 | 12/36 | |||
| Files | 0/20 | 10/20 | 0/20 | 10/20 | 10/20 | |||
| Storage | 15/20 | 15/20 | 15/20 | 15/20 | 15/20 | |||
| Workers | 15 | 0/15 | 0/15 | 0/15 | 0/15 | |||
| Local multimedia | 0/20 | 0/20 | 0/20 | 0/20 | 0/20 | |||
| Notifications | 0/10 | 0/10 | 0/10 | 0/10 | 0/10 | |||
| Other | 6/8 | 6/8 | 6/8 | 6/8 | 6/8 | |||
Performance and compatibility are obvious improvements, however there's much more to the ICS browser. For starters it implements tabbed browsing, a feature that has been available on Honeycomb but not in Gingerbread. Given the small screen size, tabs aren't immediately visible but are instead switched between after hitting the tabs button. The process makes sense and thanks to GPU accelerated drawing, scrolling through tabs is extremely smooth.
The normal desktop UA switcher (left), More options under developer settings (right)
Google added quick user agent switching to ask for desktop versions of websites vs. mobile by default through a checkbox under settings. Enabling the option changes the browser's UA string from representing itself as a mobile Safari browser to Chrome 11. There's also a menu inside debug settings to change your user agent (UAString) to look like the desktop, iPhone, iPad, Nexus One with Froyo, or a Xoom with Honeycomb.
| User Agent String Comparison | |||||
| Device | UA String | ||||
| Default |
Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.0.2; en-us; Galaxy Nexus Build/ICL53F) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30 |
||||
| Desktop |
Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit 534.24 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/11.0.696.34 Safari/534.24 |
||||
Prior to ICS, the browser was a serious limitation of the Android platform on smartphones - it was choppy, and something OEMs continually replaced with their own (sometimes worse, sometimes better) browser. Granted you could always download and replace the browser with one of your own choosing, but for the mainstream user the Gingerbread browser was a problem. In ICS the browser is a blessing to use. It's very fast, smooth and compatible. We've had no problems using the Honeycomb browser and the same can be thankfully said about the evolution of it in ICS.
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JohnJackson - Wednesday, February 8, 2012 - link
You mean the one where the devices were running the benchmarks at the respective device's NATIVE resolution? 960x640 has 60% more pixels than 800x480...http://www.anandtech.com/show/4064/glbenchmark-20-...
Subzero0000 - Thursday, January 19, 2012 - link
Where do you get "lag" in iPad 2?I use it everyday and the only lag I found is when I slide to the spotlight screen, or browsing webpage (while rendering).
sonelone - Thursday, January 19, 2012 - link
Seriously, where do you get lag on the iPad or iPhone? With the SGX543MP2 rendering nothing but a grid of icons, getting lag would be ridiculous.augustofretes - Thursday, January 19, 2012 - link
Pseudo power users, judging mobile operating systems based on their home screens since 2007.audioman83 - Thursday, January 19, 2012 - link
LOL agreed. So sad.Owls - Thursday, January 19, 2012 - link
blah blah blah I don't like my iphone/ipad being compared so let me make fun of that person for being objective.I know the gnex is not perfect but guess what, neither is your apple product. We all live with compromises and this is no different. However, I refused to be ripped off by apple AND be forced to use itunes.
sorry mr apple user.
Subzero0000 - Friday, January 20, 2012 - link
Firstly, I think you are over-reacting (so did augustofretes).See, I wouldn't complain if someone finds a few lag on Android, because I appreciate the fact that Android is running true-multitasking, with all the widgets and background tasks give us the flexibility that iOS can never dream of.
But then, you cloud your judgment with hatred...
For example, I use Windows 7 at home, Android for phone, iPad for everything else (reading, browsing, gaming, etc...).
I use Google account to sync calendar+contact between Android and iPad.
I buy books in Amazon, and read them through Kindle app on iPad.
I upload my own mp3 to iPad through iTunes, no problem.
Mobile games are better quality on iOS (the truth), so I am happy to buy in AppStore.
There is nothing forcing you to use iTunes.
and "ripped off"? I actually think iPad is cheap, as a outstanding CONSUMER product.
So, calm down, it's just a product. And have a nice day :)
medi01 - Friday, January 20, 2012 - link
Yeah, nothing is "forcing" you to use iTunes apart from the fact that many Apple's products won't even switch on for the first time without itunes.Subzero0000 - Friday, January 20, 2012 - link
Well, what is the matter with one-time activate with iTune?If you find that annoying, then how about the procedure to root/flash your Android, or jb your iOS.
How on earth would a tech-savvy find it annoying/difficult for such a easy task (iTune) ???
I am really confused.
Do you ever forget about the brand-hate and not being stubborn for a second?
btw, I remember I got my iPad activated at the store, their staff open the box and do it for me anyway. I could have done it by myself, but hey, it's "customer service".
oh, and if you think iTune is crap, wait till you try Samsung's "equivalent" (KIES)...
medi01 - Saturday, January 21, 2012 - link
Oh, now easily you've switched from "nobody is forcing you" to "what's the deal".It's not one time activate with most devices it's "one time activate and this PC is your only way to put stuff on your device, unless you are using yet to be closed internet way of doing it".
@@@If you find that annoying, then how about the procedure to root/flash your Android, or jb your iOS.@@@
Could you get a clue, before whining about stuff about which you have very little idea? The only reason I had to root android device, was bacause it was rather old OS with fonts that didn't contain glyphs I needed.
And one thing you're completely missing, dear "I'm not an apple fanboi", YOU DON'T HAVE TO ROOT YOUR ANDROID DEVICE TO GET ACCESS TO IT. You don't have to root it to access it as a hard drive. Neither do you have to root it to install whatever you want on it.
@@@oh, and if you think iTune is crap, wait till you try Samsung's "equivalent" (KIES).@@@
I've never used KIES (even though I have a phone and a tablet by Samsung), so it's hard to compare them. But unlike apple "customers", android users have absolutely no need in using KIES.