First iOS 5 Benchmarks Suggest Most Will Be Happy With New OS

The initial iOS 5 benchmarks are in and not surprisingly, Apple’s new mobile operating system scores best on newer iDevices, according to Gigaom. Using a combination of GeekBench 2 ($0.99), Gauge Mathematical Tool (free), BenchTest ($0.99), SunSpider (free) and V8 (free), the site tested the performance of iOS 5 on four iDevices. These include the original iPad (Wi-Fi), the iPhone 4 (GSM), the iPod touch 4^th Gen, and the iPad 2 (WiFi + 3G, GSM). According to the tests, Mobile Safari is significantly better under iOS 5, regardless of the iDevice. In fact, overall, each iDevice tested saw improved performance, sans the original iPad. Even here, however, “the hit on performance…in most cases (was) negligible.” They state:

In fact, with the exception of the original iPad (the older device that was tested), all devices actually gained in performance in most areas. That is simply amazing for the first release of a major OS update. This is nothing like the 4.0 release, where we saw incremental performance gains over the lifetime of 4.0 to restore what was lost to older device; iOS 5.0 is a solid release for all where performance is concerned.

Therefore, once users get past some reported iOS 5’s installation issues, one can expect an improved performance, no matter the iDevice.

Mentioned apps