Geekbench Results Visualize Possible Link Between iPhone Slowdowns and Degraded Batteries

[nerdAFK]

I have a 6s, purchased in December 2015. A few days after the purchase, I ran Geekbench 3 and got 2539 single-core and 4430 multi-core. Since then I didn’t run Geekbench until a few minutes ago. With Geekbench 4 I just got 2553 single-core and 4447 multi-core. Both are slightly higher than my results two years ago. The only thing I’ve noticed is the screen sometimes (not always) appears to be a little dimmer, usually when the battery is under 50%, but sometimes higher. I guess my battery is still in decent shape and performance isn’t being reduced...yet. I’m a little worried about iOS 12.

You should check out your battery wear level first.
I guess it’s below 20%, which explains why you performance has not taken a hit.
As for your new benchmark is higher, it means nothing. It’s just a variation within a certain margin.
Test several more times and you will understand.

 

[I7guy]

Lol ok,

Maybe next time my car won’t turn over due to dead battery , I’ll just go buy a new car.

Lol, I know people who do. But not an equivalent analogy.

 

[nerdAFK]

People would then moan that Apple are using system popups to try and extract money from people.
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Yep as I said earlier, terrible battery life would be the biggest factor in persuading people to buy a new iPhone. Most normal people simply do not recognise stutter and lag.

Either you did not experience the downclocked CPU or you are deliberately defending Apple.

I tend to think you did not experience the throttled performance rather than being willfully obtuse.

Then you should try harder to imagine “stutter and lag”, which sometimes takes 30 seconds for the words to pop up after typing.
Can you notice or recognize that?
People are not making this up. It is real.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

This is incorrect. It does not demonstrate Apple attempting to cover up an engineering fault, it demonstrates Apple trying to maximize performance and operating life within the electro-chemical-mechanical constraints of batteries.

Battery replacement isn't based on crashes, it's based on hitting the 80% health mark. If it's 80% or better after 500 cycles it's an out of warranty replacement, if it's below 80% in less than 500 cycles it's a warranty replacement, if you have AppleCare+ it doesn't matter they just replace it at 80%. Nothing here affects any of that. This just lets you keep using your phone without replacing the battery.

Valid points, but our argument here is that if the battery is bad enough to warrant throttling the CPU 20-50% or more, maybe it's bad enough to be replaced. Maybe 80% is too conservative?

I'd have previously assumed (guessed) that if the battery is 90% capacity that it can run the CPU at full speed for 90% of the time that it used to (9 hours of actual use vs 10). I think that's what most people expect. And likewise, at 80% capacity we'd expect the battery to last 8 hours of actual use instead of 10 hours, at full speed.

But now we're finding out that instead they keep battery power duration closer to normal, and give us 50-80% of expected performance - the phone lags, is sluggish, takes longer to do things, makes us want a newer phone. We should be given the choice, i.e. get a pop-up warning us of the worn battery and need for replacement, while asking us to select whether we'd like to (1) conserve battery duration with less speed or (2) to retain full speed over a shorter period of time, during this charge cycle.

 

[nerdAFK]

For those with a 6S, instead of just complaining, why don't you just check to see if you can get a free battery replacement?
https://www.apple.com/support/iphone6s-unexpectedshutdown/

Seriously, Apple launched this program in 2016! And nobody took advantage of this?

You know only a small fraction of 6s are eligible for the program.
And what about iPhone 6 and 6Plus?
We are not talking about defected battery here. We are accusing Apple of intentionally throttling iPhones with degraded (not defected) battery. Even the iPhone 7 is affected (did you read the article?). And the evidence is concrete as hell.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Anyone having the same problem as me?

My iPhone 6s battery depletes within 45 minutes of moderate gaming (at least sort of). The battery will go from 100 to 1% -- however, the phone still works for almost an hour at 1%. It makes it really tough to actually gauge how much life I actually have left.

I'm trying to hold out as long as possible, hoping this will last until the next upgrade cycle.

What is holding you back from buying a battery?

 

[PickUrPoison]

Either you did not experience the downclocked CPU or you are deliberately defending Apple.

I tend to think you did not experience the throttled performance rather than being willfully obtuse.

Then you should try harder to imagine “stutter and lag”, which sometimes takes 30 seconds for the words to pop up after typing.
Can you notice or recognize that?
People are not making this up. It is real.

Anyone who has an issue with words taking 30 seconds to pop up has problems way beyond a CPU being downclocked from 1848 to 600MHz. Sure, the CPU is operating at 1/3 the speed, but that won’t affect typing input. Otherwise words would still take 10 seconds to pop up when the CPU is at 1848, right?

If you’ve got a 6S at 1848 that’s currently running well, you can easily prove to yourself that what I’m telling you is true. Turn on battery saving mode and your CPU will drop to 911MHz. You will be surprised how little difference this makes in most real world usage. Go ahead, try it!

At 911MHz (CPU dasherx): I’ve got 50 tabs open in Safari and the animation while scrolling through the tab interface is nearly flawless, with some stuttering if I try to scroll super fast. My typing while I write this post is instantaneous, with suggested words popping up immediately. I’m sure you’re amazed at just how well your 6S is still running, aren’t you?

The fact is 1848MHz is such overkill for most of what people do, that dropping to 900 is barely noticeable. Of course games and other demanding tasks can use all the CPU they can get. But the kind of typing lag you talk about has nothing whatever to do with a downclocked CPU.

 

[magbarn]

Their cold-weather algorithm isn't too great. I had my phone shut down yesterday on my way to the grocery store after shoveling the driveway. It shut down just before I went in. Last time I checked the battery it was at 86%. Once it warmed up and I could turn it back on again about 10 mins later it reported 83%. I don't believe for a second that the cold reduced the my battery capacity that much.

Read up on lithium ion batteries and how much they're affected based on cold. It's not just the capacity that the cold is affecting, it's also affecting the amount of current the battery can put out. If you draw more current than what the battery can handle, it's voltage drops precipitously. This is exacerbated with fault batteries + cold

 

[C DM]

yes and they will continue until and if apple makes a statement on this issue

That's all fine and fair. What I mentioned would still apply.

Control center off is no longer off. It used to be off. So yes, Apple is changing the definition of off.

No change of definition happened, the functionality was changed from on/off to connect/disconnect.

I am NOT implying that Apple is doing this on purpose. I think it was a just a short-sighted fix.

BUT the apple defenders in this thread are starting to sound like victims of Stockholm Syndrome!

It's interesting that often enough many of those who get labeled as "defenders" are simply those who are pointing out similar things that you mentioned.

People tend to think that there are somehow only two camps of those who attack Apple and those who defend them, and that if something doesn't fit with one line of thinking then therefore it must be part of the other, even though there's plenty of middle-ground where neither attacking nor defending is really being involved in what's being discussed.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I am NOT implying that Apple is doing this on purpose. I think it was a just a short-sighted fix.

BUT the apple defenders in this thread are starting to sound like victims of Stockholm Syndrome!

And by definition they don't know they are victims...

 

[IG88]

Only a matter of time before the media gets a hold of this story.

Better sell your stock then.

 

[Applejuiced]

The above doesn't make any sense. This what you posted:

You claimed I am ignoring the obvious but have not shown where I have ignored the obvious.
There was no opinion (by me) one way or the other about whether the battery issue is true or false.
There was no opinion (by me) one way or the other whether Apple intentionally slows down devices to cover bad batteries in an attempt to avoid free battery replacements.
I never opined one way or the other on the various claims about Apple, batteries etc. in this thread.

Because I chose to upgrade every year is not proof that I am "blindly ignoring the obvious"; rather that is a blind assumption in your imagination.


Yeah sit back and wait for someone else. Play your own violin while your at it.
Don't try and deflect, there is no compliant in my post you can find.
Your completely free to speak your mind. Your 48 other post on the subject is a testament to that:
Apple is slowing down older iPhones based on battery wear level


I pay for a device, I use it one year and trade it in for an updated device.
The ripoff is only in your bubble.[/URL]

My apologies if pointing out the fallacies of your original post got you bent out of shape.

You are entitled to you opinion and I am to mine.
You're the one that seems bend out of shape.
Everyone here sees all you're doing is deflecting.
Go for it, they might give you a defective battery and slow down your phone for your efforts lol
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Hence the point that people make over and over again about alleged “planned obsolescence” They WOULDNT do that intentionally because of exactly what you said. It would hurt them far more than it could ever help them. People would say screw this and bolt the Apple camp.

They aren’t slowing down phones intentionally to make you buy a new phone. NOT HAPPENING. They just suck (really bad, apparently) at software optimization and it’s gotten worse and worse as devices get older and they jam more features year after year.

Funny thing is iOS 11 works amazingly well on my 1st gen iPad Pro. Not so great on my old 6s Plus.
So apparently they are savvy enough to slow down some phones and not tablets, right?

Please.

This theory (as always) holds its ground as well as cockroaches do when the lights come on.
Maybe this is where the Forstall connection comes in. Didn’t seem to have this problem when he was around.

I dont know about that.
I think they know what they are doing and its done on purpose. Why would they throttle CPU performance even on iphones without any battery issues and while the battery is over 90% health?
They thought they could get away with it and they got away with it for many years yielding them billions in profits.
Lets not be naive, they did it on purpose and now they're hiding and wont even comment on it.

 

[nviz22]

iPhone 6 here... 30 seconds to more than a minute for letters to show up after typing. Sometimes I press on a link and nothing happens for longer than I can hold my breath. Then when I go to press on it again, the page opens and I've inadvertently pressed another link and I have to wait again...omg I want to throw it thru an Apple store window. The battery was replaced a year ago (my cost) but my phone is all but bricked and rebooting/resetting/restoring doesn't help.

~Thank you iOS 11... As soon as I installed it, this scat has been happening.

I don't get how some folks can use a 4S or 5S until 2017, but an iPhone 6 can go through rough spots sand become practically unusable?

 

[tennisproha]

Battery recall or class action lawsuit, your choice Apple.

lol no chance. It's called wear & tear.

 

[JM]

This proves planned obsolescence exists. Some iPhone 7 models have been slowed down on iOS 11.

Dude! Your 15 minutes are here!

Kidding kidding.... having fun.

 

[Applejuiced]

This does not prove anything. And if it did prove that Apple is slowing down phones, its for the benefit of the user, slightly slower phone, and your phone won't just crash...until you get a new battery. Planned obsolescence would be that changing the battery did nothing.

LMAO
For the benefit of the user huh?
Go back to sleep.

 

[dumastudetto]

I think this thread has run its course and could be closed. Endless crazy speculations and arguments based on almost zero information is not healthy.

 

[just4lizzy]

Primate Labs founder John Poole has plotted the kernel density of Geekbench 4 scores for iPhone 6s models running iOS 10.2, iOS 10.2.1, and iOS 11.2, visualizing an apparent link between lower performance and degraded battery health.

The charts show that on iOS 10.2, the vast majority of iPhone 6s devices benchmarked similarly in performance. However, Poole explains that the distribution of iPhone 6s scores for iOS 10.2.1 appears multimodal, with one large peak around the average and several smaller peaks around lower scores.

In other words, after iOS 10.2.1 was released last January, the performance of a percentage of iPhone 6s devices began to suffer.

In a statement, Apple said it made improvements in iOS 10.2.1 to reduce occurrences of unexpected iPhone shutdowns that a small number of users were experiencing. The shutdowns were reportedly caused by uneven power delivery from older batteries, which could cause an emergency shutdown of the devices.

While at least one report suggested that Apple tweaked its power management system in iPhone 6s devices, the company never disclosed what specific improvements it made to reduce the unexpected shutdowns.

A recent Reddit discussion, however, has reignited speculation that Apple is intentionally slowing down older iPhones to maximize power efficiency and stability when battery capacity has degraded, and reduce voltage-related shutdowns, and the Geekbench charts and Poole himself lend credit to that theory being true.

"The difference between iOS 10.2 and 10.2.1 is too abrupt to be just a function of battery condition," he said. "I believe ... that Apple introduced a change to limit performance when battery condition decreases past a certain point."

The charts show that the number of iPhone 6s devices with lower Geekbench scores was even more pronounced on iOS 11.2, which is likely because the software update is around one year newer, which means that the battery capacity of many iPhone 6s devices has likely continued to deplete as expected.

Interestingly, even the iPhone 7 may be starting to be affected. While the distribution of Geekbench scores for the device on iOS 10.2, iOS 10.2.1, and iOS 11.1.2 appear identical, the results change with iOS 11.2 and start to resemble the iPhone 6s' degraded performance starting on iOS 10.2.1.

What this all means is that Apple may be intentionally slowing down older iPhones to maximize power efficiency and stability when battery capacity has degraded, as speculated, seemingly without publicly acknowledging so.

It's important to remember that all lithium-ion batteries naturally lose some of their ability to hold a charge over the course of a few years. Given the iPhone 6s was released in September 2015, the device has been available long enough that some users should consider replacing their battery regardless.

Apple charges an out-of-warranty fee of $79 to replace the battery of all eligible iPhone models in the United States. iPhone 6s users can contact AppleCare or schedule a Genius Bar appointment at a local Apple Store using the Apple Support app.

Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment about the Geekbench findings. We'll update this article if we hear back.

Article Link: Geekbench Results Visualize Possible Link Between iPhone Slowdowns and Degraded Batteries

[doublepost=1513661285][/doublepost]I have gotten my battery replaced on my iPhone 6 and still experienced random restarts.

 

[Abazigal]

What else evidence do Apple defenders need? This should be enough!

It's amazing this news hasn't caused much attention.

I honestly don’t think it’s a bad decision by Apple (assuming this news is true).

If your phone has a worn out battery and the system has to choose whether to make your phone last longer or run faster, I think making it run a little slower so that it doesn’t die is the right call. It’s essentially doing what Low Power Mode does already, just without your need to toggle it on or off.

That’s what people pay to do (in Steve Job’s own words, no less) - make the tough decisions for them so they don’t need to.

 

[MrX8503]

Well...

Phablets came to Apple last.

AMOLED is now on the iPhone, years later.

Minimal bezel? Just add a notch! It's still not a new concept all together.

Antenna lines on the iPhone 6?
HTC already had those prior.

I'm just going off the top of my head.

Large phones isn't innovation.

iPhone X has the best AMOLED

iPhone X is the only one without a chin AND Face ID

Antenna lines? ok sure, but it was on the iPhone 4 first

 

[Radon87000]

I honestly don’t think it’s a bad decision by Apple (assuming this news is true).

If your phone has a worn out battery and the system has to choose whether to make your phone last longer or run faster, I think making it run a little slower so that it doesn’t die is the right call. It’s essentially doing what Low Power Mode does already, just without your need to toggle it on or off.

That’s what people pay to do (in Steve Job’s own words, no less) - make the tough decisions for them so they don’t need to.

This is not happening on all worne out batteries. Its only happening on some of them. And iPhone 7 did not have this throttling until 11.2 when it was introduced.

What’s worse the worne out batteries which are causing the throttling are showing up as fine on Apple’s diagnostics.

 

[C DM]

This is not happening on all worne out batteries. Its only happening on some of them. And iPhone 7 did not have this throttling until 11.2 when it was introduced.

What’s worse the worne out batteries which are causing the throttling are showing up as fine on Apple’s diagnostics.

But you've been saying your issues with your iPhone 7 Plus that were there well before 11.2 are somehow examples of all of this and fit in with all of this.

 

[nerdAFK]

I honestly don’t think it’s a bad decision by Apple (assuming this news is true).

If your phone has a worn out battery and the system has to choose whether to make your phone last longer or run faster, I think making it run a little slower so that it doesn’t die is the right call. It’s essentially doing what Low Power Mode does already, just without your need to toggle it on or off.

That’s what people pay to do (in Steve Job’s own words, no less) - make the tough decisions for them so they don’t need to.

Want a really easy solution which has no downsides for customers?
Tell customers to get a new battery!!!
It is not a tough choice or decision in 1 billion years.
Oh there is one downside for Apple though: replacing more batteries for older devices instead of selling more new “better” iPhones.
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Anyone who has an issue with words taking 30 seconds to pop up has problems way beyond a CPU being downclocked from 1848 to 600MHz. Sure, the CPU is operating at 1/3 the speed, but that won’t affect typing input. Otherwise words would still take 10 seconds to pop up when the CPU is at 1848, right?

If you’ve got a 6S at 1848 that’s currently running well, you can easily prove to yourself that what I’m telling you is true. Turn on battery saving mode and your CPU will drop to 911MHz. You will be surprised how little difference this makes in most real world usage. Go ahead, try it!

At 911MHz (CPU dasherx): I’ve got 50 tabs open in Safari and the animation while scrolling through the tab interface is nearly flawless, with some stuttering if I try to scroll super fast. My typing while I write this post is instantaneous, with suggested words popping up immediately. I’m sure you’re amazed at just how well your 6S is still running, aren’t you?

The fact is 1848MHz is such overkill for most of what people do, that dropping to 900 is barely noticeable. Of course games and other demanding tasks can use all the CPU they can get. But the kind of typing lag you talk about has nothing whatever to do with a downclocked CPU.

I don’t have to try anything.
I am telling you my personal experience.
I had lived with a throttled to 600 MHz iPhone 6 Plus for over nine months before I was finally forced to upgrade to an iPhone X, which, if you don’t know, cost a lot of money that I might’ve saved if I had known they had intentionally crippled my 6 Plus.
You feel me, bro?
The problem is especially prominent when you are switching between different Apps. And don’t tell me nobody should use several apps simultaneously. You must have hear of something called multitasking.
Think about it. Why should I make that up? What is it for me to defame Apple?
I love Apple products. Everything I used has an Apple logo on it. But this shady behavior is intolerable.

 

[WiildchiilD]

My 6s has 199 cycle battery and 90% wear ! Cpu maximum clock is 911 mhz, and 600 mhz just after 70% ! All this, doesn't really matter for me, but what it does, is the below 10% of battery, cpu fall down to 100 mhz ! And make the phone unusable, you can't even tap the passcode and phone calls are like parasites where you can't even make your voice heard ! This unaccaptable

 

[pika2000]

You know only a small fraction of 6s are eligible for the program.
And what about iPhone 6 and 6Plus?
We are not talking about defected battery here. We are accusing Apple of intentionally throttling iPhones with degraded (not defected) battery. Even the iPhone 7 is affected (did you read the article?). And the evidence is concrete as hell.

The focus of many of the discussion are on the 6S, and I offered a possible solution. And it's not a "small fraction." It's practically the whole early batches of the 6S, and thus Apple is still running the program since 2016.

Meanwhile, what have YOU contributed?