iPhone 13 Is the 13 THAT much better than the 8 Plus?

[Mark Stone]

I used an 8 Plus for almost 4 years, and was still impressed with its power when I upgraded to the 13 less than a month ago. Frankly, I didn't think there would be that much of a difference in performance between the old and new phone - but "boy howdy" there sure is! Now that I've used the 13 Standard for 3 weeks and have been able to use it in a practical sense (reading barcodes - doing videos - checking weather - having conversations with Siri - looking at Bookface - watching TV - playing Roblox - etc.), I'm quite pleasantly surprised by how much faster and smoother the new phone is. Is anyone else having this "surprising" experience? Heck, I would have switched last fall if I knew this was gonna happen.

 

[now i see it]

It’s because iOS 15 “killed” your iPhone 8Plus. On iOS 14, the iPhone 8 Plus is super snappy with no lag at all. Fast phone (on iOS 14).

It may sound cynical, but the primary purpose (I believe) of yearly iOS updates is to slowly kill off older devices.

 

[eyoungren]

It’s because iOS 15 “killed” your iPhone 8Plus. On iOS 14, the iPhone 8 Plus is super snappy with no lag at all. Fast phone (on iOS 14).

It may sound cynical, but the primary purpose (I believe) of yearly iOS updates is to slowly kill off older devices.

Hmmmm…if iOS 15 killed the iPhone 8 by making it slow, then what is going on with my iPhone 6s+? Maybe it didn't get the memo that it was supposed to slow down?

IDK, seems as fast as it was when it was on iOS 9.

 

[subjonas]

Hmmmm…if iOS 15 killed the iPhone 8 by making it slow, then what is going on with my iPhone 6s+? Maybe it didn't get the memo that it was supposed to slow down?

IDK, seems as fast as it was when it was on iOS 9.

I haven’t noticed any slow down on my iPhone SE1 either, which has the same chip as the 6S+ I believe. It seems as fast as ever after 6 years. It’s still on iOS 14 though.
I’d be willing to bet I’ll be forced to buy a new phone because my online apps lose compatibility or my radio bands become obsolete before my phone gets too slow.

It’s because iOS 15 “killed” your iPhone 8Plus. On iOS 14, the iPhone 8 Plus is super snappy with no lag at all. Fast phone (on iOS 14).

It may sound cynical, but the primary purpose (I believe) of yearly iOS updates is to slowly kill off older devices.

Yearly OS updates that slow down older phones certainly sounds like something Apple could do, and obviously the motive is there. But even after 15 years of the iPhone’s existence, I haven’t seen anyone ever prove it, nor has it been my experience. Maybe people’s device’s slow down in the past was just due to the battery management that was changed recently in iOS. Maybe they just needed a new battery (I’ve changed mine a couple times). Or maybe it was specific apps that slowed down.

 

[eyoungren]

I haven’t noticed any slow down on my iPhone SE1 either, which has the same chip as the 6S+ I believe. It seems as fast as ever after 6 years. It’s still on iOS 14 though.
I’d be willing to bet I’ll be forced to buy a new phone because my online apps lose compatibility or my radio bands become obsolete before my phone gets too slow.

I suppose that because I use my iPhone as an actual phone with some added features I don't use very heavily, that it is possible I actually avoid 'slowdowns' - because I'm not using it as a computer or a television set.

I'm not using any apps that would force any sort of a new phone purchase. It's much more of a hassle for me to reach over and pick up my phone when my Mac's keyboard is sitting right in front of me for the majority of the day. However, my most current iPhone is the 11 Pro Max, which I don't expect to stop receiving updates for quite some time.

 

[maerz001]

I haven’t noticed any slow down on my iPhone SE1 either, which has the same chip as the 6S+ I believe. It seems as fast as ever after 6 years. It’s still on iOS 14 though.
I’d be willing to bet I’ll be forced to buy a new phone because my online apps lose compatibility or my radio bands become obsolete before my phone gets too slow.


Yearly OS updates that slow down older phones certainly sounds like something Apple could do, and obviously the motive is there. But even after 15 years of the iPhone’s existence, I haven’t seen anyone ever prove it, nor has it been my experience. Maybe people’s device’s slow down in the past was just due to the battery management that was changed recently in iOS. Maybe they just needed a new battery (I’ve changed mine a couple times). Or maybe it was specific apps that slowed down.

There are dozens of videos out there comparing apps launch times etc. of different ios versions. and yes there is a tendency of killing the user experience.

My iphone 5s and ipad mini 2 were crippled by software updates.

It was especially bad till apple got caught with the battery processor slowdown

 

[subjonas]

I suppose that because I use my iPhone as an actual phone with some added features I don't use very heavily, that it is possible I actually avoid 'slowdowns' - because I'm not using it as a computer or a television set.

I'm not using any apps that would force any sort of a new phone purchase. It's much more of a hassle for me to reach over and pick up my phone when my Mac's keyboard is sitting right in front of me for the majority of the day. However, my most current iPhone is the 11 Pro Max, which I don't expect to stop receiving updates for quite some time.

I use my iPhone for almost everything, it’s just that since I only use it when I’m out and about, I generally use it for much shorter periods of time than say my iPad, which I use at home for long periods. But yeah, I still don’t notice any slow down on my iphone.

 

[subjonas]

There are dozens of videos out there comparing apps launch times etc. of different ios versions. and yes there is a tendency of killing the user experience.

My iphone 5s and ipad mini 2 were crippled by software updates.

It was especially bad till apple got caught with the battery processor slowdown

But then why do some people have (I assume significant) slow down with old devices and others don’t? If it was an OS thing, it should be everybody.
Like I said, for some people it might have been the battery management thing.

 

[mpavilion]

My 8+ still feels plenty fast in most respects. The main exception is in Twitter, when I click on a tweet that someone else is quote-retweeting… there’s a lag of several seconds while the original tweet loads.

 

[bj097]

It really depends on how you use the phone, I don't play games or use it forany heavy task. I only send message and chat with my friends and look at some pictures and text with the browser. As a result, I never get the newest model and I will not also get a very old model, I usually get the one not too old but on sale. I got my 12 mini a few months ago when it was on sale for approx. $600 with free silicone case. At first I wanted to get 11 because it was even cheaper but it's too big and the screen resolution is worse than that of 12 mini, while at the same time it's not too much cheaper so it's a really a compromise. I always use my phone as long as possible but when it gets slow or lagged and the problem persists I'll certainly get a new phone. Avoid system update.

 

[maerz001]

But then why do some people have (I assume significant) slow down with old devices and others don’t? If it was an OS thing, it should be everybody.
Like I said, for some people it might have been the battery management thing.

It could be that some apps or settings are especially bad performing.
Or users get slowly used to the sluggish GUI.

I don’t know. But underperforming of old hardware combined with new software isn’t especially surprising in our computer history.

I just know from my own experience that ios udates crippled some of my devices. When a fresh install doesn’t help and the keyboard still takes 2 seconds to show up thats a no go.
And when apple doesn’t allow me to roll back, i can only blame them…

 

[Lefteous]

The 8 Plus became slower? Works fine for me. 120hz in the new pros feels of course snappier but beside that the 8 plus is still a performer for me. I wish there would be SE plus with an iPhone 13 single main camera. I will have to get an iPhone 13 as the difference in image qualit is really huge compared to the iPhone 8 plus.

 

[decafjava]

To the OP's question - it must be. That said the difference with my 13 Pro Max and my 7 plus is significant.

 

[snipr125]

In my opinion, the 401 ppi 1080p LCD screen on the 8+, is better than the OLED screen on the iPhone 13. Apart from that though, the 13 is overall the better device.

 

[promini]

Upgraded from XS Max to 13PM and it feels much better! I really like the flat design, the promotion, and the colour.

 

[Warped9]

Four years and counting with my iPhone 8+ and zero complaints.

 

[Andeddu]

I noticed a big improvement in general performance with my 12 Mini over my 8. It was totally expected as the 3 year gap in the world of electronics is the equivalent of an eternity. The doesn’t mean the 8 isn’t a great performer today. I had mine out and upgraded to 15.4 and I was able to use it without any complaint.

 

[Saturn007]

iOS 15 definitely imposed a massive battery hit on my iPad Air 2.

Lost two hours of battery life.

Still fuming over the fact that Apple did NOT provide an iOS 14.8 upgrade path via iTunes. It was only available over the air — something I didn't discover until AFTER investigating iOS 15's battery toll.

 

[MindYourMind]

It may sound cynical, but the primary purpose (I believe) of yearly iOS updates is to slowly kill off older devices.

My take on this matter: even we ourselves are an updated previous version of ourselves every moment. Any current iOS version is an updated previous version appearing as the current version. And as we age we too move increasingly slower relative to movements around us. Seems to me, iOS gets updates not to slowly kill off older devices, but because all life, which I think can be seen as a bundle of movements with no two movements at precisely the same speed, is continually aging.

 

[MindYourMind]

Upgraded from XS Max to 13PM and it feels much better! I really like the flat design, the promotion, and the colour.

Nice to read that the 13PM gives you happiness rather than disappointment as the 13 mini did. I may pick up the 13 mini later this year but promotion definitely tempts me and the mini doesn’t have it. We’ll see. Enjoy your 13PM!

 

[StaceyMJ86]

For the first time ever, I kept my iPhone on the software it was released on. I have no slow downs on my 12 Pro Max and still am thoroughly impressed with this phone. The only thing that changed is the battery degraded much faster than any other iPhone I’ve owned over the years. Once it reaches 80%, I’m getting a battery replacement and keeping it as a backup phone, as I’ll be upgrading to the 14 Pro Max on day 1.

 

[Jeven Stobs]

Hmmmm…if iOS 15 killed the iPhone 8 by making it slow, then what is going on with my iPhone 6s+? Maybe it didn't get the memo that it was supposed to slow down?

IDK, seems as fast as it was when it was on iOS 9.

What happened to the 6s and SE ‘16 I used then, tho? They definitely slowed down with iOS 14 and 15, even after battery replacements. So, your point?

 

[HalfFullmoon]

I have an iPhone 8 and tried iPhone SE 2022, but didn’t really notice much of a difference even though the SE 2022 had A15 chip in it. Possible that you had poor battery in your iPhone 8 Plus which was reducing its performance.

 

[eyoungren]

What happened to the 6s and SE ‘16 I used then, tho? They definitely slowed down with iOS 14 and 15, even after battery replacements. So, your point?

Maybe they slowed down for you, they did not slow down for me. My 6s+ is on the latest version of iOS 15. I use it every weekday when I walk in the morning to stream music. It handles calls, texts, emails and light web use the same as it did on launch weekend with iOS 9.0.

As I indicated later though, I don't use my iPhones as computers. So, if your phone(s) slowed down then perhaps it's down to how differently I use mine compared to how you use yours.

It may also be that I was on iOS 9.0.1 until December 2020, keeping the second to last fully-untethered jailbreak going. I went right from iOS 9.0.1 to iOS 14.x, skipping that entire debacle of Apple throttling batteries.

Finally, my 6s+ has had exactly one battery replacement. I got that done in late 2021 because it had finally dropped below 80% capacity after six years of use.

 

[Tyler O'Bannon]

Massively different. I’ve had every iPhone since the 7+, and it’s better than even the 12, 11, XS, much less 8+