Study Finds iPhone XS Max Users Experience More Than Twice as Fast LTE Speeds as iPhone 5s Users on Average

[Digger148]

No doubt and as expected, in everything technical The Max is superior, but, there is one area where the Faux-6.5 inch device doesn't measure(!) up (clever notch hiding wallpaper notwithstanding): Aesthetics. Not. Even. Close.

 

[Mac 128]

I wouldn't say it's dumb, but it might be better to compare the SE as there's only a two year difference between it and the XS Max (instead of the five between the Max and 5S).

Especially when you consider the SE does almost as poorly as the 5S.

I'm really surprised to see the SE getting about the same speeds as the 5s, when the 6s does so much better.

In the grand scheme of things, I don't see a really compelling reason to upgrade from a 6s to an Xr.

However, I was under the impression that the SE was essentially the same internally as the 6s, except for the front display electronics which were the same as the 5s. This really changes my perception of the SE. That said, the 5s and SE are worlds apart in terms of download speed, which I can only account for now as a direct result of the 5s chip speed.

 

[F23]

What's the benefit of having a phone with a theoretical fast download when the greatest-LTE-Network-T-Mobile (/s) cannot provide me with an LTE download speed of more than 1MB during daytime. I have to wake up 3 o'clock in the morning to get some decent download speed of 10-15MB!

I'm with TMobile and I get 300 Mbps download speeds, XS Max.

 

[claus1225]

it better be faster. you are comparing two products separated by 5 yrs.

 

[PickUrPoison]

I'm really surprised to see the SE getting about the same speeds as the 5s, when the 6s does so much better.

In the grand scheme of things, I don't see a really compelling reason to upgrade from a 6s to an Xr.

However, I was under the impression that the SE was essentially the same internally as the 6s, except for the front display electronics which were the same as the 5s. This really changes my perception of the SE. That said, the 5s and SE are worlds apart in terms of download speed, which I can only account for now as a direct result of the 5s chip speed.

Though people constantly say the SE has the internals of the 6S, as you note above it’s really not true.

Probably the biggest differences (besides the display) are Touch ID 2nd gen on the 6s, 1st gen on the SE; 3D Touch on the 6s, but not on the SE; 5 megapixel FaceTime HD camera, while the SE has a 1.2 megapixel.

There are other differences as well, including the cellular chip, which the SE’s doesn’t have LTE-Advanced. Also there’s no barometer in the SE, no Taptic Engine, no MIMO for the WiFi radio and no ion-strengthened glass or 7000-series aluminum. The SE really was all about reducing cost as much as possible.

Actually it’s probably easier to say the SE and 6S have the same SoC and RAM (A9/2GB) and the same 12MP rear-facing camera, but other than that they really don’t have a whole lot else in common.

 

[michael31986]

So xs max is faster than xs?

 

[NT1440]

Notice I mentioned 'smartphone' and not 'dumbphone' so that means running Safari with tabs and switching between apps which are useless on 1GB DRAM due to app reloads and Safari running out of memory and spinning the gear.

Again, my dad has no problem whatsoever.

 

[LordVic]

What an odd study with an almost entirely predictable outcome.

 

[coolkid93]

This article is so stupid. No **** ...

 

[luvbug]

The XR is 17.6, not the XS (which is 20.5). Just sayin'.

 

[bgalakazam]

Still a piece of crap form factor

 

[macduke]

My iPhone XS just got 18.3Mbps in the back corner of my basement with one bar on T-Mobile while holding it wrong. Everything stacked against it and it was still close to the average. How in the world is the average so slow? In normal conditions my connection is many times faster. I don't get a good signal at my house but do nearly everywhere else in town and cities across the state that I frequent, but I don't mind because at home I have WiFi data and calling.

 

[itsmilo]

I get 7 MBit/s on T-Mobile LTE here in Germany and that’s the best network haha

 

[redneckitengineer]

News flash! “Common sense prevails, new devices faster than old ones."

 

[Rebel22]

Not at all.

For anyone hanging on to old retired technologies, stories like this help identify clear advantages to buying a new device.

Maybe if they want to walk around with a cannon ball attached to their ankles... That brick is 95 grams heavier than the SE models... grams turn into ounces, ounces turn into pounds, pounds turn into lost miles, lost miles turns into a poorer fatter lifestyle...

 

[MoreRumors?]

LOL! MR, did Tim pay you guys to post this article to convince readers to upgrade from 5S to XS Max? Reality is speed varies by location and not equal everywhere which is something the carriers need to greatly improve.

 

[mtneer]

The XS Max is what twice the size of the 5S? And presumably an antenna just as large. Did the study normalize the difference?

 

[fairuz]

Lol seriously....

New phone with newer tech is faster than old phone with older tech!! Who knew?!

Not that. iPhone 5S users are more likely to live in rural areas, which have worse coverage. That and what the article mentioned about using cheaper plans.

 

[jazz1]

Ah, maybe unles you have AT&T in my hood and get 1-2 bars and dropped calls. With an Xs.

 

[holysmokes]

Ambulance chasers...on your mark, get set.....go!

 

[admbarry]

But then again, "studies" have also found that iPhone 5s (and SE) users themselves travel faster than users of any of the current iPhone models because of the smaller footprint of the iPhone 5s

 

[acorntoy]

And yet when I use my niece’s SE, it is extremely fast. About as fast as my Max. The SE pushes out a lower resolution making everything feel fast with less hardware. Speed / LTE service is fine on both devices and the SE manages about the same LTE speed as the 5s.

Eh my brothers SE struggled heavily in times of network congestion. Upgrading to the XS has mostly removed that problem.

 

[_Refurbished_]

Eh my brothers SE struggled heavily in times of network congestion. Upgrading to the XS has mostly removed that problem.

Don’t have the same issue. Maybe it’s your provider.

 

[pratikindia]

How about comparison with current Android flagships?

 

[acorntoy]

Don’t have the same issue. Maybe it’s your provider.

Oh I know its my provider. Verizon is absolutely clogged nowadays, Its just on the most recent devices its been significantly reduced with the 4X4 MIMO.