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Iphone Apple Hardware IT Technology

Geekbench Results Visualize Possible Link Between iPhone Slowdowns and Degraded Batteries (geekbench.com) 135

Earlier this month a post on social media which suggested that Apple might be deliberately downgrading performance on iPhone models with degraded battery was widely circulated. Benchmark Primate Labs' Geekbench has looked into the matter and is corroborating the claims. From a report: Primate Labs founder John Poole has plotted the kernel density of Geekbench 4 scores for iPhone 6s models running iOS 10.2, iOS 10.2.1, and iOS 11.2, visualizing an apparent link between lower performance and degraded battery health. The charts show that on iOS 10.2, the vast majority of iPhone 6s devices benchmarked similarly in performance. However, Poole explains that the distribution of iPhone 6s scores for iOS 10.2.1 appears multimodal, with one large peak around the average and several smaller peaks around lower scores. In other words, after iOS 10.2.1 was released last January, the performance of a percentage of iPhone 6s devices began to suffer.
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Geekbench Results Visualize Possible Link Between iPhone Slowdowns and Degraded Batteries

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  • by phayes ( 202222 ) on Tuesday December 19, 2017 @01:56PM (#55769941) Homepage

    Batteries don't just have less of a charge when they get older, their peak draw also diminishes. If, when you are using an older battery you need more than the battery can supply, the phone reboots. So Apple is slowing down the CPU on older iPhones so they do not go over the max battery draw available on older batteries.

    It is preferable to have a slower iPhone than it is to have it rebooting. If the slowdown is an issue, replace the battery for $75 and the performance will be back to normal. As for those who complain "I want a removable battery", well I much prefer having the water resistance that has saved my phone a few times than a removable battery that I only need after 3 years.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Luthair ( 847766 )
      By that logic VW should have been allowed to degrade performance on their TDI engines and not offer customers any compensation.
      • by phayes ( 202222 )

        It is _so_ amusing when people choose arguments through ignorance of a subject that actually weakens their case and that that when one knows something about it, strengthens mine.

        Try putting sub-standard fuel (like something that has been stored in a tank for the past 3 years to parallel battery degradation) into your TDI and see how it reacts, hmm? As multiple ACs correctly noted, it WILL degrade the performance drastically until you can get it into the shop so that they can reset it. Oh and that little re

        • by Luthair ( 847766 )

          Apple is avoiding issues with its poorly designed / sourced batteries by reducing performance of their phones so that customers don't get their phones replaced under warranty.

          Obviously VW intentionally breaking the N0x rules is worse than incompetent engineering or inept manufacturing, but a potential fix for the emissions would have had a negative effect on the performance of the car that the customer was sold.

          Did the iphone users by cheap chinese batteries on ebay? No? oh so putting shitty fuel in your ca

          • by phayes ( 202222 )

            Yeah, because Samsung has done __SO__ much better than Apple with their batteries. Remind me who it was that claimed to have fixed a major problem twice before recalling all of their most recent high-end phones because they were spontaneously combusting?

            Given that _ALL_ phones with LI-ION batteries have the same issues with ageing, oh ignorant one, why are you attempting to only blame Apple?

            https://techcrunch.com/2017/12... [techcrunch.com]

            • by Luthair ( 847766 )

              Holy Apple white knight, nice strawman you have there. Did anyone laud Samsung here? No?

              Its not unreasonable to expect your device to last more than 1-year before the manufacturer degrades it to hide defective design.

              • by phayes ( 202222 )

                Given that the degradation over time is present on _all_ LI-ION phones you're claiming that spontaneous reboots/shutdowns are preferable.

                Sure bat-viilain, sure,

                Again I'd rather have a slightly slower phone when performing intensive CPU tasks than one that reboots. People trained my Microsoft to find spontaneous reboots a normal part of life are free to feel otherwise.

                • by Luthair ( 847766 )

                  Given that the degradation over time is present on _all_ LI-ION phones you're claiming that spontaneous reboots/shutdowns are preferable.

                  While battery degradation is normal, spontaneous reboots are not and have only been occurring on a couple devices. And no, I'm claiming that manufacturers need to engineer them properly or they need to supply free battery replacements for the lifetime of the devices.

                  • by phayes ( 202222 )

                    Given that the degradation over time is present on _all_ LI-ION phones you're claiming that spontaneous reboots/shutdowns are preferable.

                    While battery degradation is normal, spontaneous reboots are not and have only been occurring on a couple devices. And no, I'm claiming that manufacturers need to engineer them properly or they need to supply free battery replacements for the lifetime of the devices.

                    Pray google for spontaneous shutdown battery or reboot plus samsung or android or HTC or huawei or nexus or ...
                    Then explain how the problems are that are present on non-apple devices is apple's fault.

                    Apple is merely the first to implement a fix.

                    All the haters and their followers that are so quick to criticize apple whether or not it is a major issue are yet again attempting to make mountains out of molehills.

                    • by Luthair ( 847766 )

                      Pray google for spontaneous shutdown battery or reboot plus samsung or android or HTC or huawei or nexus or ...

                      Again, couple devices it has not been an endemic problem in the vast majority of smart phones. There are a couple, e.g. Nexus 6p and iphone 6 in which it has been a huge issue.

                      Apple is merely the first to implement a fix.

                      Look at the benchmarks, they go from clustering at 2500 to clusters at 2200, 1700, 1400 and 1000. Do you really consider a 60% performance penalty a fix? The users on the bottom end of that spectrum will feel the difference.

                      This is not Apple doing something wonderful for the customer, this is Apple deciding to protect their bottom lin

                    • by phayes ( 202222 )

                      Look at the benchmarks, they go from clustering at 2500 to clusters at 2200, 1700, 1400 and 1000. Do you really consider a 60% performance penalty a fix? The users on the bottom end of that spectrum will feel the difference.

                      This is not Apple doing something wonderful for the customer, this is Apple deciding to protect their bottom line and not replacing batteries or be subject a class action suit for the flawed design or manufacturing process.

                      I read the benchmarks before I began posting to this subject. Had you been less lazy you would not have asked that question because I answered it in the very first post of this thread: "It is preferable to have a slower iPhone than it is to have it rebooting. If the slowdown is an issue, replace the battery for $75 and the performance will be back to normal."

                      This is Apple giving their clients a slower but better experience by NOT allowing the devices to reboot when the battery is unable to deliver enough an

                    • by Luthair ( 847766 )

                      This is Apple giving their clients a slower but better experience by NOT allowing the devices to reboot when the battery is unable to deliver enough and the alternative is spontaneously rebooting.

                      Again you give Apple a free pass - Apple should be replacing the battery for free. This problem has been limited to a handful of devices, it is not something happening to most smart phone models. The responsible party here is Apple for selling a defective product.

                    • by phayes ( 202222 )

                      Newsflash: Apple already replaces defective batteries for free.

                      Apple guarantees their iPhone batteries to 80% of charge after 500 charges or 1-2 years (depending on the country) and replaces them for free when they do not. When Apple has discovered that the battery supplier has not met the required level of performance for a batch of batteries they replace them for free as they did for the 6s recall.

                      Now what to do about older out of spec batteries? Apple's patch avoids spontaneous shutdowns.

                      Tell us, do you

                    • by Luthair ( 847766 )

                      Newsflash: Apple already replaces defective batteries for free.

                      Except now they're hiding defective batteries to avoid doing it by negatively impacting their customers

                      Now what to do about older out of spec batteries? Apple's patch avoids spontaneous shutdowns.

                      Again, this is not normal for smart phones, its happening to a handful of manufacturers including Apple who should step up and accept responsibility. Apple is not accepting responsibility, they're fucking over users

                      Tell us, do you also go whining to your gas station complaining that they "should" give you free gas because you've used up what you bought? To your grocer for free milk? Toothpaste? Toilet paper?

                      Again, straw man argument. If those companies start selling you a defective product then yes they should replace it

                    • by phayes ( 202222 )

                      Oh, so they're "hiding" them are they, so, when in 02/17 Apple said [techcrunch.com] that maximum power draws were causing shutdowns and that they were using power management to avoid them, that was their way of "hiding" this.

                      Now what to do about older out of spec batteries? Apple's patch avoids spontaneous shutdowns.

                      Again, this is not normal for smart phones, its happening to a handful of manufacturers including Apple who should step up and accept responsibility. Apple is not accepting responsibility, they're fucking over users

                      And AGAIN, I never said that out of spec batteries are "normal", but as anyone with a brain realizes, they DO occur more and more as the battery ages. And AGAIN, if you have an out of spec battery within warranty period, Apple ALREADY replaces the battery for free.

                      Tell us, do you also go whining to your gas station complaining that they "should" give you free gas because you've used up what you bought? To your grocer for free milk? Toothpaste? Toilet paper?

                      Again, straw man argument. If those companies start selling you a defective product then yes they should replace it,

                      Naaah, this is you going to your groce

                    • by Luthair ( 847766 )

                      Oh, so they're "hiding" them are they, so, when in 02/17 Apple said [techcrunch.com] that maximum power draws were causing shutdowns and that they were using power management to avoid them, that was their way of "hiding" this.

                      Did they tell the users they were negatively impacting their phone? No, they made it slower without informing affected user or making note of the behaviour anywhere. And here is the definition for you: the action of concealing someone or something.

                      And AGAIN, I never said that out of spec batteries are "normal", but as anyone with a brain realizes, they DO occur more and more as the battery ages. And AGAIN, if you have an out of spec battery within warranty period, Apple ALREADY replaces the battery for free.

                      Again straw man. We were talking about phones spontaenously rebooting, and as per the above Apple hid the fact the device was defective from the user. Users have reasonable expectations about device lifespan, the purpose warranties is to cover one-off flaws not l

                    • by phayes ( 202222 )

                      Oh, so they're "hiding" them are they, so, when in 02/17 Apple said [techcrunch.com] that maximum power draws were causing shutdowns and that they were using power management to avoid them, that was their way of "hiding" this.

                      Did they tell the users they were negatively impacting their phone? No

                      Snort, yeah because Apple uses pixie dust to magically avoid shutdowns. No, Virginia, it's not.

                      When Apple says "sudden spikes of activity to the maximum power draw could cause older batteries, which had some mileage on them, to deliver power in an uneven manner, which would cause an emergency shutdown" the _only_ way to do so is to throttle the CPU during periods of low battery. That _you_ are unable to see that 1+1=2 does not mean that others are unable to do so.

                      Naaah, this is you going to your grocer whining that the new chocolate milk recipe you bought 4 months ago has gone bad, that he only came out with the new recipe to hide your ability to determine that it had gone bad and that you deserve to get all the free milk you want. In fact it you never even bought any of that brand's milk you're just arguing that everyone deserves free milk -- because milk goes bad.

                      No its more like the milk goes sour before the expiration date because the store failed to refrigerate it, or the store changes the expiration on meat (which is illegal).

                      So now you are claiming that Apple ages it's

    • by Baron_Yam ( 643147 ) on Tuesday December 19, 2017 @02:10PM (#55770027)

      >well I much prefer having the water resistance that has saved my phone a few times than a removable battery

      You know this is a solved problem, right? It's called a 'gasket'. It means your battery probably needs a screwdriver to swap out instead of just popping open the case, but it's still trivial from a design perspective.

      Your iPhone battery is non-swappable because Apple wants more control over the device, not because it's a good design choice for the consumer.

      • by Anonymous Coward

        I am pretty sure Samsung had a phone model or two back in the removable battery era that was water proof, or at least water resistant. It wouldn't be that hard to totally seal in a phone to protect the expensive bits, but still leave the battery compartment relatively unsealed. In the battery compartment you are just dealing with single + and - power connections which could be easily dried, and if the battery were damaged from the water it's as simple as dropping in a replacement battery.

        I still love and us

        • I am pretty sure Samsung had a phone model or two back in the removable battery era that was water proof, or at least water resistant.

          Yeah, the Galaxy S5. Peak Galaxy really, it's been all downhill since then.

      • by Anonymous Coward

        >well I much prefer having the water resistance that has saved my phone a few times than a removable battery

        You know this is a solved problem, right? It's called a 'gasket'. It means your battery probably needs a screwdriver to swap out instead of just popping open the case, but it's still trivial from a design perspective.

        I have a Samsung S5 mini. It's IP67 rated, meaning it can be submerged to 1 meter of water. It has a replaceable battery. It needs no screw to lock the battery case. The GP just knows what Apple has fed him and doesn't even bother to use his own head to think...

      • by Altrag ( 195300 )

        A gasket adds size and weight.. perhaps not much but when we're dealing with a phone every mm and gram counts (at least for marketing materials even if the users don't notice the difference..) And then even more size and weight to make the interface terminals more end-user-friendly. Internal components tend to use connectors that are practically microscopic and require a very fine touch to pull and re-seat (or specialized tools) while user-facing connectors tend to be fairly large and bulky in comparison.

      • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        It's because they use undersized batteries. Other manufacturers fit bigger batteries that can supply the necessary current even when they get old.

        I'm not sure why they do it. Their phones are not the thinnest... Maybe they want to second source the battery so can't use high end ones?

      • It means your battery probably needs a screwdriver to swap out instead of just popping open the case

        Does it? My case (with gasket) just pops open, and is IP rated. Though I imagine there is a risk if I drop the phone in a pudle that the case may pop off, but really out of the many hundreds of times I've dropped it, it has yet to come apart. (Or crack for that matter *touches wood*)

    • It is preferable to have a slower iPhone than it is to have it rebooting.

      It is preferable to design a phone and its power system so that it doesn't have a flaw that causes it to reboot over the expected useful life of the battery. It's also preferable that if you fail this design goal, you fix the phone and the battery rather than sneaking in software that slows the phone down to unusable levels.
      • by phayes ( 202222 )

        Given that _every_ phone that lasts long enough exhibits the same "design flaw" (rebooting when drawing too much off a weakened battery or slowing down), it just shows once again that iPhones are used for years longer than Android phones that get tossed before they can generally reach the age where this becomes necessary. But making it so that your android phone is obsolete before it is old enough isn't a design flaw, nope not at all...

        • I've never seen this on a phone other than the iPhone 6-series and your ridiculous claim that it's due to the iPhone being used "years longer" than other phones is absurd on its face considering iPhone 6's were resetting within their first year of use.
          • by phayes ( 202222 )

            None are so blind as those who refuse to see.

            http://lmgtfy.com/?q=phone+shu... [lmgtfy.com]

            • There is no systemic issue with aging batteries triggering voltage-drop shutdowns other phones like there is on the iPhone 6-series. There were 1.5 billion smartphones sold last year - pointing me to a google search with a random sampling of QC issues on those 1.5 billion units doesn't persuade.
              • by phayes ( 202222 )

                Riiiight. All those older batteries that cause shutdowns on older phones don't exist because you refuse to admit that they do.

                • Did you respond to my comment by mistake? Because that's not what I said.
                  • by phayes ( 202222 )

                    You claim, contrary to the experience of all those that have noted spontaneous shutdowns on old batteries that "there is no systemic issue with aging batteries" -- no modifier so your claim is that this issue cannot exist in your opinion on _any_ aging batteries.

                    That people _do_ see the issue, that the problem is solved by replacing the battery and that Apple has released an update that has the effect of avoiding the shutdowns cannot be denied -- but you do anyway. Why? Because you refuse to believe in the

                    • By systemic I meant one which is endemic to a specific model of phone. There are QC issues in all electronic devices and batteries - it's unavoidable when you sell 1.5 billion of something. Aggregating a cross-section of QC issues across a variety of models to compare against a systemic issue with one specific model of phone isn't very methodical.
                    • by phayes ( 202222 )

                      Aaaand ___AGAIN___, it's NOT a design flaw or QC issues or limited to iPhone 6 phones, _every_ phone that lasts long enough exhibits the same "design flaw".

                      https://techcrunch.com/2017/12... [techcrunch.com]

                      Apple's statement included: Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components. Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6,

                    • If it isn't a design flaw specific to the iPhone 6 then why was this issue not reported en masse on previous IPhone models?
                    • by phayes ( 202222 )

                      I must have missed where it was that you posted what you think makes you know better than Apple how aging in Lithium-Ion batteries affects platform stability. Do you think being an Android fanboy suffices?

                      Add to your credentials why you think that non-iPhones that display _the_exact_same_bug_ (spontaneous shutdowns that are cured with a new battery or avoided by intelligent platform management as in iOS) have _not_ been reported, when a trivial google search shows that _they_have_. Is being an android fanbo

                    • I use an iPhone 7, so your imaginary narrative about me being an Android fanboy was about 2 minutes of wasted effort on your part. I previously owned a 6s that had the battery issue we're discussing, which started manifesting only 4 months into owning the phone. And your explanation that this problem always existed in previous iPhones but took years for Apple to cultivate and understand, with that understanding conveniently intersecting with the iPhone 6 release cycle is the least compelling theory you've p
                    • by phayes ( 202222 )

                      So then you have no expertise or knowledge, just a claim to having owned an iPhone as if such a claim belies your posting history.

                      You have no explanation of why other phones display the exact same problem and are too dim to realize that Apple only published the fix in iOS 11 -- which leaves out all older phones.

                      In sum all you have is a clear anti-apple bias. Bye hater.

                    • The iPhone 6s fix was in 10.2.1, not 11. And if you still don't believe me that the problem is unique to the 6-series iPhone maybe you'll believe Apple instead:

                      https://www.apple.com/support/iphone6s-unexpectedshutdown/ [apple.com]

                      Since you're convinced it happens on other phones as well perhaps you can point me to the Apple's repair advisories for those as well, like the one I posted above for the 6s.
                    • by phayes ( 202222 )

                      NOT the same problem hater, that was a bad batch of batteries. Besides which, Apple has already stated that they have since added the fix to the 7 and will be adding it to further models as they attain an age in which it is useful to have it.

                      Here's the URL that you didn't read the last time I gave it. You won't read/understand it any more than the last time I gave it.

                      https://techcrunch.com/2017/12... [techcrunch.com]

                      And again you cannot explain why every other phones with aging batteries display the same problem.

                    • Bad batch of batteries even though iPhone 6s owners outside Apple's two-month window experienced the same problem, myself included? And the iPhone 6s runs iOS 11 so why wouldn't Apple carry the fix over from IOS 10 for that phone? As for me not explaining why other phones with aging batteries display the same problem, that's because no other phone had a systemic issue shutting down with aging batteries, but we covered that already.
                    • by phayes ( 202222 )

                      Try _reading_ the link you gave, hater:

                      "Apple has determined that a very small number of iPhone 6s devices may unexpectedly shut down. This is not a safety issue and only affects devices within a limited serial number range that were manufactured between September and October 2015."

                      Apples's patch was for the 6, the 6+ and the SE and they have since added the 7 & 7+ because they are getting old enough to potentially have the problem.

                      As for you refusing to acknowledge that non iPhone 6 and in fact all pho

                    • Yes, I'm refusing to acknowledge that non-iPhone 6 iPhones have an issue with spontaneously shutting down when using "washed out" batteries. I'm supporting that assertion with the fact that out of the hundreds of millions of phones Apple sold prior to the 6s, there was no widespread reports about phones shutting down with aging batteries. These problems started and ended with the 6s.
                    • by phayes ( 202222 )

                      Yeah, yeah, hater, you keep ignoring everything that doesn't fit your diatribe like these [google.fr] and these [google.fr], and these [google.fr], and these [google.fr], and these [google.fr], etc.

                      _Their_ problems are all imaginary. _Yours_ are the only ones that matter.

                    • Where are your links for iPhones other than the 6s? Hundreds of millions of iPhones sold and no widespread issues and suddenly they start appearing on the 6s, but there's no issue specific to the 6s?
                    • by phayes ( 202222 )

                      Just for you: http://bfy.tw/FhXb [bfy.tw]

      • by Altrag ( 195300 )

        And how exactly do you expect them to do that? If they want to design their phone so that it runs the same on a fresh battery as it does on a 3 year old battery, that means they have to slow it down to 3 year old standards right off the bat and it will always be slower than its potential. That seems like a pretty shitty tradeoff.

        The only other option is to build a better battery that doesn't drop voltage as it ages. And there are lots and lots and lots of companies attempting to do just that. But unless

        • No other phone has this issue of shutting down for a battery aging through it's normal useful life so I'm not sure why your're so stumped about how Apple could have achieved this.
          • by Altrag ( 195300 )

            I don't know what magic phone you've got but my Android definitely stops working when the battery is drained.

            Why Apple does a restart specifically I of course don't know, but I'd be willing to bet that just chose a different trade-off than Google. All electronics will start screwing up in one way or another if they aren't fed enough juice. Perhaps Android devices would indeed suffer reboot problems but Google decided to just go for a full shutdown when that happens instead so that you have a shorter (but

    • by vux984 ( 928602 )

      " well I much prefer having the water resistance that has saved my phone a few times than a removable battery"

      For a $1000+ phone with the largest profit margin in the industry; you could very reasonably expect to get both.

      What I don't need or particularly want is the thinnest phone ever made. The original iphone was thin enough. I like the bigger screens of todays phones (and use an S7 Edge now), but I haven't really been looking for a thinner phone since the StarTAC replaced my DPC650.

    • As for those who complain "I want a removable battery", well I much prefer having the water resistance that has saved my phone a few times than a removable battery that I only need after 3 years.

      And I got replaced my Samsung Galaxy S5 with an LG V20 instead of V30 because I valued keeping a removable battery over keeping water resistance, i.e. not everyone shares your priorities.

      • by phayes ( 202222 )

        Whatever floats, er sinks your boat...

        Sales of the LG20 versus current iPhones show that many many more people agree with me than with you.

        • I've bought an S2, and S5 and now a V20. If I'd got an iPhone I'd have had less flexibility and a higher total cost of ownership. Samsung are heading the same way and I want no part of it - both Samsung and Apple sell you a very expensive phone you basically have to replace in 1 or at most years' time.

          The V20 was $400 or so and it should hopefully keep me going for 3, in the unfortunately highly likely case where no one makes a phone I can upgrade to without losing features I want.

          What would be an ideal pho

          • by phayes ( 202222 )

            Three phones (that certainly all cost more than 1/3 of an iPhone if they weren't budget phones) versus what would probably be a single iPhone. Yeah, the TCO must be on your side, snort.

            You go ahead and build your business in your perceived wonderful marketplace. Give it a real good shot & invest everything you have into it.

            Do come back in a few years to let us know how you did...

            • Three phones (that certainly all cost more than 1/3 of an iPhone if they weren't budget phones) versus what would probably be a single iPhone. Yeah, the TCO must be on your side, snort.

              I bought an S2 and waited three years to get an S5. And the S5 lasted three years and now I've got a V20. Which will hopefully last three years until I have to replace it.

              I.e. I buy a phone every three years. Interestingly I'm not alone in this - Motley Fool say people upgrade every 29 months on average

              https://www.fool.com/investing... [fool.com]
              "Americans now take an average of 29 months to upgrade their cell phone, up from 28 months at the end of last year, and an increase of 24 to 26 months that was typical just a

              • by phayes ( 202222 )

                I doubted that you actually believed that there was enough of a market because it is a common refrain from the Apple critics. They claim that there is a HUGE unfulfilled market of bigger/replaceable battery/jack phones and yet when pricked with "well then go do something about it", their balloon always withers away pretexting "I'm too busy". You're far from the first to opine and then run away, I just like making that retreat explicit.

                My first iphone was a 4, then a 6+ purchased when my daughter wanted my 4

    • While that is technically a correct solution, to keep the device from out right failing, by degrading them. The RIGHT thing to do by Apple would have been to INFORM the customers that their hardware was being degraded and they could have their batteries replaced for $75 rather than buying a $600 new phone.

      Apple knew good and well what it was doing and choose to obfuscate the problem to maximize new hardware sales.

    • iPhones have been without a removable battery AND without water resistance for years.

    • Batteries don't just have less of a charge when they get older, their peak draw also diminishes.

      While you're correct in the physics you're entirely wrong in the application. There's no reason even a 5 year old lithium battery can't provide enough current to keep a phone running at 100% CPU. The internal resistance just doesn't increase enough to matter for a phone.

      Just don't try and jump start a car with it.

      • by phayes ( 202222 )

        You're mistaken as even a trivial search on "phone shutdown old battery" would have shown.

        It's not just an iPhone issue, this has been tested and spontaneous shutdowns on older batteries when not throttling has been confirmed on different phone makes & models.

        • Faulty battery maybe, but not with age. If these old batteries had that problem with internal resistance you'd be googling "Why does my phone take 4 hours to charge."

          And end of life lithium battery will still happily output 1 or 2 amps and phones generally don't draw that much, even if you're stressing them.

          The problem with using a google for symptoms to prove a point is: https://imgur.com/gallery/fFgF... [imgur.com]

          • by phayes ( 202222 )

            Were the google search to be unsupported by other means, you might have had a point.

            Yeah, just call those older batteries "faulty", that makes you think you have an out to dismiss everyone on multiple platforms that noted that spontaneous shutdowns phones with aging batteries go away when the battery is replaced. Because you think that blaming "faulty batteries", allows you to call the code Apple has added that has been shown by third party testing to avoid spontaneous shutdowns on aging batteries "a bug" i

            • Nope I just know a lot about batteries. And age related degeneration does not stop a 2800mAh Lithium battery from providing at least 1-2A of current.

              I'm not denying the problem, just that age related increase in internal resistance isn't it.

              • by phayes ( 202222 )

                You know more than Apple's engineers do? Specifically the behavior of LI-ION batteries because you work in the field?

                You think that your unsupported opinion suffices to explain why it _isn't_ a battery problem when older batteries produce spontaneous shutdowns on all makes and models of phones yet no longer do so when the battery is replaced with a now one?.

                You think that your unsupported opinion suffices to explain away why independent tests have shown that spontaneous reboots on 6 6S & SE iphones on i

  • Very interesting story and I have a data point to add: I bought my iPhone 6 new in 2014 and as of about two months ago the battery (which was at more than 750 cycles - Apple rates it for about 500) was getting really flakey. The reported capacity of the battery started varying between 45% of its rating and 85% with random power offs becoming common below 10%. So last weekend I finally bit the bullet and put a new battery in - fiddly but doable in about 30 mins. I then reset the phone and left it to fully ch

    • by leonbev ( 111395 )

      What's odd is that my iPhone 6 never seemed to slow down when the battery started failing. It started showing "degraded battery performance" warnings in the settings page a few months ago, and it started randomly powering itself off when it got below 40% battery life. No slowdowns, though.

      Replacing the battery fixed my power problems, and I went from having about 2 hours of runtime on a fully charged battery to about 2 days. Big difference.

    • Until you get your apostrophe fix, stay away from double negatives. Why the fuck hasn't Apple fixed that shit and rolled it out? Is it intentionally trolling /.?
  • Look, I'm a "techie" person but I'm not statistician. What the fuck do these graphs even show? One axis is "Density" which is seemingly the kernel density... of something? The other axis is "Geekbench 4 Score" and I have no fucking idea what that even is.

    Seriously, if you are trying to explain something to me using charts, you're going to have to make it clear what in the flying fuck you are charting.

    • by Mal-2 ( 675116 )

      It seemed pretty clear to me. Most devices run at some predictable speed, but as they age, they get "binned" into speed steps. That's why it's not just a tail to the left, but a series of peaks.

    • I think a Kernel Density Function is just a probability density

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

      In statistics, kernel density estimation (KDE) is a non-parametric way to estimate the probability density function of a random variable. Kernel density estimation is a fundamental data smoothing problem where inferences about the population are made, based on a finite data sample. In some fields such as signal processing and econometrics it is also termed the Parzen--Rosenblatt window method, after Emanuel Parzen and Murray Rosenblatt, who are usually credited with independently creating it in its current form.

      So the X axis is the Geekbench score and the Y axis is the percentage of phones.

      Now if you look at iPhone 6s devices with 10.2.0 they're one peak - i.e. all the phones cluster around some mean performance. Looking at devices upgraded to 10.2.1 you see some smaller peaks to the left and with 11.2.0 those peaks grow. It seems like iOS knows if it running on an older device - perhaps it checks the battery health. I

    • It's easiest to think of kernel density estimation as a smoothing algorithm that removes outliers and peaks from statistical data. The Geekbench score is a unitless performance metric used to compare various devices running Geekbench.

      What these graphs show is that iPhone 6 running 10.2.0 (implying relatively new devices) all performed in consistently the same way. iPhone 6 11.2.0 (implying not as new devices) show distinct performance groups. Quite critically the fact that there are multiple peaks rather th

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