Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 11 Pro The Moment of Truth: Cell Reception in the 11 Pro for Low-Signal Strength Areas
- Thread starter crouch
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
In low signal areas where LTE Bands 12,13, 14, 17 and 71 (600-700mzh) are dominant, 4x4 mimo makes no difference at all because all iPhones use only 2 antennae at frequencies below 1700 mhz.
fccid.io
FCC filing for iPhone 11 Pro max (E3306A) See Page 19.
E3306A Smartphone Test Report 12901678-E8V2 FCC LTE Report_Final_Part1 Apple .
Smartphone 12901678-E8V2 FCC LTE Report_Final_Part1 details for FCC ID BCG-E3306A made by Apple Inc.. Document Includes Test Report 12901678-E8V2 FCC LTE Report_Final_Part1
FCC filing for iPhone 11 Pro max (E3306A) See Page 19.
If all 4 mimo antennas were physically the same size and gain as the 2 antenna only arrangement then maybe it wouldn’t matter. The actual physical size of an antenna has a huge impact on its ability to effectively transmit and receive RF waves. The location behind steel framing makes this even more of an engineering challenge. I started using cell phones back when they had an antenna you had to extend to get a good signal. It’s amazing to see how far this tech has come over the years. Until the day comes where anywhere you walk you are in the line of sight of a cell tower good antenna design is going to matter.
Hey all just wanted to reach out and give an update on my upgrade. I went from a Qualcomm iPhone x to the iPhone 11 pro max and im happy to report I am getting the same great signal (RF) in troubled areas. As previously mentioned, I had the XS Max for a bit but returned it because its signal was horrible. There's still a lot of testing to be done but my bedroom, work desk, and a tunnel I go through to get to work (all my trouble areas for the XS Max) all have been great on the 11 pro. Obviously speeds are much better due to the 4x4 over my IPHX, but the strength is better as well. Hope this helps!
I'm trying to say the 2x2 MIMO does not disadvantage the iPhone XR and iPhone 11, in the low-signal, low-frequency scenario I described, compared to the 4x4 MIMO of the iPhone XS and 11 Pro.
Last edited:
Upgraded to an 11 Pro from a Qualcomm iPhone 7 and 8 and live in a very densely populated area (on Verizon). Unfortunately, so far anyway, my experience is similar to others who have had issues. In just a few days' time I've come across a couple of spots that are historically bad. My 7 and 8 would hold reception and still function. The 11 Pro either dropped completely, or showed a signal while not actually being able to do anything. No I did not have my 7 or 8 with me at the time. I might pop my kid's sim card in one of them to test out side by side for a couple of a days and see how it goes.
Also, I think it's important for all of us to report on the carrier we're using since the technology for things like data hand-off can differ per carrier.
Also, I think it's important for all of us to report on the carrier we're using since the technology for things like data hand-off can differ per carrier.
Starting to see a trend. Sounds like it's the same issue with the last generation. Probably sticking with my iPhone 7, upgrading the SO to an iPhone 8+.
At the same time I've seen others report improvements. Though I wonder if that's simply in speeds due to the 4x4... don't know. will keep testing and try to keep my 7 nearby for some true side by side in weak areas.
Last year had 4x4 too. So many promises of next year being great. Seems to happen every year. It’s definitely in my instance a better phone. I kept my xs max a month.
I had my 7 and 11 Pro side by side in a spot tonight that is notoriously bad, for about 30 minutes. I ran speedtests using fast.com, Ookla, and Open Signal (I'm aware those aren't a perfect gauge). I also simply loaded a bunch websites at the same time (tried to do heavier sites like ESPN, CNN, The Verge, etc.). At first the 11 Pro was consistently worse, then I realized my son had connected to its hotspot with his iPad. 
Once I disconnected that, they evened out a lot. I know this isn't scientific, but I was limited in time and ability.
General observations...
Once I disconnected that, they evened out a lot. I know this isn't scientific, but I was limited in time and ability.General observations...
- Outside of this bad spot, when signal was strong, the 11 Pro was consistently 50-75% faster in total download speeds, though that had zero effect on website load times. Upload speeds were almost identical between the two.
- Inside the bad spot, they both sucked, and I never completely dropped service on either. Sometimes the 7 was faster, and sometimes it failed. Sometimes the 11 Pro was faster, and other times it failed. I was definitely looking for the 11 Pro to trend worse, but it didn't enough to be worrisome. It wasn't good by any means, but neither was the 7.
- About the only time the 11 Pro trended worse consistently was about a 5 minute period where I ran a handful of speed tests using the Open Signal app. The 7 never failed, and averaged about 5/1 on the down/up speeds. The 11 Pro couldn't complete the test each time. But both phones loaded websites fine during that same 5 minute period, so who knows.
I’m definitely seeing an improvement going from my xs max to the 11 pro max. Generally connectivity seems faster, more stable.
In places like an elevator where my xs max would get no signal or in the subway I don’t see much difference in the 11 pro max other than picking up signal faster.
Still my sense is it’s better than last years model but still probably trailing if they had a Qualcomm modem in it.
In places like an elevator where my xs max would get no signal or in the subway I don’t see much difference in the 11 pro max other than picking up signal faster.
Still my sense is it’s better than last years model but still probably trailing if they had a Qualcomm modem in it.
Would any phone, even with Qualcomm, have signal in the same elevators or subway, though?
Just wanted to add my experiences so far with signal on my iPhone 11 Pro. I’ve noticed that in dead spots where my iPhone X (qualcomm modem) would fail to connect to the internet, my iPhone 11 Pro actually worked, although it was a slow connection. I also noticed that when my iPhone 11 Pro could not connect to an LTE signal, it would fall back to 4g and data transmission would continue. This almost never happened with my iPhone X when LTE signal was weak. the iPhone X data connection would simply stop working until it was able to connect to an LTE signal. So far, i’m quite happy with the iPhone 11 Pro cell reception.
I’ll do more observations tomorrow during my commute on the train, of which i’ve memorized all the dead spots with my iPhone X.
I’ll do more observations tomorrow during my commute on the train, of which i’ve memorized all the dead spots with my iPhone X.
I think users should also include their carriers, iOS version and models (Qualcomm & Intel) to make a better comparison
Last edited:
My daughter had an iPhone 6s Plus and just made the upgrade to the iPhone 11 and so far she says it seems much better. Will need to give it a couple of more weeks to tell I suppose. I did find that find friends location to be a bit more accurate compared to the iPhone 6s Plus on the iPhone 11. This is on T-Mobile and call sound quality also sounded better. I did notice though that unless she opened her maps and centered in on her location that at tikes it would be off by a bit.
The issue has nothing to do with the modems. It has everything to do with the antenna design. The 11 Pro and Pro Plus have the same antenna design as the Xs and Xs Max. Like the 11 and Xr, all the phones use the intel modem. Yet, the Xr had better reception than the Xs And Xs Max, because it had a different antenna design. I would expect the same with the 11 vs the 11 Pro and Pro Max. We all know the Xs and Xs Max have bad reception in areas with weak signals. The question is if the 11 Pro, and Max are better than the Xs and Xs Max.
I just noticed this morning that the iPhone 11 pro has two extra antenna bands over my X, not sure if that helps or if it’s been changed from the Xs as I never had one of those.
Wow. Same here! From Qualcomm iPhone X to 11 Pro. Also noticing similar results so far.
When you are comparing phone reception it would also be useful to know whether both phones are using the same LTE band.
You can get into the service menu by dialing
*3001#12345#*
Cutting and pasting the code doesn't work. Hit the send button, then Main Menu LTE> Serving Cell Info > freq_band_ind
Return to dialer by using <Back <Main Menu <Phone option at the top of the screen.
You can get into the service menu by dialing
*3001#12345#*
Cutting and pasting the code doesn't work. Hit the send button, then Main Menu LTE> Serving Cell Info > freq_band_ind
Return to dialer by using <Back <Main Menu <Phone option at the top of the screen.
I am having similar issues with my XS, in congested areas I would not be able to use data at all and as soon I move out of that place I regain back average speeds of 50 MGps and no this has nothing to do with Verizon’s 22 GB fast data limit because I have this behavior even before I reach that, it is very frustrating that iPhones behave like this I have this behavior on 3 different iPhones 2 XS and 1 XR, who cares about camera features if reception isn’t reliable, I would rather not have a camera on the phone and have reliable reception, with my previous Galaxy S8 I never had such reception issues and yes I have compared both side by side
