Gone are the days when Apple's iPhones were laggards when it comes to 5G network speeds as it had a patent dispute with Qualcomm and used cheaper but slower Intel modems.
Nowadays, Apple's modern iPhones come with the latest Snapdragon 5G modems that are faster than probably anything else on the market, since it resolved its patent quarrel with Qualcomm by signing a 5-year contract for modem deliveries.
Nowhere is that progress as visible as with the latest iPhone 16 iPhone, 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max handsets. Armed with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X75 5G modems, they bested other phones, including Samsung's perennial Galaxy champions, in Ookla's comprehensive 5G access speed study:
The Apple iPhone 16 lineup showed a statistically significant lead for median 5G download speeds in five out of 11 countries in this study.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 family recorded the lowest (and, therefore, best) median 5G multiserver latency in 8 countries, whereas the iPhone 16 lineup led for 5G latency in one market.
The Galaxy S24 family led on median 5G upload speeds in 8 of 11 countries, while iPhone 14 and 15 devices typically showed the slowest upload speeds.
"While all devices in our study provided good speeds in the U.S., the iPhone 16’s standout performance is hard to ignore and makes a strong case for upgrading, particularly for users seeking the fastest 5G," tips Ookla, and continues that the iPhone 16 series handily beats its predecessors as well.
The iPhone 16 models hit median download speeds of 324.23 Mbps on 5G in the US, a big advantage over the Galaxy S24 series that maxed out at 287.35 Mbps 5G speeds with the same X75 modem. The iPhone 15 series clocked 244.48 Mbps downloads, while the iPhone 14 makes do with 220.76 Mbps 5G speeds.
Apple's iPhones also showed low latency of under 53 ms, an area where Samsung's handsets notched particularly good performance otherwise. In short, if you are looking for a fast 5G phone with some of the widest frequency bands range and carrier support globally, the iPhone 16 has seemingly come a long way from the days of the glacial first 5G iPhone.
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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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