Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Theod0re

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 18, 2009
71
0
What I'm getting from this upgraded capability with the HSPA+ (and CDMA EVDO) networks, is that the iPhone will be faster on AT&T due to their HSPA+ network being superior.

Is this correct?
 
The 4S doesn't have HSPA+....only HSDPA 14.4mbit.

It will still be faster on AT&T than Verizon, but not as fast as other HSPA+ phones on AT&T. Or LTE.
 
What I'm getting from this upgraded capability with the HSPA+ (and CDMA EVDO) networks, is that the iPhone will be faster on AT&T due to their HSPA+ network being superior.

Is this correct?

Yes, CDMA is terrible.
 
HSPA+ and HSDPA are different.

HSDPA maxes out at 14.4mbit/s. HSPA+ right now supports up to 42mbit/s. Though I believe AT&T has only 21mbit/s. T-Mobile has a few 42mbit/s markets.
 
The 4S doesn't have HSPA+....only HSDPA 14.4mbit.

It will still be faster on AT&T than Verizon, but not as fast as other HSPA+ phones on AT&T. Or LTE.

Wow, that is rather disappointing. It's the newest AT&T phone to date and you'd think it would be able to access at least that if it won't do 4G.

Regardless I'm forced to get it, my 3G S died a couple months ago and I'm damn tired of my go-phone.
 
ATT has 21Mbps now, why wouldn't they include that as many Android phones already have it.
 
HSDPA is the downlink side of HSPA. HSUPA and HSDPA are components of HSPA.
HSPA+ starts at 14.4Mbps and tops out at 84Mbps.
So yes.. HSDPA 14.4 is HSPA+

Now here's the tricky part. Did Apple cripple the HSUPA side (uplink)?

A lot of AT&T HSPA+ phones had their uplink crippled to 300Kbps which killed ping times and upload speeds.
 
I suppose in retrospect it's not really that bad. A theoretical extra 7 MBps and later on possibly even double that isn't THAT big of a deal. I'm sure it would shred through your battery life worse, which is what my main concern is when using my phone out and about rather than if the page loads to full in 2 seconds or 1. As long as I'm not sitting there waiting for it tapping my fingers, which I'm sure I won't. And as long as it can run Xbox Live at acceptable speeds, which the slower 3G S has already shown to be able to do, I'm fine.
 
Wow, that is rather disappointing. It's the newest AT&T phone to date and you'd think it would be able to access at least that if it won't do 4G.

Regardless I'm forced to get it, my 3G S died a couple months ago and I'm damn tired of my go-phone.

You would think, but as we have seen today Apple doesn't think.
 
HSDPA is the downlink side of HSPA. HSUPA and HSDPA are components of HSPA.
HSPA+ starts at 14.4Mbps and tops out at 84Mbps.
So yes.. HSDPA 14.4 is HSPA+

Now here's the tricky part. Did Apple cripple the HSUPA side (uplink)?

A lot of AT&T HSPA+ phones had their uplink crippled to 300Kbps which killed ping times and upload speeds.

Now that I am not okay with. 300 kbps is a joke.
 
Now that I am not okay with. 300 kbps is a joke.
They have since "fixed" the uplink for many of their premier phones, mine included, so I don't think it will be an issue for the iPhone.
Ping times are no longer in the high triple digit range.
My phone gets roughly 120-170ms ping times. Was getting in the 500 to 700ms range before the update.
Upload speeds are in the 2Mbps range.
 
The HSPA+ uplink problem has been long fixed. I've seen my friend's Atrix 4G regularly pull 10mbit/s on speed tests next to my iPhone which goes to about 6mbit/s max.
 
The HSPA+ uplink problem has been long fixed. I've seen my friend's Atrix 4G regularly pull 10mbit/s on speed tests next to my iPhone which goes to about 6mbit/s max.

You talk about the uplink problem being fixed, yet give download data as backup?
 
You talk about the uplink problem being fixed, yet give download data as backup?

The uplink issue was causing slower download speeds.

I can't tell you the exact problem but it was something to do with the base station software not being updated to the same 3GPP revision as the phones' chipsets were running.
 
HSPA and not HSPA+

Even something they improved isn't good enough.

And then they will put HSPA+ in the next iPhone instead of LTE and talk it up like they have made it so much faster.

smh
 
I'm confused from reading this thread. Will the iPhone 4S on AT&T have access to the same speeds (marketed as "4G") as the Motorola Atrix and Samsung Galaxy S2 on the same network?
 
You talk about the uplink problem being fixed, yet give download data as backup?
I have an Atrix and the download speeds in Phoenix average about 4Mbps to 6Mbps, upload speeds are in the 2Mbps range.
The upload speeds used to be locked at 300Kbps.

When I get in a true HSPA+ area, my upload speeds are still around 2 - 3 Mbps, but my download speeds hit the 10Mbps mark most of the time.

I'm confused from reading this thread. Will the iPhone 4S on AT&T have access to the same speeds (marketed as "4G") as the Motorola Atrix and Samsung Galaxy S2 on the same network?
Yes
 
Now that I am not okay with. 300 kbps is a joke.

That was the upload part of them. It was the Atrix I believe and Motorola fixed that with a software update and it now does full blown specification.

Also, HSDPA with AT&T is set at 7.2 Mb/s down, but a software upgrade to towers will allow the 14.4 Mb/s down. That coupled with AT&T's already enhanced backhaul works fine.
 
You sure? They can market HSPA, not HSPA+, as '4G'?

I mean, I know they can probably say whatever they want, but if I saw a commercial for AT&T claiming this 14.4 Mbps capable iPhone is '4G', I would consider that blatant false advertising.
 
I'm confused from reading this thread. Will the iPhone 4S on AT&T have access to the same speeds (marketed as "4G") as the Motorola Atrix and Samsung Galaxy S2 on the same network?

The 4S and Atrix support 14.4mbit/s HSPA

The Galaxy S II supports 21mbit/s HSPA

They connect to the same network, but the Galaxy S II can have a faster possible throughput. All of AT&T's "4G" HSPA+ markets are upgraded to 21mbit/s HSPA.
 
Last edited:
The 4S and Atrix support 14.4mbit/s HSPA

The Galaxy S II supports 21mbit/s HSPA

They connect to the same network, but the Galaxy S II can have a faster possible throughput.

Thanks, that clears things up a lot. In actual use, does 14.4mbit/s HSPA or 21mbit/s HSPA make that much more of a speed difference compared to 3G on the iPhone 4 right now? Trying to consider if it's worth an upgrade.
 
Thanks, that clears things up a lot. In actual use, does 14.4mbit/s HSPA or 21mbit/s HSPA make that much more of a speed difference compared to 3G on the iPhone 4 right now? Trying to consider if it's worth an upgrade.

The 4 only supports 7.2mbit/s HSPA. I believe that all of AT&T's 3G towers have been upgraded to 7.2mbit/s spec. Connecting to "4G HSPA" towers will give you better speed since they have enhanced backhaul lines in place.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.