Other Something I've noticed with every new iPhone

[no0nefamous]

So here's something I have noticed with every new iPhone I've ever gotten near its release: the visual performance is always subpar with lots of skips and framedrops until closing in on that model's one-year anniversary when it magically stops with a random iOS update immediately.

Here is my iPhone history:

iPhone 5 - got it over a year after release
iPhone SE 1st Generation - At release
iPhone 8 - 3 months after release
iPhone 12 Pro - 2 months after release
iPhone 13 Pro - At release

This has been true for every phone after the 5 for me. Each time, the new phone performs worse than the previous phone until close to that phone's 1 year anniversary. With the 12 Pro, I was disappointed in its performance until July/August of this year when it finally started performing ultra smooth and flawlessly. Now I'm noticing the same thing with the 13 Pro - aside from the 120hz, still seeing hangs and snags where I shouldn't be. But it's also worth nothing that the phones are not slow by any means, they just look subpar visually.

I have a theory that Apple runs overly aggressive battery-saving algorithms for the first ~year of a phone model's life to compensate for all the people who obsess over their battery life, as that is often one of the first things people obsess over and what the media reports on with every new phone.

I also might just be completely insane!

Tell me what you guys think!

 

[Taz Mangus]

I have not experienced any of what you described with my 13 Pro Max. Sure there are bugs that I have encountered, strange instances but for the most part the 13 Pro Max performs exceptionally for me. I have a great display (a unicorn), it never gets warm, no matter what I am having it do and the cherry on top is the amazing battery life. The cameras aren’t too either. Love the macro photography.

 

[fs454]

12PM and 13PM have been visually flawless for me. Only hiccups are in some badly written third party apps (Google apps like sheets/mail).

 

[eyoungren]

So here's something I have noticed with every new iPhone I've ever gotten near its release: the visual performance is always subpar with lots of skips and framedrops until closing in on that model's one-year anniversary when it magically stops with a random iOS update immediately.

Here is my iPhone history:

iPhone 5 - got it over a year after release
iPhone SE 1st Generation - At release
iPhone 8 - 3 months after release
iPhone 12 Pro - 2 months after release
iPhone 13 Pro - At release

This has been true for every phone after the 5 for me. Each time, the new phone performs worse than the previous phone until close to that phone's 1 year anniversary. With the 12 Pro, I was disappointed in its performance until July/August of this year when it finally started performing ultra smooth and flawlessly. Now I'm noticing the same thing with the 13 Pro - aside from the 120hz, still seeing hangs and snags where I shouldn't be. But it's also worth nothing that the phones are not slow by any means, they just look subpar visually.

I have a theory that Apple runs overly aggressive battery-saving algorithms for the first ~year of a phone model's life to compensate for all the people who obsess over their battery life, as that is often one of the first things people obsess over and what the media reports on with every new phone.

I also might just be completely insane!

Tell me what you guys think!

Never had that experience. But assuming you're right for the moment - perhaps the issue is iOS and not the phone? Each iPhone release corresponds with an iOS upgrade.

I have an iPhone 6s+ that was on iOS 9.0.1 from October 2015 to January 2021. If what you say is true this is something I would have been experiencing for six years. But I didn't.

And my 6s+ still has the original battery.

 

[JM]

My theory is that Apple programmers just have a year to really dial in the new OS version, while with new phones there is only that Beta period.

 

[Paddle1]

I think part of it is that iOS just gets more polished the longer it's been out. The other part being that newer updates are better optimized for the latest hardware.

I remember the iPhone 6s was actually faster on iOS 10 than its original version (9).

 

[now i see it]

Never experienced that.
But just install a new version of iOS in August (near its EOL) and you’ll get the best it ever was.

 

[no0nefamous]

Never had that experience. But assuming you're right for the moment - perhaps the issue is iOS and not the phone? Each iPhone release corresponds with an iOS upgrade.

No I'm not saying it's the phone, definitely something with iOS, either due to aggressive battery-saving scripts, or this:

My theory is that Apple programmers just have a year to really dial in the new OS version, while with new phones there is only that Beta period.

This is also possible, I just wish I weren't experiencing a "beta" period on brand new flagships.

Never experienced that.
But just install a new version of iOS in August (near its EOL) and you’ll get the best it ever was.

For clarification, for all of my previous phones, my perception is that once they were around a year from their original release they would work perfectly from all updates there on out.

 

[JM]

No I'm not saying it's the phone, definitely something with iOS, either due to aggressive battery-saving scripts, or this:


This is also possible, I just wish I weren't experiencing a "beta" period on brand new flagships.



For clarification, for all of my previous phones, my perception is that once they were around a year from their original release they would work perfectly from all updates there on out.

Yeah, me neither. I want my tech polished and not act as a beta tester.

I never bought a brand new phone current year phone until this year (12 mini last doesn’t count as I had it three days). I always really enjoyed one year old model and thought it was a great deal. (Especially for the reason you brought up with the iOS stemmed got more polished! That was my experience)

 

[TheMountainLife]

I haven't experienced this but I also disable motion and just use the fade transitions. It seems my phone performs smoother and I don't have to be bothered with everything I do/touch being animated.

 

[JM]

I haven't experienced this but I also disable motion and just use the fade transitions. It seems my phone performs smoother and I don't have to be bothered with everything I do/touch being animated.

The only annoyance with disable motion, that I have, is that it significantly alters the multitasking functionality; and having the animation of the cards appearing helps with quickly understanding and navigating to different cards.

 

[Fred Zed]

I have not experienced any of what you described with my 13 Pro Max. Sure there are bugs that I have encountered, strange instances but for the most part the 13 Pro Max performs exceptionally for me. I have a great display (a unicorn), it never gets warm, no matter what I am having it do and the cherry on top is the amazing battery life. The cameras aren’t too either. Love the macro photography.

Me neither. Just poor screen uniformity and stainless steel frame damages. 🤣

 

[TheMountainLife]

The only annoyance with disable motion, that I have, is that it significantly alters the multitasking functionality; and having the animation of the cards appearing helps with quickly understanding and navigating to different cards.

Good to know. Can you elaborate on the multitasking part? I didn't know I was missing out on something. Are you referring to the ability to peek/see the content of the apps when the multitask menu is up?

 

[Fatus_Asticus]

Don’t see this with my 13pm. Consider a reset or rma if that doesn’t clear it up.

 

[MacLappy]

So here's something I have noticed with every new iPhone I've ever gotten near its release: the visual performance is always subpar with lots of skips and framedrops until closing in on that model's one-year anniversary when it magically stops with a random iOS update immediately.

Here is my iPhone history:

iPhone 5 - got it over a year after release
iPhone SE 1st Generation - At release
iPhone 8 - 3 months after release
iPhone 12 Pro - 2 months after release
iPhone 13 Pro - At release

This has been true for every phone after the 5 for me. Each time, the new phone performs worse than the previous phone until close to that phone's 1 year anniversary. With the 12 Pro, I was disappointed in its performance until July/August of this year when it finally started performing ultra smooth and flawlessly. Now I'm noticing the same thing with the 13 Pro - aside from the 120hz, still seeing hangs and snags where I shouldn't be. But it's also worth nothing that the phones are not slow by any means, they just look subpar visually.

I have a theory that Apple runs overly aggressive battery-saving algorithms for the first ~year of a phone model's life to compensate for all the people who obsess over their battery life, as that is often one of the first things people obsess over and what the media reports on with every new phone.

I also might just be completely insane!

Tell me what you guys think!

There were 2 upgrades in particular that felt universally slower for me.

iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4.
iPhone 5S to iPhone 6 Plus.

Those 2 iPhones were notably sluggish. Mainly I would think, because of the push towards a higher resolution display.

Other then that, I think there and 2 major noticeable phase for every other iPhone release.

1. 3rd party application getting updates to support the latest hardware, usually happens pretty quickly unless the app is dead. In between the time of launch of new iPhones and the software update, these apps can sometimes perform worst on new iPhones compared to the last iteration.

2. iOS kinks that get worked out in the first year of a new iPhone’s life, this tends to climate at the end of the first year.

So at the end of that first year cycle, there is a tendency to think of our year old iPhone as being in it’s most stable phase.

To a certain degree it is theoretically true, but in reality it is likely because it is more feasible for Apple to shift debugging focus and generation attention in it’s next iOS build to it’s latest product(latest iPhone) so older product no longer get the same attention and experience a plateau of sorts in terms of performance enhancement via software.

The cycle then repeats itself. It’s the circle of “digital” life.

So no, not crazy. Unless I am too!

 

[JM]

Good to know. Can you elaborate on the multitasking part? I didn't know I was missing out on something. Are you referring to the ability to peek/see the content of the apps when the multitask menu is up?

When on reduce motion, the cards swipe one at a time (as opposed to as quick as your finger moves), and so it is more difficult to quickly peek at a bottom card for information, and is slower to shuffle through the cards. In other words, then normal operation is very fluid, while the reduce motion is stuttered and intentional.

The transition to the cards in normal mode you get to see the cards appear up with the motion of your finger and so it’s much easier to orient yourself at the beginning of the multitasking environment. (With reduce motion on, it is abrupt, and that jolt is interrupting to me).

 

[TheMountainLife]

When on reduce motion, the cards swipe one at a time (as opposed to as quick as your finger moves), and so it is more difficult to quickly peek at a bottom card for information, and is slower to shuffle through the cards. In other words, then normal operation is very fluid, while the reduce motion is stuttered and intentional.

The transition to the cards in normal mode you get to see the cards appear up with the motion of your finger and so it’s much easier to orient yourself at the beginning of the multitasking environment. (With reduce motion on, it is abrupt, and that jolt is interrupting to me).

Ah ok gotcha. Funny its the opposite for me, all of the extra movements makes me sort of dizzy and its completely turned off for my mother since she has epilepsy.

 

[JM]

Ah ok gotcha. Funny its the opposite for me, all of the extra movements makes me sort of dizzy and its completely turned off for my mother since she has epilepsy.

(Sorry for your dizziness and your mom’s epilepsy.)

That’s cool to hear that the reduce motion is working as intended to address an Accessibility concern.

 

[joeblow7777]

So here's something I have noticed with every new iPhone I've ever gotten near its release: the visual performance is always subpar with lots of skips and framedrops until closing in on that model's one-year anniversary when it magically stops with a random iOS update immediately.

Here is my iPhone history:

iPhone 5 - got it over a year after release
iPhone SE 1st Generation - At release
iPhone 8 - 3 months after release
iPhone 12 Pro - 2 months after release
iPhone 13 Pro - At release

This has been true for every phone after the 5 for me. Each time, the new phone performs worse than the previous phone until close to that phone's 1 year anniversary. With the 12 Pro, I was disappointed in its performance until July/August of this year when it finally started performing ultra smooth and flawlessly. Now I'm noticing the same thing with the 13 Pro - aside from the 120hz, still seeing hangs and snags where I shouldn't be. But it's also worth nothing that the phones are not slow by any means, they just look subpar visually.

I have a theory that Apple runs overly aggressive battery-saving algorithms for the first ~year of a phone model's life to compensate for all the people who obsess over their battery life, as that is often one of the first things people obsess over and what the media reports on with every new phone.

I also might just be completely insane!

Tell me what you guys think!

I can't say that that's been my experience. If anything, one would think that it makes more sense to have the phones run buttery smooth when they launch and then start to act up when a new model is on the horizon, not the opposite.

I've owned the 3Gs, 5s, 6, 8 Plus, and 12 Pro Max. All, except for the 3Gs, purchased within 1-2 months of launch.

 

[no0nefamous]

Bumping this thread to say that, sure enough, this trend I have noticed continues to hold true:

the iPhone 13 Pro is SIGNIFICANTLY smoother with the iOS 15.4 release, 6 months into the device's life (which is sooner than my previous experiences). This pattern of the newest model running poorly for a large portion of it's initial life and then finally running smooth after X number of updates has been so consistent for me that I'm not sure I will ever buy an iPhone within it's first 8-10 months of release again.

 

[now i see it]

I'm not sure I will ever buy an iPhone within it's first 8-10 months of release again.

I’ve mentioned this many times in other threads. Launch day iPhones suck because they’re shipped with essentially beta software.
Personally, the only time I’d buy an iPhone is the summer, just before the next version of iOS drops.

 

[LFC2020]

I have not experienced any of what you described with my 13 Pro Max. Sure there are bugs that I have encountered, strange instances but for the most part the 13 Pro Max performs exceptionally for me. I have a great display (a unicorn), it never gets warm, no matter what I am having it do and the cherry on top is the amazing battery life. The cameras aren’t too either. Love the macro photography.

Same here, purring like a new born kitten nursing on the nipple. 👌

 

[no0nefamous]

Same here, purring like a new born kitten nursing on the nipple. ?

How many more of these analogies you got?

 

[LFC2020]

How many more of these analogies you got?

Lmao!!!

You haven’t seen the last of them, that’s for sure. ?

 

[no0nefamous]

Bumping thread again that, disappointingly, after drastically improving the smoothness of the 13 Pro with 15.4, the smoothness was immediately dialed back with 15.4.1. Not all the way back, but enough that I'm once again annoyed.