Samsung, Google Smartphones Beat Apple’s iPhone in Internet Speeds

According Ookla’s data, smartphones from Google and Samsung provide faster download speeds than Apple flagships.

(Left) Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and (right) Apple iPhone 6s Plus. Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo: The Quint)

Ookla LLC, a company that provides the most popular internet speed test service through its online platform has released new data on the internet speeds on smartphones and it’s not something Apple fans are going to like.

According to the data, Apple's latest iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X are behind Samsung and Google smartphones when it comes to internet download speeds, Bloomberg reported.

Samsung, however, has been fast to exploit this issue with its commercials highlighting the faster internet speeds in one of its TV advertisement.

Why this data is significant is because Ookla’s data is built by consumers and not corporate labs. 

The data encompasses the range of random real-world conditions that affect performance such as the distance of towers, network congestions and interruptions, etc. Ookla hosts millions of tests everyday and has done a total of more than 20 billion tests.

Although differentiating between the speed of loading pages can be difficult, the determining factors would have been the quality of videos, the rate of buffering or how long it takes to send an email.

Smartphone download speeds are determined by a modem chip used in the device and software that tunes that chip.

The speeds of smartphone data downloads are determined by a combination of the modem chips used in the device and the software that tunes the hardware. Apple uses a mix of modem chips from Intel and Qualcomm in the latest iPhones. Although Qualcomm chips are faster than the Intel ones, Apple's software helps in bringing both at one level.

“With both LTE-advanced speeds and Apple’s custom-designed A11 Bionic chipset, the smartest and most powerful chip ever in a smartphone, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X provide an incredibly fast wireless experience that can easily handle today’s most demanding tasks," Bloomberg quoted an Apple spokeswoman's statement.

With up to 27 LTE bands, more than any other smartphone in the world, these iPhones also provide the best worldwide LTE coverage.

Apple Spokeswoman

Bloomberg's review of the data showed that Samsung's Galaxy S9 smartphones averaged its download speed at 38.9 megabits per seconds (mbps) across US carriers - this is the result of about 102,000 tests within three months. The S9+, on the other hand, delivered a speed of 38.4 mbps as recorded by 169,000 tests.

The iPhone X had an average download speed of 29.7 mpbs as per 603,000 tests. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus clocked at 28.6 mps and 29.4 mbps respectively.

Google Pixel 2 XL delivered a speed of 33.9 mbps while the small twin Pixel 2 recorded a speed of 34.4 mbps, Bloomberg further reported.

The slowest phone, based on 884 tests was the Huawei Mate 10 Pro which is available in the US market only.

Where this becomes more important is that from now on, Ookla's tests might become a factor in buying decisions when the industry rolls out 5G services which are said to be substantially faster than the speeds we have in today's day and age.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)