Are new iphones starting to lag due to 1GB of RAM?

[Max(IT)]

Just for fun, I made another short video
I opened Safari, started a web browsing session on the forum, started a post and stopped in the middle of it, intentionally. Then I opened a couple of rich contents apps, use those apps and went back to the browser: no reloads. Then I opened two other tabs on Safari, all rich of contents, went back to my post..... and still no reloads
My iPad actually did better than I was expecting.
So much for an unusable tablet

http://youtu.be/cwIQc2UbW04

 

[teknikal90]

Just for fun, I made another short video
I opened Safari, started a web browsing session on the forum, started a post and stopped in the middle of it, intentionally. Then I opened a couple of rich contents apps, use those apps and went back to the browser: no reloads. Then I opened two other tabs on Safari, all rich of contents, went back to my post..... and still no reloads
My iPad actually did better than I was expecting.
So much for an unusable tablet

http://youtu.be/cwIQc2UbW04

good for you. dispelling myths is what i like about forums.

however, im not sure this will be the case come ios 9...or ios 10.

 

[sunking101]

No, again...

IOS browsers aren't all the same.
Mercury browser is an arm32 process, while Safari is an arm64 process. Different memory footprint. Different RAM usage. Different behavior.

I didn't say that they're all the same! They look different, have different features and they perform differently. However, Apple forces them all to use the same building blocks as Safari, and Apple also ensures that Safari is quickest.
Ultimately, they all reload tabs due to the same RAM limitations.

----------

Just for fun, I made another short video
I opened Safari, started a web browsing session on the forum, started a post and stopped in the middle of it, intentionally. Then I opened a couple of rich contents apps, use those apps and went back to the browser: no reloads. Then I opened two other tabs on Safari, all rich of contents, went back to my post..... and still no reloads
My iPad actually did better than I was expecting.
So much for an unusable tablet

http://youtu.be/cwIQc2UbW04

http://youtu.be/d7pEgZ-SIVI

 

[cyb3rdud3]

I didn't say that they're all the same! They look different, have different features and they perform differently. However, Apple forces them all to use the same building blocks as Safari, and Apple also ensures that Safari is quickest.

Ultimately, they all reload tabs due to the same RAM ...

No they use the WebKit rendering engine. The test can be build around it themselves.

Regardless of how much ram you've got there will always be a point where they will have to reload. I did offer before in another thread to write a new browser where I'll make certain the pages gets written locally when the app gets unloaded. I asked how much people are willing to pay for it. Funnily there was uptake what so ever.

And that is the point, I can't see the money doing it differently when the vast majority just doesn't experience it like you do.

 

[Daiphoneboss]

I didn't say that they're all the same! They look different, have different features and they perform differently. However, Apple forces them all to use the same building blocks as Safari, and Apple also ensures that Safari is quickest.
Ultimately, they all reload tabs due to the same RAM limitations.

----------



http://youtu.be/d7pEgZ-SIVI

So you post a older video that isnt on the latest iOS, Compared to MaxIT's very recent video of his Air on the latest iOS version not even coming close to the results of the video you linked, its confirmed here now, you are truly grasping at straws

 

[tdale]

Totally agree. The bigger screen and better battery life don't compensate for greatly reduced core functionality, not for me anyway. It feels like I bought a pauper version and that I skimped out on RAM. I guess Apple just didn't test this device, in much the same way that they evidently don't test new versions of iOS. It's the consumer who misses out though, Apple still get their money but some of us notice the fact we've been sold inferior devices. This isn't about Android v iOS, or Samsung v Apple, it's about the iPhone 5 v the iPhone 6+. We get a bigger screen, bigger battery, and what feels like 250-500Mb of RAM compared to the 1GB in the iPhone 5.

Ok, so why in past pages in this thread when you were complaining about 1GB RAM and reloading tabs, did you put forward that while the issue affects you, the rest of the 6 Plus is great? Now it seems the 6 Plus sucks

----------

I mainly use my 6+ for web browsing, and to me it is sooo much worse for tab and browser reloading than my old iPhone 5. Others agree. For web browsing it is a significant downgrade next to the two generations older iPhone 5. To that end, core functionality has been massively reduced for me and I'm not talking nonsense, merely facts. What proof do you have that Apple tested the device extensively? The very fact that they ok'd the specs of 1GB of RAM should set off alarm bells, let alone if an engineer supposedly actually spent a couple of hours doing some heavy web browsing. I expect the 'testing' (if there was any) was minimal and stopped at checking whether one web browser tab worked ok.

Face it, Apple sold us a pup with the 6+, 1GB of RAM is frankly ludicrous and many of us were saying so when the specs were first announced. Now having got one, we were right. In fact the 6+ performs much worse than I ever dreamed it would. You're welcome to your own opinions and if your usage pattern means that you don't encounter the issue, then great. Nobody is forcing you to hate your phone, but you seem to be trying to convince me that my own phone is fine when it is absolutely not.

Is reloading tabs a bug, or is it by design?

As has been mention many times, Mercury does not do this, and the issue is on Safari on older iPhones.

----------

Just for fun, I made another short video
I opened Safari, started a web browsing session on the forum, started a post and stopped in the middle of it, intentionally. Then I opened a couple of rich contents apps, use those apps and went back to the browser: no reloads. Then I opened two other tabs on Safari, all rich of contents, went back to my post..... and still no reloads
My iPad actually did better than I was expecting.
So much for an unusable tablet

http://youtu.be/cwIQc2UbW04

So might it be that tab reloads is what Safari on iPhone iOS does but on iOS iPad it doesnt?

To me, this is not a bug, its Safari design, rightly or wrongly.

 

[sunking101]

So you post a older video that isnt on the latest iOS, Compared to MaxIT's very recent video of his Air on the latest iOS version not even coming close to the results of the video you linked, its confirmed here now, you are truly grasping at straws

The previous version of iOS reloads tabs less often by all accounts and my post was just showing the different experiences one can video.
What exactly is confirmed here now? That all the people who are complaining about tab and app reloads in this thread are talking BS?

 

[tdale]

Apple forces them all to use the same building blocks as Safari, and Apple also ensures that Safari is quickest.
Ultimately, they all reload tabs due to the same RAM limitations.

----------

How much RAM will say 4 tabs use? The MB that these 4 webpages use? Say circa 4MB?

 

[sunking101]

How much RAM will say 4 tabs use? The MB that these 4 webpages use? Say circa 4MB?

Why does the more RAM-hungry hardware on the 6+, coupled with the 64bit o/s, cause the phone to reload tabs & apps far more readily than the iPhone 5 which also has 1GB of RAM?

 

[tdale]

My Air isn't reloading apps nor tabs. I'm usually working with 3-4 tabs, Message, Mail and iTranslate working flawlessly.

----------



Quite sure the 6S will have 2 Gb of RAM, and then whiners would start ranting about something else
In the meanwhile, Apple will sell some others millions.

I'm hoping he 6S has 2 to 3GB RAM and Safari still reloads tabs! Debunks the RAM issue and keep the thread alive, fun to read

----------

Why does the more RAM-hungry hardware on the 6+, coupled with the 64bit o/s, cause the phone to reload tabs & apps far more readily than the iPhone 5 which also has 1GB of RAM?

Um, I asked a question, as I wish to see what RAM is used by tabs.


Originally Posted by tdale View Post
How much RAM will say 4 tabs use? The MB that these 4 webpages use? Say circa 4MB?

 

[Max(IT)]

So might it be that tab reloads is what Safari on iPhone iOS does but on iOS iPad it doesnt?

To me, this is not a bug, its Safari design, rightly or wrongly.

same iOS, basically the same hardware (actually less powerful on my Air) and higher resolution on the iPad: if something, it should be worse on the iPad.
It's a combination of factors: the way iOS manages RAM, the limited amount of RAM, and a poorly written Safari.
But I just want to demonstrate that it's far from being unusable.

----------

Why does the more RAM-hungry hardware on the 6+, coupled with the 64bit o/s, cause the phone to reload tabs & apps far more readily than the iPhone 5 which also has 1GB of RAM?

There is no such a thing like "ram hungry hardware"
The memory footprint is bigger because of 64 bits iOS, but that doesn't mean the iPhone 6+ is any worse than iPhone 5.
And again, many apps on background after a way reload because they are supposed to do that. That's is how iOS manages multitasking.

----------

I'm hoping he 6S has 2 to 3GB RAM and Safari still reloads tabs! Debunks the RAM issue and keep the thread alive, fun to read

----------



Um, I asked a question, as I wish to see what RAM is used by tabs.


Originally Posted by tdale View Post
How much RAM will say 4 tabs use? The MB that these 4 webpages use? Say circa 4MB?

I just did a quick test. With Safari closed I had about 460 Mb of free ram. I opened 4 tabs, this and three very rich in contents, including Apple's, and the free RAM dropped about 80-120 Mb for each tabs.
So my figure about Safari able to handles no more than 4 tabs without reloads (more if they are lighter) is roughly correct.
Now I'll test mercury...

 

[tdale]

Cheers for that. What is the memory change after Safari is open on one webpage, and after 4 tabs added? I.e. the extra RAM used just for the tabs

 

[Max(IT)]

Did the test with Mercury: with the same four tabs opened I still have 110 Mb of free RAM (vs about 50 Mb with safari).
Mercury is less memory hungry and in some situations can allow for another tab or two.

Said that, I think my video demonstrated that even safari is usable if you act with a little respect for your device, knowing its limitations. Four tabs and two apps aren't really enough for a smartphone ?

 

[tdale]

Another take.

Lets say tabs don't reload. If you are filling in forms, or replying to MR and you add tabs, changes apps, and you go back to the form or reply, its still there. Keeps sunking happy

But for the rest of us, the tabs are non current, or they may still be current, we dont know, so we have to refresh every tab we revisit

I feel most of us are in the latter category. A row of tabs that are non current means a manual refresh every time, thats a pain. I'd prefer the webpages I open or the tabs I revisit to be accurate and up to date.

 

[sunking101]

There is no such a thing like "ram hungry hardware"

The 6+ has a larger, higher resolution screen which requires more power from the GPU, which in turn is powered by the CPU. When you start actually running content on this screen, you're going to need more RAM. Especially for gaming. If you think the 1GB that the 32 bit iPhone 5 with its smaller, lower resolution screen was packing is sufficient to give similar performance on the 6+ then you're entitled to that opinion.
Oh and by the way, nothing you have said thus far (or any videos you have posted) have managed to convince me that my 6+ doesn't reload tabs and apps for fun. It even reloaded this post whilst I was typing it! I went to reply to a Whatsapp message and when I came back to my post it reloaded, clearing my text. Fortunately I'm used to this BS now and copied the text before I went into Whatsapp.

----------

Did the test with Mercury: with the same four tabs opened I still have 110 Mb of free RAM (vs about 50 Mb with safari).
Mercury is less memory hungry and in some situations can allow for another tab or two.

Said that, I think my video demonstrated that even safari is usable if you act with a little respect for your device, knowing its limitations. Four tabs and two apps aren't really enough for a smartphone ?

You can't even swap between one app and two Safari tabs on the 6+ if you spend a minute or more in each.

 

[tdale]

The 6+ has a larger, higher resolution screen which requires more power from the GPU, which in turn is powered by the CPU

Thats obvious.


. When you start actually running content on this screen, you're going to need more RAM. Especially for gaming.

Use more RAM, yes, does the 6 Plus run out of RAM?



If you think the 1GB that the 32 bit iPhone 5 with its smaller, lower resolution screen was packing is sufficient to give similar performance on the 6+ then you're entitled to that opinion.

If the RAM has not been all used up, and the RAM runs at the same speed, the performance will be the same. Re the 5 to the 6 Plus, you need to factor in the CPU/GPU increased performance on the Plus, less the extra power required for the Plus. But aren't we talking about RAM and reloading tabs, not CPU/GPU performance between the 5 and 6 Plus?

.

 

[Daiphoneboss]

The 6+ has a larger, higher resolution screen which requires more power from the GPU, which in turn is powered by the CPU. When you start actually running content on this screen, you're going to need more RAM. Especially for gaming. If you think the 1GB that the 32 bit iPhone 5 with its smaller, lower resolution screen was packing is sufficient to give similar performance on the 6+ then you're entitled to that opinion.
Oh and by the way, nothing you have said thus far (or any videos you have posted) have managed to convince me that my 6+ doesn't reload tabs and apps for fun. It even reloaded this post whilst I was typing it! I went to reply to a Whatsapp message and when I came back to my post it reloaded, clearing my text. Fortunately I'm used to this BS now and copied the text before I went into Whatsapp.

----------



You can't even swap between one app and two Safari tabs on the 6+ if you spend a minute or more in each.

Using Dolphin web browser and i cant get any tabs at all to reload in dolphin browser( i have 3 tabs open on big websites) and went through 9 apps before returning to dolphin web browser and still no reload at all

Try out dolphin web browser, i literally cant get the tabs to reload unless i have a absurd amount of apps open

 

[sunking101]

Using Dolphin web browser and i cant get any tabs at all to reload in dolphin browser( i have 3 tabs open on big websites) and went through 9 apps before returning to dolphin web browser and still no reload at all

Try out dolphin web browser, i literally cant get the tabs to reload unless i have a absurd amount of apps open

I find it no different when it comes to reloading to be honest, and the fact I can't swipe back and forth is annoying. It just seems to bring up menus.

 

[Max(IT)]

Using Dolphin web browser and i cant get any tabs at all to reload in dolphin browser( i have 3 tabs open on big websites) and went through 9 apps before returning to dolphin web browser and still no reload at all

Try out dolphin web browser, i literally cant get the tabs to reload unless i have a absurd amount of apps open

Believe me, he's not going to listen to your advice. He's repeating the same thing again and again and again......
I demonstrated that an iPad air doesn't reload tabs and he's still speaking about "higher resolution screen" without realizing that an iPad has a bigger and higher resolution screen than his iPhone....

----------

I find it no different when it comes to reloading to be honest, and the fact I can't swipe back and forth is annoying. It just seems to bring up menus.

I did tests, to prove that other browser are using less ram, but no, you "find it no different" ....
Well, you must have a defective unit then.

 

[Daiphoneboss]

I find it no different when it comes to reloading to be honest, and the fact I can't swipe back and forth is annoying. It just seems to bring up menus.

Dam man something must be clearly wrong with your device then as Dolphin makes a noticeable difference for me, im able to launch open over 5 apps and use them all and come back to Dolphin with absolutely no reload at all

 

[sunking101]

Dam man something must be clearly wrong with your device then as Dolphin makes a noticeable difference for me, im able to launch open over 5 apps and use them all and come back to Dolphin with absolutely no reload at all

This is a 6+?

 

[sunking101]

Believe me, he's not going to listen to your advice. He's repeating the same thing again and again and again......
I demonstrated that an iPad air doesn't reload tabs and he's still speaking about "higher resolution screen" without realizing that an iPad has a bigger and higher resolution screen than his iPhone....

----------



I did tests, to prove that other browser are using less ram, but no, you "find it no different" ....
Well, you must have a defective unit then.

Forgive me for pointing it out, but you too are repeating the same thing again and again.
The fact remains that my 6+ performs much worse than my old i5 when it comes to reloading apps and tabs. Nothing you can say will change that. My usage pattern is the same on both phones.

 

[lordofthereef]

Exiting an app to enter another one is only "asking for reloads" if you are exceeding ram requirements for those newer apps. In other words, iOS dumps the memory (in this case from your tabs) in order to free memory for newer applications.

But... isn;t that exactly what this thread is about? I know it works that way. Others know it works that way. They are unhappy with the amount of ram given.

Unless I am missing something...

----------

Dam man something must be clearly wrong with your device then as Dolphin makes a noticeable difference for me, im able to launch open over 5 apps and use them all and come back to Dolphin with absolutely no reload at all

Ok, oreliminary testing with dolphin is amazing. I loaded 5 tabs (the ones that are linked inside dolphin since I literally just installed it) then I proceeded to load the following apps: facebook, yelp, bodyspace, flipboard, apstore. Went back into Dolphin and like angels singing from the heavens every single tab was as I had left it.

I am going to do some more "stress testing", but if this is typical of dolphin I think I found my new browser!

(should note I had dolphin before iOS8 and it was nothing terribly amazing so it got deleted - is there a way to import bookmarks and junk from safari?)

 

[Daiphoneboss]

This is a 6+?

This is on a 6+ with the Dolphin browser. I am able to launch multiple apps and use them all each for a few minutes and am able to launch a few more and go back to Dolphin web browser and my 3 tabs are not reloaded at all and perfectly in place on all 3 websites in the 3 tabs i have open. If you dont believe me i can always make a video, (about 8-9 other apps open)

----------

The 6+ has a larger, higher resolution screen which requires more power from the GPU, which in turn is powered by the CPU. When you start actually running content on this screen, you're going to need more RAM. Especially for gaming. If you think the 1GB that the 32 bit iPhone 5 with its smaller, lower resolution screen was packing is sufficient to give similar performance on the 6+ then you're entitled to that opinion.
Oh and by the way, nothing you have said thus far (or any videos you have posted) have managed to convince me that my 6+ doesn't reload tabs and apps for fun. It even reloaded this post whilst I was typing it! I went to reply to a Whatsapp message and when I came back to my post it reloaded, clearing my text. Fortunately I'm used to this BS now and copied the text before I went into Whatsapp.

----------



You can't even swap between one app and two Safari tabs on the 6+ if you spend a minute or more in each.

Im sorry but im gonna have to call complete horse **** on this one, I use whatsapp all day and am constantly going back and forth between the two, alongside with other apps and i dont suffer that issue at all ever with Whatsapp and browser reloading espcially when im on macrumors

 

[powersteer]

We aren't talking about horrific lag every time we do something with the phone. Just every now and again there'll be a stutter when scrolling, a slight delay in reaction when pressing the screen, and occasionally a complete failure to recognise a screen press. Some will not notice these things, or even consider them a problem. To others they're unacceptable when older iPhones don't suffer the fault.

Do bring your phone in for checking ... I've generated some dummy Lorem ipsum text with more than 10k words ... no lag in my 64GB 6+ !