Discussion: Do smartphone benchmarks matter?

Do smartphone benchmarks matter?

Benchmarks matter inasmuch as it reflects the user experience, which is to say, benchmark numbers taken alone are meaningless. However, if you tell me a game runs with specific characteristics of user experience such as quality settings and frame rate, that data describe what I can experience playing that game.

Maybe I don't play that game. Perhaps, I'm not a mobile gamer at all. Even then, benchmarks can provide value by describing what real world performance is attainable provided that benchmarks reflect real user experiences.

I would say that benchmarks matter but only within the context of how benchmark numbers relate to a tangible thing you could experience with the phone. A CPU score? I think the value is questionable until you talk about how an app runs.

Are they still a useful reference and do you consider them when shopping for an upgrade?

I think benchmarks are more useful for enthusiasts to understand relative performance but are usually detached from the user experience that I really care about when making a purchase.

I want to know the benchmarks, but these would not drive my purchasing decision. I want to hear from reviewers who actually used the phone... because I plan to use the phone to do phone things, not to run benchmarks.