iOS 6 Safari gets compared to Windows Phone 8 Internet Explorer, loses in JavaScript, wins in HTML5

By Allyson Kazmucha
last updated

When Microsoft announced Windows Phone 8, they showed off Internet Explorer (IE) 10 for mobile, and highlighted that their still-in-beta browser scored better on SunSpider JavaScript rendering speed tests than Apple's still-in-beta browser, Safari for iOS 6. Now Daniel Rubino over at our Mobile Nations sibling site, wpcentral, have put together some more information on the Windows Phone vs. iOS beta browser battles, and painted a fuller picture.

When it came to JavaScript, Internet Explorer 10 did a lot better than both Safari under iOS 6 beta (likely an older beta, not the just-released iOS 6 beta 4), and the older Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which predates the recent 4.1 Jelly Bean.

While SunSpider may show Windows Phone 8 pulling ahead for JavaScript, Safari under iOS 6 bested both Windows Phone 8 IE and Ice Cream Sandwich when it came to HTML5 rendering. Windows Phone 8 came in at a total score of 300 plus 6 bonus points while Android 4.0 managed a 280 plus 3 bonus points. Safari under iOS 6 came in with a total of 360 points plus 9 bonus points.

Interestingly, our other sibling site, CrackBerry.com pointed out that RIM's still-in-beta browser, Torch on BlackBerry 10, pulls off a staggering 447 points plus 10 bonus points. So the bar for everyone is clearly still being raised.

Given Jelly Bean wasn't even used yet, and Windows Phone 8, BlackBerry 10, and iOS 6 are all still in beta, none of this means too much yet. Other than, you know, geeks love numbers.

The truth is, browser rendering speed battles are a little like megapixel races in cameras. They're all so good now it doesn't really make much of a difference to humans, but they're also good enough now that raw speed can start giving way to better quality and functionality. As JavaScript and HTML5 rendering starts hitting the red line, what we'll all be able to do with mobile browsers -- which only a few years ago were limited to WAP! -- will be amazing, regardless of platform.

We'll keep having fun running the tests though. Because, again, geeks love numbers!

Source: wpcentral, CrackBerry.com

Allyson Kazmucha
Allyson Kazmucha

iMore senior editor from 2011 to 2015.

13 Comments
  • Didn't test the Blackberry browser or the BB Playbook browser? Hmm
  • If you're talking about BB10? Hmmm...
  • Doesn't need to be testing BlackBerry 10, the PlayBook OS 2.1 comes in at 393. Heck even the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha comes in at 388.
  • 369 on my Nexus 7 using Chrome for the HTML5 test http://s14.postimage.org/p04uol6lt/Screenshot_2012_08_10_19_31_17.png
  • Blackberry OS 2.0 (current) is a 373, OS 2.1 soon to be released is a 393 and BB10 is a 447... IOS 6 is 360.... yea they sure are beating up the competition.
  • You beat me to it. When I first read this article I thought iOS6 must have beaten BB10, or at the VERY least PB 2.0......but I see that they did not. This article is VERY misleading. It's like comparing a Porche to a Ford Focus & saying SEE we beat the competition. BTW Congrats, the yet to be released iOS 6 does beat the 1.5 year old PlayBook OS 1.0 Browser
  • Well it is iMore, an Apple fan site so they'll manipulate an artictle to favor their beloved platform. Proof you say dear Apple fanboy? Their listed source of WPCentral also says that bb10 scores 477 let alone the Playbook's OS 2.1 beta which scored 393 and apparently they've left that part out completely. And it's either that or they think 477 is less than 360. This article deserves no credit due to biasness towards iOS 6.
  • Seems they have edited the article & title to fix the inaccuracies...thx guys :) BUT what about the PlayBook OS? It currently gets a score of 373, & once 2.1 is out of public beta it will be getting 393. Oh & as a heads up, no one calls the browser "Torch" anymore, not even RIM...thoughthe browser does have it's roots in "torch mobile"
  • I must be missing something, " iOS 6 bested all the competition when it came to HTML5 rendering"? Really?! iOS 6 hasn't been releases yet and it is already trailing Chrome and Playbook OS 2.0!
    It is articles like this the help solidify the non-Apple fans notion of iSheep. I love my iPad, but blindly hyping the Html5 number of beta OS, when it still falls short of a 10 month old RIM release seems pretty weak.
  • not to the public but the devs have the beta testing
  • I have to agree with the peanut gallery -- it may be corrected in the article, but the headline is a bit misleading for the 99% of people who first and foremost think of Android when they think of "The Competition"
  • Jesus!!! They even haven't test PBOS 2.0 how in the world that could be a "fair" test? And yes, this kind of article reaffirm the idea if " i-sheeps". I love my iPad, but in the browser area Safari is still far away. Regards
  • chrome gets a 324 on html5test.com right now. but honestly i have no clue if i'd notice the difference as i'm not up on these things.