iPhone 8 Shows Modest Improvements in Cellular Network Bandwidth Tests

[avtella]

if I get in my car(underground parking) it will go to 4g and will stay in 4g for minutes after the drive even the whole drive. I have to flip on airplane mode and back off when I get out of the garage to get my lte to kick back on within 10 seconds.
I thought the 7+ had mimo?
ITs one of my biggest annoyance when leaving for the day

I think It does, just not 4x4, its 3x3 I believe. The Qualcomm modem supported it but the Intel didn't support 4x4 so they had to disable some features like that to even things out.

Further Info:
http://cellularinsights.com/iphone7/

 

[Tech198]

"Based on data collected by Ookla, improvements appear to be around the 10 percent mark for most users, but users in Australia could expect up to nearly 25 percent faster speeds thanks to their network structure. Those users can expect up to the full 80 MHz carrier aggregation bandwidth in the phone due to Telestra's use of the appropriate bands."

Guess we're not all bad then

 

[Septembersrain]

If you really want Android, go for a Pixel. Google’s phone support/support in general is very good much like Apple’s, with quick replacements if something goes wrong, plus monthly updates/security patches and you will get Android updates before the OEMs. However Google is working on a way to provide updates without the hassle of redoing the OEM’s UI framework (ie TouchWiz, Xperia UI), which is usually the cause of delays. Motorola uses a pretty close to stock version of Android with updates timed close to Google’s releases. LG is pretty decent as well though at least in terms of hardware support.

Totally would but the Pixel 2 eliminated the headphone jack didn't it? Yeah, it's a weird thing to want but I like to have it. I guess I don't mind not getting updates honestly. It keeps the device running smoothly for years. My Note 3 still runs as good as the day I got it. I never have updated it. Do you know if the Pixel has an SD card option or not?

 

[Cesar Battistini]

With a number of iPhone 8 and 8 Plus devices now in the hands of users, Ookla's network benchmarking suite Speedtest.net has been able to gather data on how the latest iPhones are performing compared to previous-generation models and has shared details with PCMag.

Based on data collected by Ookla, improvements appear to be around the 10 percent mark for most users, but users in Australia could expect up to nearly 25 percent faster speeds thanks to their network structure. Those users can expect up to the full 80 MHz carrier aggregation bandwidth in the phone due to Telestra's use of the appropriate bands.

iPhone 8 download speeds compared to previous generations​

Beyond speed comparisons to previous-generation iPhones, PCMag also compares the iPhone 8's cellular architecture to competing phones, such as the Galaxy S8.The lack of 4x4 MIMO antennas is something we touched on at MacRumors on Tuesday. While the Qualcomm and Intel modems in the new iPhones are likely more power efficient, the cellular front-end and back-end supporting them are largely unchanged in structure from the iPhone 7 models.

The article goes on to point out can that this can result in loss of coverage due to deficient receiver diversity compared to other phones, complete with a New York subway test.Users looking for an unlocked iPhone should probably still opt for the Verizon or Sprint model, featuring the Qualcomm modem. While it boasts higher peak speeds than the Intel modems in aggregated user data, it is not clear whether it is superior for coverage, which would require more in-depth testing.

Finally, users looking ahead to the iPhone X should expect the same dichotomy of models and performance, given the iPhone X's tech specs page matches that of the iPhone 8 models in number of models and bands supported. The form factor will likely not have any impact on the antenna structures that will directly impact users in a meaningful way.

Moving forward, adopting 4x4 MIMO antenna structure would be one of the biggest advancements Apple could make for future iPhones' speed and coverage robustness.

Article Link: iPhone 8 Shows Modest Improvements in Cellular Network Bandwidth Tests

16 seconds? WOW thats going to change how i use my cellphone!
On a serious note why you have no signal in the subway???
[doublepost=1506655127][/doublepost]

If you read the rest of the article, you'll notice that the lack of 4x4 MIMO is likely the reason why the iPhone 8 falls short in coverage tests as well.

MIMO isn't all about speeds, it's also about signal reliability and usability.

What you need is more antenas! Here in São Paulo even inside the subway I get full bars!

 

[avtella]

Totally would but the Pixel 2 eliminated the headphone jack didn't it? Yeah, it's a weird thing to want but I like to have it. I guess I don't mind not getting updates honestly. It keeps the device running smoothly for years. My Note 3 still runs as good as the day I got it. I never have updated it. Do you know if the Pixel has an SD card option or not?

Google devices, no not since the HTC Nexus One, only one to have SD slot, that was in 2010.


TBH I don't blame Apple for trying to force competition in the modem sourcing, hopefully at least by next year Intel catches up technologically but still doubtful as QCA has been doing this for a lot longer in terms of sheer volume.

 

[Septembersrain]

Google devices, no not since the HTC Nexus One, only one to have SD slot, that was in 2010.

TBH I don't blame Apple for trying to force competition in the modem sourcing, hopefully at least by next year Intel catches up technologically but still doubtful as QCA has been doing this for a lot longer in terms of sheer volume.

Thanks. Yeah, that's probably why I've never considered the devices like the Nexus. I like the SD card.

I do hope Intel improves. For the price of an iPhone, no one wants a device that gets horrible cellular performance right?

 

[jkozlow3]

16 seconds? WOW thats going to change how i use my cellphone!
On a serious note why you have no signal in the subway???
[doublepost=1506655127][/doublepost]

What you need is more antenas! Here in São Paulo even inside the subway I get full bars!

For whatever reason, most subway lines in NYC (the only city in the U.S. with a true subway system) don't have femtocells underground. Other cities in other countries do have femtocells in the subway. Sounds like Sao Paulo is one of them. That's why you get full signal. Without having femtocells in the subway, there's no way you are getting a decent signal (or any signal at all in many cases) - no matter how many antennas the phone has.

 

[swm]

4x4 MIMO also helps with keeping and regaining connectivity to the cellular network. Not just higher speeds.

until a certain point, i agree. but i guess it will take a bit more fiddling to make use of 4x4 mi-mo in such a constrained physical space, where the 4 antennae are in all in a single plane. mi-mo gave us beam-forming capabilities, better SNR, and generally improved radio conditions. the question is really whether the pursuing of 4x4 then maybe 8x8 mi-mo will be able to _significantly_ improve the radio performance squeezed into a thin sandwiched metal/glass compound. cause nothing is for free. you still have the same radio, with some sort of DSP to play with the antennae - and the DSP is known to be power-hungry. so it's a give and take: you will trade better radio parameters for increased power consumption in a shorter time window.
in a BTS, where you have no space constraints, no power shortage and maybe less metallic surfaces in the close proximity, the introduction of 4x4 (or later 8x8 mi-mo) can significantly boost cell performance, give you the ability to serve more clients with data, etc. i just don't really expect the stuff to be this efficient in a pocket sized version. at least, maybe not yet, not today.

mobile device power management is a tricky stuff, you must be aware what do you get for the juice in the battery. just because the UE is able to receive on high speeds, that doesn't necessarily mean the data can be actually transmitted to it through the internet-mobilecore-mobilebackhaul in that short period of time.

 

[mrow]

For whatever reason, most subway lines in NYC (the only city in the U.S. with a true subway system) don't have femtocells underground. Other cities in other countries do have femtocells in the subway. Sounds like Sao Paulo is one of them. That's why you get full signal. Without having femtocells in the subway, there's no way you are getting a decent signal (or any signal at all in many cases) - no matter how many antennas the phone has.

Uhh, what? The subway here in NYC has cellular coverage from all 4 major carriers as well as wifi.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_Wireless

 

[jkozlow3]

Uhh, what? The subway here in NYC has cellular coverage from all 4 major carriers as well as wifi.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_Wireless

I used to live in Manhattan until about 4 years ago. At that time there was definitely no cellular service on the subway. I was just back in Manhattan in June 2017 and did not have cellular service with Verizon on any of the trains I was on during my 2-day business trip (1/2/3 train from UWS to midtown). So if the NYC subway has made progress in some way, I did not experience it while I was there 3 months ago.

I was in Paris 6 years ago and had perfect cellular service on EVERY train. 6 years ago.

 

[mrow]

I used to live in Manhattan until about 4 years ago. At that time there was definitely no cellular service on the subway. I was just back in Manhattan in June 2017 and did not have cellular service with Verizon on any of the trains I was on during my 2-day business trip (1/2/3 train from UWS to midtown). So if the NYC subway has made progress in some way, I did not experience it while I was there 3 months ago.

I was in Paris 6 years ago and had perfect cellular service on EVERY train. 6 years ago.

All below ground stations have had full coverage since January. Not sure what to tell you though. We live and work here and us and all our friends have had coverage in most places since before January. Stand on the platform on any station and half the people there are on their phones. Maybe there was some type of Verizon connectivity issue when you happened to be there. Not sure.

 

[magbarn]

Just did some speed testing Qualcomm vs Intel, same spot, can you guess which one has Qualcomm?

 

[jkozlow3]

All below ground stations have had full coverage since January. Not sure what to tell you though. We live and work here and us and all our friends have had coverage in most places since before January. Stand on the platform on any station and half the people there are on their phones. Maybe there was some type of Verizon connectivity issue when you happened to be there. Not sure.

Out of curiosity, are you referring to the station only? Or the tunnels/trains as well?

I'm referring to the tunnels/trains and being unable to use your phone once the train leaves the station. I had no Verizon service while riding the train.

When I was referring to having signal in Paris 6 years ago, I had service 100% of the time while riding the train. One of my colleagues that was traveling with me had like a 10 minute phone conversation while riding the train in Paris (which the French seemed to think was quite rude I might add - they seem to ride the train VERY quietly)!

 

[mrow]

Out of curiosity, are you referring to the station only? Or the tunnels/trains as well?

I'm referring to the tunnels/trains and being unable to use your phone once the train leaves the station. I had no Verizon service while riding the train.

When I was referring to having signal in Paris 6 years ago, I had service 100% of the time while riding the train. One of my colleagues that was traveling with me had like a 10 minute phone conversation while riding the train in Paris (which the French seemed to think was quite rude I might add - they seem to ride the train VERY quietly)!

I'm talking about the stations only. They're looking into the tunnels: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/13/nyregion/subway-mta-underground-cell-service.html

I personally don't mind not having service on the tunnels and wouldn't mind if it never happened. It's nice not having to listen to people yap away on on their phone the whole time and getting a little quiet time. The French are more polite and realize doing that is rude. New Yorkers don't give a ****.

 

[Ted13]

Of course you can, ALL unlocked "sim-free" 8's have qualcomm as Intel modem doesn't support CDMA and is incompatible with Sprint/Verizon. All Sprint/Verizon phones have qualcomm, while all ATT/TMO specific models bought directly from them or Apple through NEXT or IUP are all Intel phones. If your iphone model supports CDMA, it's qualcomm.

A possible loophole is Best Buy. Supposedly all their iphones they sell are CDMA capable as they only lock them to the carrier in the store to reduce their inventory.

I though that all Apple Store phones were unlocked (as opposed to SIM vs SIM free) Last year I wanted to switch from AT&T to T-Mobile- but the Apple Store only had AT&T 7+ phones. So I bought it (set it up in Apple store, transferring data from my old iPhone), the walked over to the T-Mobile and switched SIMs. No problem, so it obviously was not locked (neither was the previous one which I used with different SIMs when traveling abroad, but it too was bought at Apple as a AT&T iPhone. AFAIK iPhones in the US at Apple Stores have been unlocked for years now

 

[kimmen]

I wouldn't notice these differences in downloadspeed in my day to day internet use,
but what is much more important to me is signal strenght!

I'd rather use a phone that works in the field, than one that has the best downloadspeed when it manages to get coverage...

 

[Cesar Battistini]

For whatever reason, most subway lines in NYC (the only city in the U.S. with a true subway system) don't have femtocells underground. Other cities in other countries do have femtocells in the subway. Sounds like Sao Paulo is one of them. That's why you get full signal. Without having femtocells in the subway, there's no way you are getting a decent signal (or any signal at all in many cases) - no matter how many antennas the phone has.

I know, I just found it weird that other countries who are more "advanced" than us didn't have it!

 

[geoff5093]

i don't really think that 4x4 mimo is the thing we need. i'd rather have continuous coverage with moderate speed than some theoretical blazing high speed - yet only achievable in lab environment. i see no stuff around that could not be enjoyed with just 10-20Mbps...

I wouldn't notice these differences in downloadspeed in my day to day internet use,
but what is much more important to me is signal strenght!

I'd rather use a phone that works in the field, than one that has the best downloadspeed when it manages to get coverage...

4x4 MIMO helps with coverage, especially at the edge of the cell site.

 

[h4ck]

So to be clear, the Verizon X will work 100% with AT&T, but have the better radio?

 

[magbarn]

So to be clear, the Verizon X will work 100% with AT&T, but have the better radio?

As long as it's unlocked, yes

 

[jacklivehere]

I am using iPhone X Sprint version(Qualcomm) on T-mobile. Observed speeds are better compared to iPhone 8 T-mobile version(aka intel)

Actual Signal strength may be different question. I see signal strength better on Intel iPhone 8 T-Mobile. some times by one bar

 

[newinchid70]

Casino online
gclub

 

[frito1224]

Does the Qualcomm version have band 71 supported on the chip I need a band 71 iPhone I know if it does Apple has it turned off so I would have to jailbreak it to get it to work it it does

 

[Septembersrain]

Does the Qualcomm version have band 71 supported on the chip I need a band 71 iPhone I know if it does Apple has it turned off so I would have to jailbreak it to get it to work it it does

No. Qualcomm confirms it's not in any iPhone. Most likely it's not built in the chip at all. The chips they used were likely already made and ready before T-Mobile officially announced the spectrum.

This may explain why the V30 took so long from announcement to actual release. They may have been working to have band 71.

 

[BBman2021]

What sort of speeds are good with AT&T and an iPhone X?

I'm hitting 42.04 on speedtest.net and 43.27 on broadbandspeedtest.org