iPhone XS Max Signal Strength Compared to OnePlus 7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S10

[m0sher]

Soooooooooooo wait for a 2020 phone is what I’m reading.

 

[mi7chy]

My friend living next door got a new iPhone XS Max with a new Carrier, She immediately complained that the carrier has worst signals then her previous one. I told her to try that new carrier SIM card on her old iPhone 7 with Qualcomm Modem, and it was at least a noticeable difference. I didn't told her about the Modem Story, I just said XS Max's signal is not well tuned yet and may be fixed in iOS 13 , ( I know it won't, but I hope she felt better that way. It is a new low with Apple that we had to lie. )

Tell her the truth: She returns new phone, saves money for new 2020 model with Qualcomm and will be forever grateful neighbor

Not telling her the truth: She wasted money on a downgrade and will have doubt trusting you again when she finds out the truth

 

[blacktape242]

I'm hoping 5G signal strength will be much better? Whenever that is...

 

[dazz87]

Embarrassing a $1000.00 plus device slower than another one that starts off at $669.00.

 

[639051]

That's not so bad, so wondering why it feels so bad in real-world, iPhone Max reception is really bad in low signal area

Exactly. I personally don't care about the top speed of these chipsets, I care about the signal strength because in many areas around here its going to be low for me no matter the carrier.

The Intel modem is bad. Really bad.

 

[itsmilo]

What drives me personally crazy on my max is how long it takes to switch back to LTE. Sometimes I need to put it on airplane mode for a second for it to go back to LTE from edge or no signal

 

[apolloa]

Yeap my XR is t the best, but the worst is that it randomly drops cellular and Cellular WiFi, although I wiped it at the weekend so need to see if it changes anything.
Still just another test proving intels weakness and Qualcomm’s strength.

 

[I7guy]

Embarrassing a $1000.00 plus device slower than another one that starts off at $669.00.

Why, how many use cases depend on the difference between 250 down and 300 down.

 

[tomaszk]

Just three weeks ago the Apple Store in Zurich gave me a replacement iPhone X free of charge, (which I thought was very nice), just to be sure. I complained about call reception.., that 4/5 people tell me they can HARDLY hear me, and that they should resolve their issues with Qualcomm so we get decent modems- Having said that, I now have a Max and a second carrier via e-Sim, and the reception is between 3&4 as opposed to 2/3 bars of reception. Hopefully Apple will address this issue with iOS 13.

 

[I7guy]

What drives me personally crazy on my max is how long it takes to switch back to LTE. Sometimes I need to put it on airplane mode for a second for it to go back to LTE from edge or no signal

I agree with this. LTE takes longer to lock onto, on the max vs my old 6s.

 

[tl01]

My Max and my kid’s XR have the worst signal strength ever of any iPhones we have owned. I have owned them all so. I am appalled at signal strength. I have a Verizon and Att sim in my max and switch between the two all the time bc neither works well.

 

[now i see it]

so another person validates what thousands of MR forum members have been griping about since day 1: Reception of the Max sucks in low signal strength areas.

Read all about the misery and join the party

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-the-xs-max-even-worse-than-iphone-x.2140854/

 

[wolfboy]

delete

 

[diddl14]

"In a test with poorer LTE signal, the iPhone XS Max saw the slowest speeds and was outperformed by all of the Qualcomm chips."
Could be the chip, could also be the antenna design...

 

[mofoliar]

Embarrassing a $1000.00 plus device slower than another one that starts off at $669.00.

I think i am in!!

 

[ZipZap]

My XS Max on ATT here is DC has terrible reception. Signal drops often in GW Parkway, and other areas around DC. Apple knows just how bad these intel chips are...but sold them anyway. If the new phone does not have better reception, I am done with iPhone.
[doublepost=1557864651][/doublepost]

"In a test with poorer LTE signal, the iPhone XS Max saw the slowest speeds and was outperformed by all of the Qualcomm chips."
Could be the chip, could also be the antenna design...

It is BOTH

 

[Radeon85]

No issues with LTE speeds on EE in the UK using an XS Max. 143 down and 31 up, and that a was on 3 bars.

 

[macduke]

View attachment 836971

Seems like you hit the jackpot at the location you were at around noon on December 14, 2018. Was this near a tower? The rest of the speeds seem typical and not anywhere near the 1Gbps to 2Gbps they were talking about.

 

[TestedLion]

so another person validates what thousands of MR forum members have been griping about since day 1: Reception of the Max sucks in low signal strength areas.

Read all about the misery and join the party

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-the-xs-max-even-worse-than-iphone-x.2140854/

Uhm, I'm in a position to be able to afford/swap out different phones as I like - whether that be Android or iPhone. So far, at the floor level of the underground garage I park in, my iPhone XS Max is the only one in 2 years that doesn't drop signal where I park - whether that's Skype Business or standard call, etc. Lots of subjective experiences with objective numbers clearly unknown to any of us.

Sorry to disagree with the 'thousands' (so-called) of bad experiences. Please.

 

[I7guy]

Seems like you hit the jackpot at the location you were at around noon on December 14, 2018. Was this near a tower? The rest of the speeds seem typical and not anywhere near the 1Gbps to 2Gbps they were talking about.

I don't actually remember about being near a tower. However, speeds are dependent on network congestion as well as the back-end server you choose to connect to. I would like to see a speedtest with 1gbps on LTE.

 

[Michvuee]

More proof that Intel chips sucks.

 

[Shadowtek123]

I've had pretty rough speeds and signal issues when I'm 3 bars or under pretty consistently. If I have 5 it operates about the same as my wife's iPhone 8. We are both Verizon and both on the same application when I see the issues on my XS... So, i'm not that surprised. I seem to have a knack for getting iPhones with some sort of less than ideal Antenna, chipset, etc or just straight up not holding it the "right" way

 

[realtuner]

I agree with this. LTE takes longer to lock onto, on the max vs my old 6s.

Maybe it’s the carrier? My XS Max picks up LTE pretty much instantly.

 

[kwikdeth]

One thing I think is important to note is that the OnePlus is $120 more expensive than the previous model. While they started off offering a value proposition, their increased marketing share (and increased marketing costs) mean that the costs get passed onto consumers. I know that the new technologies cost more, but I see more and more gimmicky things coming from the company rather than true differentiating features. In fact, many of the features I have come to rely on, they have removed on the newer devices, such as the customizable notification light. if the phone supported always-on screen technology, i could adjust, but it doesnt. hence why I say the higher costs are more due to management decisions. I have been using their phones since the One, but I'm pretty sure my (still amazing) 5T will be my last OnePlus phone.

 

[I7guy]

Maybe it’s the carrier? My XS Max picks up LTE pretty much instantly.

Definitely not instantly, but maybe about two or three seconds.

Edit: tried again and this time pretty much instantly. Maybe depends on the location of the tower and signal.