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Geekbench Results Visualize Possible Link Between iPhone Slowdowns and Degraded Batteries (geekbench.com)
Earlier this month a post on social media which suggested that Apple might be deliberately downgrading performance on iPhone models with degraded battery was widely circulated. Benchmark Primate Labs' Geekbench has looked into the matter and is corroborating the claims. From a report: Primate Labs founder John Poole has plotted the kernel density of Geekbench 4 scores for iPhone 6s models running iOS 10.2, iOS 10.2.1, and iOS 11.2, visualizing an apparent link between lower performance and degraded battery health. The charts show that on iOS 10.2, the vast majority of iPhone 6s devices benchmarked similarly in performance. However, Poole explains that the distribution of iPhone 6s scores for iOS 10.2.1 appears multimodal, with one large peak around the average and several smaller peaks around lower scores. In other words, after iOS 10.2.1 was released last January, the performance of a percentage of iPhone 6s devices began to suffer.
Batteries don't just have less of a charge when they get older, their peak draw also diminishes. If, when you are using an older battery you need more than the battery can supply, the phone reboots. So Apple is slowing down the CPU on older iPhones so they do not go over the max battery draw available on older batteries.
It is preferable to have a slower iPhone than it is to have it rebooting. If the slowdown is an issue, replace the battery for $75 and the performance will be back to normal. As for those who complain "I want a removable battery", well I much prefer having the water resistance that has saved my phone a few times than a removable battery that I only need after 3 years.
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