By 
MSNBC has released the results from a comparison test of a handful of upcoming and current 4G Android smartphones. Based strictly on speed alone, the Samsung Galaxy S 4G emerged as the winner with an average peak download speed of 7.81Mbps. AT&T’s HTC Inspire 4G came in last, but the EVO Shift 4G made a valiant effort to claim the bottom spot.
You will notice no Verizon 4G phone makes the comparison. Once you throw LTE into the mix, we get the feeling the scales may tip in that direction. While this bodes well for the Galaxy S 4G, head over to our in-depth look at the current state of 4G Android phones to see where we rank it.
[via Electronista]
Why are two phones are the same t-mobile network getting such vastly different results.
This why Android wins the smartphone warss. Korean innovation now leading smartphone market and clearly demonstrated the superiority of Korean engineers by having by far the fastest handsets. Korean + Chinese + Tiawanese manufacturing = build quality + low cost + more features = Android wins = crApple lose!
@Dave G2 actually uses 3.5G, you will notice the press releases mention the Samsung Galaxy 4g as the 1st to fully utilize 4G speeds… hope that answers your question.
As too AT&T, those #s looks very very low
The Samsung Galaxy S 4G has the ability to take advantage of T-Mobile’s new and improved HSPA+ 21 network while the MyTouch 4G uses T-Mobile’s original HSPA+ network
Yeah, 4G is fast……if you have it in your area. No 4G here
U a fuckin lie! They lowered the standards! And my G2 does not get no damn 3.5G it has 4G speeds. Because they lowered the standards of 4G and now every network (Idk about AT&T) has 4G u dick. Do ya research first
Dave,
The reason the Sammy 4G is faster then the other Tmo 4G phone is because it’s using a newer version of HSPA + protocol, that the older HSPA + phones are not capable of using.
HSPA+ can vary in theoretical speeds depending on the modulation used, MIMO (multiple antennas), and multiple carriers. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Speed_Downlink_Packet_Access
ofcourse the scales will tip in LTE’s favor. There will be around 10,000 LTE devices running on the network. as apposed to Tmobiles HSDPA and HSPA+ devices running on the same network.
Man some of you guys are idiots. First of HSPA is backwards compatible, its the same technology T-Mo has been using. What they have been doing is increasing the theoretical speeds of their network. But HSPA is just the protocol it uses which is compatible with the G1, Nexus, G2, Samsung 4G, etc. Now what matters is your phone chipset’s hardware limitations. G1 and Nexus are rated upto 7.2mb/s, G2 and MT4G are both 14.4mb/s, and the new Samsung 4G is 21mb/s. Chipset plays a large role in throughput of your phone. As an example, both G1 and Nexus are rated 7.2mb/s but my Nexus is always faster than my G1. This is due to hardware, drivers, etc. There are lots of variables at play. Now they newly released Samsung 4G has the highest theoretical throughput thus far, you can expect it to be faster then the rest thats normal.
Some of you guys need to reaserch before posting dumb comments.
The galaxy s had a download speed of 21mbps, and the mt4g has a top download of 14.7, not sure why most likely a different antenna, but for sure it was plan out for sale purposes. The next step would be phones with higher download peaks to uses the hspa+42 and so for, I’m not sure about att speed mbps wise, but its a lil disappointing, as for sprint been there done that, I was very disapointed, and now this results are not a shock at all. To me wimax is a dead technology and was the wrong choice got sprint. As for lte only time will tell, right now vrz lte is blazzing fast but with such few cities with it and varely any people on it, its too early to call it anything
http://is.gd/JLG1ye
I can already beat those scores on AT&T without “4G”
-Sent from my Captivate
Woot! T-Mobile ftw! And we pay less, and we don’t have to pay for 4G!
but..but..Tmobile doesn’t REALLY have 4g ;)
What? I’ve definitely gotten up to 8mpbs down with my Evo 4G in Atlanta. Not sure where they tested but the results appear really skewed.
@vlad Most of the people on here “think” they get fast data speeds because thats what verizons LTE commercials tell them. all this is not to mention that Tmobile just has to upgrade hspa+ towers to LTE and at that point it becomes advanced LTE… but hey were all a bunch of idiots using Tmob service
forgot to mention Tmobiles current smartphones will still work on a advanced LTE network.
I really dont understand how att gets away with marketing as “the fastest mobile broadband network”. seems to me, they are pretty much dead last after verizon launches a 4g device or 2.
crApple- really , immature
You guys didn’t put the test up against the Atrix.
@matt
LTE and HSPA are comepletly different technologies and are not backward compatible.
I really don’t understand your posts…
“Phones With Updated Android O/S” Poll Show Samsung Epic as Loser
No Ice Cream – Obviously
No Gingerbread – Some phones are getting this
No Froyo – Are you kidding me!? Nine months and the update STILL isn’t out? I want my money back.
This really doesn’t prove anything, the individual devices are going to post different speeds based on location, and network congestion. In Downtown Atlanta my Evo 4G regularly exhibits 5-6mb/s down.
By Samsung epic in Atlanta gets an average of 8-10mb and peak of 12mb… my friends atmosphere mytouch4g gets 3mb peak…
“@Dave G2 actually uses 3.5G, you will notice the press releases mention the Samsung Galaxy 4g as the 1st to fully utilize 4G speeds… hope that answers your question.”
More misinformation.
The problem is that it is the carriers that are helping muddy the waters because the truth is that NO-ONE has true 4G speeds. There is a 4G spec, and neither TMO/ATT’s HSPA+, Sprint’s WiMAX or Verizon’s LTE network meet the standard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G#ITU_Requirements_and_4G_wireless_standards
Also, never take a “Press Release” as fact, it is a crafted message with truth spun to benefit the releaser of the release.
Finally, I’ve seen Qualcomm documents that claim that HSPA 21 doesn’t really result in speed gains outside VERY strong HSPA markets. IF you go to a middling HSPA market like a New York or Charlotte and compare the Samsung Galaxy s 4G (a mouthfull of letters) and the myTouch 4G, they will be about equal.
So don’t always believe the hype.
Pretty much matches what I have been getting with my EVO. Either Sprint gotta do some upgrading or its all the people with Evo’s slowing the network down. The only thing with Samsung is no Froyo, but I very envious of those speeds. Got Damn thats fast!
I have to question the testing done. I have a captivate on AT&T and I get between 4-6mbit down on average (using HSDPA). this shows AT&T’s 4g device at 3.15mbit peak. Now I’m sure speeds differ from place to place, but come on people.
Lame article. My Evo averages 7-8 Mbs in Raleigh & Charlotte NC.
Tmobile FTW, which is also going to upgrade to hspa+ 42mbts network this year and 82 next year.
I use my 4G radio on my Evo 4G at home over my wifi connection…..because shitty Optimum Online gives me average download speeds of 2.5mps and 4G gives me average download speeds of 8-10mps….with peaks up to 12mps here in Trenton, NJ. Those numbers aren’t skewed in anyway (I could care less how fast people think my phone is…I’m using it, not them) and those are indoor tests where wimax is supposed to be weaker. Fact is, a number of variables can affect a speed test (much too many to name)….everyone here knows that, so why argue about a comparison chart that only holds significant merit to the person conducting them? Chances are, I’m never gonna never gonna step foot anywhere near this guys testing locations….so why fret people?
What happen in you put an internation version phone that just work in 2G with T-Mobile network?
I want to know wherethey did there test an why they used a shitty sprint phone like the evo shift. I live in ohio and i jut ran a speed test on my 4g wimax here on my Epic and I get 8 down and 1.2 up so somebody needs to run another test because my sprint 4g beat the average of that vibrant 4g on tmobile
My policy holds—never believe MSNBC. Ever.
Dude my Epic gets no where close to 8 down here in austin tx on wimax. My buddy has a vibrant on t-mobile and he gets a pretty consistent 5 and thats not even 4g. I can only imagine the amount of crap he is going to give me once he picks up a 4g phone if these speeds hold true.
Did they even test the AT&T and Sprint phones in areas with 4G? I don’t have a lot of faith in AT&T’s network, 4G or not, but the Inspire certainly isn’t inspiring anyone with numbers barely above a non-4G iPhone. Sprint’s numbers are puzzling too because I’ve always known their 4G network to certainly be faster than that. Its almost as if they tested these devices where theres no 4G from Sprint or AT&T, which if so is a very bad comparison test. However, if these numbers are true and from real 4G areas, thats very sad on AT&T and Sprint’s part. I’m curious why the original Evo was omitted too.
I second that of not believing MSNBC EVER.
Anything that has MSNBC means it a joke. If the source was from anywhere else I would find it credible, but since you threw in MSNBC it mean absolutely nothing.
@dave…One of the main reasons are two things the hummingbird processor with the galaxy 4g is a bit better…secondly the amount of available memory is significatlly more with the galaxy 4g! The my touch only has 4 gb on internal memory! The galaxy 4g has 16 Gb of memory to store information quickly!
@casualsuede You are a bit correct in saying no one truly has what everyone wait Sprint started in saying 4g! 4g is really only what is better then 3g! However huge differences in Networks! T-mobile has expanded and will in due time roughly a year out weigh the competition in a few things! There towers are updated with fiber optic technology! T-mobile doesn’t need to reastablish a new network of towers for there change to a 4g network! Which means less money for thier consumer and faster speeds in less time! Secondly T-mobile won’t have to deal with people crowding the network! This is why AT&T took away their unl. data because to many people where on their network and blew thier towers! Verizon shows good speed test but has very few towers like sprint in only 27 cities less towers offered more crowding and slower speeds! In a year consumers will tell a difference on thier phones and wallets!
I have to start with that each of the major carriers have their issues and it is funny how we like to defend our cell service provider, phone manufacture, phone operating system or operating system version. As the current play ground stands, until there is a carrier or phone manufacture that focus’s on the user exprience oppose to profit we all suffer. Carriers, hardware and software manufactures need to get on the same page before a product is release.
There are at least three US 4G technologies in play (Wimax, LTE and HSPA/HSPA+). Carriers need to focus on providing service that connects to these spectrums. Cell phone manufacture need to build phones that have antennas that can utilizes these spectrums. Who ever does that first will deliver a quality service exprience to their customers who pay around nearly $1500 a year for phone and service.
Software and hardware manufactures need to work together better because releasing a phone or tablet that is ahead or behind the other is not acceptable. And the whole UI thing is just a mess not worth getting into.
Bottom line create a common play ground and then we would have something to measure against. But when no one wants to support working together for us as the users we are all being created in getting the rich exprience that we pay for.
Feel free to reply/chime in
opps I meant cheated not created
it must be soo tough. but there must be detailed in specs, distance, obstacle, operating system version, what happen in background process (are they iddle or not), the wheater factor and many more other aspect. I cannot wait the detailed list of the test above. did anyone have it already?
It’s not really 4G ay best this should be called 3.5G we have faster networks in Canada and they are called 3G+ it hspa + what the US calls for G is not 4G just really dumb marketing, what are they going to do once the real 4g hits the market call it 5g???
Am I the only one wondering why the author says, “the HTC EVO shift 4G made a valiant effort to claim the bottom spot” when its numbers edge out AT&T to land in the middle? Perhaps he means literally the bottom spot on his chart. :-}
Love my Galaxy S but every so often it gets buggy…drives me nuts.
I’d like to see someone actually do some due diligence and do a test in multiple markets around the country, both indoors and out, over the space of a week or so in each city. Then, give an average, as well as a city by city chart to actually see how the different technologies perform overall, not just one guy’s experience at noon in San Fran (or wherever)
damn AT&T, I get those speeds already with my Aria and Streak…
Tell me those speeds will go up once your HSDPA phones actually ship?
ALSO, why the hell is the iPhone 4 in a 4G shootout?
Well, damn AT&T. I get those speeds already with my Aria and Streak…
Tell me those speeds will go up once your HSDPA= phones actually ship?
ALSO, why the hell is the iPhone 4 in a 4G shootout? You do know that 4 doesn’t stand for 4G right? lmao
Well, damn AT&T. I get already get those kinds of speeds with my Aria and Streak…
Tell me those speeds will go up once your HSDPA+ phones actually ship?
ALSO, why the hell is the iPhone 4 in a 4G shootout? You do know that 4 doesn’t stand for 4G right? lmao
Why the hell is the iPhone 4 in a 4G shootout? You do know that 4 doesn’t stand for 4G right? lmao
Also AT&T, damn. I already get those speeds with my Aria and Streak. Those speeds will go up once your HSDPA+ phones release right?
Regardless the FLAGSHIP DEVICE FOR SPRINT IS THE HTC EVO 4G… Not the htc evo shift… Here in Newyork my htc evo 4g does very well speeds between 5 and 7×3 so I am happy with sprint. Lately speeds have changed to 2 to 4 not sure why but I will never leave sprint for anyone else… AWAITING MY HTC EVO 2 4G
Good day,
I hate to reply but I’m just laughing because most of you didn’t knowthe technology.
Tmobile and at&t using gsm then hspa+ (21 hspa+-tmobile) (14.4 hspa-AT&T) but all their 2g,3g & 4g phones are usingbthe same tower and microwave apparatus in data and calls so if they have for example, subscribers of 20 millions using voice and data same time, their speed will affected greatly even the voice because its getting same frequency and resources.
Then sprint and verizon is totally different as they have wimax and let that has no whatsoever connection to their CDMA frequency and infrastructure. So all their evdo and evdo+ (2g & 3G) is completely has different signal and only going to their old phones who has the old CDMA chipset. Then wimax and lte towers are completely different again from microwave to frequency. So wimax is only data like lte… Every single day, only some people buying evo,epic from sprint so their wimax is it not yet populated especially lte, because lte is only data with no handset for the moment and will come end of this month.
To make this thing more easy to comprehend, tmobile and AT&T using one car for all people going to party but sprint and verizon has 2 big cars to bring those people to craziness…
The advantage of tmobile to AT&T is they pushing 21 hspa+ since 2009 unlike at&t just started to be in the party late last year to make it 14.4 hspa from 7.2hspa last 2009.
That’s the reality as I have a friend who is working with them now and they just started to put the much faster speed. The will start the lte in some big cities in 3rd quarter this year then tmobile will have 42mbps hspa+ by 1st week of april,mark ny word…
Right now fastest is tmobile if you will go to all 100+ cities they have 21hspa+ then lte as just fo data only will be fast in selected cities as they dont have much people in lte to comparebto their old CDMA signal like sprint with wimax…
If some of you didnt know more bout it you can hit me at [email protected] and I’ll explain more in technical or lay mans words so you will understand how the wireless technology works now.
Thank u all & god bless…