Also, in the past, at least on Sprint the "bars" display in the upper left side of the phone was not measuring LTE signal strength - that reading could be looked at in the phones admittedly byzantine field test maintenance mode.
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iPhone 7 Plus Qualcomm LTE Modem Outperforms Intel LTE Modem by Significant Margin
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Also, in the past, at least on Sprint the "bars" display in the upper left side of the phone was not measuring LTE signal strength - that reading could be looked at in the phones admittedly byzantine field test maintenance mode.
Well, Qualcomm is fabless -- and I believe their recent wireless modems are manfuactured by TSMC 20nm (or 28nm?). TSMC also manufactures Apple's recent AP's and if they can produce them at such volume, they certainly can handle Qualcomm's payload no problem.
So I guess it's cool just to make up facts now? Supporting evidence can probably be filed under TL;DR
When does the realization hit that your theory is just a conspiracy as well? No more or less valid than the supplier v supplier theory.
You're basing this on what, gut feeling? None of us know the reason. You could be 100% right, but so could the supplier competition believers. It also could be a combination of both theories.
FYI, both theories are wrong. Apple just grabbed Intel by the Serval and said make me some modems.
I mean, if you're going to go conspiracy, go full conspiracy.
Its not really about saving money... it's also about a good supply... what happens if one supplier can supply enough components that you need... You end up with a shortage, which we have had with different iPhones
That excuse isn't going to work as the 6S used the same chip regardless of carrier.
I really wish I found this out before the return window ran out as I would've returned my wife's AT&T phone and bought a Verizon one... Definitely going to take a bigger hit on resale as while the CDMA version can run on any network on the US, ATT iphone can only be sold to Tmo/ATT buyers. My last 2 buyers on Craigslist were Verizon users and of course our unlocked ATT iphones worked perfectly.
I love all the people giving Apple crap for using two suppliers. Really? I mean, REALLY? If something happened to one of these suppliers, like their factory burn down, or an earthquake, or who knows what, you guys would be giving them so much crap for not diversifying their suppliers and complaining that your orders are backed up for months and how Apple is losing a ton of money and is basically the next Samsung and should just stop selling the iPhone 7 and start over with a new model that has parts that are available. I don't even feel like I'm using hyperbole here when I say that's exactly what would happen.
That all being said, it would be better if Apple could work on consistency between suppliers. Intel doesn't come to mind as my first choice for a mobile partner. Although before long we may see them making ARM chips, lol.
That all being said, it would be better if Apple could work on consistency between suppliers. Intel doesn't come to mind as my first choice for a mobile partner. Although before long we may see them making ARM chips, lol.
Amazing how The 4.7" has become the red headed step child. It's only $100 less than the comparable + size model but parts wise it seems to be a whole universe apart. Being a fan of the 4.7 (not an enemy of the 5.5") I hope this is just for the one cycle. The 4.7" model isn' the flagship but it's not discount dolly either.
It is. Carriers rarely use CDMA its just a fall back for Sprint and Verizon in the US. I think all other countries are selling the Intel model. To say the Intel model is not a true world phone is ridiculous because that's what Apple is selling to all other countries.
I went back to the 4.7". Had the 6s plus. Too big. Fell out of my pocket all the time. Could not wear it on an armband when i went running. I actually like the 4.7 form factor better.
Is the antenna design also a factor? Look at those Android phones completely outperforming the iPhones!
Has anyone tested different RAN (Radio Access Network) vendor performance with the new iPhone 7 versus 6s?
Like for the US the majority would be Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia and Samsung
In Canada/Mexico/Europe/Asia/Latin America it would be Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia...
I heard rumours Huawei cell sites have higher performance than Ericsson/Alcatel-Lucent/Nokia...
This maybe the reason iPhone's with lower signal strength have better performance in Canada on the Bell/TELUS network than AT&T's network in the USA.
Like for the US the majority would be Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia and Samsung
In Canada/Mexico/Europe/Asia/Latin America it would be Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia...
I heard rumours Huawei cell sites have higher performance than Ericsson/Alcatel-Lucent/Nokia...
This maybe the reason iPhone's with lower signal strength have better performance in Canada on the Bell/TELUS network than AT&T's network in the USA.
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I just upgraded to the 4" SE from my 3.5" iPhone 4. Couldn't be happier! I also switched carriers (from Rogers, which was sharing towers, to Bell which has their own towers), and I'm getting poor signal, but works well enough. No dropped calls or signal. Just hovers around 1-2 dots.
When manufacturers split component orders between two or more suppliers, it's usually because of a few reasons. Apple's decision to split the modem order could have been based on one (or more) of these reasons.
1. Keep vendors "honest" by ensuring they compete with the other supplier on things like cost, yields, performance, etc.
2. Reduces the risk of a key supplier interrupting your process due to unforseen issues. Things like labor strike, natural disaster, sabotage, etc.
3. Potentially, one single supplier is not capable of fulfiling the entire order.
4. Investing in a new supplier by with the intention of giving them bigger orders in the future.
and many more ...
Things that are specific to Apple could be ...
1. Don't want to pay for CDMA royalties for every phone, even if the CDMA radio is disabled. (I forgot where I read this)
2. Potentially getting better pricing for other Intel components.
Also, I'm not sure if buying modems from Intel was a ploy to drive down the price of Qualcomm modems. Sure, the Intel modem might cost less than the Qualcomm modem, but splitting the order might actually drive the price up, since the overall order is smaller.
Typically, what Apple might do is bid the entire order out to a few suppliers. Suppliers know that they are competing against others, so they give a good price. But then Apple would award the entire order to one supplier, as long as they can perform and none of the items above apply.
1. Keep vendors "honest" by ensuring they compete with the other supplier on things like cost, yields, performance, etc.
2. Reduces the risk of a key supplier interrupting your process due to unforseen issues. Things like labor strike, natural disaster, sabotage, etc.
3. Potentially, one single supplier is not capable of fulfiling the entire order.
4. Investing in a new supplier by with the intention of giving them bigger orders in the future.
and many more ...
Things that are specific to Apple could be ...
1. Don't want to pay for CDMA royalties for every phone, even if the CDMA radio is disabled. (I forgot where I read this)
2. Potentially getting better pricing for other Intel components.
Also, I'm not sure if buying modems from Intel was a ploy to drive down the price of Qualcomm modems. Sure, the Intel modem might cost less than the Qualcomm modem, but splitting the order might actually drive the price up, since the overall order is smaller.
Typically, what Apple might do is bid the entire order out to a few suppliers. Suppliers know that they are competing against others, so they give a good price. But then Apple would award the entire order to one supplier, as long as they can perform and none of the items above apply.
Except they're not diversifying one bit. Intel's mobile division (formerly known as Infineon) and Qualcomm both have their chips manufactured by TSMC. So any arguments about diversification or fab capacity are not applicable.
I do wonder if the intel LTE modem does better with power efficiency or GSM (non-LTE). In low signal situations, non-LTE performance is probably more important in most places.
It is certainly possible that intel's LTE modem is worse across the board as compared to the other options, but LTE throughput is not the full story.
It is certainly possible that intel's LTE modem is worse across the board as compared to the other options, but LTE throughput is not the full story.
The LTE bandwidth is not that a big deal to me. What is a big deal is battery life and signal strength.
Just did a speed test with my T-Mobile 7 Plus on LTE:
28.31 D/L
19.34 U/L
On my home wifi (and granted I don't have the fastest cable here) it was:
28.28 D/L
5.33 U/L
So the LTE speeds are pretty decent I guess (but I'm not sure what to compare it to - Verizon?)
28.31 D/L
19.34 U/L
On my home wifi (and granted I don't have the fastest cable here) it was:
28.28 D/L
5.33 U/L
So the LTE speeds are pretty decent I guess (but I'm not sure what to compare it to - Verizon?)
Is there a way to buy an 'unlocked' Verizon iPhone? Would it be as easy as sticking in a chip to get it to work. Although AT&T still locks iPhones to their network , and iPads too...
, and iPads too...Guys the model # at the back of the phone is dead give away (as stated by many posters already) as to which MODEM your phone has.
A17xx - INTEL crap
A16xx - QC Superior Awesomeness
The above only applies to iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
A17xx - INTEL crap
A16xx - QC Superior Awesomeness
The above only applies to iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
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