Video Shootout: Apple iPhone on 2.5G EDGE vs. 3G HSDPA

YouTube user “ApplicandoMovie” has posted a video of the same Apple iPhone displayed side-by-side on 2.5G EDGE vs. 3G HSDPA (via Wi-Fi using an iMac with an HSDPA modem) to give viewers an idea of the speed differences between the two cellular wireless technologies.

The test shows the same website loading in 30 seconds on 2.5G EDGE vs. 16 seconds on 3G HSDPA.

Video Shootout: Apple iPhone on 2.5G EDGE vs. 3G HSDPA:
(in Italian and English)

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Len” for the heads up.]

31 Comments

  1. There was a video like this ages ago that showed iPhone EDGE vs 3G on a Nokia N95 and the iPhone won considerably, so I think the iPhone must be able to process much more efficiently than most other 3G mobiles at the moment, meaning true 3G on the iPhone could be lightning quick compared to ‘current’ 3G speeds

  2. Just my thought, but in the USA, you are going to have to sell both phones. Coverage is the thing. a phone is worthless if it does not have the coverage that I need.

    If I live in a big city and get great 3gen coverage, great. If I fly around the country and need coverage everywhere, well, that is what I need.

    Just the facts, lady.

    ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />

  3. AT&T;is going to have to pump up their 3G coverage…plain and simple. The demand is already there…we look like dweebs to the rest of the planet. While we’re slurping that last bit of money from the straw of our strawberry milkshake, the rest of the world has milked a hundred cows and made a hundred strawberry pies.

  4. ATT has already started offering free WiFi so I expect them to use that as an alternative….

    I’m looking forward to 3G ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />

  5. You guys should get out more. ATT has been expanding its 3G network for over a year, and it is now available in most of the US.

    Add to that, the probability that someone needing 3G, then traveling to areas that don’t have it (now or in the near future), AND doesn’t have wireless availability (which is faster than 3G), is very slight.

    ATT and 3G is a non-issue.

  6. From one of Apple’s iPhone pages, there’s a link you can follow to see if AT&T;offers coverage (voice, data, etc.) in your area. You can also use this feature to get a “big picture” view of AT&T;’s coverage.

    It’s been a couple months since I used that tool, but I remember that 3G coverage wasn’t very plentiful outside of major metro areas. So if you live in moderately large towns outside of metro area coverage, 3G may not really be a factor for you.

  7. Argelius,

    I think YOU need to get out more. While they are expanding, I think if you look at a map, you will see the VAST OVERWHELMING majority of the USA is NOT covered by AT&T;3G service. Not by a LONG shot.

  8. First off, this is a great video with a fantastic sound track and everything; very professionally done. I get tired of seeing a lonely guy, at 2:00 a.m., giving a demonstration from his bedroom at his Mom’s house.

    However, web sites and network speeds are kind of relative. I’ve seen a demonstration of the iPhone on WiFi that was slower than Edge. It’s all dependent on many factors; how strong the signal is, how many other people are using the same network, etc.

    Not that I’m putting down 3G. I welcome faster, new, and improved connection capabilities with the newer iPhones.

  9. The iPhone with HSDPA would probably load it in 10 seconds.

    And let’s remember, guys, that mostly all 3G phones have EDGE as a backup for when you can’t get a 3G signal.

  10. The song behind the vid is a demo song that shipped with Apple’s Jam Pack Remix Tools. Of course, using any of the Jam Pack content, including demo songs, is 100% license free, use for anything, even a feature film. Go Apple!

    ps- when do I get a newer, more modern Remix Tools!??? While I’m surprised at how current the software instruments and even some of the loops sound, some of it is pretty ancient in dance culture history.. 2-Step!?

  11. >Mac-nugget wrote: EDGE on my iPhone can be tolerably slow to painfully useless. It depends where I am, and the time of day.

    Agreed.

    I’d add that speed decreases while in a moving vehicle. Maybe the movement between towers has something to do with it, I don’t know. Being indoors dramatically reduces speed as well.

  12. Sqe, here’s the trick.

    Go to the coverage viewer. Click on data. Zoom in one level from the nation. Look for the dark blue areas.

    Get outside any major metropolitan area and it’s non-existant. And you don’t have to get that far outside one, either.

    That said, I’m one of those waiting for 3G because I have coverage in my area.

Reader Feedback

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.