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iPhone 7 Plus Qualcomm LTE Modem Outperforms Intel LTE Modem by Significant Margin

Having two suppliers is fine, just make sure that parts from both suppliers perform the same.

I was complaining about my LTE speeds from day one (https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-data-speeds-in-nyc-post-your-speeds.2000077/), so I didn't need this benchmark to tell me that something was off with my 7+ compared to my 6+.

Yes, I know, AT&T is part of the problem as well.

I think that my $900 phone should have the best modem that money can buy. Penny pinching doesn't belong in a flagship phone, especially not at the cost of performance.
 
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#124
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
 
Sowelu said:
Having two suppliers is fine, just make sure that parts from both suppliers perform the same.

I was complaining about my LTE speeds from day one (https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-data-speeds-in-nyc-post-your-speeds.2000077/), so I didn't need this benchmark to tell me that something was off with my 7+ compared to my 6+.

Yes, I know, AT&T is part of the problem as well.

I think that my $900 phone should have the best modem that money can buy. Penny pinching doesn't belong in a flagship phone, especially not at the cost of performance.
Click to expand...

Yeah, you should at the very least get the same LTE speeds as your previous iPhone. Apple didn't reduce the price so why should you be satisfied with a reduction in performance. This is a real-world performance reduction, not some minor, you won't even notice the difference reduction.
 
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Just did a speed test with Wifi and with LTE (I have the intel model jet black 7+ 128)
WiFi with FiOS (100mb/100mb)I get 86mb down 84mb up. On LTE (AT&T great area) I get 43mb down 11.5mb up.
I think this is fine 🙂

Also on Beta iOS 10.1(14B55c)

Re ran the test on LTE 47.5mb down, 11.8mb down.
That's 4 bars of signal.
 
Alright honestly guys. I have the 32GB 7+ with Intel modem. It's a double whammy. But it's the best iPhone I've owned thus far.

So if you're happy with your phone, then stay happy. Why create fwp for yourself?

Knowing that your phone isn't the best definitely sucks, but you don't have another device to compare it with. You'll never know the difference. So forget it
 
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supersalo said:
This is a total non-story. Any significant drop off on these charts starts at -105dB.

That's BARELY two bars (1 bar is -107 and lower). Plus their controlled test doesn't take into account any attenuation due to atmospheric conditions.

NON-STORY.
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...this is hardly a non-story.

First of all, atmospheric conditions wouldn't reveal anything since all that really matters is the strength of the RF signal that hits the antenna. Unless physics itself changes the atmosphere depending on what modem you have...it makes perfect sense for the researchers to have ruled it out as a factor.

Their methodology is industry standard when doing a modem comparison.

Second, situations where you have only 1 or 2 bars are quite common. This test shows that the Qualcomm modem will hold up significantly better under low signal conditions. if it was a small difference no one would care...but 30%...? That's outrageous.
 
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There have been contradicting reports of people having both amazing battery life and awful battery life on the 7+, could this be the culprit? I have the crappy Intel Modem and have crappy battery life on my 7+.
 
Re-sale value, ability to switch from AT&T to Verizon, and now better signal strength. So glad I waited and went into the store and bought a Verizon model even though I'm an AT&T customer!
 
I have the Intel iPhone 7. It's been working great every where I've used it. No noticeable difference in reception or speed from my 6s. I've really enjoyed having it. But now that I've read this story, I realize my iPhone is truly inferior garbage and that when I go down to 1 or 2 bars if LTE, I might only get download speeds of 10-15 Mbps instead of 15-20 Mbps. What on earth am I going to do? I guess I better toss this iPhone in the garbage and go buy a Qualcomm model.
 
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JCandle said:
There have been contradicting reports of people having both amazing battery life and awful battery life on the 7+, could this be the culprit? I have the crappy Intel Modem and have crappy battery life on my 7+.
Click to expand...

it seems intel modem ones hiss the loudest too !
[doublepost=1476997893][/doublepost]
airjay75 said:
I have the Intel iPhone 7. It's been working great every where I've used it. No noticeable difference in reception or speed from my 6s. I've really enjoyed having it. But now that I've read this story, I realize my iPhone is truly inferior garbage and that when I go down to 1 or 2 bars if LTE, I might only get download speeds of 10-15 Mbps instead of 15-20 Mbps. What on earth am I going to do? I guess I better toss this iPhone in the garbage and go buy a Qualcomm model.
Click to expand...

drama queen has arrived.
 
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I find this annoying. Mainly because of the issues with potential loss of signal in low-signal areas and the ability to switch carriers and/or resale issues.

It's a load of crap when you consider that, prior to this year, AT&T and T-Mo had the same phones as the unlocked version. I paid full price for my phone and have no contract BECAUSE I want to be able to switch carriers if I like and BECAUSE I resell my phones sometimes. Why should I be stuck with a phone that won't perform like phones listed as AT&T and sold without contract performed in prior years?

I'm going to lodge a complaint. I want an exchange over this. Seriously. This is worse than the issue with the 6 plus and the chip speeds because at least there was no signal issue and no resale issues.
 
ahostmadsen said:
Again, yes, you can dig out the information. Perhaps if Apple had said upfront: there are two versions of the phone. Go to our website and check it out. But to parse the information, you have to be an expert on wireless. I still do not know, based on their information, if I can use my iPhone 7 in the countries I travel to.

The point, is if they had been upfront about this: there are two versions of the phone, a better and a worse one, at the same price, nobody would have chosen the Intel version. So, they HAD to obscure that fact. It's common sense.
Click to expand...

They did tell you there are two version of the phone. It is ON their website, for most consumers there is NO difference between the phone and will never know there is a difference. Coming out and saying that only makes it harder.

The majority of users will never notice a difference. Every product you ever buy has multiple suppliers, do you think we need to ask every manufacture of everything to provide a list of the suppliers so we can go and find if we are getting the right product?

You need to do your research, it really is not that hard. NO Manufacture gives you information on where their phones work because it is a very complicated situation that is always changing. Every country has a number of different carriers that use different number of bands.
 
whyamihere said:
Re-sale value, ability to switch from AT&T to Verizon, and now better signal strength. So glad I waited and went into the store and bought a Verizon model even though I'm an AT&T customer!
Click to expand...

I don't have the iPhone 7 (yet?), but that is exactly what I was looking at doing.

Avoid list:

32GB models, AT&T/T-Mobile "GSM-only" (Intel) models.

Recommended:

128GB or 256GB models, Verizon or "SIM Free" (Qualcomm) models.
 
Tim's operational excellence - This is how Apple is keeping its profit margins even after eliminating low end storage options and choosing cheaper providers for modems. First slower TSMC chips, then slow storage for 32GB ones and now slower Intel modems - all at the same price for you, and if you're Apple's target demographic you would never notice a thing (they hope)!
 
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Crzyrio said:
They did tell you there are two version of the phone. It is ON their website, for most consumers there is NO difference between the phone and will never know there is a difference. Coming out and saying that only makes it harder.

The majority of users will never notice a difference. Every product you ever buy has multiple suppliers, do you think we need to ask every manufacture of everything to provide a list of the suppliers so we can go and find if we are getting the right product?

You need to do your research, it really is not that hard. NO Manufacture gives you information on where their phones work because it is a very complicated situation that is always changing. Every country has a number of different carriers that use different number of bands.
Click to expand...

There are two models of the phone. An iPhone 7 and iPhone 7+. They have different storage options. They don't have different modem speed options.
 
parapup said:
Tim's operational excellence - This is how Apple is keeping its profit margins even after eliminating low end storage options and choosing cheaper providers for modems. First slower TSMC chips, then slow storage for 32GB ones and now slower Intel modems - all at the same price for you, and if you're Apple's target demographic you would never notice a thing (they hope)!
Click to expand...

Tim Cook (the bean counter) is doing the same **** for watches too. The models that got reduced to $269 actually lost the storage box they used to come with before AND lost the charger power brick!! Now you can buy it separately for $19!!!

For the iphone, the nice palstic case the headset came in got replaced with cardboard wrap!... I mean this guy will make every cent he can. Mind boggling. Apple will never be like it was under Steve Jobs again.
 
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ghostface147 said:
All AT&T phones are not true world phones. They are intel modems and don't work with Verizon or sprint. So when it's time to sell it, you won't get as much value as a Verizon iPhone 7.
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That's laughable. True world phone is the ATT phone because onlt v and s use cdma here, outdated and will go away soon, and very few other countries use it. As for resale, it will not matter.
[doublepost=1476999896][/doublepost]
coolsean20 said:
I thought GSM was the world standard, though?
Click to expand...
It is.
 
jca24 said:
That's laughable. True world phone is the ATT phone because onlt v and s use cdma here, outdated and will go away soon, and very few other countries use it. As for resale, it will not matter.
[doublepost=1476999896][/doublepost]
It is.
Click to expand...

But, for now, Verizon and Sprint do use CDMA, and so do some other countries that do not have full GSM support. So, TRUE world would be a phone you can use anywhere, with any network, and have the most favorable results. For now, that is the Verizon phone, the Sprint phone, and the SIM-free phone that is sold in the US in Apple stores and all other carriers everywhere else on the planet.

I get your point and once CDMA vanishes, a GSM phone will be all Apple will make.
 
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