How do Android users feel about high-end Android phones losing performance battles against iPhones?

[ControlD]

I agree with you there. However, speed is a feature. And a major one at that.

I don't disagree with that. However, I feel like almost every phone above mid-level is "fast enough" these days. I suppose a lot of it comes down to what you are using your phone for. My needs are pretty simple and I don't expect my phone to replace my PC.

I agree with you but its only a feature to a certain point, both families of phones have been fast enough since the IP5 came out and whatever else android had at the time GS3? currently it makes little difference

phones have gotten to where computers are for the 99%.

That's how I feel as well. Also, for the most part app developers aren't coding for the most powerful phones out there anyhow. They want to reach the biggest market possible which is probably middle of the road. I think improved features like better cameras, longer battery life etc. have more of an impact these days than pure processing speed does.

 

[Eug]

I don't disagree with that. However, I feel like almost every phone above mid-level is "fast enough" these days. I suppose a lot of it comes down to what you are using your phone for. My needs are pretty simple and I don't expect my phone to replace my PC.


That's how I feel as well. Also, for the most part app developers aren't coding for the most powerful phones out there anyhow. They want to reach the biggest market possible which is probably middle of the road. I think improved features like better cameras, longer battery life etc. have more of an impact these days than pure processing speed does.

Largely I agree with you, but oh man, the iPhone 7 Plus is so bloody fast, it's totally changed the way I view these things. It's basically lag-free in everything I do, and a large part of that is surfing. I mentioned in another thread that in the past my previous response to various new phones (and old ones) was something like this:

1) "Ouch, that's really laggy. It sucks."
2) "Hey, that's very good. Not much lag at all and nice to use."
3) Something in between 1 and 2.

With the iPhone 7 Plus, now it's "Holy hell, that's totally awesome." I have never ever had a response like this to a phone before, including all the iPhones we've had before including the 3G, 4, 5, 5S, and 6s, in any iOS version.

It's set a whole new high bar, and I'm going to expect at least this going forward now.

BTW, for basic use, I think even the 5 with iOS 10 is "fast enough" for most GUI functionality, and for surfing the 6s is "fast enough". But the 7 Plus is on a whole different level. And I generally don't even game on my phone, so gaming speed isn't even part of that comparison.

In fact, it's so smooth at everything, now my admittedly old laptop just seems that much slower. I've been trying to keep myself on my Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro until 10 nm comes out, but I may just have to upgrade it sooner. The iPhone 7 Plus makes it seem like an antique in comparison.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Apple dissers:
A6 era - Ahaha look how slow Apple SoCs are!
A7 to A9 era - Single core doesn't matter, multicore matters!
A10 era - It's too overpowered for a phone, it's useless!

 

[WhiteNoise]

I owned and loved the iphone 4 and 4s. Great phones that always worked. I had always been a android user and pretty much hated my experience with android which is why I eventually bought the iphone 4. Like I said the 4 and 4s were fantastic. never any lockups, never any crashes, never any lag, it just worked perfectly, BUT I hated how simple it was, and how much less control I had over the way it looked.

So then I switched to a Nokia Lumia 1020 windows 8 phone. Biggest mistake yet. Great camera but crap app support, always locking up, dropping calls, crashing... then I went back to android and boy did they come a long way since I last used that OS. Started with a LG G3. liked it quite a bit but had some issues like lag & slow camera, then I bought a LG G4 hoping to get away from the lag and slow camera but no...that had the same issues. Then I bought the LG V10 and man was this a great phone but it still suffered from lag and slow camera but all in all it was the best of the bunch. Then I started having issues just placing calls, the V10 would take anywhere from 10 seconds to 1 minute to connect to a call when dialing out. That was driving me crazy and to top it off it would always disconnect from my home wifi, so i went back to the store, and bought an iphone 6s Plus. Best move I could have made. Camera works perfect and takes great pictures, phone OS is super super fast with zero lag ever, screen is a perfect size for me as the V10 was a bit too large, everything just works perfectly on the 6s plus. I am back to a simple phone but at least it works as it should. I upgrade every six months or so depending on how much I like my current phone and I would not mind trying out a Samsung Note 7 maybe but honestly I cannot complain about this iphone. It's fantastic.

 

[Eug]

bought an iphone 6s Plus. Best move I could have made. Camera works perfect and takes great pictures, phone OS is super super fast with zero lag ever

We don't have the 6s Plus, but we do have the 6s. It is almost lag free, but if you want to experience what lag free really is, check out the 7 Plus. It's on a whole other level of smoothness.

 

[WhiteNoise]

We don't have the 6s Plus, but we do have the 6s. It is almost lag free, but if you want to experience what lag free really is, check out the 7 Plus. It's on a whole other level of smoothness.

I have checked it out. They have both models on display at T-mobile. It didn't feel any faster than my 6S Plus but then again i was just messing with it in store. I know for a fact that it is faster. But like I said, mine has never lagged at all so all in all I'm content or I should say: very happy.

 

[MarkizSchnitzel]

screen is a perfect size for me as the V10 was a bit too large

LG V10 and 6S Plus are the same size, to a mm. It's only that LG managed to cram in bigger screen with less bezels. Just saying, when we really like something, we tend to look at it through pink glasses

 

[0H4U]

I think to an extent all the comparisons out there, especially the one that most people are pointing to right now, load the dice in favour of the iPhone when it doesn't really need to be loaded - we know the NAND's faster (to a degree), and we know the A10 has a lead in terms of performance. Combined with the low-MP camera compared to the better-camera Android (and Windows Phone) flagships, of course things will feel snappier. It's all a tradeoff. For the majority of people who don't care the iPhone is undoubtedly among the best tradeoffs in terms of UX, but the level of 'look how insanely fast this is' championing is a little tiresome - you'd have thought the Apple "fans" would find something else to assuage their ego to latch onto after all these years... but maybe not.

 

[senseamp]

I feel good about it. Means in a couple years, when it's time for me to upgrade from my S6, Android phones will see a nice CPU bump as other SOC makers catch up.
Presently, I am happy about my phone's performance, so it's low on the list of things I care about.
For me, as long as CPU is good enough, the important things are:
- Packaging efficiency, meaning bigger screen, smaller bezels and no need dongles for basic functionality.
- Camera
- Screen quality (AMOLED)
- Screen resolution (just care about it being full HD or better)
- Price (off contract with discounts/goodies)
- Wireless charging, I love just being able to put the phone down and not mess around with the cable.

 

[WhiteNoise]

LG V10 and 6S Plus are the same size, to a mm. It's only that LG managed to cram in bigger screen with less bezels. Just saying, when we really like something, we tend to look at it through pink glasses

I wasn't talking about the phone size. I was talking about the screen size. The V10 has a longer screen. Not wider. Using one hand it was a tuff stretch but with the iphone I can reach the entire screen much easier with my thumb. The V10 IS a longer reach no pink glasses here. lol

 

[StrangerGuy]

I owned and loved the iphone 4 and 4s. Great phones that always worked. I had always been a android user and pretty much hated my experience with android which is why I eventually bought the iphone 4. Like I said the 4 and 4s were fantastic. never any lockups, never any crashes, never any lag, it just worked perfectly, BUT I hated how simple it was, and how much less control I had over the way it looked.

So then I switched to a Nokia Lumia 1020 windows 8 phone. Biggest mistake yet. Great camera but crap app support, always locking up, dropping calls, crashing... then I went back to android and boy did they come a long way since I last used that OS. Started with a LG G3. liked it quite a bit but had some issues like lag & slow camera, then I bought a LG G4 hoping to get away from the lag and slow camera but no...that had the same issues. Then I bought the LG V10 and man was this a great phone but it still suffered from lag and slow camera but all in all it was the best of the bunch. Then I started having issues just placing calls, the V10 would take anywhere from 10 seconds to 1 minute to connect to a call when dialing out. That was driving me crazy and to top it off it would always disconnect from my home wifi, so i went back to the store, and bought an iphone 6s Plus. Best move I could have made. Camera works perfect and takes great pictures, phone OS is super super fast with zero lag ever, screen is a perfect size for me as the V10 was a bit too large, everything just works perfectly on the 6s plus. I am back to a simple phone but at least it works as it should. I upgrade every six months or so depending on how much I like my current phone and I would not mind trying out a Samsung Note 7 maybe but honestly I cannot complain about this iphone. It's fantastic.

That is the sort of crap rightfully relegating Android to the land of <$200 ASP. This is not to say Android doesn't have awesome value when priced at the bottom end of things (just got a SD650/3GB/1080p 6.44" Mi Max for $170 as a portable dumb video player) where compromises are still acceptable, but as a $600+ flagships anywhere remotely near the market impact like the iPhone in eyes of the consumer: furgetaboutit.

 

[antihelten]

LG V10 and 6S Plus are the same size, to a mm.

No they're not. The V10 is 1.4mm taller, 1.4mm wider and 1.3mm thicker. The increase in height doesn't really matter, and whilst you probably would be able to tell the difference in width visually, most people would be able to tell the difference in hand especially when combined with the increase in thickness, this only being exasperated by the V10 not having the same degree of rounded edges as the 6S plus does.

 

[MarkizSchnitzel]

No they're not. The V10 is 1.4mm taller, 1.4mm wider and 1.3mm thicker. The increase in height doesn't really matter, and whilst you probably would be able to tell the difference in width visually, most people would be able to tell the difference in hand especially when combined with the increase in thickness, this only being exasperated by the V10 not having the same degree of rounded edges as the 6S plus does.

I'm sure that apple dimensioned it's phone like it did for a reason. Perhaps it was the upper limit of what they estimated most people can handle.

Nevertheless, the difference to my conscious brain, looking at the pictures seems to be so tiny it's ridiculous. Especially knowing that the screen is actually substantially larger, which is, IMHO, a more than fair tradeoff.

Overlayed

PS: how the hell do I post an image here now?

 

[Red Storm]

Ever since work swapped out my 6 Plus for a 6S, I have relied on using only my work issued phone instead of keeping a work and personal cell. I have to say, for all the talk the 6S got about amazing benchmark numbers, I'm not seeing this translate to use. Still seeing the same lagging/pausing (I feel like iOS hides lag by pausing instead, so you don't see laggy movement but you also don't see anything move) when browsing pages quickly or trying to scroll through lists. Color me unimpressed. The only difference I've noticed is faster Touch ID and less tab reloading thanks to double the RAM.

 

[antihelten]

I'm sure that apple dimensioned it's phone like it did for a reason. Perhaps it was the upper limit of what they estimated most people can handle.

Nevertheless, the difference to my conscious brain, looking at the pictures seems to be so tiny it's ridiculous. Especially knowing that the screen is actually substantially larger, which is, IMHO, a more than fair tradeoff.

Overlayed

PS: how the hell do I post an image here now?

Yes they may look quite similar visually (except for thickness, the V10 is clearly thicker), but the point is not which phone looks bigger/smaller, but rather which phone feels bigger/smaller in hand, and I'm fairly certain that most people would be able to tell the difference between the V10 and the 6S plus when they hold it.

Regarding images there should be a button when you reply, otherwise

[IMG]url[/IMG]

should still work.

 

[Zaap]

Ever since work swapped out my 6 Plus for a 6S, I have relied on using only my work issued phone instead of keeping a work and personal cell. I have to say, for all the talk the 6S got about amazing benchmark numbers, I'm not seeing this translate to use. Still seeing the same lagging/pausing (I feel like iOS hides lag by pausing instead, so you don't see laggy movement but you also don't see anything move) when browsing pages quickly or trying to scroll through lists. Color me unimpressed. The only difference I've noticed is faster Touch ID and less tab reloading thanks to double the RAM.

All this stuff about 'lag' to this level where it's like something of an obsession (sorry, it just reads that way)... I just don't even comprehend taking it this far. 'Lag' at this level just doesn't matter a hill of beans in real world usage.

 

[Red Storm]

All this stuff about 'lag' to this level where it's like something of an obsession (sorry, it just reads that way)... I just don't even comprehend taking it this far. 'Lag' at this level just doesn't matter a hill of beans in real world usage.

Well when a high end phone lags, nobody likes to see that. I just remember a lot of amazing claims about the 6S's performance, but I'm not seeing those benchmarks translate to the real world. Which I expected honestly. But you keep hearing stuff about x SoC being 50% or more faster, and it makes you wonder just how much that actually translate to in the real world.

 

[Zaap]

I just find it funny that every single iPhone release since the 4 I've heard a chorus of "It doesn't lag.. at all!" and its just butter smooth etc etc etc...

... and I fully look forward to after the iPhone 8 comes out (not holding my breath for that of course) hearing "OMG! The iPhone 7 lags soooo bad...!"

If most of this 'lag' stuff we've heard about for years were really much more than obsessive perception issues, the speeds by now in this constantly evolving 'no lag' and 'faster!!' realm would have to be so blazing fast by now no human eye could possibly perceive any of it.

 

[Oyeve]

Well when a high end phone lags, nobody likes to see that. I just remember a lot of amazing claims about the 6S's performance, but I'm not seeing those benchmarks translate to the real world. Which I expected honestly. But you keep hearing stuff about x SoC being 50% or more faster, and it makes you wonder just how much that actually translate to in the real world.

It's not. It's marketing. By Apples estimation the iphone 7 should be at least 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000x faster than the 4s but year after year it just feels a tad faster than previous gens. I remember seeing the project metal thing a few years ago and some tech demo. Yeah, pretty much every app runs the same, albeit faster and better, but nothing stellar like they say every keynote.

 

[Eug]

Ever since work swapped out my 6 Plus for a 6S, I have relied on using only my work issued phone instead of keeping a work and personal cell. I have to say, for all the talk the 6S got about amazing benchmark numbers, I'm not seeing this translate to use. Still seeing the same lagging/pausing (I feel like iOS hides lag by pausing instead, so you don't see laggy movement but you also don't see anything move) when browsing pages quickly or trying to scroll through lists. Color me unimpressed. The only difference I've noticed is faster Touch ID and less tab reloading thanks to double the RAM.

What? The 6 Plus lagged on day 1. If you didn't mind it that's fine but it was a common criticism of the 6 Plus.

http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-6-plus-lag-poll.1791582/

The 6s still had a bit of it and often in the same spots but it was noticeably less than the 6 Plus IMO.

 

[CriticalOne]

The frustrating thing about latest Snapdragon processors is not that they are slower (and slower by a wide margin), its that they are slower while using more energy. The Snapdragon 820 still has noticeable thermal throttling in my HTC 10 and its not much faster than the 805 my Nexus 6. Apple's CPUs and SoCs as a whole are dramatically faster per core while being more energy efficient, so Qualcomm really needs to step up in that department.

 

[Eug]

Macokatara is claiming the iPad Pro A10X is scoring 4236/6588 on Geekbench 4. If true, that's absolutely monstrous.

https://www.techtastic.nl/tablets/apple-a10x-soc-voor-nieuwe-ipads-blaast-concurrentie-omver/

 

[Thinker_145]

I feel bad about it sure and also about the superior NAND on iPhones. However they are still not enough differences for me to accept iOS as my mobile platform and accept $650/750 as a standard price. I always buy flagship phones or any other Android phone 6 months into their life when the prices have come down considerably. I got the HTC M9 for $450.

My next phone will be the Pixel if it's price drops after 6 months. If not then I will see what to do. So far only Samsung phones hold the same price for 12 months.

Sent from my HTC One M9

 

[QueBert]

Benchmarks mean nothing, my iPhone 6+ is SLOW, my Flex 2 is SLOW. Both were flagship phones right? Maybe the new iPhone's up to par, but every phone I've used has been laggy, my iPhones have been the most tolerable for me, but it hasn't been anywhere close to what I'd call lag free. Best mobile experience IMHO is an iPhone jailbroken, Cydia opens up a whole level of awesomeness that I don't even think all of XDA combine could match.

Pixel looks interesting, and if history's any indicator the phones will be dirt cheap used within 6 months.

 

[mikegg]

Looks like the iPhone 7 makes the lead over high Android phones even bigger.