On March 31, 2022, Apple released iOS 15.4.1 packing several fixes and improvements, including one that addresses battery drain issues. YouTuber iAppleBytes put Apple’s claim to the test to check if the company has genuinely improved battery life with the iOS point release or if it is just a “placebo for us.”
The YouTuber’s comprehensive battery life assessment was performed six days after iOS 15.4.1 was installed on eight different iPhone models, namely the iPhone 13, iPhone 12, iPhone 11, iPhone XR, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6S, and iPhone SE 2020. To standardize the test, all the iPhones were set to run at 25 percent screen brightness while using the same settings. The phones were even connected to the same access point.
Then, reputed benchmarking utility Geekbench was set to run on the iPhones until the battery ran out. The app was also used to check if the update shaved performance off the devices.
In the drain test, the iPhone 13 running iOS 15.4.1 lasted for exactly 8 hours, slightly less than its runtime of 8 hours 26 minutes while running iOS 15.4. Meanwhile, the iPhone 12 saw its runtime going up by 18 minutes on iOS 15.4.1 — from 6 hours 12 minutes on iOS 15.4 to 6 hours 30 minutes.
The YouTuber determined that on older iPhones, Apple hopes the placebo effect will lead users to believe battery life has improved compared to iOS 15.4. In reality, battery life gains from iOS 15.4.1 were only recorded on the iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, and iPhone 8. All the other iPhones saw a noticeable reduction in performance. The iPhone 12 was the lone exception because it scored higher on Geekbench after the update.
The YouTuber claims the iPhone 11 and iPhone 13 lost the most amount of performance after the iOS 15.4.1 update. Benchmark scores for both the phones dropped by over 200 points compared to the iOS 15.4 score.
That said, it is possible the battery life improvements don’t shine through in a test like this although four phones saw improvements in this regard. If you have a few minutes to spare, we suggest you check out iAppleBytes’ video:
Considering that iOS 15.4.1 seemingly brings a performance hit and no significant battery life improvements on the newer iPhones, will you update? Tell us in the comments section.
