iOS 11 Performance on Original iPad Air?

[NiCk-]

iPad Air user here.

"Borderline usable" on iOS 10 is absurd ! My iPad Air on iOS 10 works perfectly fine and I rarely have any slowdowns. I am not the kind of person who upgrades every year - or not even every 2 years - so when I read comments like this I am kind of shocked at what people consider "borderline usable". So, if iOS 11 is similar to iOS 10 (looks like it after the latest betas) I won't hesitate to upgrade to take advantage of the new features and I will probably wait one more year before even considering upgrading to a new iPad.

P.s. Since everything is subjective, in my opinion "borderline usable" was iPhone 4 on iOS 7. Now THAT, was a nightmare to use !

 

[Sharkoneau]

iPad Air user here.

"Borderline usable" on iOS 10 is absurd ! My iPad Air on iOS 10 works perfectly fine and I rarely have any slowdowns. I am not the kind of person who upgrades every year - or not even every 2 years - so when I read comments like this I am kind of shocked at what people consider "borderline usable". So, if iOS 11 is similar to iOS 10 (looks like it after the latest betas) I won't hesitate to upgrade to take advantage of the new features and I will probably wait one more year before even considering upgrading to a new iPad.

P.s. Since everything is subjective, in my opinion "borderline usable" was iPhone 4 on iOS 7. Now THAT, was a nightmare to use !

Absolutely my sentiments as well. Some people obviously have vastly different tolerances for bugs and UI speed - I tend to be pickier myself, that’s why I beta test - but one can’t expect things to be perfect. It’s also easy to forget that this is pre-release and soon first iteration software. We might not even be having this conversation come 11.1, or even 11.01.

Also, the iPhone 4 was awful on iOS 7. I still have that sitting in a drawer here, but the new software crippled performance. Luckily, that’s not often the case with software these days.

 

[rui no onna]

Your the minority I've heard the Air is performing relatively good in ios 11 and it's not even finalized. Once it releases do a clean install you'll see

Iirc, he once posted that the iPad 2 was barely usable on iOS 5 so I'd consider him extremely performance sensitive.

I know I can be picky, too, but I'm not quite that picky.

 

[gobikerider]

Iirc, he once posted that the iPad 2 was barely usable on iOS 5 so I'd consider him extremely performance sensitive.

I know I can be picky, too, but I'm not quite that picky.

What it was brand new on iOS 5?

 

[rui no onna]

What it was brand new on iOS 5?

Technically, it was launched March so it came with iOS 4 preinstalled. It was a few months later that the iPhone 4S and iOS 5 were released.

 

[gobikerider]

Technically, it was launched March so it came with iOS 4 preinstalled. It was a few months later that the iPhone 4S and iOS 5 were released.

Lmao I forgot yah it had 4.3 wow man those were the days tho iOS was just insanely polished, I mean yah it had some glitches but like it was always 60fps no stuttering or anything. I miss that

 

[imagineadam]

Hey guys,

I’m the tech guy in my family, and I have a family member who currently owns the first iPad Air. I’m doing beta testing myself on my iPhone 7, and havd been largely impressed so far.

Can anyone speak to the performance of the new software on the iPad Air? It runs iOS 10 well, although new iterations always bring question marks. Thanks!

Looks like business as usual. Apple slows things down a notch each year on most older devices.

 

[gobikerider]

Looks like business as usual. Apple slows things down a notch each year on most older devices.

Its still in beta, overall responsiveness looks on par very impressive . Performance will be identical to iOS 10 by iOS 11.3.1 heck I'd say it might even get a little quicker as iOS 11 drops x32 legacy code and optimzes for 64 chips exclusively.

 

[Sharkoneau]

Looks like business as usual. Apple slows things down a notch each year on most older devices.

Appreciate the video! I actually checked this one out earlier, as with many from this guy. He does good work.

I’m happy to say, however, that her iPad performs a bit better than depicted here. There are hardly any UI glitches, the only issue is slower app launch times (as shown in the video). However, these are minor.

 

[rui no onna]

Lmao I forgot yah it had 4.3 wow man those were the days tho iOS was just insanely polished, I mean yah it had some glitches but like it was always 60fps no stuttering or anything. I miss that

True. I still have an iPad 4 on iOS 6 and while it is definitely slower compared to newer devices, the UI itself is super smooth.

iOS 7 was a marked change and it brought much higher GPU requirements along with it. The CPU wasn't really as big a problem on those older devices as much as the GPU was.

GFXBench Manhattan ES 3.0 Onscreen Ave FPS
56.1 iPhone 6s (A9, 2GB 1ch LPDDR4, 1334*750, 1MP)
35.7 iPad Pro 9.7 (A9X, 2GB 1ch LPDDR4, 2048*1536, 3.1MP)
33.2 iPad Pro 12.9 (A9X, 4GB 2ch LPDDR4, 2732*2048, 5.6MP)
27.2 iPad Air 2 (A8X, 2GB 2ch LPDDR3, 2048*1536, 3.1MP)
26.7 iPhone 5s (A7, 1136*640, 0.7MP)
26.1 iPhone 6 (A8, 1334*750, 1MP)
8.8 iPad Air (A7, 1GB 1ch LPDDR3, 2048*1536, 3.1MP)


GFXBench Manhattan ES 3.0 Offscreen 1080p (2.1MP) Ave FPS (raw performance)
80.0 iPad Pro 12.9 (A9X, 4GB 2ch LPDDR4, 2732*2048, 5.6MP)
50.8 iPad Pro 9.7 (A9X, 2GB 1ch LPDDR4, 2048*1536, 3.1MP)
40.1 iPhone 6s (A9, 2GB 1ch LPDDR4, 1334*750, 1MP)
37.8 iPad Air 2 (A8X, 2GB 2ch LPDDR3, 2048*1536, 3.1MP)
18.2 iPhone 6 (A8, 1334*750, 1MP)
13.1 iPhone 5s (A7, 1136*640, 0.7MP)
13.0 iPad Air (A7, 1GB 1ch LPDDR3, 2048*1536, 3.1MP)

 

[Sharkoneau]

True. I still have an iPad 4 on iOS 6 and while it is definitely slower compared to newer devices, the UI itself is super smooth.

iOS 7 was a marked change and it brought much higher GPU requirements along with it. The CPU wasn't really as big a problem on those older devices as much as the GPU was.

GFXBench Manhattan ES 3.0 Onscreen Ave FPS
56.1 iPhone 6s (A9, 2GB 1ch LPDDR4, 1334*750, 1MP)
35.7 iPad Pro 9.7 (A9X, 2GB 1ch LPDDR4, 2048*1536, 3.1MP)
33.2 iPad Pro 12.9 (A9X, 4GB 2ch LPDDR4, 2732*2048, 5.6MP)
27.2 iPad Air 2 (A8X, 2GB 2ch LPDDR3, 2048*1536, 3.1MP)
26.7 iPhone 5s (A7, 1136*640, 0.7MP)
26.1 iPhone 6 (A8, 1334*750, 1MP)
8.8 iPad Air (A7, 1GB 1ch LPDDR3, 2048*1536, 3.1MP)


GFXBench Manhattan ES 3.0 Offscreen 1080p (2.1MP) Ave FPS (raw performance)
80.0 iPad Pro 12.9 (A9X, 4GB 2ch LPDDR4, 2732*2048, 5.6MP)
50.8 iPad Pro 9.7 (A9X, 2GB 1ch LPDDR4, 2048*1536, 3.1MP)
40.1 iPhone 6s (A9, 2GB 1ch LPDDR4, 1334*750, 1MP)
37.8 iPad Air 2 (A8X, 2GB 2ch LPDDR3, 2048*1536, 3.1MP)
18.2 iPhone 6 (A8, 1334*750, 1MP)
13.1 iPhone 5s (A7, 1136*640, 0.7MP)
13.0 iPad Air (A7, 1GB 1ch LPDDR3, 2048*1536, 3.1MP)

Now THAT is technical data. Interesting for sure. I wonder how closely the Manhattan benchmarks mirror real-life performance.

 

[Zirel]

I can't believe people think iOS 10 is "borderline usable" on an iPad Air, it's like we collectively forgot how _really_ sluggish hardware/software was to use. The occational stutter in the UI is no big deal for me, I was completely happy both on iOS 9 and iOS 10. Sometimes the text input would lag behind a few seconds at the very beginning, but that's about it. I won't buy a newer iPad just because of that.

Some people bought second hand, and "forget" that the iPad Air 1 is iPhone 5s-era hardware with 1GB of RAM!

Yes, it looks relatively recent on the outside, but the hardware is not.

 

[MEJHarrison]

I wouldn't call iOS 10 "borderline usable". For my needs, I'd call it "completely usable".

Not everyone uses their iPad the same way. For some, it's still got some life left in it. For other people, it seems to be time to upgrade. I see no problem with that.

Why this crazy insistence that everyone must share the same experience?

 

[stooovie]

Various people have various thresholds for considering performance "unusable" or "super smooth". That's it. There's no way to compare a subjective feeling of speed. Benchmarks are nice but almost completely useless from this standpoint.

 

[rui no onna]

Now THAT is technical data. Interesting for sure. I wonder how closely the Manhattan benchmarks mirror real-life performance.

GFXBench primarily measures graphics performance.

Personal experience, it's been pretty indicative of stutters and UI lag for me. Devices that benchmark at ~50 FPS in Manhattan Onscreen have been super smooth for me. Around ~25 FPS, smooth with occasional micro-stutters.

I have both 5s and Air and despite both having A7 + 1GB RAM, the Air had noticeably more lag compared to the 5s. I never really paid attention to graphics performance before but seeing those benchmarks has been an eye opener. My personal ranking of device performance on iOS 7 onwards pretty much follows the GFXBench rankings so now, I actually pay attention to GPU performance despite not gaming much.

 

[Sharkoneau]

GFXBench primarily measures graphics performance.

Personal experience, it's been pretty indicative of stutters and UI lag for me. Devices that benchmark at ~50 FPS in Manhattan Onscreen have been super smooth for me. Around ~25 FPS, smooth with occasional micro-stutters.

I have both 5s and Air and despite both having A7 + 1GB RAM, the Air had noticeably more lag compared to the 5s. I never really paid attention to graphics performance before but seeing those benchmarks has been an eye opener. My personal ranking of device performance on iOS 7 onwards pretty much follows the GFXBench rankings so now, I actually pay attention to GPU performance despite not gaming much.

Gotcha! Thanks for the info. For the Air, I would only assume more lag and stutters are caused by the device having to push more pixels - given its display size.

 

[rui no onna]

Gotcha! Thanks for the info. For the Air, I would only assume more lag and stutters are caused by the device having to push more pixels - given its display size.

Yep. Figured that was the case. iOS 7 and newer were significantly harder on the GPU compared to iOS 6 and older. The weird thing was I found the iPhone 6 Plus (A8) stuttered more than the 5s (A7) and it was useful to see benchmark comparisons.

That chart is actually how I decided it was okay to get the 2017 iPad (A9). I knew A8X had a much faster GPU than A8 so I'm not sure if the non-X A9 was going to be good enough for the iPad. The GFXBench offscreen benchmarks indicated that the 2017 iPad would have similar GPU performance to the Air 2 so I deemed it good enough.

 

[dzoniAIR]

I have a problem on my ipad air, I cant activate iMessage and FaceTime, my apple ID works, but when i want to sing in on iMessage it seys "An error occurred during activatiom. Try again." I dont khow what to do, PLS HELP!

 

[kurticus]

My iPad Air has been rendered almost useless since upgrading to 11. I might have to wipe it and do a clean install - but seriously, loading web pages, switching between apps, using the Home App to turn on/off Hue lights, everything is really choppy and slow. Never experienced performance this poor with any version of iOS on any iOS hardware. I've even turned off the animations and background app refresh and things like that, still really slow. I guess time to wipe it and do a fresh install and see if that makes a diff.

 

[Easttime]

My iPad Air has been rendered almost useless since upgrading to 11. I might have to wipe it and do a clean install - but seriously, loading web pages, switching between apps, using the Home App to turn on/off Hue lights, everything is really choppy and slow. Never experienced performance this poor with any version of iOS on any iOS hardware. I've even turned off the animations and background app refresh and things like that, still really slow. I guess time to wipe it and do a fresh install and see if that makes a diff.

Made a huge difference for me. Took it to an Apple store. They did a firmware-level wipe and restore, then I reinstalled purchased apps rather than restore a backup. Only took a couple of hours and so worth it.

 

[merrickdrfc]

Have animations ever been smooth on an iPad Air? Only had mine on iOS 7/8 but I seem to remember it didn't even manage to be smooth on 7.0.

 

[Sharkoneau]

Hey all! Good to see conversation is being had here again.

As far as my experience goes, the Air has been just fine. The only annoying things are little animation stutters here and there - namely pulling down Notification Center or sliding up for Control Center. The latter is less common though. Apps may launch a bit slower, but in terms of what the device is used for, things seem to be good. I expect 11.1 to improve things further; it’s been good for my iPhone.

 

[blkjedi954]

I only use it when I absolutely have to since installing iOS 10, it's too slow for my standards, I guess 11 didn't make it worse, it's just as bad.

I have 128gb 1st gen iPad Air and the performance is horrendous. Anyone who says different don’t gauge user experience. They’re just on the bandwagon.i joined the Apple family in 2008 for the experience and boy let me tell you ios 11 on 1st gen iPad Air is the most painful experience I’ve ever had on an iDevice. Ios 10 was taxing but tolerable, but ios 11 is cruel. DONT UPGRADE IF YOU HAVE A 1ST GEN IPAD AIR!! HEED MY WORDS! Unless of course you use it for email and YouTube and the stuttering and delays probably don’t bother you. I use my Air for sooooo much more. Never again!!

 

[iapplelove]

I have 128gb 1st gen iPad Air and the performance is horrendous. Anyone who says different don’t gauge user experience. They’re just on the bandwagon.i joined the Apple family in 2008 for the experience and boy let me tell you ios 11 on 1st gen iPad Air is the most painful experience I’ve ever had on an iDevice. Ios 10 was taxing but tolerable, but ios 11 is cruel. DONT UPGRADE IF YOU HAVE A 1ST GEN IPAD AIR!! HEED MY WORDS! Unless of course you use it for email and YouTube and the stuttering and delays probably don’t bother you. I use my Air for sooooo much more. Never again!!

I’m running a first gen iPad Air and other than a little lagging at times it’s fine. Mine also still gets fantastic battery life.

I will say I mainly use mine to surf safari,run the YouTube app, and a few other handful of apps. I’m on 11.1.2 and to be honest, since iOS 10 the user experience seems to be the same for me. There is also a new iPad Pro in my house(not mine) but I do use it from time to time. Much quicker,more responsive and obviously smoother. But the experience isn’t night and day imo.

 

[macfacts]

That may be and yah things may load slower, but if you look over to the Android side, well you wont find a tablet as old as the iPad Air that even runs the latest version of Android.

It is well known Google pixel devices get regular updates but sales of pixel devices are not good compared to other Android devices. This to me shows that os updates are not a high priority for most.