Geekbench Results Visualize Possible Link Between iPhone Slowdowns and Degraded Batteries

[newellj]

OK, that's Apple. Now... who else is doing this???

​

You really do wonder, don't you? I do, too. It seems inconceivable to me that this isn't going on in the Android swamp (btdt, btw) too.

[doublepost=1513701651][/doublepost]

Down-clocked from 1.4Ghz to 600MHz is actually below half speed.
Either way just because your brand new iPhone X flies for now it doesn't mean Apple will not pull the same thing on it within a year or so.
If you approve and encourage this shady practice of slowing down older devices then keep throwing thousands of dollars at Apple.
Im sure they will appreciate your donation and stockpile some more billions of dollars in cash

Yes, the Primate Labs numbers show that the 7 is already, well, what's the phrase? - I guess I want to say "under attack." And before someone jumps on me, I'm not a Hater at all.

 

[kristoffer4]

What's your score? My 6 is scoring 1555 (SC) 2685 (MC)
[doublepost=1513686978][/doublepost]

Depends on who is using it, doesn't it? Additionally, this would tell you nothing about the state of battery development as so many other factors play into the current draw.

Mine is 1071 and 1807.

 

[nerdAFK]

I never said your phone wasn’t downclocked. I said it wasn’t the source of the problem you keep talking about with words taking 30 seconds to pop up (input lag).

Also, you don’t understand how multirltasking works on iOS. Most of the processing power is given to the foreground app, other apps are suspended. I have 40-50 apps open always. I never close apps. It doesn’t affect my battery life or performance negatively. I also always have many Safari tabs open. Right now I have 58. I never close tabs to sites I visit regularly.

With my phone 6S on low power, and the CPU running at 900MHz, I have zero input lag while I’m typing this—and almost no stuttering or dropped frames when scrolling my Safari tabs.

You can ignore this fact, close your eyes, plug your ears and continue to rant, or you could take 10 or 15 minutes, open up 50 apps, open up 60 Safari tabs, put your phone in low power and be amazed at the performance. Or you could spend the next 12 hours ranting. Which is a better use of your time?

LMAO. Are you listening to yourself?
"be amazed at the performance"? I've got nothing more to say.

 

[Applejuiced]

To be fair, are you saying there are really noticeable performance issues when people use Low Power Mode?

They are not? The whole thing is slowed down for a reason and its a good thing its optional to each user.
You're claiming that the device runs the same at 30-40% of the CPU speed? Would you enjoy your device to be throttled like that on the regular?

 

[kristoffer4]

My scores are even worse when the battery is lower. On 75pct. the score is 792 and 1450.

This is some BS Apple is pulling.

 

[C DM]

They are not? The whole thing is slowed down for a reason and its a good thing its optional to each user.
You're claiming that the device runs the same at 30-40% of the CPU speed? Would you enjoy your device to be throttled like that on the regular?

I didn't claim anything, I asked a question. I haven't really heard people complaining of noticeable performance issues when running Low Power Mode, on the level of what is often brought up in relation to this, like apps taking something like 10 or more seconds to open, or keyboard lagging by some seconds, or something else rather noticeable like that. And this is on forums where we often have multiple long threads about a fraction of a second delay ruining their devices. Thus my question.

 

[Applejuiced]

I didn't claim anything, I asked a question. I haven't really heard people complaining of noticeable performance issues when running Low Power Mode, on the level of what is often brought up in relation to this, like apps taking something like 10 or more seconds to open, or keyboard lagging by some seconds, or something else rather noticeable like that. And this is on forums where we often have multiple long threads about a fraction of a second delay ruining their devices. Thus my question.

Its definitely slower and I personally use it in a pinch if I want my phone to last a little longer.
But the good thing is we have the option to turn low power mode on or off.
With this intentional CPU throttling the end user has no option and in most cases no idea what is going on or why.

 

[chrfr]

I don't see any evidence that Apple wouldn't consider the batteries in throttled devices replaceable. I'm pretty sure that the phones that are being throttled 50% are below 80% health, but Geekbench doesn't have health data so we can't verify that.

My 6S is one of these affected. Apple's diagnostic reported the battery had 93% capacity and would not replace it, even if I paid. The genius's suggestion was that I trade it in.

 

[Applejuiced]

My 6S is one of these affected. Apple's diagnostic reported the battery had 93% capacity and would not replace it, even if I paid. The genius's suggestion was that I trade it in.

Bam, that what they were trying to tell me too.
"Well you got enough use out of it, maybe its time to upgrade".
Totally unacceptable, instead of fixing the issue they're trying to sell me a brand new one.
And people are ok with all this...

 

[C DM]

Its definitely slower and I personally use it in a pinch if I want my phone to last a little longer.
But the good thing is we have the option to turn low power mode on or off.
With this intentional CPU throttling the end user has no option and in most cases no idea what is going on or why.

But at the same time, despite noticeable throttling that Low Power Mode has when looking at it from benchmarking pout of view, it doesn't seem that the effects are anywhere close to something like basic apps taking 10+ seconds to open, or keyboard noticeably lagging by some seconds, or something similar to that.

 

[MH01]

Wouldn't the other side be that they could make a lot of money from selling replacement batteries? After all I can't imagine the majority of batteries showing wear were under warranty or Applecare.

Depends. If you were in the same situation as apple, do you want to notify the user to replace their battery for $79, and have them use their device for another year, or have the device become really slow to upgrade. My opinion is that while they implemented this as a feature, the by product is people upgrading.

Apple wants $1000 from you, not $79.

For me, I’d prefer 100% performance if that means awful battery life, at least that way I know to change the battery. The current way, I think my phone has had it’s day and needs replacing.

 

[Applejuiced]

But at the same time, despite noticeable throttling that Low Power Mode has when looking at it from benchmarking pout of view, it doesn't seem that the effects are anywhere close to something like basic apps taking 10+ seconds to open, or keyboard noticeably lagging by some seconds, or something similar to that.

I dont know exactly how many seconds longer apps take to open or other specific things.
That would vary by device, what app is being user and many other factors though.

 

[C DM]

I dont know exactly how many seconds longer apps take to open or other specific things.
That would vary by device, what app is being user and many other factors though.

There's certainly that. However, we can probably be sure that if it was doing anything close to the level of the issues that many bring up in threads like this one we'd almost certainly have plenty of the threads talking about how much of a hit Low Power Mode takes on devices and how it wouldn't be all that useful at all given that devices would be so badly affected in terms of performance.

 

[MH01]

I don’t mind paying more for apple, but if this is true, I’m reconsidering future purchases as apple themselves will cripple my device in a few years. Not to mention the resale value.

Hope this gets major attention. As a consumer , if true, this is disgusting behaviour.

 

[lwells1441]

The problem is that some of the batteries are behaving badly before the 80% wear point based on capacity alone. Apple won't replace those phones without an escalated argument when they're throttling....

That's a fair point and in these cases there is either something wrong with the battery or BMS algorithm. Something needs to be fixed in those cases.
[doublepost=1513704655][/doublepost]

Mine is 1071 and 1807.

OUCH. My 6 is very usable with my current score. If you had your battery changed, I think you'd be happy with the performance difference.
[doublepost=1513704725][/doublepost]

I don’t mind paying more for apple, but if this is true, I’m reconsidering future purchases as apple themselves will cripple my device in a few years. Not to mention the resale value.

Hope this gets major attention. As a consumer , if true, this is disgusting behaviour.

How is this crippling? You have a worn battery, change it and the performance is back. I don't understand this argument.

 

[PickUrPoison]

LMAO. Are you listening to yourself?
"be amazed at the performance"? I've got nothing more to say.

Yes, it is absolutely amazing how fast an iPhone X—or an iPhone 6S/SE—running at half speed is. I’m sure it was hard for you to believe, but when you finally flipped that switch to turn on low power mode, what did you discover? Incredible performance.

The A11 really is overkill for what most people do most of the time.

 

[Vanilla35]

I don't have a problem with power management routines reducing CPU speed to compensate for low battery capacity - what I have a problem with is Apple HIDING WHAT THEY DID, and not allowing the user to have a choice. That's pretty shameful.

Apple, put a setting in the dang battery settings that allows a user to choose "longer battery life -vs- better performance". A 3 or 4 position slider would be perfectly adequate.

Make no mistake, this is literally evidence of planned obsolescence. I'm glad we finally have proof.

 

[C DM]

Make no mistake, this is literally evidence of planned obsolescence. I'm glad we finally have proof.

Evidence and proof are not the same thing.

 

[cyberlocke]

I wonder what the results of the tests would be when the phone is hooked up to power. And I'm also assuming a batter replacement would fix the slowdown as well?

 

[147798]

I wonder what the results of the tests would be when the phone is hooked up to power. And I'm also assuming a batter replacement would fix the slowdown as well?

Battery replacement fixes it. Oddly, hooking up to power doesn't.

 

[kristoffer4]

That's a fair point and in these cases there is either something wrong with the battery or BMS algorithm. Something needs to be fixed in those cases.
[doublepost=1513704655][/doublepost]

OUCH. My 6 is very usable with my current score. If you had your battery changed, I think you'd be happy with the performance difference.
[doublepost=1513704725][/doublepost]

How is this crippling? You have a worn battery, change it and the performance is back. I don't understand this argument.

I am having my battery replaced on Friday.

 

[MH01]

How is this crippling? You have a worn battery, change it and the performance is back. I don't understand this argument.

Where does apple state that changing my battery will improve performance? Hope this explains the logic behind the argument

 

[Hockey_Gym]

What is holding you back from buying a battery?

The phone's got a few other issues (headphone jack doesn't work/only certain chargers work) and if I go down that rabbit hole, I'll end up out a couple hundred bucks and running 2 year old hardware.

 

[lwells1441]

I am having my battery replaced on Friday.

I'm curious to hear what it does for you. Can you update me?
[doublepost=1513708630][/doublepost]

Where does apple state that changing my battery will improve performance? Hope this explains the logic behind the argument

The multimodal distribution of scores is likely the result of throttling differences that related to different SoH (State of health) batteries being tested. There is a rash of threads on reddit regarding GB4 scores changing significantly after a battery replacement.

 

[Johnnyhandsome]

Almost a year to the day since my iPhone 6s battery was replaced due to shutting down with 30-40% battery life remaining, it has started happening again. Coincidence? I'm no conspiracy theorist but I do wonder.