Ipad a7 slower than iPhone a6!!

[sw6lee]

Hi guys, both my iphone 5c and ipad mini 2 are on ios 8.1.1. I notice that my ipad stutters in animation quite often compared to 7.1.2, but my iphone 5c is seriously stutter-free abd smooth as butter. It never stutters and it is how ios should be and how i come to love ios. Im sick and tired of my ipad with a7 stuttering and jerky animation.

Im pretty sure a7 is more than enough to power the retina display. Do you know why? Cause this tablet was smooth as butter too when it had 7.1.2! Iphone with weaker processor works like a charm on ios 8.1.1, but not this much more powerful tablet..

I did clean install by the way.

Any inputs are greatly appreciated.

 

[TommyA6]

Couldn't agree more. iPad Air and mini 2 perform noticeably worse (in terms of smoothness) compared to iPhone 5 (lets not even mention 5s and 6). It's ridiculously annoying

 

[bkends35]

My iPad 4 with the A6x I believe is definitely smoother on 8.1.1 making it seem faster. I don't think it actually is faster but nonetheless if definitely feels like a more polished experience now.

 

[Ev0d3vil]

My iPad 4 with the A6x I believe is definitely smoother on 8.1.1 making it seem faster. I don't think it actually is faster but nonetheless if definitely feels like a more polished experience now.

Hmmmmm really? How about safari?

 

[bkends35]

Hmmmmm really? How about safari?

Snappier, LOL, safari feels the same speed and maybe slightly smoother. But it definitely doesn't drop frames anywhere near as bad as it did on 8.1. I would say 50% of the time I would close an app the animation was super choppy but now it's very smooth like my 5s.

 

[Ev0d3vil]

Snappier, LOL, safari feels the same speed and maybe slightly smoother. But it definitely doesn't drop frames anywhere near as bad as it did on 8.1. I would say 50% of the time I would close an app the animation was super choppy but now it's very smooth like my 5s.

Great thanks for the feedback! I was contemplating on updating but then again I'll lose my jail break blah.

 

[Gav2k]

That's because apple believed the a7 was powerful enough to drive the iPads resolution. Unfortunaly it really wasn't hence the a8x in the air2

 

[abhi0n0nakul]

yeah obviously its the resolution of ipad that is responsible..

ios and mac os both dont play nice with animations on larger resolutions

look at the macbook pro and ipad .
both lag in animations.

 

[sanke1]

Planned obsolescence.

If Apple does not introduce lag purposely in their original iPad Air then how can they sell their Air?

But jokes apart, iPad Air 1 is more than capable of having butter smooth 60fps animations with V-Sync on iOS 8 just like iOS 7.

I downgraded my Air back to 7.1.2 when I had the chance. I can still live with iOS 8.1.1 sluggishness but the biggest downgrade is the Safari. It feels non-intuitive and non user friendly. It likes to hide basic menu interface buttons. Multiple taps are required for things where previously one tap could get the job done. Unnecessary translucency has been introduced which makes keyboard and few UI elements sluggish.

 

[RebornProphet]

That's because apple believed the a7 was powerful enough to drive the iPads resolution. Unfortunaly it really wasn't hence the a8x in the air2

Your comment is 100% true when talking about the A5X which wasn't powerful enough to power the first ever iPad Retina Display in the 3rd Gen iPad, but the A7 chip has powered the iPad Air perfectly like the A6 did in the 4th Gen iPad before it.

The iPad Air on iOS 7.1.2 is identical in UI smoothness compared to the iPad Air 2 on iOS 8. iOS 7 and 8 have the same transparency effects, and while iOS 8 adds some more of them in one or two places compared to iOS 7, the fact remains that the iPad Air is more than capable but Apple simply can't afford to have two iPad Air models on sale side by side where the average user can't see a difference.

Apps won't take advantage of the A8X for ages, sure you'll get a few extra frames per second on some games and a few seconds shaved off loading times, but the A7 and A8 support Metal meaning both will run games near identical.

With a larger install base of A7 devices and the fact that Apple still sell the A7 devices, means that developers will target the larger install base first and foremost for performance. This has always been the case, the larger install base is where the money is.

So yes Apple have, in my eyes, deliberately crippled the iPad Air with iOS 8, just enough to make it annoying to those who've owned it since iOS 7. Sure, some people don't notice and claim their iPad Air on iOS 8 is "buttery smooth", but its just that their eyes don't notice the frame drops or they don't care.

There are several areas where the iPad Air is sub par in UI smoothness on iOS 8 versus iOS 7.1.2 ... but it's nothing to do with the A7 not being powerful enough to drive an iPad display.

 

[Imory]

That's because apple believed the a7 was powerful enough to drive the iPads resolution. Unfortunaly it really wasn't hence the a8x in the air2

What are you talking about? There's no truth in that whatsoever. The increased resolution was introduced with the iPad 3 which was running A5X. The A7 handles that resolution with ease, but you see, every piece of software can ruin any good hardware.

You could make Tetris melt the A8X if you made a terrible code, which is exactly what Apple has done with iOS 8. It's one of the most shoddy and terrible OS releases in terms of bugs and performance hits. This has nothing to do with hardware, just Apples rushed unpolished software.

----------

Your comment is 100% true when talking about the A5X which wasn't powerful enough to power the first ever iPad Retina Display in the 3rd Gen iPad, but the A7 chip has powered the iPad Air perfectly like the A6 did in the 4th Gen iPad before it.

The iPad Air on iOS 7.1.2 is identical in UI smoothness compared to the iPad Air 2 on iOS 8. iOS 7 and 8 have the same transparency effects, and while iOS 8 adds some more of them in one or two places compared to iOS 7, the fact remains that the iPad Air is more than capable but Apple simply can't afford to have two iPad Air models on sale side by side where the average user can't see a difference.

Apps won't take advantage of the A8X for ages, sure you'll get a few extra frames per second on some games and a few seconds shaved off loading times, but the A7 and A8 support Metal meaning both will run games near identical.

With a larger install base of A7 devices and the fact that Apple still sell the A7 devices, means that developers will target the larger install base first and foremost for performance. This has always been the case, the larger install base is where the money is.

So yes Apple have, in my eyes, deliberately crippled the iPad Air with iOS 8, just enough to make it annoying to those who've owned it since iOS 7. Sure, some people don't notice and claim their iPad Air on iOS 8 is "buttery smooth", but its just that their eyes don't notice the frame drops or they don't care.

There are several areas where the iPad Air is sub par in UI smoothness on iOS 8 versus iOS 7.1.2 ... but it's nothing to do with the A7 not being powerful enough to drive an iPad display.

Exactly. It's laughable to find apps that run better than the apps and core UI of iOS 8.

 

[RebornProphet]

Exactly. It's laughable to find that apps that run better than the apps and core UI of iOS 8.

Precisely.

This is the issue now with annual updates and the fact that devices aren't being pushed to their limit before it's replaced. The gulf from an iPhone 3G to 3GS was immediate, it was a leap which enabled developers to do so much more and both the UI and apps reflected this.

Today though, we're seeing ridiculous power being introduced into devices only 12 months apart and developers now have a decision in terms of whether to instantly target the newest generation (which they never do) or aim at the current/outgoing generation which hasn't been pushed to the max yet and has a larger install base due to a combination of 12 months on the market and still being sold.

The only way to make it appear like there's an instant leap is to hold back the outgoing generation by making it that little bit slower via an OS update. There is NOTHING in iOS 8 over and above what iOS 7 did that should tax the A7 chip, there is absolutely no excuse or defence for it. It's nothing more than Apple deliberately crippling a one year old device because they know the thing is (at preset and when on iOS 7.1.2) on par with their new flagship. The general public, the average user, won't drop an extra £100 (if buying a new tablet) or shell out another £479 or more (if upgrading from an Air) for an extra second of loading time on Angry Birds or Candy Crush but if they use the UI and notice stutter or slowness then it plants a seed that "this one is slower".

Techies like those here will upgrade because we want to "future proof" but that's also laughable, because I guarantee that over half of the people on here who post that they went from Air 1 to Air 2 to "future proof" will rush out next year and get the Air 3 when the redesign of the chassis kicks in and yet MORE power is added to the iPad. And guess what? You can be damn sure that Apple will once again do to the iPad Air 2 what it did to the iPad Air 1 when they bring out the Air 3.

They'll slow it down just enough on UI performance because the Air 2 sure as hell won't be pushed to its maximum in 12 months and Apple will keep it on sale beside its new flagship tablet. Rinse and repeat.

The iPad Air 2 is a monster, so Apple need to do something to make people using both the Air 2 and 3 side by side to make the immediate "difference" noticeable, because actual real world app performance will be negligible at that time, just like it is now between Air 1 and Air 2.

 

[Imory]

Precisely.

This is the issue now with annual updates and the fact that devices aren't being pushed to their limit before it's replaced. The gulf from an iPhone 3G to 3GS was immediate, it was a leap which enabled developers to do so much more and both the UI and apps reflected this.

Today though, we're seeing ridiculous power being introduced into devices only 12 months apart and developers now have a decision in terms of whether to instantly target the newest generation (which they never do) or aim at the current/outgoing generation which hasn't been pushed to the max yet and has a larger install base due to a combination of 12 months on the market and still being sold.

The only way to make it appear like there's an instant leap is to hold back the outgoing generation by making it that little bit slower via an OS update. There is NOTHING in iOS 8 over and above what iOS 7 did that should tax the A7 chip, there is absolutely no excuse or defence for it. It's nothing more than Apple deliberately crippling a one year old device because they know the thing is (at preset and when on iOS 7.1.2) on par with their new flagship. The general public, the average user, won't drop an extra £100 (if buying a new tablet) or shell out another £479 or more (if upgrading from an Air) for an extra second of loading time on Angry Birds or Candy Crush but if they use the UI and notice stutter or slowness then it plants a seed that "this one is slower".

Techies like those here will upgrade because we want to "future proof" but that's also laughable, because I guarantee that over half of the people on here who post that they went from Air 1 to Air 2 to "future proof" will rush out next year and get the Air 3 when the redesign of the chassis kicks in and yet MORE power is added to the iPad. And guess what? You can be damn sure that Apple will once again do to the iPad Air 2 what it did to the iPad Air 1 when they bring out the Air 3.

They'll slow it down just enough on UI performance because the Air 2 sure as hell won't be pushed to its maximum in 12 months and Apple will keep it on sale beside its new flagship tablet. Rinse and repeat.

The iPad Air 2 is a monster, so Apple need to do something to make people using both the Air 2 and 3 side by side to make the immediate "difference" noticeable, because actual real world app performance will be negligible at that time, just like it is now between Air 1 and Air 2.

I really have nothing else to add besides the fact that I agree with you. Wrote a thread about it as well. I like Apple products, but there's no way I'm going to excuse this kind of shoddy support, which they comically enough, claim to be better at than Android (stock Android).

 

[sw6lee]

Precisely.

This is the issue now with annual updates and the fact that devices aren't being pushed to their limit before it's replaced. The gulf from an iPhone 3G to 3GS was immediate, it was a leap which enabled developers to do so much more and both the UI and apps reflected this.

Today though, we're seeing ridiculous power being introduced into devices only 12 months apart and developers now have a decision in terms of whether to instantly target the newest generation (which they never do) or aim at the current/outgoing generation which hasn't been pushed to the max yet and has a larger install base due to a combination of 12 months on the market and still being sold.

The only way to make it appear like there's an instant leap is to hold back the outgoing generation by making it that little bit slower via an OS update. There is NOTHING in iOS 8 over and above what iOS 7 did that should tax the A7 chip, there is absolutely no excuse or defence for it. It's nothing more than Apple deliberately crippling a one year old device because they know the thing is (at preset and when on iOS 7.1.2) on par with their new flagship. The general public, the average user, won't drop an extra £100 (if buying a new tablet) or shell out another £479 or more (if upgrading from an Air) for an extra second of loading time on Angry Birds or Candy Crush but if they use the UI and notice stutter or slowness then it plants a seed that "this one is slower".

Techies like those here will upgrade because we want to "future proof" but that's also laughable, because I guarantee that over half of the people on here who post that they went from Air 1 to Air 2 to "future proof" will rush out next year and get the Air 3 when the redesign of the chassis kicks in and yet MORE power is added to the iPad. And guess what? You can be damn sure that Apple will once again do to the iPad Air 2 what it did to the iPad Air 1 when they bring out the Air 3.

They'll slow it down just enough on UI performance because the Air 2 sure as hell won't be pushed to its maximum in 12 months and Apple will keep it on sale beside its new flagship tablet. Rinse and repeat.

The iPad Air 2 is a monster, so Apple need to do something to make people using both the Air 2 and 3 side by side to make the immediate "difference" noticeable, because actual real world app performance will be negligible at that time, just like it is now between Air 1 and Air 2.

I definitely agree with you. But what I don't understand is why do they only do this for iPads? As I mentioned, my iPhone 5c is so much smoother than my iPad mini 2 and its just a perfect performer.. No shutter what so ever. I love the experience. But I hate my iPad experience.

 

[Imory]

I definitely agree with you. But what I don't understand is why do they only do this for iPads? As I mentioned, my iPhone 5c is so much smoother than my iPad mini 2 and its just a perfect performer.. No shutter what so ever. I love the experience. But I hate my iPad experience.

The iPhone 5, 5S, 5C all have issues on iOS 8. Even the 6 have some performance quirks with the occasional stuttering and frame dropping.

 

[sw6lee]

The iPhone 5, 5S, 5C all have issues on iOS 8. Even the 6 have some performance quirks with the occasional stuttering and frame dropping.

Hmm.. I'm not sure. Maybe in terms of bugs, but my iPhone 5c with iOS 8.1.1 is so smooth consistently I have zero complaints. I'm one of the people who notice lags and stutters really easily and I'm very sensitive. I've complained a lot in this forum in the past about Apple devices stuttering LOL. At least right now, my 5c is stutter-free.

 

[Imory]

Hmm.. I'm not sure. Maybe in terms of bugs, but my iPhone 5c with iOS 8.1.1 is so smooth consistently I have zero complaints. I'm one of the people who notice lags and stutters really easily and I'm very sensitive. I've complained a lot in this forum in the past about Apple devices stuttering LOL. At least right now, my 5c is stutter-free.

Nothing in the weather app? Going from list view and detailed view when switching cities seems to give a lot of people stuttering and frames well below 60 fps.

 

[EdgardasB]

Never had complaints about performance for iPhones however there was always problems with iPad performance.if iPad Air was smooth with iOS 7.1.2 after iOS 8 it has started to struggle and every major update iPads are having problems. No matter how good hardware is, you will face up with stuttering. Seems that Apple gives more attention to iPhone because from business point it is giving bigger profits.

 

[sw6lee]

Nothing in the weather app? Going from list view and detailed view when switching cities seems to give a lot of people stuttering and frames well below 60 fps.

Okay yes I see it dropping frames in weather app. I guess I worded it wrong. I was referring to general UI animations like closing apps, opening and closing app switcher, etc. It's always very consistent and smooth. Even this general UI animation stutters on iPad. Sorry for any confusion.

 

[XTheLancerX]

Yeah my mini 2 is sort of pitiful with iOS 8 and laggy UI, mostly because of the translucency effects. One tip I have for you is to keep zoom turned off. For some reason it was plaguing my iPad with lag, rotation would take forever and you would see a black border rotating, THEN the actual content rotating. On the lock screen it does the same thing except twice as bad, with "Slide to Unlock" lagging at 1-5 fps. Exiting safari or messages (especially with the keyboard open) would cause a 20FPS closing animation, it was really sad. Turning zoom off believe it or not fixed these issues. However, even with zoom off there is still a ton of lag regarding any situations with translucency (Aside from Notification Center and Control Center on the 'Home Screen') exiting apps, entering apps, going into or out of app switcher-there is occasional moderate lag. All if it is incredibly sad. A lot of this even existed on 7.1.2.

Anyway, as the iPad mini 2/Air are obviously underpowered, I still solely believe that a ton of iPad optimization is still definitely needed. The amount of bugs that exist on iPad (aside from lag) is astronomical when compared with an iPhone.

Oh- doesn't the A7 also have quad core graphics, essentially making the A7 equivalent the the A6X in that regard? The A8X has like 6 or 8 cores for graphics I think, but I'm not totally sure on that.

Also, I'm curious-how does the Air 2 handle the translucency effects? Does the keyboard and blurring of the springboard lag when dragging down for spotlight? Does the Siri animation lag? Does rotating the iPad with the keyboard open lag? Is there HORRENDOUS LAG when dragging down the Notification Center or Control Center over the keyboard and translucent "Favorites" area in Safari (When typing in the search field)?) Is there lag when activating Siri with the keyboard open? Is there lag when activating the Notification Center and Control Center over the keyboard?

None of those areas lag on my mothers iPhone 5, or my iPhone 6, but every single one of those instances causes heavy lag on my Mini 2 and my friends Air. They actually are smooth on my other friends iPad 3 because the translucency effects are disabled; It is only a slightly transparent black or gray overlay.

 

[sw6lee]

Yeah my mini 2 is sort of pitiful with iOS 8 and laggy UI, mostly because of the translucency effects. One tip I have for you is to keep zoom turned off. For some reason it was plaguing my iPad with lag, rotation would take forever and you would see a black border rotating, THEN the actual content rotating. On the lock screen it does the same thing except twice as bad, with "Slide to Unlock" lagging at 1-5 fps. Exiting safari or messages (especially with the keyboard open) would cause a 20FPS closing animation, it was really sad. Turning zoom off believe it or not fixed these issues.

Anyway, as the iPad mini 2/Air are obviously underpowered, I still solely believe that a ton of iPad optimization is still definitely needed. The amount of bugs that exist on iPad (aside from lag) is astronomical when compared with an iPhone.

Oh- doesn't the A7 also have quad core graphics, essentially making the A7 equivalent the the A6X in that regard? The A8X has like 6 or 8 cores for graphics I think, but I'm not totally sure on that.

Also, I'm curious-how does the Air 2 handle the translucency effects? Does the keyboard and blurring of the springboard lag when dragging down for spotlight? Does the Siri animation lag? Does rotating the iPad with the keyboard open lag? Is there HORRENDOUS LAG when dragging down the Notification Center or Control Center over the keyboard and translucent "Favorites" area in Safari (When typing in the search field)?) Is there lag when activating Siri with the keyboard open? Is there lag when activating the Notification Center and Control Center over the keyboard?

None of those areas lag on my mothers iPhone 5, or my iPhone 6, but every single one of those instances causes heavy lag on my Mini 2 and my friends Air. They actually are smooth on my other friends iPad 3 because the translucency effects are disabled; It is only a slightly transparent black or gray overlay.

I heard the same places drops frames on iPad air 2 as well, but it's not as bad. It's probably bad optimization, but since air 2 is SO powerful, it covers it to some extent, but of course isn't 100% smooth either.

 

[sanke1]

Hmm.. I'm not sure. Maybe in terms of bugs, but my iPhone 5c with iOS 8.1.1 is so smooth consistently I have zero complaints. I'm one of the people who notice lags and stutters really easily and I'm very sensitive. I've complained a lot in this forum in the past about Apple devices stuttering LOL. At least right now, my 5c is stutter-free.

I am using a 5c and scrolling albums in music app is not smooth as it was in 7.1.2.

I went back and forth with update and downgrade when the window was open.
Overall, iOS 8.1.1 is definitely sluggish on my 5c. I get that feeling because iOS 8 does not register touch consistently.

 

[Imory]

Okay yes I see it dropping frames in weather app. I guess I worded it wrong. I was referring to general UI animations like closing apps, opening and closing app switcher, etc. It's always very consistent and smooth. Even this general UI animation stutters on iPad. Sorry for any confusion.

No worries mate.

 

[TommyA6]

Yeah my mini 2 is sort of pitiful with iOS 8 and laggy UI, mostly because of the translucency effects. One tip I have for you is to keep zoom turned off. For some reason it was plaguing my iPad with lag, rotation would take forever and you would see a black border rotating, THEN the actual content rotating. On the lock screen it does the same thing except twice as bad, with "Slide to Unlock" lagging at 1-5 fps. Exiting safari or messages (especially with the keyboard open) would cause a 20FPS closing animation, it was really sad. Turning zoom off believe it or not fixed these issues. However, even with zoom off there is still a ton of lag regarding any situations with translucency (Aside from Notification Center and Control Center on the 'Home Screen') exiting apps, entering apps, going into or out of app switcher-there is occasional moderate lag. All if it is incredibly sad. A lot of this even existed on 7.1.2.

Anyway, as the iPad mini 2/Air are obviously underpowered, I still solely believe that a ton of iPad optimization is still definitely needed. The amount of bugs that exist on iPad (aside from lag) is astronomical when compared with an iPhone.

Oh- doesn't the A7 also have quad core graphics, essentially making the A7 equivalent the the A6X in that regard? The A8X has like 6 or 8 cores for graphics I think, but I'm not totally sure on that.

Also, I'm curious-how does the Air 2 handle the translucency effects? Does the keyboard and blurring of the springboard lag when dragging down for spotlight? Does the Siri animation lag? Does rotating the iPad with the keyboard open lag? Is there HORRENDOUS LAG when dragging down the Notification Center or Control Center over the keyboard and translucent "Favorites" area in Safari (When typing in the search field)?) Is there lag when activating Siri with the keyboard open? Is there lag when activating the Notification Center and Control Center over the keyboard?

None of those areas lag on my mothers iPhone 5, or my iPhone 6, but every single one of those instances causes heavy lag on my Mini 2 and my friends Air. They actually are smooth on my other friends iPad 3 because the translucency effects are disabled; It is only a slightly transparent black or gray overlay.

All of this is true unfortunately. iPad Air performance on iOS 8.1.1 is pathetic for a device that's barely a year old, especially when iPhone 5 performs noticeably better.
iPad Air 2 is a bit better, but far from consistently 60 fps (iOS 6 and earlier) smooth.
I love iOS 7 and 8 for it's design and features, but the performance is noticeably worse compared to iOS 6 (on iPads). This is unacceptable for their flagship iPads

 

[jonnyb098]

Yeah my mini 2 is sort of pitiful with iOS 8 and laggy UI, mostly because of the translucency effects. One tip I have for you is to keep zoom turned off. For some reason it was plaguing my iPad with lag, rotation would take forever and you would see a black border rotating, THEN the actual content rotating. On the lock screen it does the same thing except twice as bad, with "Slide to Unlock" lagging at 1-5 fps. Exiting safari or messages (especially with the keyboard open) would cause a 20FPS closing animation, it was really sad. Turning zoom off believe it or not fixed these issues. However, even with zoom off there is still a ton of lag regarding any situations with translucency (Aside from Notification Center and Control Center on the 'Home Screen') exiting apps, entering apps, going into or out of app switcher-there is occasional moderate lag. All if it is incredibly sad. A lot of this even existed on 7.1.2.

Anyway, as the iPad mini 2/Air are obviously underpowered, I still solely believe that a ton of iPad optimization is still definitely needed. The amount of bugs that exist on iPad (aside from lag) is astronomical when compared with an iPhone.

Oh- doesn't the A7 also have quad core graphics, essentially making the A7 equivalent the the A6X in that regard? The A8X has like 6 or 8 cores for graphics I think, but I'm not totally sure on that.

Also, I'm curious-how does the Air 2 handle the translucency effects? Does the keyboard and blurring of the springboard lag when dragging down for spotlight? Does the Siri animation lag? Does rotating the iPad with the keyboard open lag? Is there HORRENDOUS LAG when dragging down the Notification Center or Control Center over the keyboard and translucent "Favorites" area in Safari (When typing in the search field)?) Is there lag when activating Siri with the keyboard open? Is there lag when activating the Notification Center and Control Center over the keyboard?

None of those areas lag on my mothers iPhone 5, or my iPhone 6, but every single one of those instances causes heavy lag on my Mini 2 and my friends Air. They actually are smooth on my other friends iPad 3 because the translucency effects are disabled; It is only a slightly transparent black or gray overlay.

The air 2 is much smoother in all the areas you mentioned accept when rotating in spotlight. It's a little jerky. I chalk it all up to bad coding since the iPhone 6 plus has many stuttering issues reported all over these forums.

There are still a few minor annoyances even on the air 2 like scrolling through music, slight jerkiness. Happens on my 5s too. That seems like bad coding to me. Also weird photos app lag when tapping an image in camera roll only. Weird.