Qualcomm shares research displaying Androids beat iPhone 16e on 5G

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TL;DR

A Qualcomm-commissioned report has discovered that Apple’s C1 modem lags behind Qualcomm’s final two flagship modems. The report discovered that two Android telephones with Qualcomm modems constantly outperformed the iPhone 16e and its customized modem. The Android telephones opened the hole to the iPhone 16e as they moved away from the cell towers.

Apple launched the iPhone 16e earlier this 12 months, and this can be a landmark launch because it contains the corporate’s first mobile modem. We’ve already seen experiences about its efficiency, and now a Qualcomm-commissioned research has revealed some (unsurprising) outcomes.

Mobile Insights posted a report evaluating two Qualcomm-powered Android telephones to the iPhone 16e and its Apple C1 modem. The corporate examined these telephones in New York Metropolis in varied real-world environments whereas related to T-Cellular’s sub-6GHz community. It added that these assessments had been carried out in “near-, far-, and mid-cell” circumstances.

One among these Android telephones was described as a January 2025 flagship with the Snapdragon X80 modem and a $799 price ticket. In the meantime, the opposite cellphone was described as a January 2024 flagship with a barely older Snapdragon X75 modem and a $619 price ticket. We’re guessing that the previous is the Samsung Galaxy S25. Based mostly on the discharge date, it looks as if the latter machine is a Galaxy S24.

So which one was higher? The report discovered that the Android telephones constantly beat the iPhone 16e in all conditions. It particularly mentioned that the Android telephones had been 34.3% to 35.2% sooner on common than the Apple machine when it comes to obtain speeds. There was an enormous benefit when it comes to common add speeds, because the Android units had been a claimed 81.4% to 91% sooner.

Mobile Insights reported that the iPhone 16e narrowed the hole to the Android telephones in near-cell circumstances, however that the Android units stretched their lead as they moved to mid-cell and far-cell circumstances. It prompt that this disparity was because of the Qualcomm modems supporting downlink provider aggregation and uplink provider aggregation (ULCA) options, whereas the Apple C1 appeared “constrained on the downlink and lacks observable ULCA help.”

So what was the important thing takeaway? Right here’s what the corporate needed to say:

The Android A and B smartphones powered by Qualcomm modems ship measurably superior efficiency in real-world 5G standalone environments. Whereas the iPhone 16e powered by Apple C1 performs adequately beneath optimum RF and community load circumstances, it lags considerably in edge circumstances—the very situations the place next-generation modems are anticipated to excel.

You’ll need to take these outcomes with a wholesome dose of salt as Qualcomm commissioned the research in any case. Nonetheless, it’s been the undisputed chief within the mobile modem area for over a decade now, and that is merely Apple’s first modem. So it’s not a shock to see Qualcomm’s modems delivering sooner speeds. Nevertheless, it does counsel that you just’re higher off with a premium Android cellphone if you happen to’re always in areas with less-than-ideal protection, notably on T-Cellular.

The research additionally comes after Ookla reported that the iPhone 16e supplied “higher worst-case speeds” than the iPhone 16, however that the latter machine supplied greater top-end speeds. It’s value noting that the iPhone 16 makes use of a much less succesful Snapdragon X72 modem than up to date Android telephones anyway.

In any occasion, Apple doesn’t look like standing nonetheless on the modem entrance. An obvious Apple modem roadmap means that the corporate’s 2026 launch will provide mmWave help and improved provider aggregation applied sciences forward of a possible Qualcomm-rivaling modem in 2027.

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