The speeds of smartphone data downloads are determined by a combination of the modem chips used in the device and the software that tunes the hardware. Apple uses a mix of modems from Intel Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. in the newest iPhones. Verizon and Sprint models in addition to those purchased without a carrier from an Apple retail store use Qualcomm components, while the phones designed for AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile US Inc. use cellular modems from Intel.
Qualcomm’s latest modems are usually speedier than the ones built by Intel, but Apple uses software to keep the speeds of the Qualcomm chips closer to that of the Intel devices.
Huawei Technologies Co.’s Mate 10 Pro, a phone for the U.S. market, recorded the slowest average speeds of 22 Mbps, based on a small sample size of 884 phones.
Qualcomm, the biggest maker of mobile phone modem chips, put out its own view of the numbers Monday, arguing that Apple phones that don’t use its chips are slower than competing devices, and even those that do, are slower than other devices with the same connection component.
Apple and Qualcomm are embroiled in a worldwide legal dispute in which Apple is arguing that the chipmaker has unfairly used its position in such chips to force it and other phone makers to pay technology licensing fees. Apple has pared back its reliance on Qualcomm and used Intel modems for some of its phones.
Article Appeared @https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-23/apple-s-iphones-trail-samsung-google-devices-in-internet-speeds