Why Does Android 4.0 ICS Still Lag a Little Bit, Even with Hardware Acceleration On?

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Lionhardt

Senior Member
Sep 19, 2011
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Bethlehem, PA
I recently got an iphone 3g for cheap just to mess around with, and even though its very outdated, a lot of the menus and scrolling is super smooth. Obviously this is because of the hardware acceleration that uses the GPU. ICS was supposed to turn this on for the sensation, correct? It is noticeably better than in Sense 3.0/Android 2.3, but still not nearly as good as the iPhone. I use the CNN app, fully loaded website scrolling, and menu scrolling as my subjective measures.

Does anyone have a technical explanation for this? I'm just curious.
 
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pete777

Senior Member
May 12, 2007
147
9
Bratislava
Google search: the core reason why Android is laggy is the way it treats UI rendering. While on iOS UI rendering happens in a separate thread with real-time priority, on Android this happens in the main thread with normal priority. This of course means that other apps can take over your processor resources and hurt basic UI interactions, translating into a noticeable lag. If you tap and hold into the Safari window while it’s loading a webpage, the loading process stops, as UI rendering has the highest priority and takes over. The result is that the webpage will not load until you lift your finger off, but the UI will remain buttery smooth all the time. Android has a radically different approach - it will try to maintain a reasonable response rate for the UI and load the webpage, but often the framerates would drop causing a visible lag.
 
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k0zmic

Senior Member
Jul 16, 2010
1,270
232
London
I might be wrong but I'm not sure if all apps are GPU accelerated by default. I think developers need to add a little line of code in to enable it?
 
The-Nazgul

The-Nazgul

Senior Member
Dec 13, 2009
215
20
My UI is running totally fine and smooth, but if you use Livewallpapers + a lot of Widgets it may lag a bit.
However because the UI of the Iphone is much simpler it is rendered faster.
 
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bduvel

Senior Member
May 29, 2010
400
169
Lionhardt said:
I recently got an iphone 3g for cheap just to mess around with, and even though its very outdated, a lot of the menus and scrolling is super smooth. Obviously this is because of the hardware acceleration that uses the GPU. ICS was supposed to turn this on for the sensation, correct? It is noticeably better than in Sense 3.0/Android 2.3, but still not nearly as good as the iPhone. I use the CNN app, fully loaded website scrolling, and menu scrolling as my subjective measures.

Does anyone have a technical explanation for this? I'm just curious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

its cause iOS is weak and outdated, can't do anything.

looks ugly, no integration to anything, no options, no real multitasking(freezing apps), no widgets and lots more
320x480 low resolution

and with my XE i did not encounter any lag at all with latest ics, also running LWP
 
juanshop

juanshop

Senior Member
May 3, 2010
667
45
I am experiencing nothing but buttery smooth awesomeness no lag, nothing.

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda premium
 
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k0zmic

Senior Member
Jul 16, 2010
1,270
232
London
bduvel said:
its cause iOS is weak and outdated, can't do anything.

looks ugly, no integration to anything, no options, no real multitasking(freezing apps), no widgets and lots more
320x480 low resolution

and with my XE i did not encounter any lag at all with latest ics, also running LWP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Define 'weak' and how iOS 'cant't do anything'.

Looks are subjective.

Integration with what?

Less options

True the multitasking isn't quite 'real' and it doesn't have widgets.

320x480 with a single core 400MHz processor from more than 3 years ago.

Same here, ICS is very smooth on the Sensation IMO.
 
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bduvel

Senior Member
May 29, 2010
400
169
k0zmic said:
Define 'weak' and how iOS 'cant't do anything'.

Looks are subjective.

Integration with what?

Less options

True the multitasking isn't quite 'real' and it doesn't have widgets.

320x480 with a single core 400MHz processor from more than 3 years ago.

Same here, ICS is very smooth on the Sensation IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

customization wise, in application sharing wise, limited to one browser wise, no flash wise, restricting background data for applications, limited to apple keyboard

guess i could go on for a while and i dind't even start with HTC's Sense feature's to Android.

iOS may be responsive, but it is limited.
Did u see iOS 5.1 on "the new iPad"? the quadcore had trouble with the fps from resolution when going into album and scrolling through like 30pictures, imagine if you have thousands of pictures.

and remember the most simplest things can not be done without jailbreaking iOS, like installing a file manager or you name it. Everything has to go through iTunes. Like you can't install applications send by email or so.

im outta here!
 
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k0zmic

Senior Member
Jul 16, 2010
1,270
232
London
bduvel said:
customization wise, in application sharing wise, limited to one browser wise, no flash wise, restricting background data for applications, limited to apple keyboard

guess i could go on for a while and i dind't even start with HTC's Sense feature's to Android.

iOS may be responsive, but it is limited.
Did u see iOS 5.1 on "the new iPad"? the quadcore had trouble with the fps from resolution when going into album and scrolling through like 30pictures, imagine if you have thousands of pictures.

and remember the most simplest things can not be done without jailbreaking iOS, like installing a file manager or you name it. Everything has to go through iTunes. Like you can't install applications send by email or so.

im outta here!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Agree with customization wise and the fact it has no Flash but what did you mean by application sharing wise?

Not sure about restricting background data though.

Well, you can use different Browsers but they use the Safari engine, I think Opera Mini is the exception. Also, there are some alternative keyboards.

Nope, I didn't see iOS 5.1 but will have a look for that.

Perhaps, but I don't see why a File Manager should be necessary. True, but why would one want/need to install an application by email if they're all in one place already?

Anyway, I won't post anymore on this since it's a bit off topic.
 
V

V1k70r

Senior Member
Jan 6, 2012
271
90
bduvel said:
customization wise, in application sharing wise, limited to one browser wise, no flash wise, restricting background data for applications, limited to apple keyboard

guess i could go on for a while and i dind't even start with HTC's Sense feature's to Android.

iOS may be responsive, but it is limited.
Did u see iOS 5.1 on "the new iPad"? the quadcore had trouble with the fps from resolution when going into album and scrolling through like 30pictures, imagine if you have thousands of pictures.

and remember the most simplest things can not be done without jailbreaking iOS, like installing a file manager or you name it. Everything has to go through iTunes. Like you can't install applications send by email or so.

im outta here!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

You can do all those things you named with iOS as long as you jailbreak the thing. The iPad 3 doesn't have a quad core processor, it has the same as the iPhone 4s with an upgraded GPU. I found it too rather disappointing, but just because it scrolls slow it doesn't mean it is bad. Have you seen GTA III or MC3 on iOS?
You make it sound like jailbreaking is bad, but most of the people who buy an iDevice don't need as many options as a person who buys an Android device. The plusside of iOS is its wonderful usability. It is more intuitive than Android.
 
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bduvel

Senior Member
May 29, 2010
400
169
V1k70r said:
You can do all those things you named with iOS as long as you jailbreak the thing. The iPad 3 doesn't have a quad core processor, it has the same as the iPhone 4s with an upgraded GPU. I found it too rather disappointing, but just because it scrolls slow it doesn't mean it is bad. Have you seen GTA III or MC3 on iOS?
You make it sound like jailbreaking is bad, but most of the people who buy an iDevice don't need as many options as a person who buys an Android device. The plusside of iOS is its wonderful usability. It is more intuitive than Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Yea the OS is so good that you need to jailbreak it.. it may be alittle easier to use yes but you don't have to hack android to get some special apps to do this or do that.

I don't get it why you should defend iOS, it runs smoother cause everyone has the raindrop background on their phone and the same interface with few options to change anything at all.

If you had stock android on the phone without Sense like the Nexus Galaxy things would be different. (although Sense is not lagging with ICS for me)

And kozmic about the sharing, Apple was proud to show off their "twitter/facebook" integration so u could "share" things to those applications.
Android has that option to all applications which can make use of it.

And like i said above here all other things possible without doing anything to your device without "hacking/jailbreaking" it. iOS is basic.
 
V

V1k70r

Senior Member
Jan 6, 2012
271
90
bduvel said:
Yea the OS is so good that you need to jailbreak it.. it may be alittle easier to use yes but you don't have to hack android to get some special apps to do this or do that.

I don't get it why you should defend iOS, it runs smoother cause everyone has the raindrop background on their phone and the same interface with few options to change anything at all.

If you had stock android on the phone without Sense like the Nexus Galaxy things would be different. (although Sense is not lagging with ICS for me)

And kozmic about the sharing, Apple was proud to show off their "twitter/facebook" integration so u could "share" things to those applications.
Android has that option to all applications which can make use of it.

And like i said above here all other things possible without doing anything to your device without "hacking/jailbreaking" it. iOS is basic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

iOS is basic because the people who use it normally aren't power users. That's why people like the OS. It is clean.
If you are a power user on iOS, you have the option to jailbreak.
 
H

Hgaara

Senior Member
Apr 13, 2009
657
49
bduvel said:
Yea the OS is so good that you need to jailbreak it.. it may be alittle easier to use yes but you don't have to hack android to get some special apps to do this or do that.

If you had stock android on the phone without Sense like the Nexus Galaxy things would be different. (although Sense is not lagging with ICS for me)

And like i said above here all other things possible without doing anything to your device without "hacking/jailbreaking" it. iOS is basic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I always hear people complaining that they hate Sense/MotorBlur/TouchWiz/etc all of which are deeply intergrated into Android that you need an unlocked bootloader, S-OFF, root in order to go back to a AOSP experience..

Sense doesn't lag on my phone with ICS either, but some need to put the CPU back at the stock speed in order to compensate.

and technically, there are some things you can't do on Android unless you "hack" it either..
 
jthumanist

jthumanist

Senior Member
Feb 9, 2012
148
27
Sacramento
I have to tell you that after extensive reading, holding my breath and more reading; rooting and loading the ARHD ROM makes my Sensation a tough competator to iphone 5.

Sent from my HTC Sensation running ARHD 6.5.1XE. Rockin'
 
M

masands

Senior Member
Apr 15, 2010
78
4
LOL thats so true. I have an iPod Touch 2G with a 432 Mhz Processor and 128 mb of RAM and yet it is smoother than my HTC Sensation with a 1.2 Ghz Dual Core and 768mb of RAM. However, I am currently very impressed with Windows Phone. I still love HTC therefore my next phone will be WP7 with HTC. No need to worry about rooting, custom ROMS etc. I will enjoy a smooth experience with regular updates from Microsoft. Can't wait for it!
 
sshede

sshede

Senior Member
Dec 30, 2011
836
241
I'm not going to pretend it's super smooth all the time, cause it's not. The Sense homescreen is anywhere from 40 to 60 FPS, while that's not bad, it's inconsistent, I can feel it dip. If I go into the HTC Music application, pick a playlist, and go to Queue, I get 20 FPS tops.

It's an improvement, but an overrated one at that.
 
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  • 6
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    pete777
    Google search: the core reason why Android is laggy is the way it treats UI rendering. While on iOS UI rendering happens in a separate thread with real-time priority, on Android this happens in the main thread with normal priority. This of course means that other apps can take over your processor resources and hurt basic UI interactions, translating into a noticeable lag. If you tap and hold into the Safari window while it’s loading a webpage, the loading process stops, as UI rendering has the highest priority and takes over. The result is that the webpage will not load until you lift your finger off, but the UI will remain buttery smooth all the time. Android has a radically different approach - it will try to maintain a reasonable response rate for the UI and load the webpage, but often the framerates would drop causing a visible lag.
    View
    2
    B
    bduvel
    k0zmic said:
    Define 'weak' and how iOS 'cant't do anything'.

    Looks are subjective.

    Integration with what?

    Less options

    True the multitasking isn't quite 'real' and it doesn't have widgets.

    320x480 with a single core 400MHz processor from more than 3 years ago.

    Same here, ICS is very smooth on the Sensation IMO.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    customization wise, in application sharing wise, limited to one browser wise, no flash wise, restricting background data for applications, limited to apple keyboard

    guess i could go on for a while and i dind't even start with HTC's Sense feature's to Android.

    iOS may be responsive, but it is limited.
    Did u see iOS 5.1 on "the new iPad"? the quadcore had trouble with the fps from resolution when going into album and scrolling through like 30pictures, imagine if you have thousands of pictures.

    and remember the most simplest things can not be done without jailbreaking iOS, like installing a file manager or you name it. Everything has to go through iTunes. Like you can't install applications send by email or so.

    im outta here!
    View
    2
    LocutusEstBorg
    LocutusEstBorg
    k0zmic said:
    Is the latest ICS ROM for the GS2 Release Candidate/Beta status or a final build though?
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    It's almost final, but has bugs such as apps not recognized on SD card. ICS should be officially out any day now.

    ---------- Post added at 02:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:55 PM ----------
    remus82 said:
    let me harbour a guess: its not a fair comparison like that as android has more resources loading, unlike your iPhone which is able to multitask less. Just take a look at how simple iOS looks. Look at its app drawer. Oh wait, then where is its homescreen. Its unlike android which supports so many things. This android vs iOS thing has been going on for long. Let's face it: the argument will hardly end as both os have their pluses and minuses. At the end of the day, the choice is yours.

    P.S correct me if I am wrong.

    Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    My primary device is an SGS2. I would never go back to iOS no matter what, but that's not an excuse to accept an obviously laggy underwhelming OS experience.

    That's like saying Windows 7 should be much slower than Windows 95. It's not. When a device with over 10x the processing power like a modern Android tablet cannot run a basic desktop after a clean installation and reboot with ZERO open applications smoothly, it's a failure of epic proportions.

    I hate this stupid myth that iOS doesn't multitask or load as many resources as Android. It does everything almost the same, including multitasking. Android apps are paused and frozen the same way except for manually created threads, just like on iOS where the developer has to manually create a background thread. They just arbitrarily don't allow developers to use the entire functionality of the OS.

    Taking that into account, there is no reason a freshly installed Android ROM with no extra apps should lag compared to an iOS device that's polluted with a year's worth of use. It's just sloppy programming. Remember how Symbian was ****? It lagged and froze all the time. When the iPhone was released, it brought to light how sloppy the Symbian developers were. There's no reason to believe Android is any different from Symbian's sloppiness and poor architecture until someone comes forth with some hard evidence that Android is superbly optimized. It's just not.

    On a related note, ever notice how every single Linux distro is sticky and unresponsive? Even with all the new fangled hardware accelerated UIs in the newer distros, they all just suck. They are no where as responsive as Windows XP. You can't have your GUI connecting to the OS via some socket connection or some other network analogy bull****. It's poor architecture at its worst.
    View
    1
    V
    V1k70r
    bduvel said:
    customization wise, in application sharing wise, limited to one browser wise, no flash wise, restricting background data for applications, limited to apple keyboard

    guess i could go on for a while and i dind't even start with HTC's Sense feature's to Android.

    iOS may be responsive, but it is limited.
    Did u see iOS 5.1 on "the new iPad"? the quadcore had trouble with the fps from resolution when going into album and scrolling through like 30pictures, imagine if you have thousands of pictures.

    and remember the most simplest things can not be done without jailbreaking iOS, like installing a file manager or you name it. Everything has to go through iTunes. Like you can't install applications send by email or so.

    im outta here!
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    You can do all those things you named with iOS as long as you jailbreak the thing. The iPad 3 doesn't have a quad core processor, it has the same as the iPhone 4s with an upgraded GPU. I found it too rather disappointing, but just because it scrolls slow it doesn't mean it is bad. Have you seen GTA III or MC3 on iOS?
    You make it sound like jailbreaking is bad, but most of the people who buy an iDevice don't need as many options as a person who buys an Android device. The plusside of iOS is its wonderful usability. It is more intuitive than Android.
    View

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