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Definitive Qualcomm (A1660/A1661) v. Intel (A1778/A1784) iPhone 7/7 Plus Thread

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ffacing339

macrumors newbie
Nov 12, 2016
2
1
IMG_0462.PNG

Intel version



IMG_0001.PNG

Qualcomm version



Here are my results so far. I'm not impressed by either or on Tmobiles network here in Colorado Springs Colorado.

It was never this bad with my iPhone6
 
touchstoned

touchstoned

macrumors regular
Apr 4, 2015
173
141
Hermosa Beach, CA
I've convinced myself it's not worth putting in the effort trying to convince apple to replace it with a fully capable device. The 10.3 update did fix some issues for me, so it's not a total loss. The phone is... adequate. Highly disappointing for an apple product, especially considering the device would be perfect if I had gone through apple from the start instead of ATT
 
I

ipsofacto42

macrumors newbie
Jun 13, 2013
2
1
Hey all.

Very interesting follow up to this thread. Over on Apple Community forums, many have been having issues with the AirPods and audio cutting out intermittently. Many have tried and tested the issue. Some have deduced that the issue is replicable on the Intel XMM 7360 Model A1778/A1784 (GSM only) iPhone 7 / 7Plus, while it does not happen with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X12 Model A1660/A1661 (GSM/CDMA) iPhone 7 / 7Plus.

Any thoughts on that chip potentially causing Bluetooth interference? I have the A1784 Plus and I have the problem. Waiting to hear back from Apple Support of course about a SW fix or HW exchange fix.
 
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C

cc999

macrumors 6502
Jul 15, 2008
478
191
ipsofacto42 said:
Hey all.

Very interesting follow up to this thread. Over on Apple Community forums, many have been having issues with the AirPods and audio cutting out intermittently. Many have tried and tested the issue. Some have deduced that the issue is replicable on the Intel XMM 7360 Model A1778/A1784 (GSM only) iPhone 7 / 7Plus, while it does not happen with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X12 Model A1660/A1661 (GSM/CDMA) iPhone 7 / 7Plus.

Any thoughts on that chip potentially causing Bluetooth interference? I have the A1784 Plus and I have the problem. Waiting to hear back from Apple Support of course about a SW fix or HW exchange fix.
Click to expand...

I can tell you I have the Qualcom A1661 and the airpods are perfect. Absolutely no cut out.

CC
 
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thadoggfather

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Oct 1, 2007
16,144
17,056
cc999 said:
I can tell you I have the Qualcom A1661 and the airpods are perfect. Absolutely no cut out.

CC
Click to expand...

Though this is appreciated given what he said , it would
Probably be more valuable if
Intel radio users that also use a Bunche blue tooth chimed in that had or didn't have problems. Seems Qualcomm is relatively
Free of -gate Stuff and scrutiny
In general but haven't followed
 
C

coolio93

macrumors 6502
Apr 15, 2013
304
50
Houston, TX
I know this isn't a scientific comparison at all but only evidence from my own experience. I used to have a S7 Edge and got really good LTE speeds in my apartment even when the signal dropped to one bar. When I got my intel 7+ from Tmobile, the internet would only be usable if I had 3-4 bars in the same exact location as the s7 edge. Below that, web pages would time time out and I'd just get frustrated and switch to wifi.

I now returned the T-Mobile intel iPhone 7 Plus and got a sim free one from the Apple store and everything is working perfectly again in the exact same location. Even when my LTE drops down to one bar, I still get fast speeds and YouTube videos load without any delay. I also rarely drop to one bar on my Qualcomm 7 plus in the same location that the intel 7 plus used to have one bar.

Here's a Speedtest with my Qualcomm 7 plus. I'm sitting on the exact same sofa where my intel 7 plus would get one bar and no usable internet.

Again I realize this isn't a scientific test but my own experience is enough to make me believe that the Qualcomm modem is superior to the intel one at least in terms of data speeds with low signal.

f176b292eff1e9b6ca300b0de290d8b0.jpg
 
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thadoggfather

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Oct 1, 2007
16,144
17,056
coolio93 said:
I know this isn't a scientific comparison at all but only evidence from my own experience. I used to have a S7 Edge and got really good LTE speeds in my apartment even when the signal dropped to one bar. When I got my intel 7+ from Tmobile, the internet would only be usable if I had 3-4 bars in the same exact location as the s7 edge. Below that, web pages would time time out and I'd just get frustrated and switch to wifi.

I now returned the T-Mobile intel iPhone 7 Plus and got a sim free one from the Apple store and everything is working perfectly again in the exact same location. Even when my LTE drops down to one bar, I still get fast speeds and YouTube videos load without any delay. I also rarely drop to one bar on my Qualcomm 7 plus in the same location that the intel 7 plus used to have one bar.

Here's a Speedtest with my Qualcomm 7 plus. I'm sitting on the exact same sofa where my intel 7 plus would get one bar and no usable internet.

Again I realize this isn't a scientific test but my own experience is enough to make me believe that the Qualcomm modem is superior to the intel one at least in terms of data speeds with low signal.

f176b292eff1e9b6ca300b0de290d8b0.jpg
Click to expand...

yeah this may be anecdotal as I recall people saying while hiking their friends had a Qualcomm 7 that couldn't stream video properly whereas Intel version did

honestly, I think next year might be all Intel with Qualcomm lawsuit thing happening,

and the 2011-2016 agreement coming to an end, like Google with Google Maps to an extent

Im more curious about the new FUD, surrounding bluetooth performance issues with Intel radio specifically

can more diehard Bluetooth audio users chime in that also have the GSM or Intel radio version?

Not going to lie, this DOES bum me out a bit, but I probably won't hold onto my 7+ beyond this year (not because of Intel radio but just knowing myself), and I feel kinda misled/not enough info when I bought the unlocked AT&T model, vs waiting for SIM free

but also it took literally months for SIM free 7+ to regularly show in stock according to istocknow.com, and I am jailbroken on 10.1.1, a version that is becoming increasingly difficult to find since it stopped being signed in December,
 
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T

TheRealAlex

macrumors 68030
Sep 2, 2015
2,988
2,255
Mr. Zarniwoop said:
As many are aware, there are two different versions of the iPhone 7/7 Plus for sale in the US:

Model A1660/A1661 (GSM/CDMA)
with Qualcomm Snapdragon X12 Modem (LTE Advanced up to Cat. 12 downlink with 600 Mbps peak download speed)
for Sprint and Verizon
but also works on AT&T and T-Mobile

Model A1778/A1784 (GSM only)
with Intel XMM 7360 Modem (LTE Advanced up to Cat. 10 downlink with 450 Mbps peak download speed)
for AT&T and T-Mobile
but will not work on Sprint nor Verizon

Besides CDMA support (on the A1660/A1661 only), it's difficult to answer any minor differences in usage between the Intel and Qualcomm models of the iPhone 7. This thread is posted to facilitate discussion between real-world differences, if any, between the Intel and Qualcomm LTE platforms in power usage and performance.

This may be a similar situation to "Chipgate" when Apple dual-sourced their A9 system-on-a-chip from both Samsung and TSMC, where benchmarks found the TSMC more power-efficient. However, real-world differences meant that an iPhone 6S with a TSMC-made Apple A9 had only 2-3% better battery life than one with a Samsung-made Apple A9.

Is the Qualcomm or Intel modem better with battery life? Is one faster? Interested in what we know.
Click to expand...


Intel gave away the Chips to Apple for use in the iPhone 7 they are cloze to junk.
 
F

Fruit Cake

macrumors 6502a
Mar 31, 2012
597
20
I run the Intel on one bar here as I don't get much LTE service and it seems fine? Same as the 6s on the Qualcomm. For me at least they seem on par. They don't sell the Qualcomm 7 here so I can't tell for sure.
 
thadoggfather

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Oct 1, 2007
16,144
17,056
Fruit Cake said:
I run the Intel on one bar here as I don't get much LTE service and it seems fine? Same as the 6s on the Qualcomm. For me at least they seem on par. They don't sell the Qualcomm 7 here so I can't tell for sure.
Click to expand...

My apartment gets bad reception and seems on par maybe even better than SE but that may be because of antenna/housing differences. Probably not a great
Comparison. But I don't recall it any better or
Worse necessarily
Than 6s+ I had
 
M

metsjetsfan

macrumors 65816
Feb 2, 2011
1,405
246
I think apple may eventually or is currently working on its own chipset and go all in. I doubt intel is the future. with the watch, phone and whatever AR wearable is coming this wouldnt be such a bad idea.
 
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