In tests, Galaxy S9 is faster than iPhone X
When it comes to benefiting from the fastest wireless network, the device you hold can make all the difference.
Samsung’s latest Galaxy S9 flagship outraced the iPhone X, according to drive tests conducted in May by PCMag with crowdsourced speed data from Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence.
The Galaxy S9 recorded download and upload speeds in May of 41.80 Megabits per second and 11.36 Mbps, respectively, compared with 31.18 Mbps and 9.88 Mbps for the iPhone X. But the iPhone X is hardly a slowpoke. PCMag points out the iPhone X has something called 256QAM, which means it can pack more information into one burst of data than the iPhone 7 did.
For the fifth year in a row, Verizon Wireless cemented its position as having the fastest mobile network in the U.S. It won or tied in 19 of 36 cities tested, leading in every region except the Southeast, where it placed behind overall runner-up T-Mobile. AT&T ranked third overall. Sprint, which is waiting on regulatory approval to merge with far faster T-Mobile, pulled up the rear. PCMag says T-Mobile’s strength came in mobile uploads, which bodes well for those of you on the network who create a lot of content for social media.
Compared with last year’s tests, all the carriers are delivering faster and more consistent 4G LTE connections.
PCMag’s analysts spent May driving within and between 30 cities, with four Samsung Galaxy S9 phones continually running speed tests based on a customized version of Ookla’s Speedtest.net software. Both PCMag and Ookla are owned by publisher Ziff Davis. Testers collected more than 124,000 data points and then balanced downloads, uploads, latency and reliability to create a “Speed Score.”
Verizon’s score was 99. T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint followed with scores of 93, 88 and 75, respectively.