Apple’s admission it slows down the performance of old iPhones to protect aging batteries has caused a late-2017 stir in the smartphone world. It’s even spawned some lawsuits.
While Apple’s position at the top of the totem pole often makes it a lightning rod for this kind of criticism; we can’t be sure whether this type of CPU throttling is commonplace across the entire industry.
Well, two of Apple’s rivals, Motorola and HTC have piped up to say they aren’t engaging in the controversial practice.
An HTC spokesperson told The Verge it “is not something we do.”
Meanwhile, a representative from Motorola said: “We do not throttle CPU performance based on older batteries.”
Sony, LG and Google are yet to provide a definitive answer, while a Samsung spokesperson told the site it was looking into the issue.
Heavy debate
The merits of Apple’s decision to slow down the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE and iPhone 7 once they reach a certain age has been debated heavily in the last couple of weeks.
The firm said the goal was to provide the best overall performance, while prolonging the life of the devices. It claims the practice prevents unwanted shutdowns of older iPhones.
In a statement, the company said: “Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.”
Critics have argued Apple’s actions could lead iPhone owners to conclude their handset need replacing rather than just the battery itself.
What’s your view on the latest iPhone ‘gate’ saga? Are Apple right to prolong the longevity of iPhone batteries by throttling performance? Or do iPhone users have a right to top speeds at all times? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
