iPhone 4 has its performance analyzed; it is faster than the 3GS, but loses to the iPad

Using tools like Geekbench and oBenchTest for iOS, the MacRumors compared the performance of the newly launched iPhone 4 with its previous model and with the iPad, the Apple tablet. Compared to the iPhone 3GS, the new device is an average of 31% faster than a fair gain, considering that the previous generation of the smartphone was already very fast.

left, result of iPhone 4; right, iPhone 3GS

On the other hand, the iPhone 4 failed to outperform or match the iPad in performance: the tablet scored 45% more points than the new smartphone. There is no way to be sure if it was faster due to inconsistencies in the tests performed between the two devices or because its operating system (iOS 3.2) would be more optimized than the smartphone (iOS 4).

The most accepted hypothesis to justify this is that the iPhone 4's A4 processor is a little less fast, due to thermal considerations. That is no reason for big surprises, after all, reducing its size to fit the space of a nail must have done a lot of work for Apple.