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lordhamster

macrumors 68000
Jan 23, 2008
1,644
1,643
Anyone have any battery life comparisons? I have pretty poor service in my area, so thinking about returning my t-mobile X for the Qualcomm / Verizon model. With the 14nm process I imagine It might help in my area quite a bit.

Call T-Mobile and ask for a 4G LTE CellSpot. This is a mini LTE radio for your house that connects to your internet connection as the backhaul back to T-Mobile. After I installed one of these badboys at home, all my battery issues went away because my phones weren't constantly hunting for signal.

I honestly don't think switching to the Qualcomm modem will make one iota of difference for you.
[doublepost=1510114225][/doublepost]
This...
Went though the process described in that thread and had no issues.
 

duffman9000

macrumors 68020
Sep 7, 2003
2,327
8,083
Deep in the Depths of CA
Agreed. I returned my AT&T iPhone X and got the Verizon iPhone X!

Color me crazy... but I want to open a Verizon account for one month just to use the Apple iPhone upgrade program to order a phone. I'm currently on Tmobile and I can join the IUP only in person at an Apple store and only if the phone is in stock. Talk about some stupidtry...

So my only recourse is to get an account on Verizon for a month and attempt to join the IUP online. Does anyone see a flaw in my plan? The Verizon phone will come unlocked and I only have to insert my Tmobile SIM before turning on the phone.
 

richard371

macrumors 68040
Feb 1, 2008
3,609
1,802
If it’s too many hoops to go through just get the T-Mobile version and you will be fine. You will prob get stuck with activation fees and a month service.

Resale is a non issue since you will prob trade it in in a year. If you think you will switch to Verizon before then it might be a concern.
 

Starfyre

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Nov 7, 2010
2,905
1,136
Nice collection of data! Did you happen to collect signal strength or number of signal bars during each run? I'm curious how the Qualcomm and Intel configs behave in a low signal environment. (Wondering if either one is better at pulling in a signal when you are in a limited reception area.)

I started the test thinking the Qualcomm was going to probably have one lower bar than the T-Mobile, which it did. However, there was a lot of variances, sometimes they were equal, sometimes not. I recall reading a post that said the Qualcomm excels at having signal where the Intel did not. When I saw the Intel have lower bars/signal than the Qualcomm, yet the Qualcomm had higher download performance in the tests... I decided not to record the results. I'll leave it to others who are interested in recording. ;)
 
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illmatic41

macrumors regular
Aug 19, 2012
202
189
Do you intend to re-run this test again to get another sample set from another day to see if the data results are consistent?
 

Starfyre

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Nov 7, 2010
2,905
1,136
Do you intend to re-run this test again to get another sample set from another day to see if the data results are consistent?

Funny you should ask.
If your motivated run some more tests and share, please do! :)
I've already made my decision thanks to my tests so I don't need to, though as a sanity check, I ran a limited test using a Server D on a different day, completely different server.

I limited it to three trials for this single round:

Verizon/Qualcomm
89 16.17 22.96
88 13.33 22.05
94 15.86 21.78

Avg Ping: 90.33
Avg Download: 15.12
Avg Upload: 22.26

T-Mobile/Intel
87 11.35 26.32
89 7.62 18.05
90 11.73 9.74

Avg Ping: 68.67
Avg Download: 10.23
Avg Upload: 18.04

From this, we can see:

90.33 (Verizon) > 68.67 (Intel) => Intel has better ping.
15.12 > 10.23 => Qualcomm has better download.
22.26 > 18.04 => Qualcomm has better upload.

I am happy with my choice in keeping the Verizon/Qualcomm. :)
 
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solodogg

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2011
510
215
Orlando
I have also had both the TMobile and Verizon variants of the X, and did notice the same thing you did with uploads being slower on the Qualcomm phone. The biggest thing I noticed is that the speeds spike immediately upon upload starting to run, then dropping like a brick for a few seconds before starting to climb again. The Intel model did not experience that sudden drop after the upload test began. I would assume that’s part of the throttling that’s going on with the Qualcomm modem, as I experience the same thing in my wife’s Qualcomm 8 and my previous Qualcomm 7. All of the Intel phones I have ever seen seem to have better upload speeds.

I was also told that my voice seemed to be a bit clearer on the Intel version, any thoughts regarding this? I’m not sure why the modem would impact sound quality, but a couple different people commented on this, and those people wouldn’t normally notice things like that.
 

SR71

macrumors 68000
Jan 12, 2011
1,602
365
Boston, MA
@solodogg @Starfyre Have either of you noticed the Verizon X getting better battery life? Reason I ask is the Qualcomm modem is built on a 14nm FinFET architecture while the Intel modem is 28nm. Due to this the Qualcomm modem is said to be 30% more power efficient. I assumed this would mean the Verizon X would get noticeably better battery life when on LTE than the Intel model. Curious to hear your guys' input on this.
 
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solodogg

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2011
510
215
Orlando
Today was my first day with the QC model, but I will pay attention over the next couple days of regular use and see what happens.
 

cc999

macrumors 6502
Jul 15, 2008
477
190
All these tests are really non scientific, does anyone realize the network the phone is on plays a major role in the speed?

On my Intel IPX on ATT I am getting 10% faster speeds that my Sim Free Verizon IP8 in the exact same location, same tower, same network (ATT). Thats the only way you can compare apples to apples.

As a bonus I am having the same experience as another user:
I was also told that my voice seemed to be a bit clearer on the Intel version, any thoughts regarding this? I’m not sure why the modem would impact sound quality, but a couple different people commented on this, and those people wouldn’t normally notice things like that.
 

SR71

macrumors 68000
Jan 12, 2011
1,602
365
Boston, MA
All these tests are really non scientific, does anyone realize the network the phone is on plays a major role in the speed?

On my Intel IPX on ATT I am getting 10% faster speeds that my Sim Free Verizon IP8 in the exact same location, same tower, same network (ATT). Thats the only way you can compare apples to apples.

As a bonus I am having the same experience as another user:
I was also told that my voice seemed to be a bit clearer on the Intel version, any thoughts regarding this? I’m not sure why the modem would impact sound quality, but a couple different people commented on this, and those people wouldn’t normally notice things like that.

Are you seeing better battery life on one model vs. the other?
 

cc999

macrumors 6502
Jul 15, 2008
477
190
Are you seeing better battery life on one model vs. the other?

Again you would need 2 iPhone X's to compare this, with that said I am getting phenomenal battery life on my iPhone X,
actually much better than I expected. I had the IP8 Verizon model before the X. with the X I am getting about 2 -3 hours longer battery life as a direct comparison. Totally happy, The reception and phone clarity is the best I have ever seen in a smart phone and this includes all the major Android phones. All on the INTEL modem.
 

Daniel L

macrumors 6502a
Sep 15, 2009
525
270
All these tests are really non scientific, does anyone realize the network the phone is on plays a major role in the speed?

On my Intel IPX on ATT I am getting 10% faster speeds that my Sim Free Verizon IP8 in the exact same location, same tower, same network (ATT). Thats the only way you can compare apples to apples.

As a bonus I am having the same experience as another user:
I was also told that my voice seemed to be a bit clearer on the Intel version, any thoughts regarding this? I’m not sure why the modem would impact sound quality, but a couple different people commented on this, and those people wouldn’t normally notice things like that.

He's using the same network with 2 different phones by swapping the SIM between the phones
 

FunkyTang

macrumors 65816
Sep 16, 2008
1,021
812
Can you do another set of runs closer to a cell tower. Your pings are seem slower than what I typically see.
 

felixroqu3

macrumors 6502a
Mar 5, 2012
639
618
New York, NY
Isn't the Intel version more of a "world phone" than the Qualcomm? Intel (Model A1901)
iPhone X's support more international cellular bands than the Qual which I prefer since I travel frequently. Id rather have a phone that supports more international bands over having slightly faster download speeds. Mine are already 88Mbps+ download and 24Mbps+ upload. Don't need my mobile phone to be any faster than that.
 

illmatic41

macrumors regular
Aug 19, 2012
202
189
Isn't the Intel version more of a "world phone" than the Qualcomm? Intel (Model A1901)
iPhone X's support more international cellular bands than the Qual which I prefer since I travel frequently. Id rather have a phone that supports more international bands over having slightly faster download speeds. Mine are already 88Mbps+ download and 24Mbps+ upload. Don't need my mobile phone to be any faster than that.

The Qualcomm modem supports all the frequencies that the Intel model supports along with soon to die off CDMA bands that Verizon and Sprint use. What you are seeing is where the Intel model is being sold in regards to more countries. The Qualcomm model also probably runs more efficiently because of the die size. The Qualcomm model is the true world phone. On a side note, I think Qualcomm is a **** company...along with Verizon and Comcast.
 

winterny

macrumors 6502
Jul 5, 2010
431
237
I agree that the latency numbers are hinting something else going on ... I'd suggest that it's probably best to force the speedtest app to use T-Mobile's speedtest servers, eliminating all other variables of network performance, measuring just the performance of the radio, and not random other internet congestion issues.
[doublepost=1510154567][/doublepost]
Isn't the Intel version more of a "world phone" than the Qualcomm? Intel (Model A1901)
iPhone X's support more international cellular bands than the Qual which I prefer since I travel frequently. Id rather have a phone that supports more international bands over having slightly faster download speeds. Mine are already 88Mbps+ download and 24Mbps+ upload. Don't need my mobile phone to be any faster than that.
According to this document:
https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE

Both models have exactly the same set of LTE bands, the only difference is that the qualcomm version supports CDMA, and the intel does not, meaning that in fact the Qualcomm version would travel better to certain countries (ie: China, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, India, Macau, and New Zealand), as well as the flexibility of using Verizon/Sprint in the USA in the future if you wanted to.
 

Mechinyun

macrumors 6502
Jun 24, 2010
361
75
PSA: If you want the Qualcomm phone, preorder or purchase from Target, Walmart, or Best Buy. These places only carry the Qualcomm universal version and it doesn't matter what provider you are with.
 

MacDevil7334

Contributor
Oct 15, 2011
2,527
5,717
Austin TX
PSA: If you want the Qualcomm phone, preorder or purchase from Target, Walmart, or Best Buy. These places only carry the Qualcomm universal version and it doesn't matter what provider you are with.
Can you purchase the phone outright from Target or Walmart or do you have to do it through carrier payments? I know Best Buy recently stopped letting you pay in full.
 

Mechinyun

macrumors 6502
Jun 24, 2010
361
75
Can you purchase the phone outright from Target or Walmart or do you have to do it through carrier payments? I know Best Buy recently stopped letting you pay in full.

Sorry, don't know the answer to that question fully. I believe target did give me the option to pay it off during the process, but since I'm on ATT Next I didn't ask for much details going that route.
 

richard371

macrumors 68040
Feb 1, 2008
3,609
1,802
Will cdma carriers such att and T-Mobile allow you to use cdma networks if you have the Qualcomm?

I agree that the latency numbers are hinting something else going on ... I'd suggest that it's probably best to force the speedtest app to use T-Mobile's speedtest servers, eliminating all other variables of network performance, measuring just the performance of the radio, and not random other internet congestion issues.
[doublepost=1510154567][/doublepost]
According to this document:
https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE

Both models have exactly the same set of LTE bands, the only difference is that the qualcomm version supports CDMA, and the intel does not, meaning that in fact the Qualcomm version would travel better to certain countries (ie: China, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, India, Macau, and New Zealand), as well as the flexibility of using Verizon/Sprint in the USA in the future if you wanted to.
 

Pipper99

macrumors 68040
Aug 14, 2010
3,776
3,690
Fort Worth, TX
My AT&T iPhone X is dropping out of LTE to 4G too often in the Dallas/Fort Worth area: my Qualcomm iPhone 7 Plus rarely dropped to 4G.
 
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solodogg

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2011
510
215
Orlando
My AT&T iPhone X is dropping out of LTE to 4G too often: my Qualcomm iPhone 7 Plus rarely dropped to 4G.

I seem to hear this a lot, that AT&T users generally have better luck with the Qualcomm version over the Intel version. I am curious if there are possibly carrier file differences that cause these issues to present themselves, since my experience with T-Mobile service has been the exact opposite.
 
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