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Apr 12, 2001
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One of the new features of the iPhone 4S has been the faster HSDPA (14.4Mbps) data support for GSM networks. This theoretically allows the iPhone 4S to see much faster download speeds when on the right mobile carrier.

In the U.S., AT&T is the only network that could take advantage of the advanced capabilities of the new iPhone 4S communications chip, though there had been some debate about how much of an improvement users might see on AT&T's network. AT&T is purposefully vague about how fast their network can run, and the rollout for the faster speeds remains limited.

speedtest1.jpg



Two previous iPhone 4 users have emailed us with speed results that show significant improvements with their new iPhone 4S. The first reader located in New Jersey (image right) was able to obtain 7.71 Mbps down. He reports previous speeds on his iPhone for in the 1-2 Mbps range. Another reader in Iowa (image left) shows speeds up to 5.45 Mbps. He had only previously seen as high as 4 Mbps on his iPhone 4.

The improvements may only be seen in very specific geographic areas depending on AT&T's network support. Others have seen no significant change in their network speeds after upgrading from the 4 to 4S.

AT&T has even been calling this faster HSDPA support "4G", though there is some debate on the correctness of that term. Still, AT&T's present network is capable of much faster speeds than both Sprint's and Verizon's.

Article Link: Some AT&T Users Seeing Much Improved 3G Speeds with iPhone 4S
 
Not near Chinatown in NYC. Speeds are just as slow as they were before with the iPhone 4 where it averages from 10kbps to 200kbps.
 
I'm only averaging around 2 Mbps download speeds here in Jacksonville, FL. using the iPhone 4S.
 
Does it really make web pages load any faster? I would think most of that is due to the A5 rather than the download speed.
 
Does it really make web pages load any faster? I would think most of that is due to the A5 rather than the download speed.

Right. In fact, my iPhone 4S on 3G finishes rendering complex pages before my iPhone 4 does on WIFI (though it is close).
 
Philly?

Can anyone offer any feedback on speeds in center city Philadelphia? Interested to know but gotta wait till November 25th to pick one up at discount.
 
On my old iPhone 4 I usually got about 5.7 Mbps around campus (at about 2AM) and just a little slower during the day. Last night I tried my 4S and got about 6.5 around 10 PM. Ill try in the middle of the night to see what I get. :D
 
In my San Francisco office I've noticed a nice increase. I used to only get a download speed of about 0.1-0.5 Mbps on average. On a good day I could get up to 1.25.
I've tried a few speed tests today and I'm getting peaks of 4.0 Mbps, though usually around 2.5-3.0 Mbps.
Out of literally hundreds of attempts before, I never broke the 2.0 Mbps mark.

Sure, that's probably what I should be getting anyway on 3G in a lot of other parts of the country, but when you're used to 0.25 Mbps, this is outstanding!

Note: I upgraded from a 3GS, not an iPhone 4.
 
Top is results of my iPhone 4S test in Phoenix, Arizona. Bottom is WiFi at home using 20MB Cable Modem service from Cox Communications running on an Airport Extreme.

Ab60IbaCEAA4PwI.jpg
 
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"Still, AT&T's present network is capable of much faster speeds than both Sprint's and Verizon's."

OP should add "only when using an iPhone 4S".
Verizon's EVDO rev. A 3G network that iPhone 4S connects to is in theory much slower than AT&T's 3G (even though AT&T calls it 4G) 3.1mbps to 14.4mpbs.
But when looking at the whole network, Verizon's 4G LTE dominates AT&T in all but 4 markets where they are even in terms of LTE spectrum deployed (San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta) In Chicago Verizon deployed 10x10Mhz LTe vs 5X5Mhz on AT&T's which gives Verizon 73.6mbps vs 39mbps theoretical throughput advantage. In real world testing Verizon's year old LTE network performs on par or better than AT&T completely unloaded LTE network.
Verizon has over 160 markets blanketed with LTE and 5 LTE mobile smartphones vs AT&T's 5 markets and zero smartphones at the moment.
 
Nonsense. The speed increase is not device-related, unless it's >7.2 Mbps, and that's not the case for most. And, anyways, a speed of 3-4 Mbps for everybody would be a dream.
 
Does it really make web pages load any faster? I would think most of that is due to the A5 rather than the download speed.

The limiting factor for web page rendering is almost always the amount of bandwidth any individual server is willing to give to a client. While there may be some slowdown from processing Javascript requests of which a faster CPU can help with, servers have to be cautious not to "open the floodgates" otherwise they'll get overloaded.

Pretty much the only time you'll be able to take advantage of the faster download speed is when tethering or watching a video.
 
St. Louis, checking in!

iPhone 3GS: 1.1 Mbps down, 1.1 Mbps up.
iPhone 4S: 1.1 Mbps down, 1.1 Mbps up.

This is with 5/5 bars of signal.
Outside.
On a clear day.
Standing next to an AT&T tower. :(

AT&T hates St. Louis. I can see the Arch by my house, but AT&T thinks that is too far to bring U-Verse or even DSL (I'm stuck with Charter). Besides not providing wired services, it seems they throttle us down to around 1 Mbps wirelessly as well.

Edit: When I visited Chicago this past summer, my 3GS was flying on their connection. I was near O'Hare airport with just 1-2 bars of signal, and still getting 2+ Mbps download speeds.
 
Disappointed

I live in Orlando Florida and I was getting around 1-2 Mbps download speed on my 3gs. I just tried speedtest again today and I got .72MBps download and .08Mbps upload (3 tests!). Just to be clear, I also called AT&T and verified that I am on the unlimited 4S data plan. I know some people were thinking their slower speeds were due to being on an unlimited iphone 4 plan and not an iphone 4s plan but that's not the case for me.

At this point I'm SERIOUSLY considering returning my phone. The smaller screen, crappy service, and glass on glass design which I hate are just not as appealing after the newness of the device wore off a bit.
 
7? Heck, that's small potatoes! I used to typically get 4-5 in this area with my 4. Now?
 

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