Why iPhone 5 and 5C owners should not download iOS 10 right away – CNET

iOS 10 — the new operating system for iPhone — is compatible with the iPhone 5 and newer devices. But before iPhone 5 and 5C owners update, we would offer the following advice: look before you leap.

Why iPhone 5 and 5C owners should wait

Because the iPhone 5 and 5C models are on the bottom rung of the iOS 10 compatibility ladder, if any iPhone is going to experience issues running the new iOS, these two models are the likely culprits. While the new iPhone 7 models feature Apple’s latest A10 processor, the iPhone 5 and 5C are four generations behind with the A6 chip. (In between sit the A9-based iPhone 6S and SE, the A8-based iPhone 6, and the A7-based iPhone 5S.) In addition, the iPhone 5 and 5C feature only 1GB of RAM; the iPhone 6S and onward incorporate 2GB of RAM.

More iOS 10 news

• 11 new Siri tricks for iOS 10
• Get to know iOS 10’s new Music app
• 21 hidden features in iOS 10

Until iOS 10 is released on Tuesday, we can’t put it through its paces in CNET Labs testing, but it’s reasonable to speculate that the older A6-based iPhone 5 and 5C might struggle with powering all of iOS 10’s bells and whistles.

CNET’s Sharon Profis has used the Gold Master version of the iOS 10 beta on an iPhone 6 and feels that it slowed down performance considerably. Of course, the official release of iOS 10 will offer enhancements to the Gold Master beta, so perhaps all compatible devices will run iOS 10 swimmingly.

Then again, maybe not. We aren’t advising against updating to iOS 10, but would urge iPhone 5 and 5C owners to proceed with caution. Let the official release of iOS 10 breathe for a few days to see if there are any reports of it causing performance issues before taking the plunge yourself.

If you are ready to update, learn how to prepare your iPhone for iOS 10. Of course, if you are planning to update to iOS 10, you need to back up your iPhone first. Lastly, learn to love the one you’re with, and resist upgrading to the iPhone 7.