If all you care about is download speeds -- streaming YouTube videos, browsing websites, opening e-mail attachments, etc. -- then the two newest HSPA+ devices from AT&T and T-Mobile are both high-performance machines.
The HTC Inspire 4G is AT&T's first HSPA+ 4G device (remember, HSPA+ is basically the fastest version of 3G rebranded as 4G), and it's great. As I said in my review, this 4.3-inch device is probably the best entry-level smart phone currently available, and a bargain at just $99.
The Samsung Galaxy S 4G is the revamped version of Samsung's excellent Galaxy S line of phones released last year (T-Mobile's model was dubbed the Vibrant), and runs on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network. This 4-inch, $199 machine goes on sale Wednesday and just arrived in my hands today for review, and my first impression is that it's also an excellent phone. If you bought a Vibrant just a few months, there might not be enough new stuff in the Galaxy S 4G to warrant a purchase, but it's probably the device to get if you are shopping for a new T-Mo smart phone.
Anyway, like I said, if all you care about is download speeds, these two new 4G phones offer similar performance.
But let's talk about upload speeds.
If you shoot a lot of photos or videos that you want to upload to YouTube, Twitter, etc., or plan to send out e-mails with large attachments, then it's critical to measure the speeds going from your phone to the Internet.
And by that measurement, the Galaxy S 4G is the clear winner.
I got interested in this question when I read this Engadget post noting that an upload technology called HSUPA is disabled on the Inspire.
No one's sure why, apparently, but the bottom line is that the Inspire doesn't live up to its 4G moniker when it comes to upload speeds. For most users, I don't think this will be a huge deal.
But since, as I said, I just got the Galaxy 4G in my hands today, I thought this was a perfect chance to compare two new HSPA+ devices from different manufacturers on different carriers.
What I found using the SpeedTest.net app was that while both devices produced average download speeds of about 3 megabits per second, the Inspire had average upload speeds of only about 150 kilobits per second.
The Galaxy S 4G, by contrast, produced an average upload speed of about 1.2 megabits per second, or nearly 10 times faster than on the Inspire.
That's a huge difference, and if you care about upload speeds, then clearly the Galaxy S 4G is a much better option.
If HTC and/or AT&T can get around to fixing the HSUPA issue on the Inspire, I'll let you know.
source. http://techblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/t-mobiles-samsung-galaxy-s-4g.html
The HTC Inspire 4G is AT&T's first HSPA+ 4G device (remember, HSPA+ is basically the fastest version of 3G rebranded as 4G), and it's great. As I said in my review, this 4.3-inch device is probably the best entry-level smart phone currently available, and a bargain at just $99.
The Samsung Galaxy S 4G is the revamped version of Samsung's excellent Galaxy S line of phones released last year (T-Mobile's model was dubbed the Vibrant), and runs on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network. This 4-inch, $199 machine goes on sale Wednesday and just arrived in my hands today for review, and my first impression is that it's also an excellent phone. If you bought a Vibrant just a few months, there might not be enough new stuff in the Galaxy S 4G to warrant a purchase, but it's probably the device to get if you are shopping for a new T-Mo smart phone.
Anyway, like I said, if all you care about is download speeds, these two new 4G phones offer similar performance.
But let's talk about upload speeds.
If you shoot a lot of photos or videos that you want to upload to YouTube, Twitter, etc., or plan to send out e-mails with large attachments, then it's critical to measure the speeds going from your phone to the Internet.
And by that measurement, the Galaxy S 4G is the clear winner.
I got interested in this question when I read this Engadget post noting that an upload technology called HSUPA is disabled on the Inspire.
No one's sure why, apparently, but the bottom line is that the Inspire doesn't live up to its 4G moniker when it comes to upload speeds. For most users, I don't think this will be a huge deal.
But since, as I said, I just got the Galaxy 4G in my hands today, I thought this was a perfect chance to compare two new HSPA+ devices from different manufacturers on different carriers.
What I found using the SpeedTest.net app was that while both devices produced average download speeds of about 3 megabits per second, the Inspire had average upload speeds of only about 150 kilobits per second.
The Galaxy S 4G, by contrast, produced an average upload speed of about 1.2 megabits per second, or nearly 10 times faster than on the Inspire.
That's a huge difference, and if you care about upload speeds, then clearly the Galaxy S 4G is a much better option.
If HTC and/or AT&T can get around to fixing the HSUPA issue on the Inspire, I'll let you know.
source. http://techblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/t-mobiles-samsung-galaxy-s-4g.html
