Device Tier Significantly Impacts Network Performance Across Carriers
AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are all leading in network performance in their own right. According to Ookla and Opensignal, T-Mobile has a lead, while RootMetrics believes AT&T and Verizon are outpacing it. Suffice it to say, the performance gap has narrowed enough that most users wouldn’t notice a difference day-to-day. What will impact your speed, however, is the device in your hand.
Device Tiers and Network Performance
Recon Analytics founder Roger Entner recently conducted roughly 4,300 speed tests to see how device tiers impact network performance. He compared Apple devices against Android phones with both high-end and budget Qualcomm chips.
On T-Mobile, premium Android handsets averaged 161 Mbps, while budget devices managed 156 Mbps, so the difference is a negligible 5 Mbps. The gap is much larger on the other two networks.
On AT&T, Apple devices led at 153 Mbps, with high-end Android phones not much behind at 152 Mbps. On budget devices, the speed dropped by 20 Mbps to 133 Mbps. The difference was even more stark on Verizon.
Qualcomm flagships on Verizon hit 124 Mbps, Apple devices reached 119 Mbps, but budget devices tumbled 35 Mbps to 89 Mbps.
Understanding the Discrepancies
Entner is going to dig deeper to find out the exact cause, but one thing is clear: premium devices behave differently from low-end devices on cellular networks. The most straightforward explanation is that high-end devices have more advanced modems that can tap into the highest available speeds, resulting in better network performance. T-Mobile's network is almost fully 5G Standalone, backed by a deep reservoir of midband spectrum and advanced carrier aggregation.
Jason Livingood, Comcast's Vice President, was quick to note that latency and internet hardware also impact the user experience. While faster speeds give bragging rights to a carrier, the average user doesn't use the maximum speed available. Still, for customers looking for the best possible experience, Entner's research is a reminder that flagship devices are expensive for a reason.
The research comes at an important point. With smartphone prices soaring, this is probably not a good year to buy high-end devices. However, the penalty of going with a cheaper device or sticking with your current device would mean settling for slower speeds.