iPhone 4 VZW vs. AT&T speed test

[Fernandez21]

Well, that would be great if I lived at the lincoln center, but I don't and I just tried a speed here where I am and got 5mb down and 600kb up, so I don't think I will be switching.
Also as others have said, it was a controlled environment, technobuffalo.com was able to do a speed test on at&t's upcoming LTE and got 60mb down and 15mb up, again a controlled environment, we won't being seeing that real world.

 

[kuebby]

Go to youtube.com and you will find countless test supporting both sides on which is faster.
On average I would say Verizon is faster because it has a much wider range of stable ares to test. AT&T still has very limited 3G coverage and most people will be going into EDGE more often than not at least a few times a day.

I don't know about this, maybe it's just because I live in the uber-developed Mid-Atlantic region but I almost never lose my AT&T 3G signal, even when I'm in areas that I would 100% call rural.

 

[zephxiii]

The only thing this shows.....is how dumb cnet is lol...

I really hate cnet.

 

[splashnader]

Well that was almost pointless. While I agree that Verizon network loaded the web page faster then AT&T network, it wasn't a night and day difference, at least not to me. Plus, as others have said, there too many unknown variables to extrapolate much from that test.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I don't know about this, maybe it's just because I live in the uber-developed Mid-Atlantic region but I almost never lose my AT&T 3G signal, even when I'm in areas that I would 100% call rural.

go look up the 2 3G maps and compare them to each other. There is a reason There is a map for that ads were so true yet so funny.

 

[brando123b]

Booya!

 

[scaredpoet]

Just a little something I noticed in the Video:

The Verizon iPhone was showing the New York Times in the site URL history before the page loaded, while the AT&T iPhone's URL history was blank. If it's in the site history, then Safari has been there before.

This is by no means definitive, but usually if Safari's been to a site before, then parts of it have been pre-cached.

A more "correct" speed test would entail two fresh phones visiting a site that neither have loaded before.

Or better yet... using one of the many speedtest apps on the App store.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

^^^^ Case Closed ^^^^^

 

[Dyspareunia]

Start a phone call then see whose faster.

LOL, they'll get THIS ->

Hope all Verizon iPhone 4 users get familiar with that screen!

 

[brando123b]

I'd rather have that than this...

 

[andymodem]

Just a little something I noticed in the Video:

http://i.imgur.com/9zsxy.png[IMG]

The Verizon iPhone was showing the New York Times in the site URL history before the page loaded, while the AT&T iPhone's URL history was blank. If it's in the site history, then Safari has been there before.

This is by no means definitive, but usually if Safari's been to a site before, then parts of it have been pre-cached.

A more "correct" speed test would entail two fresh phones visiting a site that neither have loaded before.

Or better yet... using one of the many speedtest apps on the App store.[/QUOTE]

Even if Safari's cache was cleared on the Verizon iPhone, I wonder if the DNS lookup would still be cached for nytimes.com. Might explain why the ATT iPhone took a little longer, because it was waiting for a DNS lookup since it apparently hadn't been there before.

 

[flash144]

maybe its because I am just old, but I replayed the video a couple of times, and if you watch the bars on the ATT phone, they fluctuate from it looks like 4 bars to 3 bars at the beginning to the download.

I really can't tell. its not real clear. but that would explain the download difference.

 

[wordoflife]

This is exactly correct. It depends on which one is the major carrier in your area. In my area, Verizon is pretty much in control. Perfect signal almost everywhere here. AT&T users in my area get at best 1 or 2 bars. However just 100 miles away Verizon's network drops off and AT&T gets great signal.

^correct.
Where I live, AT&T is pretty much the major carrier here. But when I go to New York, it's pretty obvious that Verizon is the major carrier there.

Coverage depends on where you are. You need to walk into AT&T, do a speedtest, then go to Verizon, and do the same. Just because Verizon is faster than AT&T in one area doesn't mean that applies somewhere else (and vise versa).

Well that was almost pointless. While I agree that Verizon network loaded the web page faster then AT&T network, it wasn't a night and day difference, at least not to me. Plus, as others have said, there too many unknown variables to extrapolate much from that test.

+1.
It's kind of like when people compare boot up times to other (similar computers). As in on Youtube, if the MBP boots like 1 second faster than the MacBook, it is highly recommended you get the MBP .

 

[flash144]

and, i just noticed, replaying it again. Theres some differences in the pages. On the right side, there is 2 pictures on the Verizon, and only 1 on the ATT.

and below that, theres a red cube on the Verizon and a white/black one on the ATT one.

2 different renders of the same page???

 

[Yaboze]

I'm not sure about that exact web page, but many web pages have rotating ads that can make the page different each time.

The only way to test it is to run like 5 Speedtest.net app (or similar) tests from several different locations and take an average. Do it like a PC graphics FPS benchmark.

5 tests should be a good test bed allowing for congestion and other anomalies and different locations should be used as not to favor one over the other.

 

[Fernandez21]

you know what, i just looked at it again, and the lady who handled the at&t iphone put her fingers over the "death" spot of the antena when pressing the button for the page, and i know that on my phone at least its takes a second or two to recover when you do that. while on the verizon side the guy stays far away from touching any part of the antena, in fact he knocks it over, and balances it back up from the back, very carefully avoiding touching any part of the antena.

 

[Rooftop voter]

go look up the 2 3G maps and compare them to each other. There is a reason There is a map for that ads were so true yet so funny.

You can't compare the maps. Verizon and att consider 3G differently. Because of this You could be on edge and have faster/same download speeds as Verizons 3G. The maps campaign is somewhat misleading, because of the way they look at 3G. If you where to look at a map of download speeds, they would be very similar, with att bienv much faster in areas they consider 3G.

 

[iBaloney]

this proves nothing

 

[Mr. Incredible]

I'd rather have that than this...

+1. lol.

 

[Pink∆Floyd]

Ok, we now know this speed test was total BS and how much CNET sucks

now try looking up Maps while in a call... fail

 

[Wide opeN]

LOL, they'll get THIS ->

Hope all Verizon iPhone 4 users get familiar with that screen!

Lol, too funny. But, too true as well.

 

[soLoredd]

I'll go ahead and bite, using the test as it was performed and without all the hoopla of cache, femtocell, etc.

Bottom line is the difference, in this test, was about 3 seconds. Worth it? Guess it's up to the individual.

 

[LadyHoneyBabe]

CNet - Verizon wins speed test against AT&T

A speed test between Verizon and AT&T iPhones was done on Verizon launch day. Verizon won by a landslide according to CNet.

Verizon vs. AT&T

 

[ozzyman500]

I literally watched this when I got home around 4:30. AT&T has been fine for me, no reason to switch.

 

[Intell]

That was done at the Verizon event. No doubt they had the place covered with micro-cells.