iPhone 6+ Lag

[AppleRobert]

I'm a pretty big Apple fan, and am still considering switching to a 6 Plus (from the 6 that I picked up yesterday), but I find the stuttering in the 6 Plus during certain scenarios to be readily apparent.

I can easily believe that many, if not the majority, of consumers (and even people on MR) can't see much of the stuttering. It's one of those things that some people are more sensitive to than others. I've had friends who swore that their older Android devices never showed any lag, only to switch to iOS (or a newer and much more powerful Android device) and then they suddenly realized their prior phone was "laggy".

The latency and/or stuttering is most apparent when compared directly against the iPhone 6, which is the smoothest and best-performing mobile device I've yet encountered. It also doesn't appear everywhere, but is quite noticeable when scrolling through down a large website, changing wallpapers, switching to landscape mode, and occasionally when bringing up the app switcher and control center.

That said, the 6 Plus has numerous advantages over the 6, including the sharper display and 20-40% better battery life.

If "theverge" qualifies as large website, using cellular or wifi I encounter no lag whatsoever. Maybe folks should consider the network as a possible source of contention. If that is ruled out, then resetting the iPhone.

Other than that, do some tests at a local Apple Store. I would be the first to dump the Plus for the 6 which I originally owned if Safari browsing was an issue because it is one thing I do most on a daily basis.

The Plus FLIES!

 

[Dmunjal]

We all respect your decision.

That being said, simple logic dictates it is a software problem. You don't have to be a computer programer, or engineer to realize this. If the iPad air can handle iOS 8 flawlessly, yet the iPhone 6 has some lag, and the 6+ even more lag...what does that tell you?

I have both phones, and both have lag.

If the apple A7 chip can handle iOS 8 better, on the iPAD air, than the A8 in the new iPhones...its a software issue. Plain and simple.

Not so plain and simple. The Air doesn't have to downscale for every frame that the plus has to. That is a hit on the GPU.

 

[BlueGoldAce]

Not so plain and simple. The Air doesn't have to downscale for every frame that the plus has to. That is a hit on the GPU.

How much of a hit? Do you understand the inner workings? Andantech doesn't cite it as a problem...but I can't rule out your comment.

None-the-less....there are several reports that iOS 8.1 beta eliminated this lag, which would support my point of view.

 

[utahman130]

I've noticed my 6 plus gets stuck in landscape and can't switch to portrait sometimes, I have to quit the app and open it again. Also, some jitters when in multitasking

 

[xmichaelp]

You don't have a faulty unit. Mine stutters here and there, too. It's clear that Apple has pulled another "iPad 3," which suffered from UI lag due to its increased resolution and too-weak GPU to power it.

Huh? The GPU is much much faster than past years iPad's with higher resolution. The problem isn't the 1080p, it's the downscaling crap.

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I think there's just not enough power under the hood to run this big ass screen. Why apple used the same exact processors in the 6 and 6+ is beyond me!

Then explain why the iPad doesn't lag with higher resolution. It's the downscaling.

 

[macduke]

You don't have a faulty unit. Mine stutters here and there, too. It's clear that Apple has pulled another "iPad 3," which suffered from UI lag due to its increased resolution and too-weak GPU to power it.

Sure. Then explain this: The iPad 4, which ran at 2048x1536 flawlessly, has a 3D mark score of 10879, while the iPhone 6 Plus has a score of 17842. The iPhone 6 Plus runs at 1920x1080. The graphics chip is plenty fast. I think there are some issues with the scaler that drives things down slightly from @3X to 1080p. More than likely it's just a bug fix, though I suppose the extra overhead could cause things to occasionally lag. If the latter is the case they might also be able to optimize it in software. It only happens occasionally and we're very early in game here. I'm more concerned about apps that crash with the 1GB of RAM on a 64-bit device. We need RAM compression.

 

[xmichaelp]

Lol this is funny. Folks, it's the SAME hardware in every plus and they ALL have the same problem: DOWNSCALING.

You may not notice it, as the "desktop class" scaler does do a pretty good job, but let's be honest: pretty good doesn't cut it for most fanboys (myself included lol).

It jitters and stutters similar to an iPad 3. That's a great comparison.

The plus is a gimped 6 with a bigger screen. If you have to have the bigger screen, go for it, otherwise the 6 is the superior hardware for now. OIS is needed because of the unwieldy size too, and the battery is required to push that giant screen (why battery life isnt as crazy as some thought it'd be). They aren't "features" they're necessary so the plus doesn't fall further behind.

Love my 6, and everyone I know that's switched (10+ people) do too.

No more jitterbug lol

Lol you sound so insecure justifying your purchase. The plus has much better battery life, a clearer screen, and OIS which is a big addition (your rationale that the 6 doesn't need it is comical at best).

 

[Dmunjal]

How much of a hit? Do you understand the inner workings? Andantech doesn't cite it as a problem...but I can't rule out your comment.

None-the-less....there are several reports that iOS 8.1 beta eliminated this lag, which would support my point of view.

I've seen enough to see that there is a difference. Haven't tested 8.1 but some have said there is no difference.

Anand is an Apple employee now so he is no longer impartial.

 

[BlueGoldAce]

Um... I thought he kept andantech for Apple... Leaving behind the other writers?

 

[cababah]

The 6 I had was a little bit smoother than the 6+ but overall it still feels fast enough.

 

[avanpelt]

I've noticed my 6 plus gets stuck in landscape and can't switch to portrait sometimes, I have to quit the app and open it again.

I think that is an iOS 8 problem or an app-specific problem. I'm using 8.0.2 and I had that problem with Apple Maps on my 5s three times yesterday. The map would switch to landscape on its own and no matter how many times I rotated my phone, the map would not rotate. When I closed the app and reopened it, the map would be in portrait again.

Edit: I've run into this issue several more times today with the Messages app. It just randomly switches to landscape mode without me rotating the phone to landscape orientation. Once it rotates to landscape, there's no way to get it to go back to portrait except to force close the app or to turn rotation lock on.

It's funny that if I hold the phone in portrait and turn rotation lock on, the Messages app returns to portrait from landscape. As soon as I turn rotation lock off -- even while keeping the phone in portrait orientation -- the Messages app switches back to landscape. Something is definitely screwy.

 

[2IS]

Um... I thought he kept andantech for Apple... Leaving behind the other writers?

Correct, Anand Lal Shimpi left Anandtech for Apple. The site and every other editor that hasn't left has no known affiliation (that I'm aware of) with Apple. I'd still trust their reviews over most anyone else's personally.

 

[avanpelt]

You don't have a faulty unit. Mine stutters here and there, too. It's clear that Apple has pulled another "iPad 3," which suffered from UI lag due to its increased resolution and too-weak GPU to power it.

However, I'm hoping that Apple can optimize iOS 8 so that the animations don't lag as much on the 6 Plus. Send Apple feedback or better yet send a bug report.

What concerns me is just how bad this thing is going to run on iOS 9 and 10 (X). Yikes.

I learned my lesson with the third-gen iPad not to buy the "latest and greatest" right after they do a major overhaul of the hardware like they did going from non-retina to retina. Running iOS 7, the third-gen iPad lags and stutters doing most things and I fear that putting iOS 8 on it would only make it lag and stutter even more.

I'm going to sit out the iPhone 6/6 Plus and keep trucking with my iPhone 5s. I'll let them work out the kinks and learn a little bit more about how the higher resolution/larger displays impact the CPU and GPU performance and I bet they'll put more horsepower under the hood for the next iteration of the iPhone just like they did when they went from the third-gen iPad to the iPad 4.

 

[iphone3gnj]

I learned my lesson with the third-gen iPad not to buy the "latest and greatest" right after they do a major overhaul of the hardware like they did going from non-retina to retina. Running iOS 7, the third-gen iPad lags and stutters doing most things and I fear that putting iOS 8 on it would only make it lag and stutter even more.

I'm going to sit out the iPhone 6/6 Plus and keep trucking with my iPhone 5s. I'll let them work out the kinks and learn a little bit more about how the higher resolution/larger displays impact the CPU and GPU performance and I bet they'll put more horsepower under the hood for the next iteration of the iPhone just like they did when they went from the third-gen iPad to the iPad 4.

That's exactly what I am doing ecxept I have an iPhone 5. I returned the 6+ more so because it sucked at multi-taking. I was only able to keep 2-3 apps in memory along with 2-3 tabs open in Safari without reloading. Sometimes all tabs got dumped and reloaded depending on what apps were open. If I went to another app that was open beyond the most recent 2-3, it would reload. The stutter was icing on the cake. For me, that is not acceptable for a $1000 phone. Going back to a 4" screen sucks though.

 

[utahman130]

Tweetbot is lagging as well. Tweetbot is updated for iOS 8 and iPhone 6 Plus. Really bad lag.

 

[datamage]

Care to see a performance issue?

While in the App Store, tap on any of the screenshots for an app, then rotate your phone. The framerate while rotating is terrible.

People are misusing the word, it isn't lag, as in response time, it's a performance issue. The phone has inconsistent performance. Sometimes a particular animation is smooth, sometimes it stutters. (Not unlike most Android phones.)

While 8.1 did appear to help a bit, the performance is still inconsistent. Not what I'd expect when using a current iOS device.

 

[cababah]

Care to see a performance issue?

While in the App Store, tap on any of the screenshots for an app, then rotate your phone. The framerate while rotating is terrible.

People are misusing the word, it isn't lag, as in response time, it's a performance issue. The phone has inconsistent performance. Sometimes a particular animation is smooth, sometimes it stutters. (Not unlike most Android phones.)

While 8.1 did appear to help a bit, the performance is still inconsistent. Not what I'd expect when using a current iOS device.

The iPad Air was the same when it came with iOS 7.0 and then 7.1 really sped things up. I have a feeling iOS 8.1+ will help.

 

[msae]

I remember the 5s having a good deal of stutter at launch; notably when pulling up control center. I notice a little stutter here or there on the 6 Plus, but I don't have an iPhone 6 to compare. Can someone please post a video of these "lag tests" carried out on the iPhone 6? Tweetbot, App Store, etc. would be really helpful.

I read an article somewhere stating that the OpenGL and Metal API's allow for rendering at the exact screen resolution, which would avoid downscaling. Once devs update their apps, I think the stuttering will be gone. GFXBench now shows the 6 Plus at a higher frame rate than the 6 when rendering on-screen at 1080p.

 

[chunology]

No lag on my Six Plus here - I'm super sensitive about these things, too. Buttery smooth.

 

[gCloud]

No lag on my Six Plus here - I'm super sensitive about these things, too. Buttery smooth.

Compare side by side with a 6

 

[utahman130]

I remember the 5s having a good deal of stutter at launch; notably when pulling up control center. I notice a little stutter here or there on the 6 Plus, but I don't have an iPhone 6 to compare. Can someone please post a video of these "lag tests" carried out on the iPhone 6? Tweetbot, App Store, etc. would be really helpful.

I read an article somewhere stating that the OpenGL and Metal API's allow for rendering at the exact screen resolution, which would avoid downscaling. Once devs update their apps, I think the stuttering will be gone. GFXBench now shows the 6 Plus at a higher frame rate than the 6 when rendering on-screen at 1080p.

Tweetbot updated their app for the 6 plus and it lags more than ever

 

[chunology]

Compare side by side with a 6

I just did... opened the same apps side by side, opened folders, tried multitasking - still super smooth on both devices. Not noticing any lag.

 

[itjw]

Lol you sound so insecure justifying your purchase. The plus has much better battery life, a clearer screen, and OIS which is a big addition (your rationale that the 6 doesn't need it is comical at best).

You can try and justify the "features" all you want, but most people out there can understand why tablets and phablets (in this case) NEED OIS. What other consumer product with a camera has similar dimensions? Stand alone cameras sure don't. Phablets are HARDER to stabilize than phones are, and need OIS significantly more because of that.

If you don't believe that, THAT is "comical".

Enjoy your laggy iPhone Titanic. I really couldn't care less. What's funny to me is all the people who make excuses for the jittering by saying it doesn't bother them, or that it isn't a problem...

They sound exactly like my Android using friends who claim their OS is just as smooth as iOS.

It's NOT. The 6 doesn't lag at ALL, but the Plus DOES.

For the millionth time, it's not because of insecurity, it's because of DOWNSCALING.

If I wanted Plus I could have picked up the one my brother returned lol. Nope. Perfectly happy with a phone that doesn't have to struggle to downscale everything it displays, thank you very much =P, and so is he now that he swapped for a 6 instead.

If you enjoy LagZilla, GFY (Good For You... what did you think I meant???).

I sure wouldn't be happy if my brand new device jittered and stuttered like that, but then again, I bought the NON-lag model from the get go .

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Tweetbot updated their app for the 6 plus and it lags more than ever

Oddly enough, on the 6, no lag at all...

Hmm...

Probably just my insecurity. LOL

 

[msae]

Please post videos of the lag in Tweetbot. One for the iPhone 6 and one for the 6 Plus. I'm not saying the Plus has no stutter problem, but I'd really, really like to see if it's even remotely present on the iPhone 6.

 

[2IS]

You can try and justify the "features" all you want, but most people out there can understand why tablets and phablets (in this case) NEED OIS. What other consumer product with a camera has similar dimensions? Stand alone cameras sure don't. Phablets are HARDER to stabilize than phones are, and need OIS significantly more because of that.

If you don't believe that, THAT is "comical".

Enjoy your laggy iPhone Titanic. I really couldn't care less. What's funny to me is all the people who make excuses for the jittering by saying it doesn't bother them, or that it isn't a problem...

They sound exactly like my Android using friends who claim their OS is just as smooth as iOS.

It's NOT. The 6 doesn't lag at ALL, but the Plus DOES.

For the millionth time, it's not because of insecurity, it's because of DOWNSCALING.

If I wanted Plus I could have picked up the one my brother returned lol. Nope. Perfectly happy with a phone that doesn't have to struggle to downscale everything it displays, thank you very much =P, and so is he now that he swapped for a 6 instead.

If you enjoy LagZilla, GFY (Good For You... what did you think I meant???).

I sure wouldn't be happy if my brand new device jittered and stuttered like that, but then again, I bought the NON-lag model from the get go .

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Oddly enough, on the 6, no lag at all...

Hmm...

Probably just my insecurity. LOL

If anyone had any doubt as to your insecurities before, you left no doubt this time around.

Here's a fact that you'll need to make friends with. The 6 does have some stutter issues (nowhere near as severe as you're pretending) that said, an iPhone 6 plus user can do the same things an iPhone 6 user can. The opposite cannot be said.

Considering the nature of your posts here, I have no doubt the facts, as I've laid them out to you here, will cause you more than a little discomfort when you sleep tonight.