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‘Real-world’ app launching test shows iPhone 6 beating out Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8

Although benchmarks have already shown that the iPhone 6 has raw performance gains over the current competition, this video by PhoneBuff highlights what this advantage means in a real word test of loading a variety of apps and switching between them. Due to the differences between Android and iOS, the tester uses equivalent apps as closely as possible.

In total, the iPhone took 1 minute 55 seconds to load and multitask between the 30 apps tested, whereas the M8 was about 10 seconds slower. The Galaxy S5 lagged significantly, taking over a minute longer than the iPhone to complete the test at 2 minutes 58 seconds.

Screen Shot 2014-10-02 at 15.16.23

The test launches a mixture of apps and games, and then repeats opening each one to see how effective the phone can multitask. The iPhone’s 1 GB of RAM shows here, as it has to reload a decent number of the apps completely from scratch. However, the underlying CPU performance of Apple’s SoC means that it can still win the test, simply by loading the apps quickly.

Obviously, the test is rather unscientific from a raw numbers perspective, but it does offer a reasonable approximation of real-world performance differences between the iPhone 6 and the high-end offerings from Android. Choosing different apps to test would also likely yield different winners and losers.

Much of the slowdown seen in the Galaxy S5 is due to TouchWiz. Android users willing to customize and tweak the system will be able to eek out a better result. This is simply a test of how most users will experience app launching from a newly-purchased system. Watch one of our previous videos to see how the iPhone 6 compares to previous iPhones.

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Comments

  1. Shawn McBee - 9 years ago

    …And this is what I’m talking about when people gripe about how the iPhone 6 is “under spec’d” compared to other phones with Quad-Core Snapdragon processors and 4GB of RAM. Specs don’t tell the whole story. iPhone DOMINATED this speed test with 1GB of RAM.

    • timcrook - 9 years ago

      We at Apple Inc. here have the best SW/HW integration. Period.

      • modistnudist - 9 years ago

        Well I can cite a few fubars that apple has made in the past, in which Apple has niped in the butt prior to release I can not nor will open myself up to that, but Mr Jobs pushed to get product out the door. Without proper testing and quality control. It ended up as a fundemental design flaw, A purposed flaw to test design but slipped through all checks and double checks and went into production 10 million units made and shipped then pulled back in the nick of time. Little is known but first hand info from an engineer at Apple disclosed this on one drunken nite. So ya, shit happens. And I never ever believe the press I have more stories from Apple, Dell, IBM, and on yes let’s not forget the payola to those who write this bull shit. It’s just all about money and ego. This comes from first hand who witnessed all this. So In my perspective don’t put all your chips one number or should I say Apple!

    • FAME - 9 years ago

      Not true, you miss the actual reason why idevices perform better. It’s iOS. Android is such a p*ss-poor OS the hardware on the phones is close to useless. Apple has perfect synergy between hardware and software whereas Android devices just have hardware.

      If Android was optimized (which is impossible to ever do because of the nature of the OS and its ecosystem) the phones would out perform any idevice when compared generation to generation. The same goes for Windows Phone, it is not optimized for SoCs, different is it is still better than Android, with a better ecosystem that Microsoft just won’t take advantage of (likely because they are incompetent).

      • Shawn McBee - 9 years ago

        That’s actually the very point I was making.

      • FAME - 9 years ago

        I’m not sure it was, your post was aimed at the number warriors and their battle cries for “moaaar ram” when the truth is specs do in fact matter. It’s just that hardware becomes obsolete when paired with horrible software – drivers and cars and all that..

      • which renders the spec argument pretty much useless if you cant put it to work.

      • Shawn McBee - 9 years ago

        But I didn’t say specs don’t matter. I said “specs don’t tell the whole story.” Android phones need the higher specs just to get by, because their OS is so shitty. You’re arguing semantics with someone who shares your opinion, dude.

      • is the response for me or FAME, Shawn McBee? I’m agreeing with your statement

      • Shawn McBee - 9 years ago

        That’d be for FAME.

      • miketoasty - 9 years ago

        So Fame, what makes you think that one, Android is a “P*ss-poor OS” and two what makes you think that it can’t be fixed?

        What this video shows is two heavily modded phones (Touchwiz and Sense UI) versus an iPhone. I would be much more interested, and convinced, if he would have used at least one Nexus device in this test.

        Would like to know your technical background since you seem to know so much about these phone’s SoC’s and OS coding.

      • Derek Wildstar - 9 years ago

        Mikatoasty sayid: “What this video shows is two heavily modded phones (Touchwiz and Sense UI) versus an iPhone. I would be much more interested, and convinced, if he would have used at least one Nexus device in this test.” ——check this out, since the nexus is just slightly slower than the S5, you no longer have to be guess how it would compare: http://www.geek.com/android/samsung-galaxy-s5-vs-nexus-5-can-touchwiz-get-the-job-done-1591850/

      • FAME - 9 years ago

        The combination of stock Android and decent hardware may produce better results, however, stock android is still not optimized for custom hardware as Google uses other vendors to make Nexus devices.

        As far as I am aware, Google does not dictate which components vendors should use when making the devices (evidence being they promised to start doing with Android L in order to tackle optimization and fragmentation problems of their ecosystem).

        True optimization occurs when the software is tailored for the specific hardware. This is the reason Macs and iDevices tend to always beat the competition in tests when compared generation to generation.

      • modistnudist - 9 years ago

        LOL , synergy OK. More like a cluster f…k of idiots chasing their own tail. It really gets deep inside apple. Masters of the Illusions . it’s just crazy

      • hajlaser - 9 years ago

        Yea, SO UNOPTIMIZED.

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

      • L.O.B (@vitolob) - 9 years ago

        FAME.
        I agree with all the people talking about HW/SW integration at Apple, but I have come to realize people don’t know that the actual Hardware is incredibly fast.
        Don’t hurry to think an Intel Core 2 Quad clocked at 3Ghz is faster than an Intel Core i5 (dual core) clocked at 2Ghz. There’s much more to CPU performance than clock-speed and number of cores. CPU chips are designed differently. I’d recommend you to go to Anandtech website and see their reviews about CPU chips.

        Let me tell you this: iPhone 5s Apple A7 (1.3Ghz dual core chip) is faster than the Snapdragon 600 1.9GHz quad-core CPU (on the Samsung Galaxy S4).
        Note: I’m talking about the actual hardware here, not just the real world performance.

        Of course the HW/SW integration at Apple is amazing but don’t think they produce inferior chips because that wouldn’t be correct. See the iPhone 5s’ A7 review at Anandtech. It’s twice faster than iPhone 5’s A6 but A6 is a dual core 1.3Ghz CPU, just like A7 yet twice faster. Don’t think the performance boost is just a result of software implementation.

        I’m talking about A7 here because A8 is a minor improvement over A7.

    • Apple switch to a brand new processor tech when they switched to 64 bit with the A7. It uses ARMS newest design plus the ISA (instruction set) was all new. Basically the ISA on the non 64 bit design from ARM is very old and the new ISA seems to be almost 2x faster at the say MHZ so if one 64 bit Arm V8 core runs at 1300 mhz like Apples does and the old non 64 bit cores run at about 2.5 ghz these are close to the same speed. Android next processors that will come out at the end of the year or beginning to 2015 will have arm V8 cores so Android will essentially catch up over night. Question is might that also make a big improvement on battery life for Android since Android devices have on average bigger batteries that didn’t always last much longer in hrs of a day.

  2. dragonitedd - 9 years ago

    iPhone just works. Samsung just sucks.

    • herb02135go - 9 years ago

      Dragon, which Samsung products do you currently use?

      Otherwise your talking out of your anus.

      • dragonitedd - 9 years ago

        Are you using the sucking product? That’s funny. I definitely will not use a Samsung product in at least 5~10 years after the horrible in-store experience.

      • iphonenick (@iphonenick) - 9 years ago

        Samsung Nexus S user and what made it a decent phone was the lack of touchwiz. My Nexus 4 just developed a cracks in the back just days after after I replaced the rear cover. Buying a friend’s iPhone 5S to use until my employer purchases the 6.

        PS – I’ve replaced all Samsung branded products from home. Too bad their parts are still in so many consumer devices. One day I hope to rid my home of everything Samsung.

      • Cun Con - 9 years ago

        Doesn’t matter. Their flagship S5 performs like crap…what do you expect for others? By the way, S5 was crown the best Android phone of the year 2014 by Cnet. Pssss

      • Andrew John - 9 years ago

        Yep, talking out of ones anus is right up your alley, isn’t it? Or was it something else you do with anuses, I forget?

    • modistnudist - 9 years ago

      I can agree with that. But closer to sucks, than just works as well. Their about as close to each other as is the diameter of a human hair. So really what’s the difference?

  3. gatorguy2 - 9 years ago

    I suspect if he did the same test using the 2014 Moto X for comparison the results would be different, with the two devices matching up pretty favorably.

  4. Joshua Aaron Doremus - 9 years ago

    Who’s whining about multitasking? Samsung users?

  5. clokbox - 9 years ago

    And just like everything else, Apple wasn’t first to bring multi-tasking to their smartphone, but they sure were the best.

  6. 89p13 - 9 years ago

    Where’s our favorite troll, Herb?

    Herb – where are you Herb?

    • herb02135go - 9 years ago

      Do I give a crap about these tests, the opinions or threats on this forum?

      Ha.

      The Samsung Galaxy S5 is a great phone. It has innovative features that Apple has yet to copy.

      Thanks for reading!

      • repentantgamer - 9 years ago

        For someone who doesn’t give a crap, there sure is a lot of commenting going on. Might I recommend some butthurt cream?

      • tigerpork - 9 years ago

        The korean kool-aid got you mistaking innovations for gimmicks buddy.

      • Cun Con - 9 years ago

        Like S5 finger printer reader? lol, you have to use finger on the other hand to access the phone…haha, Apple would never implement such stupid action. BTW, Samsung biometric sucks ball.

      • Andrew John - 9 years ago

        If you don’t give a crap, why say anything? Unless you’re just butt hurt over anything Apple does better. Coz if you didn’t give a shit, you’d be doing something else, but here you are. Funny thing that.

  7. TfT_02 (@TfT_02) - 9 years ago

    I love it how people are commenting on that youtube video – arguing that the comparison is not fair because the iPhone does not have real multitasking. This test is so fair because it compares three phones with normal use tasks.

    The iPhone 6 won! Period.

    • Derek Wildstar - 9 years ago

      agreed, and for some reason, they just can’t get it in their mind, that if an app needs to multitask a background task, like gps, or music, or whatever, the developer who wrote that can have it “true” multitask that apps’ need. I mean do you really need the app to keep updating its own screen while its in the background? no, to the smart way to do to it efficiently is the way apple figured out to do it, and the uneducated poke fun at it claiming “not true multitasking” when in fact it’s “smart multitasking”.

      • modistnudist - 9 years ago

        No, not samsung not apple. Neither their both shit. Their both overloaded. Too much task and not enough time! Apple does have an edge but not much. Seems to me the efficancy in the code I’d the problem. Shoving two many cycles down a pipe that needs to be twice as big.

    • hajlaser - 9 years ago

      Gets beaten in the vid I posted above by an N5 without even using ART.

      A $650 phone got beaten by a one year old $350 phone.

  8. hingedthinker - 9 years ago

    Reblogged this on Blogagility and commented:
    I’m certain that the interweb will be flaming about this real world news…

  9. herb02135go - 9 years ago

    Note that “real world” is in quotes.

    The Samsung Galaxy S5 has features that the iphone still does not have.
    It may not be for everyone, especially those who have difficulty using a smartphone in the first place.
    I have used both iphone and Samsung. Iphone is a dumbed – down PlaySchool toy. The S5 is more like a computer. For the time being it suits my demands better than iphone.

    Different strokes for different folks.

    I certainly would not rush out to buy any phone without doing research. I encourage others to do their research and put an emphasis in buying the right phone for themselves rather than trying to impress their friends.

    People who follow brands with a cult-like fervor are hampering innovation.

    Samsung is the global leader in smartphones. Maybe you Americans just want simple.

    • TfT_02 (@TfT_02) - 9 years ago

      When you say “more like a computer”, do you mean – more like a PC?

    • repentantgamer - 9 years ago

      If your computer runs programs slower than a toy computer, you should probably throw it out the window. Since Samsung is paying you to post though, I suppose that does “fit your needs” pretty well.

      Since you can’t see the irony of your own posts about “cult like fervor” and “different strokes for different folks,” I’ll just say this – if Samsung is the global leader in smartphones, then McDonald’s is the global leader in cuisine.

    • charilaosmulder - 9 years ago

      Fiat leads over Tesla in sales. Does that make Fiat better? Samsung has dozens of phones outselling this one phone by Apple which indeed is the best selling phone on the planet. And that’s not because it’s the cheapest.

      You definitely “give a crap about these tests, opinions or threats on this forum”, to the degree that you won’t leave even though the consensus is that you only spread hate.

      Let me speak for most of us here. We love the iPhone for it’s far superior ecosystem and the seamless integration with the iPad and the Mac. We value privacy much more than Google does. We hate it when a hw manufacturer and cariers bloat our devices with doubles of all apps, gimmicks, crapware and prominent branding om the front and back of our phones.

      And we hate empty headed people like you who ironically call us sheep trying to impress our friends. You think the iPhone is always behind. Where’s the galaxies 20nm 64bit SoC? Why does it have to reload all apps while having twice the RAM? Why did Sammy have to wait for Apple to implement a (less accurate, less ergonomic) fingerprint sensor? Champagne color two weeks after the 5s anyone? Where’s your motion coprocessor, the unified home automation and health frameworks for developers? Can it keep your doctor informed about your health status? Can you pay in a secure, private way with tokens that doesn’t go through Apple’s or Google’s servers just by touchingTouch ID when your phone is in sleep mode? Can Samsungs watch do that? Can you shoot in 240fps?

      How ironic you make fun about Apple’s culture, Sammy loves both Apple and the culture they manage to create (so you should love it too). They spend billions, litterally, trying to achieve the same.

      But you are too much of a numbskull to understand these simple facts. And you call others sheep. Quite sad.

    • Andrew John - 9 years ago

      No. Samescum are not the leader in smartphones. They are the leader in fudging the figures on shipments, but never any sales figures. Wonder why? Apple out sell samescum each and every year. You can make up all the bullshit lies you like. Samescum are second rate clone makers.

  10. But but… those specs… theys be old, but.. how..

    And Android fans call us delusional.

    • herb02135go - 9 years ago

      Thanks for pointing out that the S5 I’d quite old, in tech terms.

      That’s makes now a great time to get a great deal on an excellent phone that many here have commented on, yet never used.

      • INDiKICK (@INDiKICK) - 9 years ago

        Its not that old, according to power. The Galaxy S5, and the HTC ONE (M8) has the exact same processor in it that the Moto X (2014) has in it (Snapdragon 801). And Moto X (2014) is one of the latest flagships.

      • Andrew John - 9 years ago

        No one wants your samescum advertising scam, thanks. We are here because we know what we want. You’re here with an agenda. Paid or unpaid, your opinion is shit.

    • repentantgamer - 9 years ago

      Mike, I think you need quotation and sarcasm markers, lest fools like Herb think that you’re referring to the S5 rather than to the anti-Apple “needs more specs cliches.”

      As for you Herb – swing and a miss.

  11. puri517 - 9 years ago

    The problem with Androids the same as it was with PC vs Mac. The devices should be developed only with connection and optimization with the hardware. Android devices doesn’t have it, as PC in the old days.

    The result? Apple has fastest, easy to use devices without viruses, and optimized apps. Great job, Apple!

  12. standardpull - 9 years ago

    I had a number of Samsung products, including Galaxy. All of them were frustratingly flawed and most broke down over time due to internal failures (I take care of my stuff).

    Suffice to say that I will never buy another Samsung product. I have been very disappointed with both their function and longevity.

    • gatorguy2 - 9 years ago

      Interestingly Snoopwall doesn’t say iOS and Windows flashlight apps can’t do some of the same “spying”. They only say it’s generally more restricted spying without going into any more detail.

  13. danzaph - 9 years ago

    Readability of the display in the above photos: #1 Galaxy S5! (Thanks Jony)

  14. Nick Schaible - 9 years ago

    I want to take this video and blast it over every single social media account I have and post it every day all day, but then i’d be just like those android cunts. I’ll just watch it over and over I guess :) I posted it to my facebook and didn’t get a single bite on it – which only says one thing…heh heh. Truth speaks for itself!

  15. vmax - 9 years ago

    There is an issue with the iPhone 6… Opening an app showing it is “running” doesn’t mean it is. In the second round, they quit the apps too fast. They should have to demonstrate they can interact with the app first.

    • therealcbone - 9 years ago

      If they had done that, the results wouldn’t have been spammed across every Apple blog ever.

  16. bloodymerzkizzoid - 9 years ago

    “I couldn’t see Samskunk Galaxy 5 in my rear view mirror” – iPhone 6

  17. this is awesom! its funny how people from adroid get in here to post… love the QQQQing lol. Apple spend more time and money on the integration of SW/HW. Samsung and HTC people must be piss with android for not being the best on performance even with better HW. Software FAILLLLL.

    PD: i love android they push apple to make better products ;) and sorry my english

  18. rmatzig - 9 years ago

    I am writing this on a galaxy s5 while simultaneously watching simple minds video using split screen, how’s that for multitasking?

    • charilaosmulder - 9 years ago

      A 5″ screen is all but a dream to do multi window multitasking on. Not just because your keyboard was blocking the video you were watching. Both Apple and Google don’t permit dual window multitasking on their 10″ tablets and that’s for a reason. Not only would it be distracting, but the most important feature of multi window, drag&drop content between the apps, isn’t there yet on Samsungs implementation. Apple’s take on bigger screens (iPhone 6 Plus and iPad) is that apps should become more productive using multipane UI and a keyboard that has handy shortcuts.

Author

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.