New iOS: Should I upgrade?

After going through the horror of upgrading an iPhone 4s from 6 to 7 to 8 to 9, which became painfully slower, and slower…, and slower…with each release, I became way more picky about upgrading to the latest iOS. It’s a pretty simple decision process I go through. You’ll always find Youtube comparison videos. Here’s what I look out for…

Finding iOS Comparison Videos

Simply head on over to Youtube and try searches like iPhone 5s iOS 9.2.1 vs 9.3.2. You’ll immediately find some good results.

What to watch out for in comparison videos

Numer 1 Rule: Don’t accept any slowdown. Just don’t, it’s not worth it. Trust me, the pain of the iPhone 4s upgrade cycle was horrendous.

Don’t bother with minor speed increases. I’m talking like where native apps might load a split-second faster. It’s just not worth the hassle in case the reviewer missed something that is actually slower.

Be careful with iOS beta comparisons. At the time I write this, I’m only seeing iOS 9.3.2 Beta comparisons. I wouldn’t upgrade based on a Beta comparison. On the other hand, Beta comparisons do tell you if there’s anything to get excited about. As it stands, iOS 9.2.1 to 9.3.2, in Beta comparisons, doesn’t look like it’s worth the upgrade.

My Hope

My hope is that Apple realizes how problematic it is when their new releases result in a slower performance. I simply hope that they implement a policy of “never slower.” Don’t release a new iOS if it’s at all slower based on the common tests you see in Youtube comparison videos.