Android vs iPhone boot times tested: which one is the fastest?

posted by Victor H. / May 22, 2015, 9:55 AM

Android vs iPhone boot times tested: which one is the fastest?

Which phone is the fastest to boot up?

This is not a question that you might be asking yourself on a daily basis, but since battery life is such a precious asset, and since people generally don’t like to be bothered at night, some manufacturers have built in the option to turn off your phone. If you turn off your phone at night, or if you are a developer who has to reboot the device multiple times, boot-up times do matter.

And it’s just plain fun knowing how long it takes for a phone to start.

Which phone is the fastest to boot?

So that’s why we took the device we had at hand and started booting, rebooting, and measuring the times. We tried this with apps installed, and with the phone fresh off a factory reset (hint: there is very little difference in actual boot times, only after you boot, some apps might start syncing and slow up the phone, which we are not accounting for).

And here are the results of our testing: the Android phones and iPhones that are fastest to boot in descending order. Any surprises?

Disclaimer: We’ve tested booting each of the phones several times to ensure the results are reliable, using the same method for each device. Start-up times still vary and the figure below should be taken as an approximate guideline with several seconds of allowed variability. Generally, results show that boot-up times can be faster or slower than the provided figure by up to 2-3 seconds at max.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Time to boot: 21.3 seconds

Software Version: Android 5.0.1, Build number LRX22C,N910FXXU1BOB4

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

View more + 2 images

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Samsung Galaxy S6

Time to boot: 21.6 seconds

Software Version: Android 5.0.2, Build number LRX22G.G920FXXU1AOCV

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review

View more + 178 images

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review

LG G3

Time to boot: 25.3 seconds

Software Version: Android 4.4.2, Build: KVT49L.A1401987978

LG G3 Review

View more + 112 images

LG G3 Review

Apple iPhone 6

Time to boot: 26.1 seconds

Software Version: iOS 8.3 (12F70)

Apple iPhone 6 Review

View more + 124 images

Apple iPhone 6 Review

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

Time to boot: 28 seconds

Software Version: iOS 8.3 (12F70)

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

View more + 2 images

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

Sony Xperia Z3

Time to boot: 34.4 seconds

Software Version: Android 5.0.2, Kernel: 3.4.0-perfg3f600d1, Build: 23.2.A.1.62

Sony Xperia Z3

View more + 34 images

Sony Xperia Z3

Nexus 5

Time to boot: 37.6 seconds

Software Version: Android 5.1, Build: LMY47D

Google Nexus 5 Review

View more + 136 images

Google Nexus 5 Review

HTC One M9

Time to boot: 37.6 seconds

Software Version: Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, Software number: 1.32.401.15

HTC One M9 Review

View more + 167 images

HTC One M9 Review

HTC One M8

Time to boot: 38.9 seconds

Software Version: Android 5.0.1 Lollipop, Software number: 4.16.401.10

HTC One (M8) Review

View more + 134 images

HTC One (M8) Review

Nexus 6

Time to boot: 53.3 seconds

Software Version: Android 5.1, Kernel: 3.10.40-geec2459, Build: LMY47E

Google Nexus 6 Review

View more + 124 images

Google Nexus 6 Review

Options

88 Comments

1. Ordinary

Posts: 2454; Member since: Apr 23, 2015

WW3 incoming,prepare.

posted on May 22, 2015, 9:57 AM 17

4. CanYouSeeTheLight

Posts: 1122; Member since: Jul 05, 2012

Got my popcorn ready, hope the patriot gets here soon.

posted on May 22, 2015, 9:59 AM 14

7. waddup121 unregistered

TOO FAST

posted on May 22, 2015, 10:04 AM 0

57. bataxstar unregistered

OnePlus? :D

posted on May 22, 2015, 2:11 PM 0

99. plck74

Posts: 65; Member since: Dec 12, 2013

showtime!!!

posted on May 25, 2015, 2:27 AM 0

9. QWERTYslider unregistered

THESE PHONES ARE FAILURES DUE TO NON-REMOVABLE BATTERIES. Boot time is meaningless on a phone without a removable battery.

posted on May 22, 2015, 10:09 AM 4

13. theo14461 unregistered

Note 4 has a removable battery.

posted on May 22, 2015, 10:21 AM 50

15. ph00ny

Posts: 1956; Member since: May 26, 2011

You are a failure since Note comes with removable battery

posted on May 22, 2015, 10:24 AM 21

19. Shocky unregistered

What's a removable battery got to do with boot times? I can sort of see the logic but it's hardly the ONLY time we need to power on/off our phones.

posted on May 22, 2015, 10:38 AM 6

30. tedkord

Posts: 16979; Member since: Jun 17, 2009

He's a troll.

posted on May 22, 2015, 11:10 AM 7

46. NexusKoolaid

Posts: 493; Member since: Oct 24, 2011

I don't know what's funnier, Qwerty's comment or the fact that some seem to have missed the sarcasm.

posted on May 22, 2015, 12:52 PM 1

62. shahrooz

Posts: 792; Member since: Sep 17, 2013

dude I'm sure he doesn't see that logic. he just had to say something.

posted on May 22, 2015, 3:29 PM 0

20. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

I am curious as to how a removable battery makes a difference with boot times? Please educate us.

posted on May 22, 2015, 10:41 AM 10

49. QWERTYslider unregistered

The only time I reboot my phone is when I hot swap for a fully charged battery. Note 4 isn't in the thread title. All those trolling me know what you can go do to yourself.

posted on May 22, 2015, 1:16 PM 0

58. tedkord

The same thing they did to your mother last night? (group activity)

posted on May 22, 2015, 2:51 PM 6

81. g2a5b0e unregistered

Boo-yah! +1

posted on May 22, 2015, 10:59 PM 1

63. shahrooz

dude if you boot your phone only when you swap batteries, I have bad news for you: "you know nothing John Snow"

posted on May 22, 2015, 3:32 PM 1

75. ThePython

Posts: 902; Member since: May 08, 2013

You know nothing, QWERTYSlider.

posted on May 22, 2015, 8:43 PM 2

86. kevin91202

Posts: 639; Member since: Jun 08, 2014

"Note 4 isn't in the thread title." -QWERTYslider The S6, M8, M9, Nexus 5/6, Xperia, and G3 aren't either. Your point?

posted on May 23, 2015, 7:58 AM 1

87. phichart

Posts: 335; Member since: May 03, 2014

I never remove battery from my note 4.... don't speak stupid things!

posted on May 23, 2015, 9:23 AM 0

97. techloverNYC

Posts: 601; Member since: Nov 20, 2012

More and more phones are going to come out without removable batteries. Sale records and survey indicate ppl don't really care about if their batteries is removable or not. Most casual phone users won't even know how many power their batteries have.

posted on May 23, 2015, 9:59 PM 0

32. UglyFrank

Posts: 2188; Member since: Jan 23, 2014

My lollipop S5 boots in 19 seconds, so yes. WW3 is coming.

posted on May 22, 2015, 11:15 AM 3

34. meanestgenius

Posts: 21022; Member since: May 28, 2014

Is it too late for popcorn? I've got the butter!

posted on May 22, 2015, 11:20 AM 3

48. mmmanuuu

Posts: 403; Member since: Nov 05, 2013

Rest in peace all the touchwiz haters. Samsung rolls. Look at the time of m9 and iphone plus. What a joke. Not to mention the stock android running nexus too.

posted on May 22, 2015, 1:15 PM 4

73. ecmedic4

Posts: 520; Member since: May 02, 2013

Yes cause 28 seconds for the iPhone 6 Plus and 37 seconds for the M9 are just terrible, a person has to wait less than a minute for their phone to boot up, oh the dread! I don't even understand why this is an article or why it even matters. Only thing this article is for is to stir up fanboy wars. I have to boot my phone 1 time a month as i let the battery go completely down once a month, and i really don't think 28 seconds is going to cause me to have smartphone withdrawal. Get a life buddy.

posted on May 22, 2015, 8:33 PM 2

67. Retrospective1

Posts: 45; Member since: Feb 24, 2015

Think PA might need to do S6 again, UK s6 32GB booting in 16/17 sec over here in UK. justsaying

posted on May 22, 2015, 5:07 PM 3

2. Sauce5 unregistered

This is really an article lol...... 25 seconds, 50 seconds, big deal. 1 minute out of your day wont change a thing. But hey, if you wanna stroke your penile instruments over this because your phone boots up in less than 30 seconds be my guest.

posted on May 22, 2015, 9:59 AM 10

21. Saioofi

Posts: 326; Member since: May 23, 2014

Then according to you speed tests are useless too. Milliseconds out of your day won't change anything

posted on May 22, 2015, 10:47 AM 9

33. bucky

Posts: 3765; Member since: Sep 30, 2009

theres a big difference between reboot time and app time. Do you reboot often?

posted on May 22, 2015, 11:18 AM 2

35. Sauce5 unregistered

He doesnt understand that. He doesn't understand that because he's blinded. He's blinded because he's defensive. He's defensive because he's closed minded. The list goes on.