When Apple released its latest and most changed version of iOS two weeks ago, bringing us up to version number 5.0, there was little-to-no doubt that the update would be considerable. If there is one thing that the iOS eco-system has over its Android competition, it’s the fact that users tend to update their handsets and tablets to the latest version of iOS.

With over 25 million users already taking in the delights of iOS 5 across a range of iPod touches, iPhones and iPads, just what can they expect to gain over their previous version, iOS 4?

Along with the marquee features Apple has been touting, like the newly designed Notification Center and improved camera operation – not to mention iCloud of course – some less publicized changes have also taken place under the hood.

One of those changes is a considerable increase in web browsing speed – in fact, pages now load more than twice as fast using iOS 5 than when running its predecessor, iOS 4.

This stat comes courtesy of New Relic, who performed side-by-side tests on 3,000 web apps using Safari 5.1 on iOS 5 and Safari 5.0 on iOS 4. Unfortunately however, New Relic hasn’t told us which device they used to test on, though we’re guessing it was an iPhone 4 or equivalent iPod, judging by the infographic they’ve released.

That infographic (included above for your viewing pleasure) shows that, on average, pages load in 9.6 seconds using iOS 4, but the same pages take just 4.1 seconds when running the latest release of iOS – iOS 5.

Apple has always been rather proud of the rendering engine built into Mobile Safari, and it tends to be one of the areas in which Apple spends some time with each iOS release.

With Apple’s iPhone 4S hitting shelves recently as well, these stats show that even those not wishing to upgrade, will see an increase in web performance just by updating their software. You can’t really beat a free speed boost now, can you?

Apple’s iOS 5 is available as a free update for its iPhone, iPod touch and iPad lines, depending on which model you may have.

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