Comment by ksec | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ksec | Hacker News Reader

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>I only ask because this was the first model shipped with an Intel modem

7, 8 / X All had a version with Intel Modem. XS is, however the first model to ship only with Intel Modem.

I don't think it has horrendous Data Speed. But it is certainly has a different characteristics to Qualcomm Modem. XS is generally weaker with signals, and we are not quite sure if it was the 4x4 MIMO or the Intel Modem. XR doesn't seems to be as bad so a guess would be due to Apple's implementation of 4x4 Antenna. While ALL phones had problems with 4x4 Antenna in their first generation, that includes Samsung and Huawei, you generally expect Apple, being a year late to the tech would have ironed out most of it.

But generally speaking, a Qualcomm Modem would still get better signal than Intel. This is especially a problem in US where the Cell Tower Density is lower as compared to Asia / EU counterpart.

There has also been 3 to 4 Modem Firmware revision since launch, and likely more to come in iOS 12.2, let just hope ( pray ) Intel's next Modem 7660 is actually better. And Apple could actually put a rounding error budget into their Antenna Design, because as far as Flagship Smartphone is concerned, iPhone has the worst one.

Or Qualcomm will relent and work with Apple again, but judging from the Court testimony this seems highly unlikely.

I've noticed my iPhone 8 (confirmed Intel modem) has a terrible time with weaker signals compared to my wife's Samsung 6.

I am surprised there hasn't been more buzz about the degraded antenna performance by the public.

Carriers are lying about signal strength.

I think people don't switch between iPhones and Android phones enough to notice.

I certainly noticed when I switched from my iPhone X to a Pixel 3 XL. I went to known dead spots, and my Pixel 3 worked just fine. I had just chalked it up to T-Mobile sucking but I guess it was really the phone.

Trying to be just mildly sarcastic here, but do you think this will be a case of "you're holding it wrong"?

I know where the attenaes are placed versus where your hand is placed can block signal. But is this a similar case, or just a limitation of the tech? I mean 5G uses higher wavelengths, which inherently penetrate weeker into structures, etc. So: what's the problem? I only briefly studied antennae theory in college and have never practiced in theory, so I hope its viewed as an honest question.

When i went from Pixel 2 to iPhone XR, the signal drop is noticeable also i find LTE speeds are faster on Pixel 2 than on XR.

This is interesting. Do you work in a field where you get to test phone modems?

http://cellularinsights.com/iphone7/

AFAIK there is still a sensitivity and LTE capability gap between Qualcomm and Intel.

Kind of sad Apple doesn't think that's worth the extra ~$10 or so on a $1000 phone.

> Kind of sad Apple doesn't think that's worth the extra ~$10 or so on a $1000 phone.

I believe cost is only one part of the reason. The much more important part is, I think, control.

I think at this point the bridge between Apple and Qualcomm is pretty well burned, especially after all the legal nastiness. I'm wondering if Apple will move some of its chip design talent to fabricating their own modems. It seems that Apple has been trying to pull more stuff in-house for greater integration and performance (plus more profit). This is also supported a job posting someone uncovered: https://bgr.com/2018/05/01/iphone-5g-chip-apple-qualcomm-int...

Apple really doesn't like putting all their eggs in a single vendor basket.

It was my understanding that when Apple started using both Intel and Qualcomm modems that Qualcomm started telling Apple they would have to pay "full price" for patent licensing on the Intel modems, and things deteriorated.

Who paid for that "study"?

Qualcomm...

Yeah, no.

"This study has been done entirely independently, and Cellular Insights takes full responsibility for the analysis and opinions in this report. We have self-funded the procurement of iPhone 7 Plus units through commercial retail channels."

????

So... who paid for it?

independently

in·de·pend·ent·ly

/ˌindəˈpendəntlē/

adverb

1. in a way that is free from outside control or influence.

2. without outside help; unaided.

Who paid for it?

We all know ho paid for it, so you can keep repeating whatever you want.

They said they fully did it on their own. I guess you like unsupported conspiracy theories? Is that your thing?

It appears the site is run by Milan Milanović, who works for Ookla. He writes extensively on wired and wireless networks.

https://www.speedtest.net/insights/blog/author/milan/

Sure thing, he bought equipament that costs millions of dollars and did that just so he could post on his site that only opened when Apple started not using Qualcomm modems, right?

It's Qualcomm propaganda, like it or not.

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