Does iPhone get slower over time?

Does iPhone get slower over time?
It doesn't require much googling to find all sorts of conspiracy theories about Apple intentionally slowing down previous iPhone models shortly after the company has released new models.

According to Google Trends, the search term "iPhone slow" increases dramatically shortly after each new iPhone model is released.



However, developers of 3DMark testing suite have looked at their database of test results and found out that the conspiracy theories don't have truth behind them.

The "slowing down" effect is mostly psychological - users know that there's a new model available that runs faster, has better cameras, etc so the current phone they're using, suddenly feels like an outdated one. Obviously, each new iOS version also adds new features that are best suited for new models, making the old phones *feel* slow when the users start using the newly introduced features, with old hardware.

But Futuremark's findings are clear: neither CPU nor GPU processing power hasn't decreased from iOS9 to iOS11 on any of the models that support those operating system versions.

So, the apps you used two years ago, provided that they haven't gone slower due updates in functionality, run at the exact same speed they did two years ago. Sure, some apps tend to "bloat" over time, as new functionalities are added, but that isn't Apple's fault.

Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 10 Oct 2017 7:16
Tags
Apple iPhone Apple
Advertisement - News comments available below the ad
  • 7 comments
  • KillerBug

    That's not necessarily the whole story. A lot of what makes a phone feel fast or slow is in the responsiveness of the menus and browsers...a clean dual-core android can feel faster than the newest phone with too much bloatware, even if it falls on its face in a benchmark.

    10.10.2017 08:38 #1

  • lamain

    Originally posted by KillerBug: That's not necessarily the whole story. A lot of what makes a phone feel fast or slow is in the responsiveness of the menus and browsers...a clean dual-core android can feel faster than the newest phone with too much bloatware, even if it falls on its face in a benchmark. Completely agree and to add to it if new upgraded OS has features that require more ram and CPU power it can do more then just slow down a phone it can make it seem almost unusable. I am not saying that there is a conspiracy to make a old phone absolute when a new one is released but it is not impossibility.

    10.10.2017 15:18 #2

  • hearme0

    And.......slowing down over time, especially in concert with new releases is considered "PLanned obsolescence" and is highly illegal.

    Toshiba got busted for this back like 13 years ago.

    Planned obsolescence is the epitome of dishonest business practices and is rather evil. Those caught doing this should be punished with extreme prejudice.




    Now..........Android is another story as it truly bogs down with serious gumption after about 6 months. By design, not intent IMO.

    The vast majority of Android users agree with this but there are a few dummies out there that adamantly state "mine is just as fast" nonsense.

    People are truly unthinking so often.

    11.10.2017 13:46 #3

  • KillerBug

    Originally posted by hearme0: Now..........Android is another story as it truly bogs down with serious gumption after about 6 months. By design, not intent IMO.

    The vast majority of Android users agree with this but there are a few dummies out there that adamantly state "mine is just as fast" nonsense.
    We have had this conversation before. I already know your argument is that your wife bought an Android, filled it with trash, and then you didn't even know how to clean it up in spite of supposedly being a network engineer (a network engineer who has said that he can't make an i5 system run Excel smoothly). I'm not going to go through all the things you could have done to make that phone even faster than it was new. I won't waste time telling you how my phone works versus when it was new because even if you believed me you wouldn't admit it. Just stop with the hate bait. Please.

    15.10.2017 11:12 #4

  • hearme0

    Originally posted by KillerBug: Originally posted by hearme0: Now..........Android is another story as it truly bogs down with serious gumption after about 6 months. By design, not intent IMO.

    The vast majority of Android users agree with this but there are a few dummies out there that adamantly state "mine is just as fast" nonsense.
    We have had this conversation before. I already know your argument is that your wife bought an Android, filled it with trash, and then you didn't even know how to clean it up in spite of supposedly being a network engineer (a network engineer who has said that he can't make an i5 system run Excel smoothly). I'm not going to go through all the things you could have done to make that phone even faster than it was new. I won't waste time telling you how my phone works versus when it was new because even if you believed me you wouldn't admit it. Just stop with the hate bait. Please.

    WTF are you talking about. I HAVE NEVER EVER EVER EVEN REMOTELY MENTIONED an "I5 system run Excel smoothly" you f'ing idiot!

    We have NEVER had this discussion. You are recalling possibly a small percentage, like 10 of the conversation that I vaguely recall.

    STFU you putz! I, as a foremost expert in networking, and most things technical, would NOT have any issue with getting a system to run smoothly.

    As for Android, you defending it from the notion that it bogs down in 6 months just makes you an ignorant and highly incorrect doof!

    16.10.2017 10:18 #5

  • KillerBug

    Thanks. Laughter improves health.

    18.10.2017 14:04 #6

  • Rezer

    I have a 7 Plus and there's really no reason for it to be slower and buggy, yet it is. I'm seriously thinking of ditching Apple after this one.

    28.10.2017 17:30 #7

© 2024 AfterDawn Oy

Hosted by
Powered by UpCloud