Study Finds iPhone XS Max Users Experience More Than Twice as Fast LTE Speeds as iPhone 5s Users on Average

[MacRumors]

iPhone XS Max users experience more than two times faster real-world LTE data speeds as iPhone 5s users on average in the United States, according to OpenSignal, although there are caveats to consider.

OpenSignal says it measured speeds on hundreds of thousands of iPhones across the United States from October 26, 2018 to January 24, 2019 and found that iPhone XS Max users experienced an average LTE download speed of 21.7 Mbps compared to just 10.2 Mbps for iPhone 5s users.

iPhone XS users saw an average LTE download speed of 17.6 Mbps, while iPhone 6 through iPhone 8 Plus users posted average LTE download speeds of between 15.6 Mbps and 17.1 Mbps, as measured by OpenSignal.

OpenSignal attributes the faster data speeds on newer iPhones to improved modems and antenna designs in those devices, such as 4x4 MIMO support in the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max compared to 2x2 MIMO on older iPhones, but the results are also likely influenced by socioeconomic factors.

Someone who is still using an iPhone 5s in 2019 could be a price-conscious consumer who is unable to justify the cost of upgrading to a newer iPhone, for example, while relying on a discount carrier with inferior wireless coverage or capped data speeds compared to major carriers such as Verizon and AT&T.

That said, while the results may be somewhat skewed, a newer iPhone should be able to achieve faster data speeds than an older iPhone, assuming it's connected to a cellular tower with the latest LTE equipment.

Article Link: Study Finds iPhone XS Max Users Experience More Than Twice as Fast LTE Speeds as iPhone 5s Users on Average

 

[SamGabbay]

It's the new 5Ge

 

[Ds6778]

Must be a slow news day. This has to be the dumbest headline I’ve ever read.

 

[Jmacman78]

Must be a slow news day. This has to be the dumbest headline I’ve ever read.

Lol seriously....

New phone with newer tech is faster than old phone with older tech!! Who knew?!

 

[dumastudetto]

Must be a slow news day. This has to be the dumbest headline I’ve ever read.

Not at all.

For anyone hanging on to old retired technologies, stories like this help identify clear advantages to buying a new device.

 

[AngerDanger]

Must be a slow news day. This has to be the dumbest headline I’ve ever read.

I wouldn't say it's dumb, but it might be better to compare the SE as there's only a two year difference between it and the XS Max (instead of the five between the Max and 5S).

Especially when you consider the SE does almost as poorly as the 5S.

 

[Andres Cantu]

I don’t think wirless speed should be the primary concern. It should be latency and reliability.

Even the top average speed here doesn’t come close to the initial theoretical speed for LTE which was 100mbps back in 2011.

 

[Scottsoapbox]

It likely has twice the antennas.

 

[Ds6778]

Not at all.

For anyone hanging on to old retired technologies, stories like this help identify clear advantages to buying a new device.

"iPhone XS Max has way better camera then iPhone 4s."

 

[groove-agent]

Why headline the XS Max is twice as fast as a 5s? Wouldn't it be more significant to compare against a current phone?
It's almost like saying your car goes three times fast as riding a horse. MR must be really hard up for articles. In all fairness however, Apple hasn't really done much lately.

 

[twocents]

...As to be expected? I'm not sure what more I could get out of reading this article. I would like to think these computers have improved in the last 5 years to the point where this type of data isn't warranted

 

[dumastudetto]

"iPhone XS Max has way better camera then iPhone 4s."

Yes but some people need the obvious spelled out to them.

Articles like this on a Friday when not much is happening is not really harmful to anyone.

 

[sharpimage]

A more interesting question is why is the XR so much slower than the Xs Max?

 

[Ds6778]

A more interesting question is why is the XR so much slower than the Xs Max?

I think the XR doesn't have MIMO

 

[PickUrPoison]

Makes sense when you consider the addition of technologies like carrier aggregation.

But what’s amazing is how slow these average speeds are overall, US carriers could use some improvement. Though I will say I’ve gotten speeds as high as 73/32 up/down on AT&T with my 6S. Verizon has better overall speeds in my area. Sprint was absolutely horrible. Low single-digit Mb download speeds and sub-megabit uploads were common.

 

[Smearbrick]

Newsflash:

Old is not as good at stuff as new.

Thanks for the ad revenue.

 

[PickUrPoison]

A more interesting question is why is the XR so much slower than the Xs Max?

The XR doesn’t have 4x4 MIMO, only 2x2.

The SE is slow, it has a different modem chip iirc.

 

[Unity451]

This also in... sources are claiming that the Pacific Ocean is 2x wetter than the Atlantic Ocean.

 

[falainber]

Did they compare XS Max to original iPhone? I wonder which one is faster.

 

[Wandering Wastrel]

I'd be more interested in seeing the differences, if any, between the models when it comes to WiFi downloading. Given how ubiquitous WiFi access is in most places these days, it's rare that I need to download anything over LTE.

 

[apolloa]

Hmmmmmm... another reason to change my XR to an XS Max maybe..

 

[pat500000]

Chill guys. Siri created this title.

 

[Colonel Blimp]

iPhone XS Max users experience only slightly larger phone sizes than iPhone 5s users on average in the United States, according to a new picture whipped up by MacRumors, although there are caveats to consider.

I think the rewrite above fits the photo better, don’t you?

 

[g1gantor]

Wait... people are out there still using an iPhone 5s?

 

[_Refurbished_]

Not at all.

For anyone hanging on to old retired technologies, stories like this help identify clear advantages to buying a new device.

And yet when I use my niece’s SE, it is extremely fast. About as fast as my Max. The SE pushes out a lower resolution making everything feel fast with less hardware. Speed / LTE service is fine on both devices and the SE manages about the same LTE speed as the 5s.