Will android ever be as responsive as iOS?

[BD2003]

Neither of which support the same features current gen phones are expected to support.

You are going against the actual question you asked in the OP/title, which is "will" Android ever be as responsive as iOS, not "has" Android lagged behind in the past versus iOS, which means it would be foolish to ignore the leading edge of current Android hardware. If you really don't want to be fair - and you've stated so - then this really is just an Android bashing thread, or you've taken your own thread off topic.

It makes zero sense to compare a $700 or $ 600 iPhone against a $200 or $100 Moto G or lower phone. If you want to go down that road, at least hypothesize what kind of features and performance a $200 iPhone would have. Otherwise what you are doing is like asking why your Corolla or 1976 muscle car doesn't give you the same acceleration as a Ferrari. It's just a ridiculous comparison to make.

Fair enough. I don't need to hypothesize, I just went and grabbed my old iphone 3GS, and compared it side by side with the moto G. The 3GS unquestionably has less input lag than the moto G when scrolling around a webpage or maps. I wish AT supported video uploads so I can show you all directly what I'm talking about.

I'm not ignoring the leading edge of android hardware - the hardware is quite impressive, which is why I'm always interested in giving android a shot every few years. I think it's fair to expect a new midrange android device to at least beat a 5 year old iphone on every single performance measure without fail. Sure, the 3GS is so slow in so many other ways, but it still feels as locked to my fingers when scrolling and zooming as my 5S.

Here's my issue with the "try a flagship" argument a lot of people are making - today's flagship is tomorrow's low end. If android needs so much power just to keep up on basic touch responsiveness, what happens a a year or two from now when the new flagship comes out and the software demands more and more? The moto G would have been a flagship if it was released two years ago, no? I heard the same arguments back then, and the hardware obviously hasnt been able to keep up with the software. So why should I believe it's any different now, if they havent solved the core problem in the OS that allows an ancient phone like the 3GS to best a considerably more powerful phone?

 

[BD2003]

This video shows what I'm talking about fairly well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVDMOP1pWCQ

 

[Crono]

Fair enough. I don't need to hypothesize, I just went and grabbed my old iphone 3GS, and compared it side by side with the moto G. The 3GS unquestionably has less input lag than the moto G when scrolling around a webpage or maps. I wish AT supported video uploads so I can show you all directly what I'm talking about.

I'm not ignoring the leading edge of android hardware - the hardware is quite impressive, which is why I'm always interested in giving android a shot every few years. I think it's fair to expect a new midrange android device to at least beat a 5 year old iphone on every single performance measure without fail. Sure, the 3GS is so slow in so many other ways, but it still feels as locked to my fingers when scrolling and zooming as my 5S.

Here's my issue with the "try a flagship" argument a lot of people are making - today's flagship is tomorrow's low end. If android needs so much power just to keep up on basic touch responsiveness, what happens a a year or two from now when the new flagship comes out and the software demands more and more? The moto G would have been a flagship if it was released two years ago, no? I heard the same arguments back then, and the hardware obviously hasnt been able to keep up with the software. So why should I believe it's any different now, if they havent solved the core problem in the OS that allows an ancient phone like the 3GS to best a considerably more powerful phone?

You can't even update the 3GS with all the updates for iOS, it's running a much simpler and less capable version OS, and as far as input lag the Moto G probably isn't even the best in it's class or price range, a phone like the Optimus F6 (which I have) fares better.

And we already know Android L improves upon Android in the same way Jelly Bean/Project Butter did, so I only expect things to get better. I have a $30 Optimus Fuel running Kit Kat, and side-by-side an iPhone 5 it's nearly as smooth. That's progress.

 

[BD2003]

You can't even update the 3GS with all the updates for iOS, it's running a much simpler and less capable version OS, and as far as input lag the Moto G probably isn't even the best in it's class or price range, a phone like the Optimus F6 (which I have) fares better.

And we already know Android L improves upon Android in the same way Jelly Bean/Project Butter did, so I only expect things to get better. I have a $30 Optimus Fuel running Kit Kat, and side-by-side an iPhone 5 it's nearly as smooth. That's progress.

It's still rendering and scrolling the same page as the moto G. Again, this goes back to the issue of what happens a few years from now when the software bloat starts to drag hardware down.

Do we really know android L is an improvement? I'd love to read something about google specifically addressing this issue in L, rather than bold but vague statements.

 

[Crono]

It's still rendering and scrolling the same page as the moto G. Again, this goes back to the issue of what happens a few years from now when the software bloat starts to drag hardware down.

Do we really know android L is an improvement? I'd love to read something about google specifically addressing this issue in L, rather than bold but vague statements.

You're assuming both the existence of future bloat, and that future hardware won't outpace the demand software and the OS puts on it.

Article on L (specifically ART):
http://anandtech.com/show/8231/a-closer-look-at-android-runtime-art-in-android-l/

 

[Eug]

We'll have to see it before we believe it. Jelly Bean was touted as the solution to this but it didn't fix it.

That said, this alone while an annoying issue for some of us, is not usually a deal killer on its own.

 

[s44]

There's no shortage of people in this thread that do.

Quote one.

People are talking about the 5, 5S, or the contemporaneous Touches, but that's not your claim.

 

[cronos]

This video shows what I'm talking about fairly well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVDMOP1pWCQ

Since I have both an Android phone (HTC One) and an iOS device (Touch 5th gen) here I thought I'd try this myself.

So I put the One and the Touch side by side, opened up the guru3d.com website to make sure it's the exact same situation as on the video, and when both websites are fully loaded I... "holy crap the One showed so much more screen than the Touch!"...

...and I forgot to do the test

(just kidding, yes the scrolling feels a little different if you scroll up and down fast like that. iOS scrolls really tight underneath your finger, while the Android lags just a tad behind. but then it's only apparent when you go back and forth fast, and it's not exactly one of the most used use cases. at least for my normal use, I couldn't tell the difference)

 

[BD2003]

You're assuming both the existence of future bloat, and that future hardware won't outpace the demand software and the OS puts on it.

Article on L (specifically ART):
http://anandtech.com/show/8231/a-closer-look-at-android-runtime-art-in-android-l/

I think it's pretty safe to assume software bloat, its practically a law of nature.

ART sounds like it'll help a great deal in terms of general processing speed, but it says nothing specific about input lag.

 

[Crono]

I think it's pretty safe to assume software bloat, its practically a law of nature.

ART sounds like it'll help a great deal in terms of general processing speed, but it says nothing specific about input lag.

If you mean touchscreen latency, that's manufacturer dependent, and the HTC One M8 is already the fastest smartphone in that area last I checked. LG G3 is close behind. Assuming the next versions (M8 Plus/Advance and whatever LG's is called) ship with L and also a modest bump in hardware with the Snapdragon 805 SoC, that's going to make for very fast devices.

Less lag than the iPhone 6? No idea. But it's already low enough of a difference to not bother most users.