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

Starfyre's T-Mobile/AT&T (Intel) vs Verizon (Qualcomm) iPhone X Benchmarks for GSM Users

duffman9000

duffman9000

macrumors 68020
Sep 7, 2003
2,331
8,089
Deep in the Depths of CA
solodogg said:
FWIW, you can now purchase the Verizon X at full price directly from Apple without needing carrier info at checkout. Hopefully this will help those of you that are still seeking the Qualcomm phone.
Click to expand...
Hmm. Is it a SIM free version? I didn’t see this as an option in the Apple Store app.
[doublepost=1510951100][/doublepost]I can’t make definitive judgments between iPhone models like a 7 (intel) and X (Qualcomm). What little I can say is I get better reception on my X in the same areas with poor reception.
 
F

FunkyTang

macrumors 65816
Sep 16, 2008
1,047
844
solodogg said:
FWIW, you can now purchase the Verizon X at full price directly from Apple without needing carrier info at checkout. Hopefully this will help those of you that are still seeking the Qualcomm phone.
Click to expand...
I just saw this in the Apple Store app. Cool. I hope they have that next year.
 
Zune55

Zune55

macrumors 65816
May 2, 2015
1,050
465
Starfyre said:
So after reading a lot of articles from reddit posts and articles to forum posts claiming how if your on T-Mobile and AT&T, getting the Verizon model is better because Qualcomm is better, faster, better battery life, etc. I wanted to see for myself how the two compare and determine whether the Verizon or T-Mobile one is better. Hope this helps everyone out with the exact same question and issue as me! Conclusion after the pretty graphs, more about the setup of the experiment and aggregated data/averages below that. (as an aside, I think this is the longest starting post in any thread I've ever created)

If anyone else has tests and observations they would like to share that you notice from these results, please share!

Pretty Results Up Top (Graphs), 11 Rounds Total, names of each round on left side
Download_Speed.jpg

Download Summary: Qualcomm beats out T-Mobile/Intel on 8 rounds. Intel wins 3 rounds.
Download Winner: Qualcomm

Ping.jpg

Ping Summary: Qualcomm beats out T-Mobile/Intel on 7 rounds. Intel wins 3 rounds. Qualcomm is tied with Intel in one round.
Ping Winner: Qualcomm

Upload_Speed.jpg

Upload Speed Summary: Intel wins 8 rounds. Qualcomm beats out T-Mobile/Intel on 3 rounds.
Upload Speed Winner: Intel

Conclusion
I'm leaning towards keeping the Verizon/Qualcomm iPhone X and return the T-Mobile iPhone X because:

1) I think Download Speed and Ping are more important than the Upload Speed.
2) The max and min download speeds (though I don't explicitly include in the post of the Qualcomm when it wins are almost always higher than the min and max of the Intel.
3) T-Mobile dropped cellular data/internet connection in the middle of testing one of the cases and pulling up a web browser didn't work either. Connecting to Wifi, then disabling Wifi did not work either, but after taking the sim out and putting it back in after a minute or two, it started working again. The Verizon did not have such connection issues running through the 11 rounds (each round with 3-6 trials, mostly 5-6 for the majority) I had put it through. Even though it happened once on the Intel, I can confidently say from personal testing, the Qualcomm is more stable, even though it happened on the Intel only one time throughout my tests.

Though I didn't capture any data on battery life, from my observations, after running through the morning rounds, battery life appeared to remain at a 5% decrease on both devices, and measuring some battery life at the end of each round, the battery life appeared to decrease at about the same rate. Others can probably perform some further studies, but I have not been able to conclude that one is more power hungry than the other (at least not to any noticeable degree).

What do you think? Do you think otherwise based on the results? Do high upload speeds matter to you?

Tools Used
iPhone X T-Mobile
iPhone X Verizon
T-Mobile Sim (same Sim and Service used for each and every test)

SpeedTest Server Locations
I used 3 different servers, for the purposes of being anonymous, I am not going to specify which ones they are, but they have the following characteristics:

Server A: Closest to my location in the same state and city
Server B: Slightly close to my location in a neighboring state
Server C: Farthest from my location in another state

Rounds / Times of Test
Each comparison between Verizon/Qualcomm vs T-Mobile/Intel on a single server is a Round. Each Round is an average of 3-6 trial runs at 3 different times in the day (Morning, Afternoon, and Evening). While one phone is being tested, the other is in standby with display off.

Setting Up Experiment

Setup
- Started up both phones, installed Ookla SpeedTest app.
- Auto-Brightness Disabled in iOS 11
- Disable Wifi
- Shut down both phones
- Start up both phones
- Launch Ookla SpeedTest app

Runs
- I manually select Server A, B, or C
- Hit the start/run test button
- Repeat n times for each server
- Whenever I start a new time “Morning/Afternoon/Night” I shut down the phones and restart from a clean slate.
- I swap the sim into the other phone after each Round of testing

Note that whenever I switch the sim card into the other phone and perform the tests, I make sure the phone is put in the exact same location as the previous phone. (Not that it would make much of a difference, but I did it anyway just to keep things constant).

Results of Each Round
During The Morning

Round 1
T-Mobile Server A
Avg Download: 12.744
Avg Upload: 23.776
Avg Ping: 34.8

Verizon Server A
Avg Download: 6.66
Avg Upload:2.784
Avg Ping: 34.8

Round 1 Results:
The Verizon/Qualcomm lost badly on all fronts except for ping, which is tied. T-Mobile wins.

Round 2
T-Mobile Server B
Avg Download: 13.046
Avg Upload: 13.046
Avg Ping: 37.4

Verizon Server B
Avg Download: 9.38
Avg Upload: 1.478
Avg Ping: 37.2

Round 2 Results:
The Verizon loses yet again miserably to T-Mobile and barely wins on ping.

Round 3
T-Mobile Server C
Avg Download: 5.46
Avg Upload: 14.773
Avg Ping: 51

Verizon Server C
Avg Download: 48.33
Avg Upload: 19.45
Avg Ping: 48.33

Round 3 Results:
With the far off server, Verizon takes the lead and obliterates T-Mobile on all fronts!

Round 4
T-Mobile Server A Rematch
Avg Download: 14.71
Avg Upload: 18.62
Avg Ping: 33.33


Verizon Server A Rematch
Avg Download: 14.87
Avg Upload: 27.43
Avg Ping: 37.33

Round 4 Results:
Qualcomm crushes Intel on download speed, and obliterates Intel on all fronts!

Morning Summary:
Out of 4 rounds, the Verizon/Qualcomm model performed better on the download speeds on the latter 2 rounds, the T-Mobile/Intel won the first two. Qualcomm seems to perform better on the "far off" Server C compared to T-Mobile. There is some variability, as in Server A, the Qualcomm lost the first round, and won the rematch.

Afternoon
Round 5
T-Mobile Server A
Avg Download: 14.894
Avg Upload: 23.146
Avg Ping: 36.4
Min-Max Download: 12.11 – 16.48
Min-Max Upload: 21.93-25.69


Verizon Server A
Avg Download: 15.73
Avg Upload: 18.11
Avg Ping: 34.6
Min-Max Download: 11.22 - 17.68
Min-Max Upload: 12.24 - 20.81

Round 5 Results:
Qualcomm had the higher average download speed, though T-Mobile was better on the upload. The max download was higher on the Verizon/Qualcomm.

Round 6
T-Mobile Server B
Avg Download: 11.33
Avg Upload: 19.25
Avg Ping: 38
Max-Min Download: 6.03 - 18.2
Max-Min Upload: 18.64 – 19.61

Verizon Server B
Avg Download: 7.152
Avg Upload: 2.25
Avg Ping: 36.8
Min-Max Download: 5.35 - 9.27
Min-Max Upload: 1.99-2.58

Round 6 Results:
No contest. T-Mobile wins Server B. Verizon wins on average ping.


Round 7
T-Mobile Server B Rematch
Avg Download: 11.692
Avg Upload: 22.718
Avg Ping: 34.2


Verizon Server B Rematch
Avg Ping: 34.6
Avg Download: 15.736
Avg Upload: 17.95

Round 7 Results:
Verizon outperformed the T-Mobile version for download speeds, though T-Mobile beats out Verizon in upload speed. Verizon was barely slower for average ping, but only by 0.2.


Round 8
T-Mobile Server C
Avg Download: 12.608
Avg Upload: 23.614
Avg Ping:44.8

Verizon Server C
Avg Download: 18.208
Avg Upload: 12.104
Avg Ping:47.2

Results of Round 8:
Verizon beat out T-Mobile in download speeds significantly. T-Mobile won on upload speeds by almost double!

Evening
Round 9
T-Mobile Server A
Avg Download: 10.671
Avg Upload: 22.68
Avg Ping: 33.5
Min-Max Download: 5.58 - 14.12
Min-Max Upload: 19.28 - 24.33


Verizon Server A
Avg Download: 15.20
Avg Upload: 17.97
Avg Ping: 32.67
Min-Max Download: 11.74-18.87
Min-Max Upload: 9.43-21.67

Results of Round 9:
Qualcomm wins out again on download and ping, but loses wins on upload speed!


Round 10
T-Mobile Server B
Avg Download: 10.01
Avg Upload: 16.18
Avg Ping: 37.86
Min-Max Download: 4.79-15.00
Min-Max Upload: 1.09-24.06

Verizon Server B
Avg Download: 18.90
Avg Upload: 19.92
Avg Ping: 36.14
Min-Max Download: 14.31-24.02

Round 10 Results:
Verizon wins in all categories, and beat out T-Mobile severely on download this time. It even wins on upload speeds too! The minimums and maximums are higher on Verizon too!

Round 11
T-Mobile Server C
Avg Download: 13.12
Avg Upload: 23.97
Avg Ping: 50.67
Min-Max Download: 10.48-17.91

Verizon Server C
Avg Download: 18.51
Avg Upload: 15.326
Min-Max Download: 14.37 - 21.04

Round 11 Results:
Qualcomm wins out on ping, and crushes Intel on download speed, and beat out Intel severely on download again. Intel makes a comeback with a vengeance on the upload speed.

Congratulations and thank you for reading to the end! Post what you think! Let me know if you have any questions!
Click to expand...


What about the other functions of iPhone X with Qualcomm chip, do they also work faster. I think you have not tested that yet but i am really interested to know whether overall functionality of X will improve because of Qualcomm chip. Please let me know anyone. Thanks
[doublepost=1510984683][/doublepost]
mjr1000 said:
http://bgr.com/2017/11/14/iphone-x-speed-test-att-vs-t-mobile-qualcomm-vs-intel/
Click to expand...

That’s completely opposite of OP. So which results we trust? Plz help, OP please clarify.
 
Starfyre

Starfyre

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Nov 7, 2010
2,905
1,136
I can only say those are my speed tests, I did another cellular coverage test today.. both the Intel and the Qualcomm had coverage where I previously did not with my older iPhone. Qualcomm had higher bars in certain situations, Intel had higher bars in others.

In another run of the "Parking Garage" test at a different parking garage, both lost signal and data at the same time. Though when approaching the exit of the garage, the Qualcomm was the quickest to recover and had higher bars than the Intel as far as cellular signal and LTE indicator went. Qualcomm in my experience is the quickest in finding signal after it loses it compared to intel at least in the two parking garage tests.

I tried doing the "voice quality" test, though my friends did not tell any difference in how I sounded when using the Qualcomm or the Intel... if I did sound better on the Intel, I probably would have swapped, but given that I tested with about 4 people, one of which was an audiophile, there was no difference.

Can't say how bgr did their tests outside of "used SpeedSmart", is that using only closest server, one server, two server, three servers? It's ambiguous. I am very clear in my tests in that I tested with multiple trials with 3 different servers and their characteristics. I have no idea who is getting paid by who to say one is better than the other, and I trust myself in testing myself and seeing real numbers.

At least for the area I am in and the servers I tested, the Qualcomm was overall the better phone and came up on top, and the voice quality did not have any effect from the limited amount of people I tested with, so either way, I am happy with keeping the Verizon/Qualcomm.

If you have concerns and want to do your own testing, please do and share results! Like others pointed out, these tests were not something that could be done within 10 minutes, it took a significant chunk out of my day to get this data, but in the end... it helped me. Some can argue there are "too many variables", but at least for the locations and variance in servers I tested, the results spoke for themselves.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JPack, rugmankc and solodogg
S

solodogg

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2011
511
215
Orlando
Starfyre said:
I have no idea who is getting paid by who to say one is better than the other, and I trust myself in testing myself and seeing real numbers.
Click to expand...

This x100. I did a lot of testing myself, and even went out of the way to obtain a second Intel phone to further test the voice quality differences, and found a lot of the same things you did.

I definitely appreciate someone else out there that cares enough to help others out by passing these findings along while making an informed decision for themselves.

I ended up making the same decision you did by keeping the QC phone, and have zero regrets. I do wish Apple would fix Field Test mode on the QC, but not enough to miss CDMA compatibility for when I swap in my Verizon SIM.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rugmankc
rugmankc

rugmankc

macrumors 68020
Sep 24, 2014
2,196
648
Target has some locally. May try one. It will be the Qualcomm. Their 30 day return policy starts on 12/26/17. 2 Months to play with it. Probably some activation fees to add iPhone and re-add my 6s Plus if I don't keep the X. I'll post modem results if i get one.

Wonder why Target has so many X's compared to Apple and others? Does Apple send them the Returns? lol

Not sure if they will sell me one paid in full---

Side Note; my Best Buy said they would price match Apple's 1149.00. Out of Stock though--
 
Starfyre

Starfyre

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Nov 7, 2010
2,905
1,136
Would have loved to see this article posted before I conducted my tests. Looks like the other tests may have been paid by Intel, this is exactly why I conducted my own tests. Glad the official word matches up with my conclusions of my testing :)

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/12/01/qualcomm-iphone-x-still-faster-than-intel/

Just goes to show, better to trust real forum members instead of commercially sponsored articles/propoganda.
 
Last edited:
thadoggfather

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Oct 1, 2007
16,144
17,057
cc999 said:
Again you would need 2 iPhone X's to compare this, with that said I am getting phenomenal battery life on my iPhone X,
actually much better than I expected. I had the IP8 Verizon model before the X. with the X I am getting about 2 -3 hours longer battery life as a direct comparison. Totally happy, The reception and phone clarity is the best I have ever seen in a smart phone and this includes all the major Android phones. All on the INTEL modem.
Click to expand...

So you’re for sure keeping Intel despite the QC hype ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom