These power management features accelerate the processor in older iPhones with suboptimal batteries, resulting in slower performance. Still, these findings are worrisome for consumers who like to stick with last year's technology, or even phones from two or three years ago. We have contacted Apple for comment and will update this article with any new information. Apple's statement was based on the results of a Geekbench report that showed a degrading performance pattern on iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 models with more recent software updates.
Apple explains on its support site that, when the lithium-ion batteries in iPhones “chemically age”, their ability to deliver maximum instant performance, or “peak power”, can decrease.
