Verizon & Sprint iPhone 4S Does Not Support HSDPA, 14.4 Mbps
on October 4, 2011 at 4:36 pm
Well, if you are on Verizon and are excited to take advantage of the HSDPA speed of the iPhone 4S, you should not be. On Apple’s iPhone 4S site it states:
“iPhone 4S is the first phone to intelligently switch between two antennas to transmit and receive, so call quality is better. It also doubles the maximum HSDPA data speeds to 14.4 Mbps. Which means faster connections, faster loading and reloading, and faster downloads. And iPhone 4S is a world phone, so you can use it almost anywhere. Whether you’re a GSM or CDMA customer, you can roam GSM networks in 200 countries around the world.”
What it does not state is that the HSDPA is only available through AT&T and not with Verizon or Sprint. So much for not needing an LTE chip in these phones because if you want to attempt to get the 14.4 Mbps download, the only way it will be possible is with AT&T. If you do decide to go with AT&T for the HSDPA, good luck finding a spot where you can find such speeds.
The AT&T iPhone is supposed to have a faster network for data than Verizon, even on the iPhone 4. I can tell you from personal experience, as I have an AT&T iPhone and my wife has Verizon, AT&T’s network is not exactly running the way it should be. You can file it under frustrating when I tell you how many times not only does she get a faster connection than me on her iPhone 4, there are several times I get no connection at all while hers is working fine.
I find it kind of odd that they failed to mention this during the keynote today. One would wonder if this could be looked at as false advertising because they clearly left some very important facts out.
@StupdLittleBlog
Area to area there will always be one network which performs better. Where are you geographically?
The actual nationwide testing reported everywhere supports your experience. It basically boils down to this:
1) Where you have a connection, AT&T trounces the others in actual speed tests in most areas.
2) AT&T conversely has the worst connection rates. AT&T iphones have a much harder time making the connection to it’s data and voice network than Verizon.
So anyone that has been with AT&T for a while and finds they do not struggle connecting in the places they spend most of their time, will benefit majorly from the HUGE HSDPA bump in speed that is coming with the 4S
Likewise, those that have spotty connections where they need them most, will do better with the slower, but more dependable Verizon and Sprint network.
Truth is I get a signal here in NYC more than 95% of the time I use my phone (which is a LOT), so I’m very seriously considering keeping on with AT&T even though I’ve spent years telling everyone that I was counting the days until I could switch to VZ.
At least for now the HSDPA is a potential game changer for me and my area.
I am in NJ… My ATT signal was better when I first purchased the iPhone. I like you said I was counting the days down, but I am going to give the HSDPA a chance. They have a year to convince me to stay or I will make the jump with the next iPhone. Looking forward to see if the new antenna system helps as well.
Not only that, but if you go to the Apple Store and click “Buy” on an iPhone, then select the “Factory Unlocked World Phone” version, you get the following text;
“The unlocked iPhone works only on supported GSM networks, such as AT&T in the U.S. When you travel internationally, you can also use a micro-SIM card from a local GSM carrier. The unlocked iPhone will not work with CDMA carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint.”
This information is also echoed in the “About the Unlocked iPhone” link on the lower left of the page.