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It’s not just Samsung – now Qualcomm is bashing iPhone specs …

It’s not just Samsung claiming iPhone specifications don’t match those of its competitors – now Qualcomm is joining in …

Samsung last week posted three 30-second ads making fun of the iPhone X. One referenced the lack of a fast-charger in the box – something Apple is reportedly correcting this year. A second poked fun at the lack of a headphone socket, and the third pointed to Samsung’s Galaxy S9 getting a (slightly) higher score for its camera in DxOMark tests.

This followed an earlier ad about download speeds. Qualcomm takes a similar tack in a blog post referencing the same Ookla speed-test comparisons between the Qualcomm X20 modem, found in flagship Android phones like the above-mentioned S9, and the Intel XMM 7480 modem found in the iPhone X.

A recent analysis by Ookla, a global leader in internet testing and network diagnostics, of Speedtest Intelligence data revealed double-digit gains in latency and triple-digit gains in download and upload speeds for Snapdragon 845 Android smartphones versus Intel-based non-Android smartphones. Specifically, the analysis measured the capabilities of the Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform with Snapdragon X20 LTE and the Intel XMM 7480 and 7360 modems in non-Android smartphones on AT&T and T-Mobile cellular networks. Overall, the cellular performance of Android smartphones based on the Snapdragon 845 outpaced the Intel devices in every evaluated metric.

Ookla generated the data by noting the device identifier of people using the Speedtest app, then breaking down the results by the modem used in each model. However, the ‘up to’ qualifier on the numbers makes it hard to get a true like-for-like comparison.

Qualcomm and Apple are not exactly best buddies at present, with the companies engaged in a series of lawsuits and countersuits over the chipmaker’s patent claims. Apple seems to want out of the whole mess, reportedly planning on designing its own modem chips for future iPhones.


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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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