diff --git a/src/libcore/benches/lib.rs b/src/libcore/benches/lib.rs
index 6932c7fe221d0..570fc4ab93390 100644
--- a/src/libcore/benches/lib.rs
+++ b/src/libcore/benches/lib.rs
@@ -11,4 +11,5 @@ mod hash;
 mod iter;
 mod num;
 mod ops;
+mod pattern;
 mod slice;
diff --git a/src/libcore/benches/pattern.rs b/src/libcore/benches/pattern.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..a49490cec1219
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libcore/benches/pattern.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+use test::black_box;
+use test::Bencher;
+
+#[bench]
+fn starts_with_char(b: &mut Bencher) {
+    let text = black_box("kdjsfhlakfhlsghlkvcnljknfqiunvcijqenwodind");
+    b.iter(|| {
+        for _ in 0..1024 {
+            black_box(text.starts_with('k'));
+        }
+    })
+}
+
+#[bench]
+fn starts_with_str(b: &mut Bencher) {
+    let text = black_box("kdjsfhlakfhlsghlkvcnljknfqiunvcijqenwodind");
+    b.iter(|| {
+        for _ in 0..1024 {
+            black_box(text.starts_with("k"));
+        }
+    })
+}
+
+
+#[bench]
+fn ends_with_char(b: &mut Bencher) {
+    let text = black_box("kdjsfhlakfhlsghlkvcnljknfqiunvcijqenwodind");
+    b.iter(|| {
+        for _ in 0..1024 {
+            black_box(text.ends_with('k'));
+        }
+    })
+}
+
+#[bench]
+fn ends_with_str(b: &mut Bencher) {
+    let text = black_box("kdjsfhlakfhlsghlkvcnljknfqiunvcijqenwodind");
+    b.iter(|| {
+        for _ in 0..1024 {
+            black_box(text.ends_with("k"));
+        }
+    })
+}
diff --git a/src/libcore/str/pattern.rs b/src/libcore/str/pattern.rs
index a494274118a74..1b6e6f1c2e419 100644
--- a/src/libcore/str/pattern.rs
+++ b/src/libcore/str/pattern.rs
@@ -450,21 +450,13 @@ impl<'a> Pattern<'a> for char {
 
     #[inline]
     fn is_prefix_of(self, haystack: &'a str) -> bool {
-        if let Some(ch) = haystack.chars().next() {
-            self == ch
-        } else {
-            false
-        }
+        self.encode_utf8(&mut [0u8; 4]).is_prefix_of(haystack)
     }
 
     #[inline]
     fn is_suffix_of(self, haystack: &'a str) -> bool where Self::Searcher: ReverseSearcher<'a>
     {
-        if let Some(ch) = haystack.chars().next_back() {
-            self == ch
-        } else {
-            false
-        }
+        self.encode_utf8(&mut [0u8; 4]).is_suffix_of(haystack)
     }
 }
 
@@ -715,16 +707,13 @@ impl<'a, 'b> Pattern<'a> for &'b str {
     /// Checks whether the pattern matches at the front of the haystack
     #[inline]
     fn is_prefix_of(self, haystack: &'a str) -> bool {
-        haystack.is_char_boundary(self.len()) &&
-            self == &haystack[..self.len()]
+        haystack.as_bytes().starts_with(self.as_bytes())
     }
 
     /// Checks whether the pattern matches at the back of the haystack
     #[inline]
     fn is_suffix_of(self, haystack: &'a str) -> bool {
-        self.len() <= haystack.len() &&
-            haystack.is_char_boundary(haystack.len() - self.len()) &&
-            self == &haystack[haystack.len() - self.len()..]
+        haystack.as_bytes().ends_with(self.as_bytes())
     }
 }