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Qualcomm 'Running Out' of Time to Win 5G Modem Orders in 2020 iPhones Amid Legal Battle With Apple
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Apple's abilities = attempting to lure away Qualcomm engineers.
lot of reports from folks that their new verizon xs was getting worse coverage than their previous verizon x, which had the qcomm model, as well as lte speedtest comparison. there are plenty of evidence around one just have to pay attention to it.
Yes there was proper testing especially when they were first released in the iPhone 7. Speed and range drop off quicker with Intel modems
https://www.cultofmac.com/450212/iphone-7-devices-slower-lte-speeds-thanks-intel/
It’s more does apple have a Shot getting Qualcomm superior technology
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Always fun how arrogant are uninformed people.
Qualcomm’s chips are way superior that was a huge apple thing slowing down iPhones on purpose because of inferior intel modems
Apple is working towards building their own modems. They don't need Qualcomm. Users are finding little real-world difference between Intel and Qualcomm modems. No modems run at their rated speeds on real-world networks. It's all theoretical. Sure, if you run benchmarks there might be a difference on paper, but when downloading a page, users aren't going to notice the extra 0.2 seconds. They just aren't. Buffering time for video is also negligible. iPhone users are going to buy an iPhone regardless. There is very high loyalty among iPhone users that goes back many years. Qualcomm's modems aren't ever going to be a swing factor.
I realize I may be an “n of 1”, but here goes: my experience with having had to deal with intel modems in iPhones has been frustrating. My iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone XS have all had the following issues:
1) WiFi dropping all the time. The only way to fix it is toggling airplane mode
2) crappy service when in a low signal area
3) phone heats up uncomfortably in my pocket pretty much all the time
I don’t remember having these issues with my 6S and prior, which I believe all used Qualcomm modems.
The aforementioned 3 issues are unacceptable in a phone I paid $1200 for. I recently bought a Note 9, determining once and for all that I was done with Apple, but I just don’t like Android. So what is one to do? Continue dealing with my iPhone which I loathe?
I wish they’d just settle this and go back to QC already.
Edit: WiFi dropped while posting this reply. I hit “submit” and nothing. Nothing. Noticing. Toggled off WiFi and it submitted. Annoying.
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Not really. Telecoms will never touch theoretical max speeds anyway.
It’s funny. QualComm’s modems are the best so automatically every other modem is rubbish even though it’s about 90% or more of the same and outside a benchmark test very very few would see the difference. Are people that desperate to see their cat videos on YouTube just a second or two faster?
It ain't going to make a difference if its ready in 2020.
The only people talking about 5G are analysts and carriers that want to be 'first'.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say it probably isn't very high on consumers priorities. Most people don't even have a clue what's in their phones (all they see is the LTE or 3G symbols)
In fact, the only time I hear people talk about networks, is complaints when it doesn't work - when they get poor coverage - not whether they get max 20GB/s downloads.
It's like a utility, they expect things to work, and you'll hear about it when it doesn't.
The only people talking about 5G are analysts and carriers that want to be 'first'.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say it probably isn't very high on consumers priorities. Most people don't even have a clue what's in their phones (all they see is the LTE or 3G symbols)
In fact, the only time I hear people talk about networks, is complaints when it doesn't work - when they get poor coverage - not whether they get max 20GB/s downloads.
It's like a utility, they expect things to work, and you'll hear about it when it doesn't.
there is a difference when you are in a rural area or a buildings basement and the coverage is abysmal at best, thats where having great coverage like verizon qualcomm really shines. my parents office building has lte deadspot everywhere on intel iphones, when i switch them to qcomm iphones they went from dialup speed up broadband speed.
Sorry but it is noticeable when I used to get a constant 2-3 dots (bars) at home on iPhones before my 7 and now it usually sits at 1 bar and is now faster to just use WiFi instead. Whereas before I would rather use 4G data because of speed.
It is a swing factor for some people. Especially where 1 phone might not work as well inside than another or if you're rural etc.
exactly, i agree, thats why the intel modems are getting alot of flacks cause ppl pay 1200 for their xs max and still get worse coverage than 2 year old samsung galaxys
It's not so much in the speed area, and more in the ability to hang onto a signal longer and still achieve usable performance.
Intel still has issues with antenna tuning.
It has improved considerably, but still not on par with Qualcomm.
Buyer loyalty only goes so far. Qualcomm modems are not going to be a huge swing factor by themselves.
But when you start significantly increasing prices, your customers will expect the best. This could eventually come back to bite them.
Apple won't let hard feelings get in the way of business. *coughNvidiacough cough*.
sorry shouldve made it more specific, i wasnt specifically talking about theoretical max speed since anything over 20mbps is fine by me, but the coverage on the other hand is very important, and thats what i experienced with intel iphones. i missed alot of important phone calls that i wouldve got if i didnt upgrade to the new iphone with intel chip.
I think in the longer run, this is exactly what is needed to help consumers. Qualcomm right now has the best modems, but they run a horrible monopoly business. The business approach is forcing a half dozen other players to strart developing competitive modems. This will hopefully lead suddenly to high quality modems at low prices and a collapse of Qualcomm's business model. If Apple just folded and accepted some deal with Qualcomm, it'd just delay the inevitable.
I agree, I would be unhappy if I had an iPhone XS max that got poor coverage, and the person next to me, on the same carrier, had good coverage with a different brand.
But I wouldn't be giving flak to Intel or Qualcomm or whomever makes the components. The avg consumer has no knowledge of who makes the component.
I would blame Apple.
I don't care if they use a software patch (which they did) or get better components... just fix the darn problem.
Furthermore, I believe that given two phones, one performing 'great' and they other performing 'good' (in context of cell coverage or speed), consumers dont really care - they care when it performs 'bad' and it prevents them from getting their job done.
People who don't have Intel modems in their phone complaining is really it. Well over a year with an Intel modem on TM and been around the world with it, no problems and excellent data d/l speeds.
lmao. QC modems are far superior than intel's. Why would they be pathetic?
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No. There are number charts and everything. Look it up.
agreed, if the intel iphone was just getting good coverage, not great, but decent enough that i can still receive emails and important text messages in places where i was previously able to, i dont care if intel chips are 50 percent slower. the signal in the city is great, but when you venture out to long island the signal gets worse and worse.
You don’t think MacRumors posts count as evidence? What more evidence could anyone possibly want? /s
Seriously, there are charts showing Intel downloads that are 5Mbps slower than Qualcomm. Insignificant, really.
I agree 100% with you, and frankly the lack of 5G won't effect me directly. I spend most of my time on WIFI running at 500+ Mbps and even when on the AT&T network I never feel constrained by speed. Maybe there is some killer App coming that needs 5G, but I don't know what it is. However, I also do not use my phone as my primary device for streaming movies.
No, I guess I am just not looking forward to the ever present drum beat of the impatient nagging natives growing restless because of some perceived need on some spec that really does not matter. You know all the 2020 reviews and all the comments on the next generation droid devices are going to be talking about how great it is to have their Qualcomm chips and rag on Apple for not. yawn. It's going to be worse than the Apple sucks because they don't have a headphone jack cries.
