Carrier Gigabit LTE - Why is nobody talking about this?

[ecschwarz]

I am a little curious what the next iPhones will use, as some places are saying they've got Intel modems/radios across the board and Intel does CDMA now - in fact, the specs sound a lot like these or something close:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/wireless-products/mobile-communications/xmm-7560-brief.html

Although I know plenty with Intel-based iPhones who have been completely satisfied, I've also seen plenty of concerns due to their nature of losing a signal fast (mine is Qualcomm just for the flexibility of any carrier). I also wonder if Intel's newest round is better, as I wouldn't put it past them to pour resources into making a more competitive product with each revision.

If so, I really want to see the teardowns and tests, even if I'm not in the market for this year's iPhones.

 

[Lammy]

I hope the modems in the new phones are better than last year’s X. I have noticed that my SE gets better service than my X in some buildings. However my X does pretty well sometimes lol

 

[Kulfon]

Can you explain to me what is the big deal? i live in Warsaw (Poland). What noticeable difference I am going to witness?

I'm baffled that not a single news outlet or forum is discussing this. This to me is potentially the killer feature this year in an extremely lackluster and downright embarrassing keynote yesterday. As a summary it is essentially a 5g "lite" that allows for network speeds up to 400mb. If you live in a big city like NYC, dealing with congestion and office buildings this is a game changer. The number one thing I hate the most with my 6S+ living in NYC is the network speed. I have no interest in any of the bells and whistles except this. I am aware that these new phones do not have 5g capability when it rolls out next year.

Does anyone have any more info on this. Does it actually work? Which carriers support it, what markets is it currently in, etc?

 

[AdonisSMU]

LTE doesn't even live up to the hype let alone Gigabit.

 

[Menel]

First of all, you're not always getting 250mbps+ on any phone unless you're in a very small area, and never leaving that area. In fact, you don't always have service on any phone on any carrier unless you never go much of anywhere. Most of the LTE networks are in the low double-digit range much of the time, and none of them even have coverage everywhere at all.
Secondly of all, you clearly don't get it. The Qualcomm X20 radio is not just about raw speed, it's about having a connection when other phones don't.
[doublepost=1536898298][/doublepost]

Just because you live in a shoddy backwater area without good infrastructure, don't assume others are in the same boat.

No iPhone has or will have an X20.
The best you can do is an X with the Qualcomm x16.

 

[DNichter]

If I notice a difference, cool. My guess is I won't, but we'll see.

 

[FFR]

If I notice a difference, cool. My guess is I won't, but we'll see.

There isn’t much of a difference between the intel xmm 7480 and Qualcomm x16 modem.

The intel 7560 modem in the 2018 iPhone xs should match or surpass the Qualcomm x20.

 

[DNichter]

There isn’t much of a difference between the intel xmm 7480 and Qualcomm x16 modem.

The intel 7560 modem in the 2018 iPhone xs should match or surpass the Qualcomm x20.

But in the end, I should expect the same speeds on my Xs Max?

 

[FFR]

But in the end, I should expect the same speeds on my Xs Max?

Xs max will have higher data speeds compared to the X, that’s a given.

But will match or surpass the x20 modem featured in the snapdragon 845.

 

[BiggAW]

Just because you live in a shoddy backwater area without good infrastructure, don't assume others are in the same boat.

No iPhone has or will have an X20.
The best you can do is an X with the Qualcomm x16.

You don't get it. Mobile phones are MOBILE. They will have weak signals and no service from time to time. That's just reality. What's also reality is that an Intel iPhone will have NO SERVICE more often than a Samsung S9/S9+/Note9. That's simply a physical fact.

Further, where I live right now is an affluent town in one of the richest states in the country, and we have weak spots and coverage holes all over the place. 4 miles away the Acela blasts through town a dozen or two times a day and we barely have cell phone service. But what's much more important is when traveling. There just are a lot of places with very weak coverage on any carrier.

The intel 7560 modem in the 2018 iPhone xs should match or surpass the Qualcomm x20.

That's going to be a tall order, and the little bit of data we've seen so far doesn't look good for the Intel modems. I want to see two tests. The first being hanging on to LTE at the extreme edge of big macro site in a very rural, heavily wooded area. The second being the NYC subway system re-locking on LTE at each station through parts of Manhattan.

 

[FFR]

You don't get it. Mobile phones are MOBILE. They will have weak signals and no service from time to time. That's just reality. What's also reality is that an Intel iPhone will have NO SERVICE more often than a Samsung S9/S9+/Note9. That's simply a physical fact.

Further, where I live right now is an affluent town in one of the richest states in the country, and we have weak spots and coverage holes all over the place. 4 miles away the Acela blasts through town a dozen or two times a day and we barely have cell phone service. But what's much more important is when traveling. There just are a lot of places with very weak coverage on any carrier.



That's going to be a tall order, and the little bit of data we've seen so far doesn't look good for the Intel modems. I want to see two tests. The first being hanging on to LTE at the extreme edge of big macro site in a very rural, heavily wooded area. The second being the NYC subway system re-locking on LTE at each station through parts of Manhattan.

What data?

Comparing a 2017 intel xmm 7480 to the 2018 x20?
That’s not really a fair comparison.

The 2018 xmm 7560 and the iPhone xs will ship next week, you can conduct your own tests then.

 

[gadgetfreaky]

What data?

Comparing a 2017 intel xmm 7480 to the 2018 x20?
That’s not really a fair comparison.

The 2018 xmm 7560 and the iPhone xs will ship next week, you can conduct your own tests then.

it'd be great to get some comparisons/benchmarks on the new Intel modem to the Samsung X20

 

[BiggAW]

What data?

Comparing a 2017 intel xmm 7480 to the 2018 x20?
That’s not really a fair comparison.

The 2018 xmm 7560 and the iPhone xs will ship next week, you can conduct your own tests then.

We'll see, but I don't think there's any way that the XMM 7560 will get anywhere close to the Qualcomm X20. I was based my comparisons on the previous generation Intel radio against the Qualcomm X16, which is the fair comparison. Even the Intel iPhone 8 can't keep up with older generation Qualcomm radios, so Intel is way behind.

 

[FFR]

We'll see, but I don't think there's any way that the XMM 7560 will get anywhere close to the Qualcomm X20.

Yeah....I think you might be surprised in a couple of days.

I was based my comparisons on the previous generation Intel radio against the Qualcomm X16, which is the fair comparison. Even the Intel iPhone 8 can't keep up with older generation Qualcomm radios, so Intel is way behind.

Yeah, no idea where your getting data from.

iPhone X with 2017 Intel XMM 7480

Pixel 2xl with the 2017 Qualcomm x16

 

[ecschwarz]

I don't have enough data from iPhones with Intel modems, but there's a lot of them out there and the Qualcomm-based ones might have an edge in fringe areas, but if they were as awful as the tone in this thread, I suspect Apple would have a PR mess on their hands.

I've got a good friend with an 8 Plus w/Intel and I have one w/Qualcomm and we've gone on some road trips in some sparse areas and in very unscientific testing, my friend's phone wasn't a noticeable problem. A bit of that was also driving through the area, as opposed to having to live/work in one of those spots. Obviously again, between different carriers and different locations, there could be some issues since there are so many variables.

I think in this era of Apple, if they go all-Intel, they're deeming the hardware capable enough for a satisfactory experience for most users, as opposed to just the ongoing legal spat with Qualcomm. Meanwhile, the reviews seem to favor a handful of Android devices for the best RF performance, so if that works better in a fringe area, it may be a better product for someone.

 

[FFR]

I don't have enough data from iPhones with Intel modems, but there's a lot of them out there and the Qualcomm-based ones might have an edge in fringe areas, but if they were as awful as the tone in this thread, I suspect Apple would have a PR mess on their hands.

I've got a good friend with an 8 Plus w/Intel and I have one w/Qualcomm and we've gone on some road trips in some sparse areas and in very unscientific testing, my friend's phone wasn't a noticeable problem. A bit of that was also driving through the area, as opposed to having to live/work in one of those spots. Obviously again, between different carriers and different locations, there could be some issues since there are so many variables.

I think in this era of Apple, if they go all-Intel, they're deeming the hardware capable enough for a satisfactory experience for most users, as opposed to just the ongoing legal spat with Qualcomm. Meanwhile, the reviews seem to favor a handful of Android devices for the best RF performance, so if that works better in a fringe area, it may be a better product for someone.

Those reviews are often misleading, pitting a 2017 intel modem with a 2018 Qualcomm.

Not really a fair comparison.

 

[BiggAW]

Yeah....I think you might be surprised in a couple of days.

The data is clear.

https://www.qualcomm.com/ltespeeds

And if you want the Apples to Apple comparison:

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/12/01/qualcomm-iphone-x-still-faster-than-intel/

I don't have enough data from iPhones with Intel modems, but there's a lot of them out there and the Qualcomm-based ones might have an edge in fringe areas, but if they were as awful as the tone in this thread, I suspect Apple would have a PR mess on their hands.

It should be a scandal that Apple has been selling high end phones without Qualcomm chips for two years, but no one seems to care very much, and so they went ahead and went with the bargain basement Intel chips, and they're going to have bargain basement performance, to the detriment of the wireless networks themselves.

 

[jackoatmon]

LTE (and even 3g) are already faster than you would ever need for anything that happens on a phone. Honestly, Edge was probably fast enough. I suspect no one's talking about it because it's just useless overkill that's going to probably take 7–10 years to roll out.

All the meaningful advancements in mobile technology happened a decade ago. At this point it's just masturbatory.

 

[ROLLTIDE1]

LTE (and even 3g) are already faster than you would ever need for anything that happens on a phone. Honestly, Edge was probably fast enough. I suspect no one's talking about it because it's just useless overkill that's going to probably take 7–10 years to

And who are you to judge me on how I use my phone ? EDGE speeds will not cut it for what I do on mine . I actually take 4 Iphones and bond them together to stream live video . Doing that on and Edge connection just wouldn't cut it .

 

[FFR]

The data is clear.

https://www.qualcomm.com/ltespeeds

And if you want the Apples to Apple comparison:

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/12/01/qualcomm-iphone-x-still-faster-than-intel/



It should be a scandal that Apple has been selling high end phones without Qualcomm chips for two years, but no one seems to care very much, and so they went ahead and went with the bargain basement Intel chips, and they're going to have bargain basement performance, to the detriment of the wireless networks themselves.

Did you even read the link you posted?
Or are you trying to prove my point?

Comparing the 2018 Qualcomm 845 with the x20 modem to the 2017 intel 7480 and the 2016 7360 and calling it inferior.

Very bizarre.


I posted a comparison between the 2017 x16 and the 2017 xmm 7480, guess you ignored that on purpose.

 

[Dethklok]

Because it's just marketing. I have a S8+ and rarely get over 30mbps in NYC.

600mhz is more interesting, but is it really that big of an improvement in signal penetration over 700mhz?

 

[jackoatmon]

And who are you to judge me on how I use my phone ?

I'm not judging you on anything. You're irrelevant to me. Just as 5G is an irrelevant technological spec bump.

 

[ROLLTIDE1]

I'm not judging you on anything. You're irrelevant to me. Just as 5G is an irrelevant technological spec bump.

It's not irrelevant to those who live in rural areas and who have limited internet options Once again why do you care how I use my internet ?

 

[jackoatmon]

It's not irrelevant to those who live in rural areas and who have limited internet options Once again why do you care how I use my internet ?

I don’t care even the tiniest bit. The thread asks why no one is discussing an irrelevant spec bump. And the answer is that it just isn’t a big deal.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I don't know why people don't talk about network technology and modems more. The bad news is that these are all using Intel radios, so they will have poor reception, slow LTE acquisition, and slower speeds, especially during heavy network congestion than competing phones that are using Qualcomm's X20 radio.

You really do not know that. From what I have heard the Intel modem is quite good. 5G in a few years and it will be so fast that there will be few data caps as you should be able to download a whole movie in seconds.