Compare iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Beta 1: Don’t rush to update!

iOS 26.3 is showing superiority in both battery and performance compared to the iOS 26.4 Beta 1 test version just released by Apple.

Entering the end of February 2026, Apple officially released the first Beta version of iOS 26.4, opening a promising new software upgrade cycle.

However, through actual tests compared to the previous version of iOS 26.3, the results brought mixed opinions. The balance between a fully optimized operating system and a test version containing many new but unstable AI features is a problem that iPhone users need to answer right now.

Benchmark performance: iOS 26.3 still holds the throne

When compared to processing power, iOS 26.3 is still proving to be one of the most complete versions that Apple has ever released. Through actual Geekbench scores, versions of iOS 26.3, especially the official version, always maintain single-core scores above 3500 and multi-core scores of approximately 9000 points. These are extremely impressive numbers, ensuring that all heavy tasks on new iPhone models are processed immediately.

In contrast, iOS 26.4 Beta 1, despite the expectation of optimization for Siri 2.0, saw a decrease in CPU scores. The highest result that this Beta 1 version achieved was only 3479 single core points, significantly lower than the stability of iOS 26.3.

This shows that Apple is currently focusing more on integrating new Gemini artificial intelligence features instead of prioritizing pure processing speed optimization for the hardware. Therefore, if you are a user who prioritizes high performance and fast response, iOS 26.3 is still the safer choice.

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Battery life: Alarming difference between the two versions

Besides performance, battery life is the most controversial factor in this comparison. Actual usage shows that iOS 26.3 offers extremely amazing power management capabilities when with only 55% of the capacity consumed, the device can achieve more than 7 hours and 30 minutes of continuous use (SOT). This is the ideal battery level for all needs from entertainment to high-intensity work all day long without having to worry about charging.

Meanwhile, iOS 26.4 Beta 1 is revealing the inherent disadvantages of a first test version. The background processes serving the new Apple Intelligence toolset seem to be consuming a lot of energy.

Specifically, users only get about more than 4 hours of use for 60% battery consumption, a number much lower than the old version. The slight warming of the device when running regular social networking applications is also a sign that this Beta version is not yet truly stable to completely replace the official iOS 26.3 version.

Advice: Should you upgrade to iOS 26.4 Beta 1 right now?

All in all, if you are using your iPhone for daily work and need a device that is stable in both performance and battery, my sincere advice is to continue to stay with the official iOS 26.3 version. The current Beta 1 of iOS 26.4 is still not convincing enough for ordinary users to trade stability for new features that are in the testing phase.

We should patiently wait until Beta 2 or Beta 3 versions, where Apple will usually address temperature and power consumption issues.

However, if you are a technology enthusiast and want to be the first to touch the new Siri era integrating Gemini AI, upgrading to iOS 26.4 Beta 1 is still an interesting experience.

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