Do some A1901's (GSM version of the X) have the Qualcomm modem, it's just luck of the draw? Or do all A1901's only have the Intel modem? Is there a way to tell which modem your phone has?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone X Models With Qualcomm Modem Still Have Faster LTE Speeds Than Those With Intel Modems
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
OK, that's what I thought, but it sounded like some people were getting A1901's with the Qualcomm modem.
You'd imagine? Apple knows one version has a slower modem and doesn't care. I'd expect a price cut, replacement, or rebate for the phone variant that is objectively inferior with slower LTE speeds. It's like a hat salesman selling one version of a hat with a comfy organic interior, and the other with a synthetic material that resembles the original, but is shown to be less comfortable. He is dishonest by selling the same advertised product with different variants at the same price.
Last edited:
If anyone hasn’t seen this, here is a link to some tests I performed on GSM for comparison. Did it for myself and the community. It is not available anywhere else. It’s a long post, but result was Qualcomm came out on top.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...mm-iphone-x-benchmarks-for-gsm-users.2084875/
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...mm-iphone-x-benchmarks-for-gsm-users.2084875/
Another issue is that the iPhone X has reception issues, the iPhone 8 Plus has really good reception. Hopefully they fix this in the next generation of iPhone X-like phones.
Depending on the modem! Both Intel phones, X and 8 Plus, are equally bad! I had both. The Qualcomm X is fine!
I think the X antenna is inferior to Plus antenna personally assuming same modem regardless of which one it is but to maintain consistency, By a little, in fringe areas
That's not true. People have done testing with the X, and it just doesn't get as good reception, the difference is -5dBm, which is actually more than Qualcomm vs. Intel, so an Intel 8 will beat a Qualcomm X, even though a Qualcomm 8 is the ultimate.
Well, I had both an iPhone 8 Plus and an X with Intel, as well as the X with Qualcomm. There is no way the iPhone 8 Plus was even close to the Qualcomm X. I had the Intel phones for a month, so I know what I’m talking about. They were absolutely unusable on the NYC subway and some areas of my office building. Both Intel phones would always fall back on 4G while on the train. Qualcomm X always connects to and stays on LTE. My office building is fine too: I have a steady signal everywhere. Both Intel phones were a joke. Not upgrading unless Intel fixes their crappy modems (considering the new iPhones are all gonna be equipped with Intel).
Wow that's interesting. So the signal stability must be based on more than just the dBm received? The Intel modems must have issues with stability, even when given an OKish signal. I thought some of the new iPhones would still be Qualcomm? If they're all Intel, then they're all going to go to crap, the 8 Plus will be the last great iPhone.
I was very frustrated while using both Intel phones. Being on the train would make both unusable almost everywhere in NYC: the Intel phones would connect to 4G instead of LTE most of the time. It was quite a drastic change after using my iPhone 6S Plus (which has Qualcomm btw). Luckily, I was able to return the X with Intel and got the Qualcomm one instead. Now it's very close to the performance of my old 6S Plus. I really do not care what other people are saying here, as their comments based on some other people findings (not real life experience at all). I had tested both Intel phones for a month, so I had a very good idea how Intel and Qualcomm modems perform on the 8 Plus and the X. The 8 Plus with Intel had the exact same issues as the X with Intel. I could not say one or the other was better or worse. They were both mediocre to bad in terms of reception. Also, my BF has an iPhone 8 Plus with Intel and sitting next to him on the same train with the X (Qualcomm) in my hands I can see the difference in performance. We are not on the same network (he's on AT&T, I'm T-Mobile), but still his phone falls back on 4G most of the time while I have a steady LTE signal (with T-Mobile it was the exact same scenario for the Intel phones). Maybe some tests show that the X has a weaker antenna than the 8 Plus, but that pretty much is canceled out by the whole Intel vs Qualcomm modem thing.
Hopefully, Intel will have a newer/better version of their modems in the new iPhones. Rumor has it that it will support CDMA, 1GB bandwith, etc., so fingers crossed it's at least decent.
How are you in NYC on T-Mobile and AT&T? Verizon just owns NYC. AT&T has gotten a lot less bad, but they're still no Verizon there. I mean Verizon literally owns the ducts under the streets that are used for the Metro-E lines for site backhaul, and their network creams everyone else's. I like AT&T's service here in CT, but my phone just isn't as good as Verizon phones in NYC. To AT&T's credit is used to be total garbage versus pretty good, now it's good versus really good as the two networks have improved and the gap has narrowed.
Nonetheless, very interesting comparisons between Intel and Qualcomm. AT&T and T-Mobile may be using different frequencies (although two AT&T phones could be too at any give point in time in an urban environment), but they would both be using the same antennas for TransitWireless, assuming you're far enough down to not be getting service from street-level sites, which you usually are in most of the underground parts of the NYCTA.
That being said, testing has shown the iPhone X to have significantly weaker reception than the 8 Plus. The Intel modem issues sound more like stability and reliability than just raw signal strength. Qualcomm owns a LOT of IP and has a LOT of experience in this area, so I wouldn't count on Intel catching up anytime soon.
I used to have AT&T ages ago. They were somewhat ok in NYC, as well as some other cities I used to live in while I still had it. I gotta say that T-Mobile is better now: they caught up to AT&T and beat them, which is understandable considering that their equipment is newer.
Once again, I had both Intel phones (8 Plus and X) and I could not tell a real difference between them. They were both weak/unreliable in the same areas.
T-Mobile is improving, but their network is still nowhere near AT&T and Verizon. They still have huge roaming and no service holes and their B12 LTE buildout is paper thin, with huge areas having only a single 5x5 while AT&T has several carriers up totaling 25x25 or more. T-Mobile is building a map, not a network. They did huge areas of B12-only coverage that's paper thin, and now they are doing huge areas of B71-only coverage that most of their customers can't even use. They're just slapping coverage up as cheaply and quickly as possible to crayon in the map, not provide a quality wireless service.
Qualcomm, like Apple is foundry less, or fabless... They only develop, not mass produce. . Qualcomm production could be a reason? Qualcomm lost out to some money.. .I like gsm, and I love android competitive marketplace.... And I love chipsets competitiveness. . Seems like Apple sealed all ends with latest a12 chip