iPhone 11 Antenna Gain

[jkozlow3]

Here is the link:

Because of T-Mobile and Verizon, the iPhone 11 supports an LTE band record

the North American A2161 version has to support the exclusive FirstNet band for government employees and emergencey services, AT&T's band 14, as well as T-Mobile's vaunted band 71, the long-range 600MHz. Add to these Verizon's new CBRS bands meant for offloading some traffic in crowded areas...

www.phonearena.com

Ah, yes, CBRS. Verizon hasn't gone live with it yet (no FCC approval yet), but hopefully soon. Should definitely help with crowded spots like airports, sporting events, etc. Of course it will only help those with newer phones for the time being as most older devices don't support the CBRS bands.

 

[DCIFRTHS]

It is my understanding that the Pro modems opened up a few more bands that the XS/R modems did not have. In addition, these few extra bands it is my understanding were beneficial to Verizon users.

Hence it is a little challenging to really compare XS/R and Pro as band selection could be different.

What bands have been opened up to Verizon users in the new iPhone models (11.x)?

Answered above!

 

[The Oak]

Ah, yes, CBRS. Verizon hasn't gone live with it yet (no FCC approval yet), but hopefully soon. Should definitely help with crowded spots like airports, sporting events, etc. Of course it will only help those with newer phones for the time being as most older devices don't support the CBRS bands.

It is my understanding that Verizon has opened it up, but like 1 city ... maybe a few more now. Because it is impossible to know where folks are here in this forum it is hard to tell what bands are available and at play when one says "11 Rocks, XS Sucks!" when at the end of the day the 11 is using a band not available to the XS.

 

[jkozlow3]

It is my understanding that Verizon has opened it up, but like 1 city ... maybe a few more now. Because it is impossible to know where folks are here in this forum it is hard to tell what bands are available and at play when one says "11 Rocks, XS Sucks!" when at the end of the day the 11 is using a band not available to the XS.

Understood, but I think it's still a fair apples-to-apples comparison at this point on Verizon as I don't think CBRS is in use yet. Even still, it's only being deployed in places like airports, stadiums, etc. for the most part. Most people are commenting on their experiences in normal day-to-day life - not in some crowded venue. In those real-world scenarios/locations, the two phones are still using the same common Verizon bands - 2/4/5/13/66.

 

[jakeuten]

I personally have experienced no issues with my Intel 7, 7+, X, Xs, and now 11 Pro. I frequently test north of 100 Mbps all over my area, with rural areas even in the 50-80 Mbps range. Maybe some of you need a new carrier...

 

[mwhals]

I personally have experienced no issues with my Intel 7, 7+, X, Xs, and now 11 Pro. I frequently test north of 100 Mbps all over my area, with rural areas even in the 50-80 Mbps range. Maybe some of you need a new carrier...

Or a new location.

 

[JoeyD74]

I was in a bad area today, Harrisville N.H. and surrounding towns for work, I have an 11pro and it performs the same as my Qualcomm X does. It has a hard time reacquiring signal and will show 2-3 bars when it has no service. Then it will drop to no service then come back.
I think the X and later IPhones just don’t get good signal.

 

[BiggAW]

I’m glad someone said this! I don’t get why the 8 and it’s modem are so venerated around here. Mine has pretty lousy signal strength and frequently drops connection (also Verizon).

It wasn't particularly great, it was just the best iPhone ever made from an RF perspective (8+ due to the larger size). Any modern Android flagship will blow an 8+ out of the water. I'm not trying to be an Android fanboy, I have iOS devices, and like iOS, but at the end of the day, having a signal matters. I can do my iOS stuff on my iPad, which is a fantastic device and have a reliable smartphone that actually gets a signal with my Note 9.

We have to stop comparing modems. Has nothing to do with modems. Has everything to do with antenna design. XS, XS Max and Xr all used the same modem, but the Xr had better reception because of a different antenna design. Hopefully Apple tweaked the antenna design of the 11 Pro and Pro Max to be more in line with the 11.

It's both. Anyone who claims it's one or the other exclusively is simply lying. How exactly they affect each other is really hard to figure out.

It is my understanding that the Pro modems opened up a few more bands that the XS/R modems did not have. In addition, these few extra bands it is my understanding were beneficial to Verizon users.

CBRS, but that's not deployed yet. So good, but not something we can test or see a difference from now. They both have 14/29/30/66 on AT&T, which have been added bit by bit over a number of years, as well as 66/71 on T-Mobile. Verizon has only added 66 in recent memory, all their other LTE spectrum are their core 2/4/5/13 bands that they've had since the 2nd or 3rd generation of LTE phones on their network.

 

[Packers1958]

It's both. Anyone who claims it's one or the other exclusively is simply lying. How exactly they affect each other is really hard to figure out.

Wrong and double wrong when you have no education about antenna design. So don't be calling out people who actually have knowledge.

 

[Lobwedgephil]

Well I went on my work trip to Kansas, which actually has good signal in the cities, but went and toured a bunch of sites that are well away from anything. My XS Max last year struggled to get signal in a lot of these places, but wasn't terrible either. Having a Note 9 and XS Max at that time, the Note 9 was the clear winner, it still had a signal at most places, but some neither had anything, which was to be expected as they were in the middle of nowhere fields.

Now I have the Note 10+ and the iPhone 11 Pro Max, we toured 32 different sites over a couple of days. I tested both as much as I could, there was one site, that neither phone could get anything. But for the others, it was pretty equal, some better speeds, some others. I know that is not scientific, but real world for me. I was somewhat surprised they were pretty much equal to me. Guess somewhat improved antennas and somewhat improved modems helps. Just my experience, and my use case, but I am pretty happy with the new iPhone antenna's etc.

 

[BiggAW]

Wrong and double wrong when you have no education about antenna design. So don't be calling out people who actually have knowledge.

You don't need education about antenna design to know that Intel radios are inferior to Qualcomm radios. This has been tested extensively in the iPhone 7, 8, and X series, where the Qualcomm models perform better than the Intel models.

That being said, clearly antenna design plays a role as well, and Apple has had several devices in the X/11 series with lousy antenna design, which only compounds on the problems with the lousy Intel radios.

Denying the Qualcomm/Intel difference given the same antenna configuration is simply lying, it has been proven over and over again. Could a really good antenna design with an Intel radio beat out a crappy antenna design with a Qualcomm radio? That's an interesting discussion.

 

[kirk.vino]

You don't need education about antenna design to know that Intel radios are inferior to Qualcomm radios. This has been tested extensively in the iPhone 7, 8, and X series, where the Qualcomm models perform better than the Intel models.

That being said, clearly antenna design plays a role as well, and Apple has had several devices in the X/11 series with lousy antenna design, which only compounds on the problems with the lousy Intel radios.

Denying the Qualcomm/Intel difference given the same antenna configuration is simply lying, it has been proven over and over again. Could a really good antenna design with an Intel radio beat out a crappy antenna design with a Qualcomm radio? That's an interesting discussion.

Well, it can. The 11 has a newer Intel chip and it performs very good and even better than my Qualcomm X.
I also had an Intel X and an Intel 8 Plus. Those phones were unusable! It looks like Intel managed to significantly improve their modem.

 

[Tofupunch]

So I went from an iPhone 6 to the 11 (T-Mobile). I have been running speed tests here and there when I find myself in different areas around the city (I live in the South Bay of Los Angeles County). And so far it has been performing just fine. I had all these fears that the reception would be horrible because of the issues I have seen others have. Yesterday, I was parked at a gas station under a tree ran a test (0.91 down, 0.34 Up), and thought 'uh-oh,' my fears have come true! But then I ran a test side by side with my wife's SE and it performed the same or slightly better.
i don't live out in the boonies and the speed here is decent, not great. But the coverage is consistent. I'm not an engineer in antenna design. I know that running speed tests side by side even at the same time can be affected by a myriad of variables. I do believe there are issues with the XS antenna. But so far, with my little chunky 11, we have been getting along just fine.

 

[BiggAW]

Well, it can. The 11 has a newer Intel chip and it performs very good and even better than my Qualcomm X.
I also had an Intel X and an Intel 8 Plus. Those phones were unusable! It looks like Intel managed to significantly improve their modem.

The Qualcomm X had both a lousy antenna and a Qualcomm X16, so overall it's decent. The 8+ was better. However, compare the iPhone 11 to a Note 10+ with the Qualcomm X24. If the iPhone 11 is better than previous iPhones, then great, but there is no evidence yet to suggest that it's caught up to where Qualcomm and LG/Samsung are today.
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i don't live out in the boonies and the speed here is decent, not great. But the coverage is consistent. I'm not an engineer in antenna design. I know that running speed tests side by side even at the same time can be affected by a myriad of variables. I do believe there are issues with the XS antenna. But so far, with my little chunky 11, we have been getting along just fine.

That pretty much says nothing. Fringe reception is where the big difference is. And fringe reception is not necessarily just out in the boonies but also inside buildings in cities or in various neighborhoods where people have opposed cell towers or there isn't a good place to put one.

 

[Tofupunch]

That pretty much says nothing. Fringe reception is where the big difference is. And fringe reception is not necessarily just out in the boonies but also inside buildings in cities or in various neighborhoods where people have opposed cell towers or there isn't a good place to put one.

i figured when I got 0.91 down and 0.34 up, I was in a fringe area. The results from the SE were comparable. 🤷🏽‍♂️

 

[m0sher]

Here’s what one needs to know.

Exclusive: On LTE Performance, iPhone 11 Pro Ties iPhone XS

PCMag's exclusive testing shows that LTE performance on the iPhone 11 Pro is a lot faster than on the iPhone 11, but not much different than the iPhone XS.

www.pcmag.com

It boils down to carriers bands and the antennas that are in each phone wether you see performance gains or not.

One reason of many I am changing to the 11 Pro Max from my X is because I use Sprint. The reason why....

“The new iPhones 11 Pro’s introduce HPUE (high power user equipment) for Sprint's band 41, which is the band you need to go from really slow to pretty fast. HPUE, which turns up the phone's transmit power, extends fast coverage by 24 percent” over XS.

11 Pro’s use Intel XMM7660's 4x4 MIMO that takes advantage of Sprints band 41 that was upgraded in 2018.

If you’re on AT&T or Verizon you’re not gonna see any difference between the XS and X pro because of their bands and not taking advantage of the technology in certain phones antennas.

In short the bottom line is what the article stated if you read it through....

"I need the ultimate iPhone LTE speeds." Upgrade to the iPhone 11 Pro or 11 Pro Max for the 4x4 MIMO.

• "My Sprint network barely works." Upgrade to the iPhone 11 or better for the HPUE.
• 
  
  
• "My AT&T/T-Mobile coverage is poor." Upgrade to the iPhone XR or better for the band 14/71 ability.
• 
  
• "I need the ultimate LTE speeds on AT&T, period." Ditch your iPhone and get a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 or S10.
  
  
• "I have an iPhone 6 or earlier." Upgrade to the XR or better; performance will more than double.”

Hope the PCMag break down clears up some misunderstanding.

 

[Waterman316]

I use to think something was up with my Xs max and the cell reception. My 11 pro max has the same reception and lte speeds at home as my Xs max did. 1-2 bars of signal. My dad just got an iPhone 6s. Brand new, and on att, same as me. He only gets 1-2 bars. So it’s not the phone for me at least. It’s the coverage in the area. Back in the 3g days I use to get full service at home.

 

[m0sher]

I use to think something was up with my Xs max and the cell reception. My 11 pro max has the same reception and lte speeds at home as my Xs max did. 1-2 bars of signal. My dad just got an iPhone 6s. Brand new, and on att, same as me. He only gets 1-2 bars. So it’s not the phone for me at least. It’s the coverage in the area. Back in the 3g days I use to get full service at home.

Based on you owning a Pro you might want to think about switching to Sprint, if it’s in your area, when your ATT service plan ends. Will be a huge improvement.

 

[Waterman316]

Based on you owning a Pro you might want to think about switching to Sprint, if it’s in your area, when your ATT service plan ends. Will be a huge improvement.

Sprint is in my area. And it’s horrible service. I know one person who has it and she’s always dropping calls

 

[m0sher]

Sprint is in my area. And it’s horrible service. I know one person who has it and she’s always dropping calls

That is true based on the phone she owns and the antenna in it combined with her carriers antenna technology

I used to blame my carrier Sprint up in Arizona for the terrible service I get when I go up north, when other family members who have a Verizon we’re getting great reception. I know It’s going to be different as soon as I get an 11 Pro Max with the new Intel antenna this year that utilizes Sprints HPUE where previous years didn’t.

 

[Waterman316]

That is true based on the phone she owns and the antenna in it combined with her carriers antenna technology

I used to blame my carrier Sprint up in Arizona for the terrible service I get when I go up north, when other family members who have a Verizon we’re getting great reception. I know It’s going to be different as soon as I get an 11 Pro Max with the new Intel antenna this year that utilizes Sprints HPUE where previous years didn’t.

She has a galaxy s10 currently.

 

[jkozlow3]

Based on you owning a Pro you might want to think about switching to Sprint, if it’s in your area, when your ATT service plan ends. Will be a huge improvement.

Who uses Sprint if they want good coverage???? 🤣

 

[The Oak]

Here’s what one needs to know.

Exclusive: On LTE Performance, iPhone 11 Pro Ties iPhone XS

PCMag's exclusive testing shows that LTE performance on the iPhone 11 Pro is a lot faster than on the iPhone 11, but not much different than the iPhone XS.

www.pcmag.com

It boils down to carriers bands and the antennas that are in each phone wether you see performance gains or not.

One reason of many I am changing to the 11 Pro Max from my X is because I use Sprint. The reason why....

“The new iPhones 11 Pro’s introduce HPUE (high power user equipment) for Sprint's band 41, which is the band you need to go from really slow to pretty fast. HPUE, which turns up the phone's transmit power, extends fast coverage by 24 percent” over XS.

11 Pro’s use Intel XMM7660's 4x4 MIMO that takes advantage of Sprints band 41 that was upgraded in 2018.

If you’re on AT&T or Verizon you’re not gonna see any difference between the XS and X pro because of their bands and not taking advantage of the technology in certain phones antennas.

In short the bottom line is what the article stated if you read it through....

"I need the ultimate iPhone LTE speeds." Upgrade to the iPhone 11 Pro or 11 Pro Max for the 4x4 MIMO.

• "My Sprint network barely works." Upgrade to the iPhone 11 or better for the HPUE.
• 
  
  
• "My AT&T/T-Mobile coverage is poor." Upgrade to the iPhone XR or better for the band 14/71 ability.
• 
  
• "I need the ultimate LTE speeds on AT&T, period." Ditch your iPhone and get a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 or S10.
  
  
• "I have an iPhone 6 or earlier." Upgrade to the XR or better; performance will more than double.”

Hope the PCMag break down clears up some misunderstanding.

What I found interesting with this report is that with T-Mobile and ATT the XS beat the Pro at a decent margin.

Now, we can argue this was done in the middle of a busy city where the variables are essentially limitless.

The fact that the XS held its own to the Pro ... call me impressed.

Great post.

 

[BiggAW]

Here’s what one needs to know.

Sascha does a great write-up, and is one of the few (the only?) writers who knows what the heck he's talking about. However, this is a *performance* test, not a *reception* test. They haven't had the time to do the RF lab testing yet to see how they compare at low signal levels, which is where the real differences become apparent, both in modem and antenna design. I'd be shocked if the iPhone 11 Pro and Flomax can keep up with the LG V40 and Samsung Note 10+, but we'll see.

That is true based on the phone she owns and the antenna in it combined with her carriers antenna technology

Sprint's network is legitimately terrible in most markets, HPUE or not. They have a few good markets, and good luck if you travel, unless you're going to a USCC market, in which case you'll have coverage in the middle of anywhere. Otherwise, forget it.

 

[Beelzbub]

I will chime in with my own experience. I just recently purchased an 11, my iPhone 8 for whatever reason decided it did not want to turn on anymore, anyways I went to my local AT&T store and got an 11. When I owned my 8, I never had any problems with it from a reception point of view. Matter of fact when my wife had knee surgery last year, the place I took her for rehab was down in the basement or lower level (you take an elevator from the main level) and I always had good reception and was able to take calls, email, stream music and what not while I waited for my wife's rehab to be over, I think I did a speed test once and was able to get like 50 down or so, which I considered to be good due to the location of this place. I know others there while waiting would complain about signal, but my trusty 8 did just fine. For my job I do have to travel some and one location I have to go to, there is no good way to get there, you have to take back county roads and what not. I have always had decent reception with my 8 going there, the occasional dropped call once and while (not the end of the world). I had to make that same trip this morning and I had to do a conference call and kept waiting for the call to drop in certain areas where I knew my 8 had dropped before, and my 11 never dropped the call once. I went from 5Ge to LTE with full signal (kept checking the signal). I even warned the people I was on the phone with that I would soon drop the call due to my location, but it never dropped once. I don't know if this will help anyone or not, but I figured I would share my own personal experience with the 11 vs the 8. I am traveling again next week out of state and I will do another comparison. So far I am quite pleased with the iPhone 11.