iPhone XS 4G speeds at least 26 percent faster than predecessors, study shows
Apple's 2018 iPhone models -- particularly the XS line -- offered the first significant boost to 4G data speeds in several years, according to research firm OpenSignal.
The XS and XS Max are nearly 26 percent faster than all iPhones released between 2015 and 2017, even the iPhone X, OpenSignal found. To gauge performance, the company tested iPhones across the U.S. on multiple carriers between Oct. 26 and Jan. 24.
The Max in particular put Apple's best foot forward with speeds up to 21.7 megabits per second. The standard XS ranked second at 20.5mbps, but the XR was actually slower than the X at 17.6mbps versus 18.5, respectively. Because it uses 2x2 MIMO instead of 4x4, the XR is incapable of the same speeds as the XS.
Bandwidth is said to have stayed largely stagnant between the iPhone 6s and X. This may have diminished people's interest in upgrading to new iPhones, OpenSignal speculates.
Although the first 5G phones and networks are rolling out, Apple isn't expected to adopt the technology until 2020. What coverage exists is limited, and Apple's preferred modem maker, Intel, is unlikely to have a 5G chip ready until next year.
Apple has often been criticized for being slow to adopt new cellular standards. The original 2007 iPhone was 2G at a time 3G was making waves, and the company didn't adopt 4G until 2012's iPhone 5.
The XS and XS Max are nearly 26 percent faster than all iPhones released between 2015 and 2017, even the iPhone X, OpenSignal found. To gauge performance, the company tested iPhones across the U.S. on multiple carriers between Oct. 26 and Jan. 24.
The Max in particular put Apple's best foot forward with speeds up to 21.7 megabits per second. The standard XS ranked second at 20.5mbps, but the XR was actually slower than the X at 17.6mbps versus 18.5, respectively. Because it uses 2x2 MIMO instead of 4x4, the XR is incapable of the same speeds as the XS.
Bandwidth is said to have stayed largely stagnant between the iPhone 6s and X. This may have diminished people's interest in upgrading to new iPhones, OpenSignal speculates.
Although the first 5G phones and networks are rolling out, Apple isn't expected to adopt the technology until 2020. What coverage exists is limited, and Apple's preferred modem maker, Intel, is unlikely to have a 5G chip ready until next year.
Apple has often been criticized for being slow to adopt new cellular standards. The original 2007 iPhone was 2G at a time 3G was making waves, and the company didn't adopt 4G until 2012's iPhone 5.
Comments
XR. Bell network in Canada.
- 183 Mbps down
- 38 Mbps up
That seems way faster than this article claims.
Yah, this is nonsense. It's a disservice for AppleInsider to be repeating stuff like this. The bottleneck is in the carrier networks, not the devices. Consumers don't use this as a metric for deciding.
Their Facebook page has a Feb 7 posting saying Canadian Cities average 36 MBps with 1 carrier hitting 60. Pretty good anyway.
It’s going to be the same with 5G where 5G is essentially 5G over LTE bands, effectively the same as LTE, while the “real” mm wave 5G won’t really be in the mass market until 2020 if not 2021.
https://postimg.cc/z31tQRNp
https://www.speedtest.net/my-result/i/2648764625
(It's natural to expect the change because of the twice as many antennas 4x4).