iPhone 4S comparison backs carrier reputations
A new Metrico Wireless study has broken down the cellular network performance of the iPhone 4S ni the US. Partly reinforcing stereotypes, testing gave Verizon the most reliable network for voice calls, albeit by a slight margin. AT&T, as expected, had the fastest data, since its support for a peak 14.4Mbps HSPA 3G was inherently faster than the roughly 3.1Mbps EVDO 3G on Sprint and Verizon, along with being faster than the 7.2Mbps maximum from the iPhone 4.
Other aspects of the test showed slight but important variations on preconceived behavior. Although Sprint was better than anyone at incoming voice, AT&T pulled out in front for outbound voice and was close enough in quality for the opposite direction that the performance could be considered comparable. Despite AT&T's lingering problems with overcongested networks, it and every other carrier could complete data tasks every time while largely stationary, and all were largely reliable for streaming audio and video.
Compared to other 3G phones, the iPhone 4S was still about 70 percent faster than others, the study found. Apple has been helped both by being at the higher end of 3G speeds but also by having a much faster browser that improves the on-device speed.
The data suggests that, for most potential iPhone 4S buyers in the US, choice will depend primarily on the quality of carriers in the area versus the importance of fast data, since the gaps between networks wasn't as large as first thought. Metrico's study included about 6,000 calls, 8,000 data tests, and 21,000 pure web page downloads across the three carriers, minimizing the likelihood of fluke results.
By Electronista Staff
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