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Our iPhone 4s is better...AT&T says?

K

Kram1975

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 9, 2011
63
0
I have AT&T but admittedly know very little about cell phone technology, that being said is this article correct when it suggests that download speeds in the US will be twice as fast with the iPhone 4S under AT&T vs. Sprint and Verizon using the same phone?

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/10/10/our-iphone-4s-is-better-than-rest-att-claims/

AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint are all launching the iPhone 4S next Friday, but AT&T is doing its best to ensure consumers know that not all iPhones are created equal.
The presence of HSPA 14.4 gives the iPhone 4S a theoretical download speed ceiling of 14.4Mbps, but only if you’re on an HSPA network. Here in the U.S., Verizon Wireless and Sprint both employ EV-DO 3G networks while AT&T customers will enjoy speeds over HSPA that are twice as fast, the company says.
”We can’t wait for our customers to experience the incredible new iPhone 4S on our 4G network and enjoy download speeds of up to twice as fast,” said AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega in a statement.
“When you combine the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network with iPhone 4S, as well as our new pricing for iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, we think we have the best iPhone line up in the industry.”


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011...is-better-than-rest-att-claims/#ixzz1aP2Hbu4K
Click to expand...
 
My personal experience...

In my area, AT&T 3G is faster than Verizon's. I had a AT&T iPhone 4 and a Verizon iPad 2, and under speed tests, the iPhone would win. It was surprising actually
 
It's faster but AT&T's coverage sucks. In cities the coverage is fine, but in my area, if you leave the city you just get 2g. While, Verizon and Sprint have much better 3G coverage than AT&T.
 
In areas with good coverage ATT should be faster. But there are a million variables.

Go with the carrier that has the best coverage around you. Or the one that treats you like a person.
 
It does appear AT&T has a strategic advantage over Verizon and Sprint when it comes to the iPhone 4S. Whether it becomes real or not will depend on the actual user experiences after Friday....
 
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We will know soon enough. My Galaxy S2 was WAY faster on the AT&T network with H+ compared to any other phone I have used on their network. It the AT&T 4S is that fast, I will be very happy.:)

As far as Verizon, they are not even a consideration. I like to be able to look at files in Drop Box while I am talking to one of my customers and that will never happen with Verizon.:p
 
From a technical perspective, AT&T is correct.

Now one has to factor in location and service availability where you'll be using the phone of course. ;)
 
Thanks everyone. Learning a lot. I live in Austin TX and there are AT&T cell towers actually attached to the building I live in as of 1 yr ago. What amazes me is I still drop calls on my 3Gs. When I'm in someones car I can't even attempt a call because it will drop within minutes. I've always suspected that this is a flaw with my particular phone not with all 3GS iPhones bc others I've talked to said they don't have as bad an experience as me. I've always guessed that my phone has an issue with the hand off from one cell tower to the next and that is why I'm 10x more likely to drop a call while in somoenes car. But that's only speculation.

Either way I'm giving AT&T and Apple another shot because I do love the operating system and features and ease of use.

Any additional thoughts to educate me are appreciated.
 
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Stealthipad said:
We will know soon enough. My Galaxy S2 was WAY faster on the AT&T network with H+ compared to any other phone I have used on their network. It the AT&T 4S is that fast, I will be very happy.:)

As far as Verizon, they are not even a consideration. I like to be able to look at files in Drop Box while I am talking to one of my customers and that will never happen with Verizon.:p
Click to expand...

LTE does this...
 
I have an att iPhone and iPad. I love att. But that being said I drive from Boston to fl every year and the service along the way for att is terrible. I considered buying a Verizon iPad because of it but I knew att is 4x faster in Boston. So I couldn't justify taking the speed hit for that 1 week a year. However if att isn't great in your area or you travel within the us a lot then Verizon or sprint would be a better choice.
 
every carrier will take the same stance that their iPhone 4s is the best. I'm jumping ship from tmobile to sprint. the way i see it (my personal opinion) att can have the fastest 4s, it'll be that much faster their customers get to their data limit. ill take my unlimited data any day.
 
Back to the point -- in some areas, AT&T will likely provide better service. In other areas, Verizon or Sprint may provide better service. Each has its strengths and weaknesses.

A smart buyer would do well to look carefully at coverage maps of the areas they'll use their phone in and choose the carrier that best fits their needs, recognizing the tradeoffs involved.

Each carrier is going to tout their strengths.
 
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If you are missing a post, this thread experienced a little clean up
This thread is about the OP's question concerning data speeds, not Fox news
If you want to comment on Fox news, it needs to be done in the PRSI Forum

Thanks!
 
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I actually have to agree with AT&T on this one, even though I hate those greedy thieves! Their 3G speeds in California are giving me an average of 2-4Mbps on my 3GS, which is good enough for me. I would obviously like a faster speed, but I can't imagine anything slower. Considering Sprint's max is at 2Mbps according to its iPhone website, I might not be as eager to switch to Sprint, until an iPhone is compatible with whatever their version of faster data speed network is...
 
Kram1975 said:
I have AT&T but admittedly know very little about cell phone technology, that being said is this article correct when it suggests that download speeds in the US will be twice as fast with the iPhone 4S under AT&T vs. Sprint and Verizon using the same phone?
Click to expand...

This is nothing new, the iPhone 4 already performs much faster on AT&T than Verizon (all things being equal, e.g. good coverage area for both carriers). The difference is greater with the 4S though, because on AT&T the 4S is "capable" (depending on tower config and backhaul pipe size) of double the speed of the 4 on AT&T - whereas on Verizon, the 4S and the 4 will behave exactly the same.
 
seanfranklin said:
This is nothing new, the iPhone 4 already performs much faster on AT&T than Verizon (all things being equal, e.g. good coverage area for both carriers). The difference is greater with the 4S though, because on AT&T the 4S is "capable" (depending on tower config and backhaul pipe size) of double the speed of the 4 on AT&T - whereas on Verizon, the 4S and the 4 will behave exactly the same.
Click to expand...

Perfect, this is exactly what I wanted to hear. So I live in the heart of downtown Austin TX and 1 year ago AT&T started paying my condo HOA 150k a year to strap cell towers to my buildings parking garage. So I'm figuring I'll have some pretty amazing speed in and near my building. Should be a big change coming off my 3Gs.
 
Not only should ATT be faster, but you can talk and surf. A big deal for some people.

I like Verizon a lot, but talk and surf has kept me with ATT. Also I don't want to loose my data plan by switching.
 
Unlimited data>>>>at&t's potentially faster speeds. The best unlimited plan wins.

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk
 
It's funny how the past can affect future mentality. AT&T has gotten a bad rap probably deservingly so. However AT&T has been very active in enhancing their network presently. With that being said iPhone on AT&T for the most part will provide better data speeds than the competitors with iPhones on their network because of AT&T network. Doesn't mean that VZW and Sprint are coming up short it can't be helped because of their network.

Until an LTE iPhone comes to play AT&T network for iPhone will be better at data.
 
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