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T-Mobile Will Give You $1,000 If Your iPhone 4 is Faster Than a Galaxy S 4G

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T-Mobile – yet again – is laying down the gauntlet. They want you to stop in with your pretty iPhone and see if it can outperform the Samsung Galaxy S 4G in data speeds. Think it’s possible? If you’re successful, you’ll get $1,000 to go home with from T-Mobile. A catch, you say? Why, of course! Your iPhone can be on Verizon or AT&T, but you must be connected to their respective 3G networks during the test.

Verizon’s iPhone 4 is 3G only and AT&T’s has no support for HSPA+. Doesn’t seem like anything but a gutsy marketing tactic after you consider those unfair conditions. I don’t think I’d even waste time going into a T-Mobile store, but I’m sure the average consumer would be sucked in by it. What about you guys? [T-Mobile via BGR]

Quentyn Kennemer
The "Google Phone" sounded too awesome to pass up, so I bought a G1. The rest is history. And yes, I know my name isn't Wilson.

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69 Comments

  1. Thats hardly a fair challenge but whatever.

    What I don’t like, PHANDROID, is all the pop up ads on your site lately! I know you guys have to make money and all, and over the past 6 months or so you’ve really littered your site with ads on top, bottom and to the sides….but lately these pop up ads that you’re forced to “X” out are getting tiresome and I would like to suggest NOT shoving them in our faces the way you’re doing. Cut a brotha some slack will ya?

    1. AMEN to that!

    2. firefox and ad block+ does wonders!

      1. Not through the phone it doesn’t

        1. adfree android if you’re on a phone..

          1. Admuncher is a beast on PC.

        2. it does if you use FF mobile!!

          (or the official phandroid app)

  2. i agree.. its very annoying.. to be reading and article and then have to stop to look at some big thunderbolt ad, pop up across the screen..

    1. lol, and the x to get out is on the left, wtf?

  3. Only if you are located near one of the participating stores. You better believe they are going to have 4G at all those stores. To bad the challenge isn’t open to the thunderbolt, they would like silly and give away a bunch of cash.

    1. LOL, I’d walk home a rich man if I took my Thunderbolt.

      1. If your battery lasts long enough to complete the download test…

  4. How do we know they arent using a micro-cell?

    1. They probably are. Just like any AT&T store makes sure you have 100% coverage in any of their stores with micro-cells

      1. That’s so false, I’ve been in an AT&T store losing service (yes, a corporate store) while trying to call customer support. Not all of them have microcells, I promise you that.

  5. To make it fair, they could do hardware speed tests instead of network….. oh wait, the 4g would still win in a landslide.

  6. …what the crap? What a dumb thing of T-mobile…its the old vs the new…say that ish with a G phone when the iphone 5 comes out…that’s a real test…Alol….wow.

    1. It’s an advertising tactic. Lighten up, Francis.

      1. he likes to be called chainsaw!!

      2. “Lighten up, Francis” LMAO!!!! Been a long time since I’ve seen a “Stripes” quote!!

      3. iknow what it is sir…but its a dumb one…and this is my point…Francis…whatever that means alol

    2. The old verses the new.. how long has the Verizon i-phone been out ?

      1. still old tech…just on a new network…network does not make old tech new tech.

  7. its not fair challenge that is the whole fucking point… their phone is 4g, its faster then the notorious “iphone” … what is wrong in making iphone fanboys realize that first hand… all of them bitch “ahh 4g is a lie my iphone is still super uber fast” then they walk in to a store and lose hands down to another phone because the iphone ISN’T the fastest thing on the block. its proving a point, not “cheating” or setting “unfair” rules, its stating that other phones ARE faster then the iphone

    1. Agreed. Amazing how many miss the obvious.

      1. The obvious is that the iphone 4 was released 10 months ago?
        The galaxy s is a faster phone, which is expected with newer technology.

        1. You’re still missing the point.

    2. The sad thing is, the only reason this comment is getting likes is because he is bashing the iphone. His logic on the whole thing is lacking at best. I am no iphone fanboy and love my Thunderbolt and OG Droid. He contradicts himself as that being unfair was the point and then saying its not setting unfair rules.

      1. lol you still don’t get the point do you? okay, one more analogy.

        back to cars,

        if i invented the nascar, and wanted to show you that it is faster than your 2008 Torus, i would do that by having an all out race would i not? my point is to showcase that something is faster than the other, it doesn’t matter what they are. throttling the nascar to only have 120hp and max revs at 8,000RPM is stupid when it is CAPABLE of more.

        the galaxy 4g is CAPABLE of HIGHER MOBILE speed than the iPhone, I still don’t get what the fuck confuses you about this. they are SHOWING that the iPhone CANNOT beat the Galaxy in mobile speeds. it doesn’t matter what technology it uses, it is still faster.

        if you race a straight 4 against a V12… well yes the V12 wins because it is faster, not because the straight 4 was handicapped, it went all out too… just like the iPhone will for whoever tries this. their iPhone will goo 100% of what it is capable of, and the galaxy will do the same and blow it away, that is the entire point.

        if your still lost after this, PM me, I know a few special schools that would love to have your enrollment.

        1. I’m not surprised you know of a few special schools. All of which you have or are currently attending. Nyuk Nyuk. We can insult each other all day and see different points in TMobile’s reason in doing this contest. I was simply arguing the point of fairness in doing such a contest. You say its completely fair and I see it as unfair. I will continue using your “car analogy” to further my unfair reasoning behind this. T-Mobile is hoping to get the morons that go into these select stores to drop their service with AT&T or Verizon by offering them money for a trade in when they lose. They have no intention on giving out $1,000. To make it fair, they should allow you to bring in any phone of your chosing from these carriers. Its like T-mobile trying to call you out on a race against its stock 2011 Mustang GT, but you have to use your 2008 Taurus even though you have a supercharged 2011 Mustang Boss 302R in the garage at home. Like how I’m keeping the Ford theme going. The whole point is to bring people into the store with the premise of winning $1,000 knowing the iphone doesn’t stand a chance. BTW, the iphone is capable of more data speeds but its current network providers do not supply the data band its equipped for. It is being throttled back. Like having an empty N02 tank or sand bagging a faster car. If they wanted to make it fair, there should be at least some kind of odds in winning and not a zero chance in hell kind of odds.

          1. but its about comparing real world usage, and that is what they are trying to show people. if you own an iPhone, now matter what you do you are only going to get 3g speeds at what the carrier provides, they are trying to show people that their galaxy phone in the real world could run laps around their iPhone data speed wise, which it can.

            It’s all marketing as we have already covered, but still not all things are created equal, they are just putting it in the spot light that put up against the most famed “untouchable” phone (the iPhone) their phone can win. which is a good point to make when you are trying to convince customers your network and phones are superior. which is this case they both pretty much are.

          2. and they are doing it fairly since neither phone is being handicapped…

          3.  Jesus dude you are stupid beyond belief…
            I work as a cell phone technician, and from my technical experience (which really is not needed for this) comparing speeds between a 3G phone to a 4G phone is not a comparison, its a statement. If you want to have a comparison, put the Thunderbolt up against the  Galaxy S 4G, which btw has been done, and the Thunderbolt’s LTE speeds destroyed the wannabe 4Garbage that T-Mobile claims to have….
            Do your research before spewing your incompetence over the internet, it makes intelligent people get a headache…..and remember, your entitled to your own opinion does not give you an open door to talk about something you clearly know nothing about.

  8. everyone hear knows that the galaxy s is way faster but for the average consumer they think the iphone is the greatest, fastest, strongest, slimmest, sexiest thing on the market. This is for the majority of consumers not the informed consumer.

  9. You completely fail to mention it’s only at 10 participating locations, I’m assuming all with 4G coverage. I believe the number of locations is extremely limited, like around 10 I think.

  10. IPhone 4,5,6,7 still suck against android galaxy or not

  11. You sir are an idiot. Of course its setting “unfair” rules. When their phone is allowed to use a next gen data connection and the iphone has to use the only option it has, 3g. Its like saying I will pay you $1,000 if your computer with a 56k modem can beat my cable equipped computer in a download contest. T- Mobile isnt doing this contest to give away a grand. They are doing it to try to get you in the store and try to sell you their service.

    1. This was suppose to be a reply to covert_death.

      1. im an idiot? yet im the only one that understands the point of this? they are saying that their phone is faster then the iPhone and if any one wants to challenge that they will give them 1,000$ if they beat them. but they won’t because Tmob’s phone truly is faster than any iPhone, its not “unfair” its just life. they are enlightening customers that their precious little iPhone ISN’T the fastest thing ever like they think it is, they are SHOWING them, HEY, OUR phone is FASTER then your phone when NO LIMITATION is placed on EITHER mobile connection… so sorry your iPhone doesn’t get 4g but you cannot tell me its an unfair test.

        if you race a nascar against a torus, are you going to complaign that the race was unfair? as long as you drove the same track and did the same amount of laps and started at the same time it’s a fair race, just cause your car isn’t equal to a nascar doesn’t make it unfair, it just means that a nascar kicks your POS cars ass, FAIRLY

        1. This is without a doubt the dumbest post I have ever read….

          1. Sorry jroc….lol!

        2. Apparantly you do not get it. This isnt a hardware competition, its a data network competition. I dont have an iphone and I never will. Why doesnt T-Mobile open it up to other phones running another carriers 4g. The answer is, hecause they know they will get beat. My Thunderbolt would have no problem beating the galaxy s 4g in a data race. No carrier has a true 4g network going at this moment. Everyone is calling their new data speeds 4g only because its a step up from 3g. Its all just a marketing ploy, like I said, to get you to go into their stores so they can try to sell you their service. Something phandroid didnt mention is that if you lose TMobile will give you $300 to trade in your iphone for the galaxy s 4g. They will then in turn, sell your old iphone to turn a profit on top of the contract they got you signed on. Anyone with a brain can see that TMobile intentionally made it an unfair race to bring down the idiots that are actually going to try this. This race is about drivers not cars. They have Jeff Gordon and you have to use the old lady that drives 25 in a 40. BTW its Taurus.

          1. its because, not hecause

            i dont give a shit how the car is spelled lol

            if someone walks up to me in a park and says hey i bet you 1,000$ my iPhone has a faster connection then your Galaxy 4G, im not gonna say: okay here, let me turn off my 4G and throttle my speeds down so its a neck to neck race :) … that would just be stupid, im going to use my 4g because my phone is capable of it. but YOU are saying Tmob SHOULD do that??? that makes no fucking sense at all man.

            use some logic please.

    2. What next Gen connection. Tmobile is still using their 3G network. Isn’t that what everyone was crying about that Tmobiles advertised 4G network isnt really 4G.

  12. Crying that marketing hypes Tmobiles 3G as 4G. Now that T-Mobile is saying compare yours to ours theres an unfair advantage? So from all your whines isn’t Tmobile still a 3G network so isn’t the comparison valid? Sometimes I think you fanboys have all your heads up your ass

  13. Geeze people, it’s not about being fair. It’s about getting people to look at your product, and hopefully, buy it.

  14. This is hilarious…..anything to be mentioned in the same breath as the iPhone…..how pathetic! Hey TMobile, how about pitting your poor excuse for a 4G network against a phone that actually CLAIMS to be 4G????? The depths to which some people will sink….

    1. Apple Insider called and they need you at the site to drool over the white iPhone.

      1. Based upon the lines forming today in China and the rest of the world tomorrow there are already enough people drooling over it….

        1. Can’t help but drool when you’re a retar….. Oh, did I almost say that?

          1. i think you just won the thread.

          2. Lol! Gotta admit that was a good one…..

    2. Your bridge called to let you know that goats have been walking across it willy nilly since you’ve been out from underneath it.

      1. Well the jerk store called….

    3. I believe the comparison is between phones, not networks. The point being that the phone on a “poor excuse for a 4G network”, is faster than the iPhone which is limited to 3G networks. T-Mobile is not the problem. Blame Apple for not making the iPhone compatible with any current 4G network.

      1. So if the comparison is between phones and not networks, then what exactly is the point of comparing the speed of a 4G phone to a 3G phone?? I’ll tell you the point: it is simply their attempt to somehow be viewed in a favorable light against the iPhone; further proof that the iPhone remains the gold standard by which all other smartphones are measured. Otherwise they would have measured themselves against the Evo or the TBolt…..but they don’t have nearly as much to gain by going against those phones, in addition to the fact that they would most likely lose….

        1. I answered your question in the second sentence of my reply. Please excuse me if it was rhetorical.

          I agree with “it is simply their attempt to somehow be viewed in a favorable light against the iPhone” and “the fact that they would most likely lose” compared to the EVO or ThunderBolt. I disagree with the rest, and i will use an analogy similar to the one Covert_Death used earlier to explain why.

          If there are people who believe that a Toyota Prius is just as fast, or faster than a Ford Mustang, then Ford might set up a race to set the record straight. That does not make the Prius the gold standard by which all other cars are measured. Ford would not set up a race against a Porsche or a Ferrari because, in addition to obvious reasons, that would not prove that a Mustang is faster than a Prius.

        2. The point is… you still have people who are like the famous cartoon.. and you don’t want T Mobile to make their cat’s orphans do you ?.. Throwing out a grand challenge just might get their attention .. for a minute.. and then they will go back to their brain dead selves.

  15. Thunderbolt – WAY FASTER, but if the battery life claims are true, then I think the Galaxy S is a better bet.

  16. Pretty easy to collect on this if you’re in the las vegas area… I was down there a few weeks ago and i couldn’t do better than Edge speeds on the HSDPA+ network… Granted there were 95,000 geeks in town too for NAB, not sure how many were roaming on Tmo’s network, but it sure did suck.

  17. In Tempe az my Verizon 3g was faster than tmob 4g in a tmob store using the same speed test app. But I have a crap DROID Pro. This was done 10x in a row. Tmob sales rep asked me to leave the store..

  18. Great move, but my Nexus consistently beat out the IPHONE 4G

    1. Nexus One that is

  19. I don’t see why everyone is bitching about this being unfair. People play the lottery every day (and they even pay for it). If you win, then sweet you get a $1000 dollars, if not then cut your losses and leave the store. It’s not like you loose anything by trying it besides a few minutes of your time. If your do actually try it then you might actually be enlightened, after all the whole point of this is to show that Apple does not equal god and that the iPhone is not the best thing to happen since water.

  20. lol at the amount of stupid reactions psoted here.
    It’s a joke guys! Of course 4G > 3G……they just used the iPhone as an example because they know iPhone users aren’t t-mobile customers and iPhones are known everywhere int he world.
    It’s not an actual bet, just a marketing stunt to attract attention…..omg some of you guys make me lsoe hope in humanity

  21. Unfair or not. I applaud tmo for this. Screw the iphone And att. This isn’t about fairness you numskulls. Since when has business and competition been fair?? The point is hey check out our phone. It’s faster, both network AND phone performance on any galaxy s phone poops on i4. TMO wants everyone to know this. We know this. So how do you attract Isheep? You play dirty just like att and apple. Epic win for tmo.

  22. So it’s not against the rules to explode a verizon tower?

  23. GOOD JOB TMOBILE !!!
    CRUSH THAT APPLE PHONE !!!

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