Android Lag - Nonsense or Fact?

[jamezr]

I think this is so amusing.....I see people complaining about specific phones...some have agendas to prove their phone choice is better than others. Some just complaining about Android in general. Some saying they have multiple Android devices with lag....complaining they are not as good as IOS devices..... Then it struck me.....if this was in an iPhone forum what would be the reaction?
So my thoughts are...some people have had some lag on Android devices. If they are not happy they are free to return them and get a device they like and prefer. I have done this sooooo many times with phones I think it is a addiction! This year alone I have had the iPhone 5....Note 2....iPhone 5 again......HTC One....Galaxy S4. It is very easy to switch phones and mobile OSes. I didn't feel the need to bash my old phones.... They are all great phones!
If you are not happy with your phone....get one you will be happy with.....List it on CL and get one that will give you a more enjoyable mobile experience.
Life is way too short.....Not happy with your S4 list it on CL for a trade...done this numerous times...problem solved.......pop in the SIM cards or meet at the carrier store to switch phones on the accounts....works...done it soo many times......

 

[Shanghaichica]

Don't expect Samsung to have the software expertise of google or apple.

I can bet you the gs5 is going to have lag too. Sad but I see it happening.

I won't be getting anymore samsung/android devices. I've tried android and it isn't for me. When my contract is up for renewal later this year I shall be moving back to the iPhone.

 

[MikeyMike01]

My Galaxy Nexus lags uncontrollably. On 4.2, CM10, or otherwise. So did the two previous Android devices I owned (all high end at their times).

I can only come to the conclusion that it is a deeply ingrained software problem that Google is unwilling or unable to fix.

I've also come to the conclusion I won't be buying any more Android devices until Google adequately addresses the problem. I'll be sticking to Windows Phone and/or iOS.

 

[SpaceKitty]

My Nexus 4 is still blazingly fast as the day I bought it back in February. I still prefer to use it for some things such as opening emails because they open instantly from the notification bar. Wish my 4S could be that fast.

My Nexus 7 on the other hand has lag as slow as a turtle. Try switching accounts on the N7 when you haven't used an account in a month or two. it will take several minutes before you can do anything with all the emails and notifications and updates it will have to do. Opening emails from the notifications bar is pretty slow too.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

My Galaxy Nexus lags uncontrollably. On 4.2, CM10, or otherwise. So did the two previous Android devices I owned (all high end at their times).

I can only come to the conclusion that it is a deeply ingrained software problem that Google is unwilling or unable to fix.

I've also come to the conclusion I won't be buying any more Android devices until Google adequately addresses the problem. I'll be sticking to Windows Phone and/or iOS.

Not sure if it is the Note 2 that has the bigger issue. I owned an S3 and although it lagged way more than the iPhone I have now, it was never as bad as I've seen demonstrated on the Note.

I remember a few months ago I was in my local supermarket Tesco waiting for my wife to finish trying on clothes and I wondered over to a display stand advertising the Note 2 and S3. I didn't bother with the S3 as I had previously owned one, but played a bit with the Note. I was amazed how laggy it was just swiping between screens and firing up apps. I know this particular model would have been straight out of the box with no mods etc. I killed all the tasks on it and found it had very little in the way of installed apps, yet was lagging. I asked the sales adviser if they were kept on for long periods overnight and he said they are usually powered down every 2 to 3 days, as its a 24 hour store. As I say it seemed a lot worse than the S3 and for reasons I couldn't identify. Then again I know people who have had them and had no problems, but they are heavily customised to suit their own needs. Strange though.

 

[roadbloc]

Entirely depends on the handset you buy. The higher end phones run Android with no fuss or lag. Lower end and cheaper phones start to show cracks.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Entirely depends on the handset you buy. The higher end phones run Android with no fuss or lag. Lower end and cheaper phones start to show cracks.

I wouldn't call the Note 2 'lower end'. It might be considered now of course as its been out a while perhaps.

 

[Dontazemebro]

My iPhone 4s lags like crazy (shutter lag, swiping and scrolling web pages). Never experienced any lag on my One X or GS4. Must be how apple designed ios6 cause it works like crap on older devices

 

[shobuddy]

This article sums up the lag issue. I've only owned Android devices but have played around with the iPhone. While I prefer Android for my purposes, there is no doubt in my mind that pound for pound, Apple offers the "smoother" experience hands down.

http://notesofgenius.com/the-story-android-lag-ios/

 

[Zaft]

I was just playing around with my freinds GS4 the other day. Though it is smooth it sill hiccups. The messages app foe example lags a bit.

The htc one is smoother for sure.

 

[TacticalDesire]

Why is this thread still going? Holy crap.

 

[Tinmania]

Why is this thread still going? Holy crap.

Because there are people out there, still, who will "play" with a friend's phone and come to a hard-and-fast conclusion instantly.



Michael

 

[cynics]

It's a fact and I won't have any android fan boy tell me any different. I have a Samsung galaxy note and samsung galaxy tab. Both lag quite badly, despite running Jelly bean. My galaxy tab isn't so bad I suppose but, the Note stutters all the time and freezes. My boyfriend has a galaxy S3 and that lags as well although not as much as my devices. It's ridiculous really. iOS devices are much smoother despite often having slower processors. I've never experienced lag on any iOS device.

It's a fact I won't have any Apple fanboy/girl tell me my iOS devices don't lag. Pick up any iPad 3 and use the 3D maps in New York. It's a complete mess once you zoom in, borderline unusable IMO.

See what I did there? I took what you said and use a specific device and app and pushed my experience out as fact like you did. Only difference is it is fact and noted by Apple.

My other experiences are more like yours. Occasional stuttering and slow downs. Difference being I have screen shots.

Like this. Keyboard stuck lagging coming back from the search.

Or password entered with no action.

That's the main two I have that can't be faked but I have others. Like scrolling stopping in multitasking and notification window stuttering down.

So because every iOS device I have lag on occasion doesn't mean I can say for a fact every iOS in the world does and proclaim that as fact (unlike the iPad 3 in maps that seems they all do from talking with Apple). So I don't know why you or anyone else would proclaim every Android device lags too.

 

[Tinmania]

Or password entered with no action.

That is my personal favorite. Particularly annoying right after a reboot: you tap in the passcode and it starts filling in what you thought you typed 3-10 seconds later.



Mike

 

[Mac Tyson]

If the Android people are calling Android Lag nonsense, then why did Google unveil Project Butter during the Jelly Bean release to specifically address Android Lag???

 

[cynics]

If the Android people are calling Android Lag nonsense, then why did Google unveil Project Butter during the Jelly Bean release to specifically address Android Lag???

Aren't we talking about Jelly Bean devices?

I guess if we aren't talking modern stuff why does iOS lag so bad on the 3GS? See how silly that sounds?

Oh wait there is actually a good reason older devices shouldn't be updated.

I guess if the topic is OVERALL then yes Android lags. I have an old Android device on Froyo, its pretty laggy. So case closed, an Android device lagged once. /thread.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

My S4 has been good to me on stock. I have 3 separate email apps pushing mail. Gmail app, stock Email app(pushing hotmail), and Touchdown app(for my work exchange). Also got 7 widgets running. 5 on my main homescreen. I'm using AT&T messages for visual voicemail, texting, and etc. I have my Sykpe logged in at all times. I'm using 3D image live with a default wallpaper for my homescreen and use travel wallpaper(from trip advisor).

I rarely clear RAM or manually kill an app unless a specific app is a known issue. The only issues I have are the Samsung link app left unattended can drain battery, so I kill it whenever I'm done using it. Also the on the app Manilla, typing in the passcode lags. Other than those two specific app issues, I haven't notice any type of lag whatsoever.

 

[Assault]

Aren't we talking about Jelly Bean devices?

I guess if we aren't talking modern stuff why does iOS lag so bad on the 3GS? See how silly that sounds?

Oh wait there is actually a good reason older devices shouldn't be updated.

I guess if the topic is OVERALL then yes Android lags. I have an old Android device on Froyo, its pretty laggy. So case closed, an Android device lagged once. /thread.

Exactly. My 4th gen ipod touch lags all the time and it isn't jailbroken, still has 11gb of space left and is running the latest version of iOS.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I don't think it's any secret Android lags more than iOS but its horses for courses. Both have pros and cons and its down to what you are willing to put up with for what you want.

 

[Tinmania]

I don't think it's any secret Android lags more than iOS but its horses for courses. Both have pros and cons and its down to what you are willing to put up with for what you want.

Well then some of us are lucky. My Note 2 lags less than both my iPhone 4S and iPad 3. Most apps run about the same--give or take--but the news app I use the most, Huffington Post, is abysmal on my iPad: slow, crashes just about daily, and doesn't play half the videos. This on top of the fact it is hard-coded to only share to a few apps. If I based my opinion on just that app I could very easily say that iOS lags like hell compared to Android.




Michael

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Well then some of us are lucky. My Note 2 lags less than both my iPhone 4S and iPad 3. Most apps run about the same--give or take--but the news app I use the most, Huffington Post, is abysmal on my iPad: slow, crashes just about daily, and doesn't play half the videos. This on top of the fact it is hard-coded to only share to a few apps. If I based my opinion on just that app I could very easily say that iOS lags like hell compared to Android.
Michael

I suppose that depends whether its the hardware or the app that causes that particular app to be slow. I'm not familiar with the app you talk about, but I assume its not one Apple are responsible for. Some have better experiences than others. My personal experience of Android was it lagged quite badly at times and often apps like Facebook, YouTube, and tapatalk needed to be force closed. iOS isn't completely lag free I am told, I just haven't been unlucky as yet.

 

[Zaft]

Well then some of us are lucky. My Note 2 lags less than both my iPhone 4S and iPad 3. Most apps run about the same--give or take--but the news app I use the most, Huffington Post, is abysmal on my iPad: slow, crashes just about daily, and doesn't play half the videos. This on top of the fact it is hard-coded to only share to a few apps. If I based my opinion on just that app I could very easily say that iOS lags like hell compared to Android.




Michael

this is not even an opinion.. android lags more. stop trying to change a fact.

 

[Tinmania]

this is not even an opinion.. android lags more. stop trying to change a fact.

I stated a fact. Do keep up. Stop trying to change reality.




Michael

 

[jrswizzle]

I can't believe we've reached post number 224 in a thread based solely on anecdotal evidence.....

Newsflash - technology lags. ALL of it. Generally speaking over the entire smartphone using population, statistics and numbers will say the amount of lag across the two platforms on devices running the latest software is about the same (though given the fact that iOS 6 runs on older devices than JB does, one might include a time-limit on the devices polled).

Just as there are about the same number of crashes on each platform under the same conditions.

I think there are a couple things people ignore when they make claims like the ones in this thread:

(1) Lag/smoothness isn't the same/doesn't look the same across EVERY device: the truth is, the iPhone and Android phones render animations differently and as such react differently to touch input. To one user (who's used to say iOS), Android could "look laggy" because that user isn't used to the way Android renders animations - such as swiping through pages or opening apps.

(2) You aren't the only person on the planet. In fact, the entirety of MacRumors' visitors doesn't even add up to a surveyable percentage of smartphone users. A.K.A - nothing said here has any bearing on reality and the industry as a whole.

(3) People do varying things to and with their phones - one person may keep theirs locked away in an airtight container so as to keep it pristine and perfect, while the other throws his/her's into a gym bag without a care for its condition. There are a wide variety of conditions our smartphones are in. I could say "Man my Android phone is smooth but my iOS device lags" while comparing my brand new HTC One and my iPhone 4S that's beat to hell....

(4) Anecdotal evidence isn't worth the pixels it's typed with, and should therefore be summarily dismissed in any argument......

In other words, this thread is pointless and should be closed.

 

[jaymzuk]

this is not even an opinion.. android lags more. stop trying to change a fact.

Facts normally require sources.

Android lags... on some devices. Much like iOS lags... on some devices.

My iPhone 4S lagged just before I got rid of it running the latest version of iOS, I'd dread to think what a 4 or a 3GS would be like, even running their slightly hamstrung versions of the OS.

My HTC One doesn't lag, but of course it doesn't, it's top notch hardware.

To make blanket statements like 'Android lags', whilst not entirely unexpected on this forum, would be quite sycophantic.