iOS 11.2.2 does NOT affect iPhone performance [Geekbench Test]

Apple released iOS 11.2.2 update three days back to fix Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities. Here’s how Apple devices are responding to this update.

Does iOS 11.2.2 affect performance?

A lot of websites are reporting about an erroneous comparison between iOS 11.1.2 and 11.2.2 updates.

This test indicates a whopping 41% and 39% decrease in the single-core and multi-core scores.

Here’s the “fake” Geekbench score of an iPhone 6 that is doing the rounds on the Internet.

iOS 11.2.2 geekbench score

This test indicates a whopping 41% and 39% decrease in the single-core and multi-core scores.

It is highly likely that the device has an aged battery and is already in the “throttled” state.

For the uninitiated, iOS 11.2 fixes the Meltdown bug and iOS 11.2.2 patches its counterpart, Spectre.

These security patches are supposed to result in a significant performance slowdown.

Is this performance decrease real?

According to security experts, patches for Spectre vulnerability result in 5-30% performance decrease under certain situations.

The keyword here is “certain situations”. Novice reporters ignored this important fact thus coercing users to downgrade their devices to iOS 11.2.1 firmware.

iphone

iOS 11.2.2’s Spectre patch pertains only to javascript-based exploits (Safari and WebKit). It is not a massive system-wide security patch.

Therefore, there’s no need whatsoever for you not to update to iOS 11.2.2.

iOS 11.2.1 vs 11.2.2 – Real Geekbench score  

Here’s the “real” Geekbench score comparing processor performance on iOS 11.2.1 and 11.2.2. The single-core and multi-core scores of an iPhone X are measured in this test.

Although this test compares iOS 11.2.1 with 11.2.2, it still paints a clear picture as 11.2.1 didn’t have the Spectre patch.

iOS 11.2.1 vs 11.2.2

As is evident, the performance doesn’t decrease and actually increases by a few points on iOS 11.2.2.

This value is well within the margin of error and thus indicates no change whatsoever in performance.

Spectre patches do take a toll on performance. However, it is limited to Intel processors only, not the Apple iPhone. The reason behind this is that an iPhone doesn’t perform the kinds of tasks that an Intel chip does.

If you are a lower version, I highly recommend using SpectrePatch to mitigate this critical processor vulnerability.

For more firmware updates, give us a follow on Facebook and Twitter.

One Response

  1. James C.H. January 13, 2018

Leave a Reply

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap