iPhone XS Max Is the mobile reception on the xs Max even worse than iPhone X ?

[treyhunnid]

T-Mobile

 

[GfPQqmcRKUvP]

Returned my first XS due to terrible WiFi performance and got another. Was working well for a couple days but now it’s doing the same thing. My iPad Pro gets speed tests twice as fast as an XS in the same spot.

 

[mohkg]

I never really had the lte issue, im on t-mobile and live in downtown chicago, so reception is always on the up n up

 

[PBz]

Honestly, this 2nd beta fixed all issues i previously had with my xs max. My wifi and data are back to full speed, no more charging issue. Im all happy now. Only thing they got to fix next is the beauty mode on the camera. But were going in the right direction, thankfully it wasnt a hardware problem

You may appreciate this information.
https://blog.halide.cam/iphone-xs-why-its-a-whole-new-camera-ddf9780d714c

 

[mohkg]

You may appreciate this information.
https://blog.halide.cam/iphone-xs-why-its-a-whole-new-camera-ddf9780d714c

Well what kind of noise reduction specifically targets the human face only? anything else you aim it at seems to look normal, its like it knows when it sees a face and turns on some softening effect
[doublepost=1538584310][/doublepost]I just tested it at the local starbucks on wifi and my macbook and xs max are getting the same exact speeds, so im convinced everything is fixed after this beta, 2 days ago my macbook speed was double that of my xs max

 

[Packers1958]

T-Mobile

I see you have very strong reception when you did the speedtest. They will all have great LTE speed with a strong connection like that.

 

[fastbagger]

Sadly due to consistent poor LTE signal I am returning my Xs Max and reactivating my 8 Plus. I think has to to do with Intel chip. Too bad.

 

[Packers1958]

Sadly due to consistent poor LTE signal I am returning my Xs Max and reactivating my 8 Plus. I think has to to do with Intel chip. Too bad.

Oddly enough there is a UK thread about LTE connectivity in the UK. Exact same phone as what we have, and almost everyone is reporting great speed and no issues. Could it be the new bands the carriers in the US deployed that are causing issues? If so, it's more likely a carrier issue.

 

[archer75]

Honestly, this 2nd beta fixed all issues i previously had with my xs max. My wifi and data are back to full speed, no more charging issue. Im all happy now. Only thing they got to fix next is the beauty mode on the camera. But were going in the right direction, thankfully it wasnt a hardware problem

I installed the 2nd beta. My bars are the same, signal strength in the service menu is the same. However when running a speedtest my speeds are about double. I'll check throughout the day and see if it remains constant.

Edit- just checked again about 3.5 hours from my first post and my speeds aren't quite double. I'd say about 70% higher than they were before the update.

[doublepost=1538584728][/doublepost]

Sadly due to consistent poor LTE signal I am returning my Xs Max and reactivating my 8 Plus. I think has to to do with Intel chip. Too bad.

The Intel chip is better than the qualcomm in the X per pc mags test. The issue appears to be antenna design and software.

 

[Wags]

I think it’s mainly in rural areas with lighter signals. I’m in NH and had terrible cellular connectivity in a lot of areas including at the Apple store where other phones had no issues.

So did you ask about the

I think it’s mainly in rural areas with lighter signals. I’m in NH and had terrible cellular connectivity in a lot of areas including at the Apple store where other phones had no issues.

So did you ask about the poor reception at the Apple store. Curious what they would say.

 

[DotCom2]

I see you have very strong reception when you did the speedtest. They will all have great LTE speed with a strong connection like that.

EXACTLY!
It's the "fringe" areas that are the problem.

 

[archer75]

Oddly enough there is a UK thread about LTE connectivity in the UK. Exact same phone as what we have, and almost everyone is reporting great speed and no issues. Could it be the new bands the carriers in the US deployed that are causing issues? If so, it's more likely a carrier issue.

That makes sense. How some people have no problems at all while others do. All about your area and the bands.

 

[JustMe2018]

Do you have readings of what your signal strength was previously and what it is now with the new software/firmware?
DBM reading?

I don't for here at work...wasn't thinking that far ahead. I have a dozen or so 12.0 readings from my "low signal" test area about 10 min away from home. May go back early in the morning to compare my XsM (12.1b2) with my wife's Xs (12.0).

Since launch day I have not had the LTE issue when comparing either new phone to my 7+. So far, WiFi strength seems to match across the board when running Airport Utility. We only have 6MB DSL, so no real way to test WiFi download speeds at home. By all accounts I have a good one. Still...I'm a little gun-shy about letting the return window close with no word from Apple.

Edit: clarity

 

[Nhwhazup]

Honestly, this 2nd beta fixed all issues i previously had with my xs max. My wifi and data are back to full speed, no more charging issue. Im all happy now. Only thing they got to fix next is the beauty mode on the camera. But were going in the right direction, thankfully it wasnt a hardware problem

This is great to hear. Any others with good results on LTE from this 2nd beta?

 

[Wags]

EXACTLY!
It's the "fringe" areas that are the problem.

The fringe area has gotten bigger right now. I don’t normally use in a fringe area but when I do I would want service. I hope it doesn’t take some sort of tragedy that was avoidable with service to really get attention m

 

[Nhwhazup]

Returned my first XS due to terrible WiFi performance and got another. Was working well for a couple days but now it’s doing the same thing. My iPad Pro gets speed tests twice as fast as an XS in the same spot.

My iPad Pro was and is fine but I also did not update to iOS 12.
[doublepost=1538585713][/doublepost]

So did you ask about the

So did you ask about the poor reception at the Apple store. Curious what they would say.

Apple clearly saw the cellular issue, did a restore as new which didn’t fix it and said the problem was most likely the phone. They didn’t have any in stock for replacement at the time to try and told me I could wait to see if an update would fix the issue. Not wanting to take the chance of getting beyond the return window, I returned it. I’m impatiently waiting and hoping to see permanent fixes for the connectivity issues, charging problem and video play stuttering. Once I hear people in the forums say the issues have been resolved, I’ll be all over getting a new Max again.

 

[PBz]

Would it be worthwhile for moving forward in this thread that anyone posting changes/improvements/results add their phone model to the bottom of the post. For example,

My iPad Pro was and is fine but I also did not update to iOS 12.
[doublepost=1538585713][/doublepost]
Apple clearly saw the cellular issue, did a restore as new which didn’t fix it and said the problem was most likely the phone. They didn’t have any in stock for replacement at the time to try and told me I could wait to see if an update would fix the issue. Not wanting to take the chance of getting beyond the return window, I returned it. I’m impatiently waiting and hoping to see permanent fixes for the connectivity issues, charging problem and video play stuttering. Once I hear people in the forums say the issues have been resolved, I’ll be all over getting a new Max again.

Thank you for the update. I am so ready to pull the trigger on the XS.. The 8+ is an awesome phone .. just ready to go smaller.

 

[vinegarshots]

EXACTLY!
It's the "fringe" areas that are the problem.

According to PCMag lab tests, in weak signal conditions (the fringe areas) the XS performs much better the X, and loses signal at -128dBm, versus Pixel 2 and Note 9 holding on at -130dBm.

In fact, there's a more noticeable difference in performance in strong signal areas than in the weak ones in their tests.

The first thing you see is the effect of the new 4x4 MIMO antennas. In good signal conditions, they double the phone's speeds, but they also help in weak signal conditions. Apple was the last major manufacturer to adopt 4x4 MIMO, and it was desperately needed.

Between the three 4x4 MIMO phones, you can see that in good signal conditions, the Qualcomm-powered Galaxy Note 9 and Google Pixel 2 still do a bit better than the iPhone XS Max. But as signal gets weaker, the XS Max really competes, showing that it's well tuned.

 

[Truefan31]

According to PCMag lab tests, in weak signal conditions (the fringe areas) the XS performs much better the X, and loses signal at -128dBm, versus Pixel 2 and Note 9 holding on at -130dBm.

In fact, there's a more noticeable difference in performance in strong signal areas than in the weak ones in their tests.

Just muddying the waters. Confused. Did someone say beta 2 helped with signal?

 

[DotCom2]

According to PCMag lab tests, in weak signal conditions (the fringe areas) the XS performs much better the X, and loses signal at -128dBm, versus Pixel 2 and Note 9 holding on at -130dBm.

In fact, there's a more noticeable difference in performance in strong signal areas than in the weak ones in their tests.

Not in my case.

 

[decypher44]

I would like to ask that anyone posting that their issue is fixed with update or otherwise, please identify:

WiFi
Cellular
Both

 

[jkozlow3]

Appears Apple is making some type of changes to modem firmware & carrier settings in 12.1 beta 2. See before (red) and after (green). My two phones don't seem to have the LTE issue and no real way to test WiFi (seems OK w/ everything I've tried so far). No idea if this will have a positive impact on those w/ LTE issues...just sharing as FYI.

View attachment 791688 View attachment 791689​

Just an FYI (as an iOS user since 2008) - pretty much every major iOS update has always included modem firmware and carrier updates. The smaller updates (i.e. 12.0.1) may not always include modem firmware or carrier updates (sometimes they are simply rolling out a bug fix for 1 specific issue and aren't updating firmware) but most of the major releases do (i.e. 12.1, 12.2, etc.).

 

[jecapaga]

Spent another night last night on a 2 hour call with Apple and they had me running through all sorts of tests. They had me install some profiles to gather log info which was sent to them last night for "the engineers" to look at. I asked the person if I was still the only person that was having the issue with extremely slow LTE speeds (5mbps down, 1mbps up with 3 to 4 bars) and they said definitely not.

The person assigned to my case said they'll be calling me within the next 48 hours or sooner.

 

[DotCom2]

Spent another night last night on a 2 hour call with Apple and they had me running through all sorts of tests. They had me install some profiles to gather log info which was sent to them last night for "the engineers" to look at. I asked the person if I was still the only person that was having the issue with extremely slow LTE speeds (5mbps down, 1mbps up with 3 to 4 bars) and they said definitely not.

The person assigned to my case said they'll be calling me within the next 48 hours or sooner.

Thank you so much for this post.

 

[PBz]

In fairness to Apple. Yes..many of us want that 12.0.1 ASAP so we can see if the RF issue is resolved. WTS, the last thing we want is a change that goes the wrong way and makes things worse.

I don’t take it easy on Apple, especially considering a few of my experiences, but it is possible they want to make as few ‘tweaks’ as possible.. especially to the radios in the phone.