Report: Want to be ready for HTML5 games? Go with an iPad or iPhone

Let's face it: HTML5 mobile games are only going to gain steam. When you talk mobile social games, it's one of the first things that comes up. While one of the major tenants of HTML5 mobile games is simple cross-platform support, no two mobile devices are made alike. So, Spaceport maker Sibblingz decided to settle the score with a comprehensive report.

Sibblingz took a number of Android-based and Blackberry mobile gizmos and stacked them up against the fleet of iPhones and iPads currently available to see which was best at running HTML5 games and apps. The basis of the test was to see how many on-screen moving objects each device could handle before slipping under 30 frames per second. (Any form of animation or film that slips beneath that figure begins to look choppy or distorted.)

As it turns out, Apple's stable of iOS devices ousted every Android device tested, with the iPad 2 running Apple's iOS 5 in the lead. The best iPhone can handle just over 250 moving images at 30 frames per second, while the iPad 2 could run well past 300 images. The best Android phones, however, could just about reach 150 images, and the top tablet performed even worse.

In fact, the worst iPhone available far outperformed the worst Android phone. "The worst iPhone tested (3GS) was able to achieve 50 moving objects at 30 FPS ... The worst Android device tested (Motorola Droid 2) was not even able to maintain 30 FPS with a single moving object on the screen, across all possible animation techniques," the report reads.

With HTML5 slowly headed toward the mainstream in mobile social games, it looks like Apple is way more prepared than the competition for the future. The next iPad will likely only be better here, so if you want to be in the best position when HTML5 mobile games hit the big time, you'd best join the Apple cult now. That is, unless Google has an ace up its sleeve.

Are you surprised that Apple's devices outperform the rest in the HTML5 department? Do you own a smartphone, and if so, Apple or Android (... or the others)? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.