Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Android Lag - Nonsense or Fact?

Assault

Assault

macrumors 6502a
Mar 19, 2013
513
0
in the taint
b166er said:
Fact. Even iOS lags some times. Lag is a very flexible perception, and whether or not it is really there depends a lot on what the device is doing more so than the device itself.

I have a GS4 and there is absolutely lag here and there. It's not enough to bother me though, and I find it lags much less with Nova installed. That makes little sense to me, but it seems to be the case.

Every single OS I've ever used, mobile or desktop, has lagged at some point.
Click to expand...

Nova uses less RAM than Touchwiz. That is why.

And while I love my SIII, I would never keep TW or TW based ROMs on it. Running 4.2.2 custom AOKP ROM makes the SIII a joy to use. I can only imagine how fast the Nexus S4 will be on stock Android!
Don't get me wrong, there are some cool features on TW, but that small gain is surpassed by the sheer bloat of Touchwiz as a whole! Dump Touchwiz as soon as possible.
 
T

torana355

macrumors 68040
Dec 8, 2009
3,633
2,734
Sydney, Australia
Assault said:
Nova uses less RAM than Touchwiz. That is why.

And while I love my SIII, I would never keep TW or TW based ROMs on it. Running 4.2.2 custom AOKP ROM makes the SIII a joy to use. I can only imagine how fast the Nexus S4 will be on stock Android!
Don't get me wrong, there are some cool features on TW, but that small gain is surpassed by the sheer bloat of Touchwiz as a whole! Dump Touchwiz as soon as possible.
Click to expand...

Yeah Nova is actually a very well written launcher, it is basically as smooth as the stock AOSP launcher and defiantly smoother then the Touchwiz and Sense launchers.
 
3bs

3bs

macrumors 603
May 20, 2011
5,434
24
Dublin, Ireland
Assault said:
Nova uses less RAM than Touchwiz. That is why.

And while I love my SIII, I would never keep TW or TW based ROMs on it. Running 4.2.2 custom AOKP ROM makes the SIII a joy to use. I can only imagine how fast the Nexus S4 will be on stock Android!
Don't get me wrong, there are some cool features on TW, but that small gain is surpassed by the sheer bloat of Touchwiz as a whole! Dump Touchwiz as soon as possible.
Click to expand...

I've been trying all day but I can't find a recovery that will let me flash CM/AOKP and they're unofficial builds for the i9505 :(

There's a bunch of versions of CWM. TWRP is a PITA to navigate with because whenever I try to scroll it thinks I'm clicking one of the folders and takes me into it. Any time I try to make a nandroid on my external on any of the CWM versions I've tried and try to restore I get an md5 mismatch. My first nandroid I made with TWRP so I don't have space to make more on the internal and AFAIK CWM can't restore a TWRP nandroid.
 
S

strausd

macrumors 68030
Jul 11, 2008
2,998
1
Texas
I have noticed lag and stutters with my Nexus 4 in many areas. The debate shouldn't be whether or not there is lag, because there definitely is. The debate should be over how much and how much is acceptable or unacceptable.
 
Macman45

Macman45

macrumors G5
Jul 29, 2011
13,197
135
Somewhere Back In The Long Ago
I had an N7 which I bought just to see what Android was all about. I used it over wifi ( it was the wifi only model) and browsed the web, got a couple of apps so that I could copy some of my Itunes stuff over etc.

The only lag I noticed was with the KB when surfing...annoying? a little, but not a deal breaker, although I sold it in the end as it didn't really fit into my all Apple ecosystem. A buddy has it now, and is using it as a temporary addition to his ageing Ipad1.

I had no real gripes about Android, and it was interesting to see how it worked, just wasn't for me. I think Windows users would probably find it a lot easier to use, and I really didn't do anything serious with it. Considering the cost though, it was a pretty well made little device.
 
J

jaenicky

macrumors member
Feb 15, 2013
45
0
I love androids functionality but there is definitely an issue when device like s4 shows lag. Even if its very slight lags here and there, it shouldn't be happening.
 
Z

zbarvian

macrumors 68010
Jul 23, 2011
2,004
2
strausd said:
I have noticed lag and stutters with my Nexus 4 in many areas. The debate shouldn't be whether or not there is lag, because there definitely is. The debate should be over how much and how much is acceptable or unacceptable.
Click to expand...

This is valid. Everything lags at some point...software ain't perfect.
 
M

maxosx

macrumors 68020
Dec 13, 2012
2,385
1
Southern California
daveathall said:
I find that my S4 is as smooth and jerk free in scrolling as any of the iPhones that I have owned, I have only found lag when opening the gallery app and battery widget reborn it is a slight lag, but nevertheless, still lag. All of the other apps I have on my home screens are lag free, I don't use the pre installed gallery app anyway but prefer Quick pic (https://play.google.com/store/apps/...bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5hbGVuc3cuUGljRm9sZGVyIl0.) which on my SGS4 is lag free. :)

I do find the use of the word "lag" annoying when used with flagship Android phones, it certainly put me off trying one for years because of the misconceptions that I had after reading a lot of misinformation written by misinformed authors, I had expected a jerky, juddering and frustrating experience with Android, but found that not to be the case. IMHO, the flagship Android phones I have owned are as good (if not better in some cases) an experience in regards to the U/I as any iPhones, which in th.,eir own rights are superb devices. :)


For reference the phones I have owned and used for at least a month;
iPhones; 3GS, 4, 4S and 5.
Android; SGS3, Nexus 4, SGS4.

Non of the above phones were jailbroken or rooted.
Click to expand...
Very well said!

I concur 100%.

The common "stories & misinformation" many people biased towards iPhone's post in this forum to bash Android is simply shocking. They will go to great lengths to make themselves appear like experts, when in a large number of cases it's obvious they've likely never used Android. If they had they'd explain the real reasons for preferring one over the other.

I've owned and used both Android & iPhones concurrently since the day they were each introduced years ago. I've used one line for work & one line for business for the last decade, thus it's normal for me to have an Android & iPhone at all times. Works pays me to use what I like, therefore I choose the phones & have no restrictions.

Beginning with Android 4.0 & higher, on top of the line models, lag is a thing of the past. A few milliseconds delay opening a vast library of photos is of no consequence when one can use Quick pic as you have so aptly pointed out.

I happen to find both Android & iOS excellent and as such, I get the pleasure of enjoying each of them.
 
MRU

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,370
8,952
a better place
maxosx said:
The common "stories & misinformation" many people biased towards iPhone's post in this forum to bash Android is simply shocking. They will go to great lengths to make themselves appear like experts, when in a large number of cases it's obvious they've likely never used Android. If they had they'd explain the real reasons for preferring one over the other.
Click to expand...


Sadly the Vice Versa is also endemic and clear to see on the forum too.


Those that are open to either platform and have no allegiance are in much shorter supply on this fora than those that aren't.
 
rillrill

rillrill

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2011
843
654
New York
TommyA6 said:
Comparing a nexus 4 (2012) with an iPhone 4 (2010) is not fair. Let me compare an iPhone 5 with Samsung galaxy s...
Click to expand...

not really, considering my iphone 4 didn't lag at all when i bought it. it's the software updates that ruined my experience with the iphone to the point where i would just not update the phone. i haven't had an android phone long enough to see the same issue, but it does occasionally lag.
 
B

beaniemyman

macrumors 6502
May 19, 2013
301
0
well android used to lag before the ice cream sandwich, but i havent seen any lags after that, jelly bean just made it even better.
 
scapegoat81

scapegoat81

macrumors 6502a
Oct 7, 2012
758
148
Philly
Fact.
Had a GS2 when it came out & sold it after 3 weeks of use. Couldn't deal w/ the stuttering/lag compared to my wife's iPhone. I bought it factory unlocked, & for the price I paid it definitely did not feel like a high end smartphone.

I'm sure Project Butter is a step in the right direction. I cannot sit here & tell u that stock Android runs better w/ the Nexus devices b/c I've never had one in my hands.

Just my 2 cents
 
M

mib1800

Suspended
Original poster
Sep 16, 2012
2,859
1,250
zbarvian said:
I'm not even sure what you're saying anymore. Are you saying the scrolling speed of iOS is always slow and lethargic? There are two speeds, fast and slow. When I scroll through my music, contacts, facebook, etc, it uses fast scrolling. When I'm in a web view, it uses the slow scrolling but not to maintain smoothness. In Facebook's web view, it uses fast scrolling and it's perfectly smooth. They use slow scrolling in Safari and Chrome because it's far suitable for reading (which is typically what people do in browsers). As far as app loading, web page loading, general responsiveness, and fluidity, the iPhone is still probably the best overall.
Click to expand...

I am saying the "fast" scrolling is still slow. when you flip fast the list scroll faster but the amount scrolled is little before it stops. so to scroll long list/pages you need many more flips compared to android. but the scrolling looks smoother with less stutters.

Like I said I never argue iphone ui is more fluid or smoother than android. But when people use "lag" I want to know what they mean. So is it slower or less fluid or both?

It seems Android lack of fluidity is a bad thing but equally as bad is the lethargic and slow ui speed of iphone. Ignore the occasionally stutters in Android and time how fast you can scroll thru list or web pages and in most instances you can do it at a faster time than iphone.
 
Z

zbarvian

macrumors 68010
Jul 23, 2011
2,004
2
mib1800 said:
I am saying the "fast" scrolling is still slow. when you flip fast the list scroll faster but the amount scrolled is little before it stops. so to scroll long list/pages you need many more flips compared to android. but the scrolling looks smoother with less stutters.

Like I said I never argue iphone ui is more fluid or smoother than android. But when people use "lag" I want to know what they mean. So is it slower or less fluid or both?

It seems Android lack of fluidity is a bad thing but equally as bad is the lethargic and slow ui speed of iphone. Ignore the occasionally stutters in Android and time how fast you can scroll thru list or web pages and in most instances you can do it at a faster time than iphone.
Click to expand...

I think the list scrolling speed on the iPhone is great, it accelerates if you try to move quicker and getting to the top is always just a tap of the status bar away. It's not a parlor trick either, not scrolling slower just to avoid stutters.
 
2

2298754

Cancelled
Jun 21, 2010
4,890
941
The Android lag issue is so overblown. My S4 is lag-free. Most of my Androids have been. The last time I had a lagging Android was back in 2011 when I had a Atrix 4G, HTC Inspire, etc. All crappy devices.

And for those who say that iOS doesn't lag are delusional. My iPad3 on iOS6 is a lagging mess. It's sluggish and crashes all the time. I can't wait to dump it for the next-gen iPad, whenever it comes around. Even an iPhone4 on iOS6 lags like no other.
 
M

mib1800

Suspended
Original poster
Sep 16, 2012
2,859
1,250
zbarvian said:
I think the list scrolling speed on the iPhone is great, it accelerates if you try to move quicker and getting to the top is always just a tap of the status bar away. It's not a parlor trick either, not scrolling slower just to avoid stutters.
Click to expand...


No. the scrolling in iphone doesnt accelerates like in Android. Maybe it is not parlor trick but it sure is irritating slow compared to Android.

Just look again at these 2 videos carefully and you will see that iphone scroll just "lag" ;) compared to Android.

Webpages: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH1GDLunomY
List: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dn-8aR_Ht4

Because of this "lag" in Iphone, it is very frustrating to use. When there is a long list, you have to flip and flip on Iphone to scroll. Even flipping thru many home icon pages is slow compared to App drawer in Touchwiz. The worst is visiting a forum page like this. Sometimes you want to quick flip up/down to see previous posts but on Iphone you have to do 4-5 flips compared to 1-2 for android.


So Iphone LAGS by the above definition. :p
 
Last edited:
T

TommyA6

macrumors 65816
May 15, 2013
1,056
516
mib1800 said:
No. the scrolling in iphone doesnt accelerates like in Android. Maybe it is not parlor trick but it sure is irritating slow compared to Android.

Just look again at these 2 videos carefully and you will see that iphone scroll just "lag" ;) compared to Android.

Webpages: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH1GDLunomY
List: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dn-8aR_Ht4

Because of this "lag" in Iphone, it is very frustrating to use. When there is a long list, you have to flip and flip on Iphone to scroll. Even flipping thru many home icon pages is slow compared to App drawer in Touchwiz. The worst is visiting a forum page like this. Sometimes you want to quick flip up/down to see previous posts but on Iphone you have to do 4-5 flips compared to 1-2 for android.
Click to expand...

When people say Android lags they mean it has more frame drops when scrolling, pinching to zoom etc. What you show in those videos is not lag it is the way scrolling is programmed in iOS (to me it is much better and more precise. + it is more responsive there's no denying that. At least in the latest models. Iphone 4 on iOS 6 is pretty bad in terms of smoothness),
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom