iPhone 4 vs Droid X - Call Connect Time

[Vicros]

I got the iPhone on release and used it up until the 15th when I got the Droid X. I can tell you that I'm not a fan of Android but what I am a fan of is how the Droid seems to instantly connect a call.

When dialing out on the iPhone it seemed to take forever for the phone to start ringing. I would literally have to look at the phone to make sure I dialed my contact. Is this common for anyone else?

Now on the Droid, the call seems to be ringing before I even get the phone to my ear; it's literally that fast. Is this an attribute to the phone or to Verizon's network?

For the record, I could not replicate the death grip signal drop. I did purchase and use a case for protective purposes though.

 

[apprunner]

I got the iPhone on release and used it up until the 15th when I got the Droid X. I can tell you that I'm not a fan of Android but what I am a fan of is how the Droid seems to instantly connect a call.

When dialing out on the iPhone it seemed to take forever for the phone to start ringing. I would literally have to look at the phone to make sure I dialed my contact. Is this common for anyone else?

Now on the Droid, the call seems to be ringing before I even get the phone to my ear; it's literally that fast. Is this an attribute to the phone or to Verizon's network?

For the record, I could not replicate the death grip signal drop. I did purchase and use a case for protective purposes though.

That's the network. C2k is a very different beast over HSPA/GSM

 

[scaredpoet]

Now on the Droid, the call seems to be ringing before I even get the phone to my ear; it's literally that fast. Is this an attribute to the phone or to Verizon's network?

Neither. It's a configuration decision at the switch level, using what are known as "comfort tones."

On most GSM-style networks using MAP core, you don't start hearing a ring on your end until the network has confirmed that the other phone is on and can receive a call. Though occasionally, it might "fake ring" into a voicemail system. The exception for the most part has been Nextel, who will actually annoy callers with a recording that states "please hold while the nextel subscriber you are trying to reach is located."

On a IS-95/CDMA-style network like Sprint or Verizon, the network doesn't wait to find the phone. If the status of the phone is unknown, it'll just start ringing while it tries to page the other phone, and will either dump you to voicemail after a few seconds or the phone at the other end will actually start to ring. If you call your Droid X from say, a landline after it's been idle for some time, you'll notice that the ringing tone on the landline starts at least a couple of seconds before your phone actually wakes up and rings.

When you get down to it, both networks will take the same amount of time on average to connect a call. CDMA networks just mask the delay a little better.

That's the network. C2k is a very different beast over HSPA/GSM

Actually, in this case, no. And HSPA is more similar to CDMA 2000 than you think.

In both cases, your phone's transceiver at idle is spending most of its time in a mode known as "slotted sleep." The network assigns it a slot cycle, and it knows to "wake up" every few seconds to see if the network is calling for it, usually to receive a text message, ring for a call, or switch to a different pilot channel. If your phone is scheduled for slotted sleep at the time a call is connecting, then the network has to wait for the next time slot to tell your phone it has a call. What the networks do during this time is what's different: CDMA will pacify you with a ringing sound right away. GSM will often wait until it knows the phone will actually ring.

There's a tradeoff to the slot cycle: the longer it lasts, the longer your battery will last before it needs to recharge, BUT the longer it will take on average for your phone to ring for a call. Most networks tend to set this somewhere between 2 and 5 seconds.

 

[gil716]

Neither. It's a configuration decision at the switch level, using what are known as "comfort tones."
....

Now that's an informative post. Thanks for dropping that knowledge.

 

[apprunner]

Neither. It's a configuration decision at the switch level, using what are known as "comfort tones."

On most GSM-style networks using MAP core, you don't start hearing a ring on your end until the network has confirmed that the other phone is on and can receive a call. Though occasionally, it might "fake ring" into a voicemail system. The exception for the most part has been Nextel, who will actually annoy callers with a recording that states "please hold while the nextel subscriber you are trying to reach is located."

On a IS-95/CDMA-style network like Sprint or Verizon, the network doesn't wait to find the phone. If the status of the phone is unknown, it'll just start ringing while it tries to page the other phone, and will either dump you to voicemail after a few seconds or the phone at the other end will actually start to ring. If you call your Droid X from say, a landline after it's been idle for some time, you'll notice that the ringing tone on the landline starts at least a couple of seconds before your phone actually wakes up and rings.

When you get down to it, both networks will take the same amount of time on average to connect a call. CDMA networks just mask the delay a little better.



Actually, in this case, no. And HSPA is more similar to CDMA 2000 than you think.

In both cases, your phone's transceiver at idle is spending most of its time in a mode known as "slotted sleep." The network assigns it a slot cycle, and it knows to "wake up" every few seconds to see if the network is calling for it, usually to receive a text message, ring for a call, or switch to a different pilot channel. If your phone is scheduled for slotted sleep at the time a call is connecting, then the network has to wait for the next time slot to tell your phone it has a call. What the networks do during this time is what's different: CDMA will pacify you with a ringing sound right away. GSM will often wait until it knows the phone will actually ring.

There's a tradeoff to the slot cycle: the longer it lasts, the longer your battery will last before it needs to recharge, BUT the longer it will take on average for your phone to ring for a call. Most networks tend to set this somewhere between 2 and 5 seconds.

Awesome post. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[Blorzoga]

Neither. It's a configuration decision at the switch level, using what are known as "comfort tones."

On most GSM-style networks using MAP core, you don't start hearing a ring on your end until the network has confirmed that the other phone is on and can receive a call. Though occasionally, it might "fake ring" into a voicemail system. The exception for the most part has been Nextel, who will actually annoy callers with a recording that states "please hold while the nextel subscriber you are trying to reach is located."

On a IS-95/CDMA-style network like Sprint or Verizon, the network doesn't wait to find the phone. If the status of the phone is unknown, it'll just start ringing while it tries to page the other phone, and will either dump you to voicemail after a few seconds or the phone at the other end will actually start to ring. If you call your Droid X from say, a landline after it's been idle for some time, you'll notice that the ringing tone on the landline starts at least a couple of seconds before your phone actually wakes up and rings.

When you get down to it, both networks will take the same amount of time on average to connect a call. CDMA networks just mask the delay a little better.



Actually, in this case, no. And HSPA is more similar to CDMA 2000 than you think.

In both cases, your phone's transceiver at idle is spending most of its time in a mode known as "slotted sleep." The network assigns it a slot cycle, and it knows to "wake up" every few seconds to see if the network is calling for it, usually to receive a text message, ring for a call, or switch to a different pilot channel. If your phone is scheduled for slotted sleep at the time a call is connecting, then the network has to wait for the next time slot to tell your phone it has a call. What the networks do during this time is what's different: CDMA will pacify you with a ringing sound right away. GSM will often wait until it knows the phone will actually ring.

There's a tradeoff to the slot cycle: the longer it lasts, the longer your battery will last before it needs to recharge, BUT the longer it will take on average for your phone to ring for a call. Most networks tend to set this somewhere between 2 and 5 seconds.

So, while Apple and AT&T exaggerate their signal strength, Verizon exaggerates their call connect time.