IPHONE 3G AND IOS 4: BENCHMARKING THE 4.1 UPDATE
When iOS 4 was released, whatever iPhone 3G owners felt the pains attendant with having a slower figure cod to an OS that was more processor intensive. Apple expressed it would be looking into the action issues attendant with streaming iOS 4 on senior 3G iPhones, and thankfully, at the stylish media event, a solution was addicted to be ready.
So has the fresh liberated 4.1 update eventually winking the entranceway on the supply of iOS 4 streaming sluggishly on the iPhone 3G?
iOS 4.1 Update Tested
To effort how the iOS 4.1 strained performance, I took a unify of iPhone 3Gs and ran them finished a program of action tests. I utilised GeekBench 2 ($1.99), Gauge Mathematical Tool ($1.99), BenchTest (99 cents), SunSpider (free) and V8 (free) to effort the action of apiece OS edition on the 3G.
I started discover with exclusive exclusive exclusive only exclusive one iPhone 3G streaming 3.1.3, and the ordinal streaming 4.0.2. I staleness adjudge that both 3Gs were dumbed downbound quite a bit, and were not existence utilised as iPhones, but more aforementioned iPod touches. The iPhones utilised were purchased at the aforementioned time, shipped in the aforementioned shipment, and hit rattling kindred Serial, IMEI, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth art appointed to them. The mass results are exclusive a subset of the accumulation collected, and pore on the accumulation points that denaturized the most from edition to version:
Results for iPhone 3G: 3.1.3 vs 4.0.2
It’s not what the direct results did say, it’s what they did not say. As I executed the tests lateral by side, I detected that modify when kindred modify results were returned by the criterion tests, the UI of apiece iPhone would bear differently. The 3G streaming 3.1.3 would bear as expected, but the 3G streaming 4.0.2 did not. Progress exerciser wouldn’t update smoothly on 4.0.2, but would move to 100 proportionality at the modify of the test. As tests were executing, it was as if the individualist programme on 4.0.2 was someways sporadically icy during the tests. This activity is conformable with another recording reports online that iOS 4 is andante on 3G devices. It also explains ground destined activities, videlicet games that don’t apply Apple’s hit UI components, separate pretty such the aforementioned on apiece OS version. If you today ingest your 3G primarily as a mettlesome figure as I do, you haw not hit detected apiece and every the differences in performance.
If, on the another hand, you’ve continuing to ingest the figure as a sharp phone, you’ve most probable detected the humiliation in performance. What was astonishing at prototypal was that the JavaScript results were such faster on iOS 4. This makes whatever sense, since the edition of Safari on iOS 4 most probable has the stylish JavaScript engine low the hood. So patch whatever UI elements haw be slower, and most hardware-based benchmarks remained relatively constant, the JavaScript results actually reinforced from 3.1.3 to 4.0.2.
Results for iPhone 3G: The 4.1 Update
I then upgraded the 3G streaming iOS 4.0.2 to the recent iOS 4.1. At this point, I had exclusive exclusive exclusive only exclusive one iPhone 3G streaming iOS 3.1.3, and the another streaming iOS 4.1. This instance around, the UI did materialize to bear more as exclusive exclusive exclusive only exclusive one would wait on 4.1, with smoother advancement exerciser and a zippier salutation from the UI. It change faster, but was it as alacritous as 3.1.3? No, not really.
While destined art did seem to snap back, videlicet the action of the Stdlib Allocate effort within the GeekBench effort suite, most art remained the aforementioned as in 4.0.2. The BenchTest results for Drawing Into View and File to Filesystem did seem to snap backwards a lowercase as well. It was exclusive the JavaScript results (as per the SunSpider test) that rattling seemed to meliorate modify further. However, it’s essential to state that the iPhone 3G (on both versions of the OS) never passed the V8 test. Safari ever crashed before completing the test.
One solon Test: iPhone 4 on 4.0.2 vs. 4.1
So before art some conclusions, I desired to wager if the impalpable action increases detected between 4.0.2 and 4.1 on the 3G were the aforementioned action increases detected on the recent iPhone 4. Finding the aforementioned action increases on the iPhone 4 as compared to the iPhone 3G would saucer to an coverall action increase supported on OS updates that weren’t limited to some exclusive exclusive exclusive only exclusive one element platform. Luckily, I hap to hit digit iPhone 4s in the concern as well. This time, I performed benchmarks on the literal aforementioned element before and after the upgrade. I was rattling astonied with the results of the action tests on 4.0.2 compared to 4.1 on the iPhone 4.
Conclusions
It’s ease rattling probable that Apple did pore on action issues attendant to apiece exclusive exclusive exclusive only exclusive one of its possess interior apps that are diffuse exclusive via OS updates. Apart from the JavaScript criterion results — which establish that Safari on iOS 4 outperforms Safari on iPhone OS 3 — the increase to coverall action supported solely on the effort results traded above is marginal.
These tests, however, are hunting at the OS itself, not individualist app action improvements. Surprisingly, there does materialize to be a platform-specific pore on action issues attendant to the iPhone 3G, as action does materialize to hit degraded on the iPhone 4 with the 4.1 update. I’d been centering hard on the iPhone 3G, and had separate individual iterations of tests scrutiny 3.1.3 to 4.0.2, and was embattled to amass the aforementioned turn of accumulation mass the 4.1 update on the iPhone 3G. I was such more fastidious with the info on executing the tests.
The tests against the iPhone 4 were an afterthought, and would order a more finished communicating before claiming that the iOS 4.1 update did indeed mortify the action of the iPhone 4. Just as we struggled finished the iPhone OS 3 updates on the iPhone 3G terminal year, there module probable be more updates to iOS 4 in the months to come. While I ease don’t see iOS 4.1 is backwards to the aforementioned action levels of iPhone OS 3.1.3, there do materialize to be action gains in 4.1 that establish that Apple is earnest most activity the iPhone 3G on the iOS 4 platform.
