Apple us very proud of ARKit 2, which provides so many opportunities

The tests are in and it looks like iOS 12 actually does make older iPhones and iPads faster, making Apple one of the first firms in history to offer built-in future relevance in its mobile devices. If only others offered this.

Faster, better, did we say faster?

Ars Technica staff have tested a whole bunch of iOS devices (iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 Plus and an iPad Mini 2) and compared their performance before and after installation of iOS 12.

They discovered that while iOS 11 made many older devices seem sluggish in comparison to when the same systems ran iOS 10, iOS 12 gives all these older devices a new lease of life.

We’re looking at significant (if small) improvements, with apps launching faster on all three devices, contributing to a feeling that the systems you are using are much more responsive.

“By comparison, across the board, iOS 12 performs almost as well as iOS 10, whether you’re launching a lighter app like Settings, a heavier one like Maps, or cold booting your phone. It’s an impressive, noticeable gain and a huge improvement for anyone out there who’s still getting by with a 5S,” they said.

https://youtu.be/xp6UCQvKKzI

Like a brand-new iPhone

The time it takes to restart a device that is switched off has seen the biggest improvement, up to four seconds faster on an iPhone 6 Plus, for example.

“Anyone using an older device can safely upgrade to iOS 12 without worrying about speed, and that’s a big deal. You’ll notice an improvement most of the time, even on newer devices (my iPad Air 2, which had started to feel its age running iOS 11, feels great with iOS 12).”

[amazon_link asins=’B00YD5400Y’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’9to5ma-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’17d76a1e-bcd1-11e8-a49d-a59a68328eea’]

It sure seems that iOS 12 is like getting a brand-new iPhone or iPad this time around – and that’s going to be great news for those of us trying to tweak more performance from our old devices, or in the market to pick up older models on the second user market. You can pick up an iPhone 5s for just over one hundred bucks on Amazon (above), or just £85 in the UK!!

It seems clear Apple took accusations that it was deliberately hobbling the performance of older devices to heart and responded in the way it knows best: Giving customers what they need.

If you haven’t upgraded already, you really should upgrade.