FWIW I have gone through 2 XS non-Max (Verizon). Both have been flawless from an LTE reception standpoint, at least as good as my X. I don't make a lot of calls, but data speeds over LTE have been good. The first XS was returned for a yellow screen, but other than that this is the best phone I have ever owned.
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iPhone XS Max Is the mobile reception on the xs Max even worse than iPhone X ?
- Thread starter mydogeatsbeats
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FWIW I have gone through 2 XS non-Max (Verizon). Both have been flawless from an LTE reception standpoint, at least as good as my X. I don't make a lot of calls, but data speeds over LTE have been good. The first XS was returned for a yellow screen, but other than that this is the best phone I have ever owned.
Of the FCC documents are to he believed or trusted then no, the iPhone Xr will be a reception powerhouse.
Did you buy at Verizon or Apple? I'm thinking about picking up another XS today (sim free) at Apple even though it is a pain to go to the Apple store vs. Best Buy/Verizon....but I don't want to end up with hundreds of dollars in restocking fees over this too. lol.
I Purchased my phone directly through Apple. Carrier unlocked for use on the Verizon network.
NYC is one of the most challenging RF environments in the US for cell phones. Yes, there is ground-level outdoor coverage basically everywhere, but with many old buildings, indoor reception becomes a huge issue, and with a 114 year old subway system, people are constantly going in and out of reception, popping back up somewhere else, etc.
Further, due to the extreme densification of NYC, cell sites typically range from about 60' AGL (top of a 6 story building) to as low as 10' AGL (above the first story at street level), and their power is extremely low to cover just a few blocks where there are buildings that are 5-50 stories in many areas, compared to suburban CT where our typical site is 130-150' AGL and covers a 2-mile area that has, at most, 3- or 4-story buildings.
In fact, while in CT, most sites have a slight downtilt, in NYC, there are some that are tilted UP at close to a 45 degree angle to cover tall commercial buildings, and many tall residential buildings have unreliable cell service, as they are literally ABOVE the cell coverage. NYC is a VERY challenging RF environment for any provider.
Admittedly I am no expert, and your post is knowledgeable and makes a lot of sense. My only question is why the XS Max would suddenly be so awful at managing reception in NYC whereas previous phones did so with no issue. I know many post about the new antenna design which again is far more technical than I can comfortably follow, but all I know is this is the worst cellular/LTE connection I've experienced.
Coming from a 7+ where I had solid connection, reception, and LTE speeds the XS Max is no comparison. I'm really curious given some people on this thread have no issues in NYC as well. However LTE on AT&T in NYC has been abysmal for me.
And yet many iPhones work great in this environment. I am currently on my X with Qualcomm and it is pretty much solid in this dense environment. The only problematic iPhones that I had in NYC were an iPhone 8 Plus and a X both with Intel modems (and, of course, an iPhone 4). I don't have a Xs, but I assume it's another one since it has Intel only modem.
Tested with 12.0.1 in the same spot and is back as good as it was with the iPhone X. Hope 12.1 brings even more improvements.
A quick thought about the new antenna configuration:
4x4 means that it needs 4 antennas. But 4x4 operation is not available always/everywhere.
I suppose that when the iPhone detects the possibility of operate in 4x4 mode, it makes
the 4 antennas electrically independent. And when it needs to get back to 2x2, it internally
connect each pair of antennas together. If it try to operate in 2x2 using the antenna configured
for 4x4, only "half" of the antenna area is available. This would explain the low signal.
Maybe it is just misinterpreting the tower capabilities and switching the antenna configuration wrongly.
Thank you Apple, for unleash the RF engineer inside each one of us!
So, I know several people here have posted “this isn’t about speed”, but I’m sharing this anyways.
I have a 256gb SG Max bought from Verizon (performs the same as my previous device same config purchased from Apple). I did a test last night with Max and iPhone 7+ on iOS 12.0 and this was my result:
iPhone 7+:
iPhone XS Max:
Using the same SIM on Verizon connected to the same server. I’m in the Greenville, SC area.
I’m not having issues dropping LTE, but my speeds most definitely are slower on the Max. I’m not getting the 2-2.5 times faster I thought we would see.
I have a 256gb SG Max bought from Verizon (performs the same as my previous device same config purchased from Apple). I did a test last night with Max and iPhone 7+ on iOS 12.0 and this was my result:
iPhone 7+:
iPhone XS Max:
Using the same SIM on Verizon connected to the same server. I’m in the Greenville, SC area.
I’m not having issues dropping LTE, but my speeds most definitely are slower on the Max. I’m not getting the 2-2.5 times faster I thought we would see.
The fourth and fifth numbers of the serial number are really important also. Tells you the date the phone was manufactured.
No problem in London; London is a much older city with a deeper subway system. my iPhone is spot on in Central London.
Pre-ordered both:
SIM-free, 256GB, Silver, In-store pick on launch day
SIM-free, 64GB, Gold, Delivered on launch day
Was yours one of the first manufactured? Mine that had issues was. Built in August.correct just didn't want to go to deep into the serial number