iPhone 5 VS Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE: 4G speed test

The Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE has just launched in the UK, but how does its 4G performance compare to the Apple iPhone 5?

EE has just announced a 4G version of the Galaxy S3 – the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE – is now available on Orange or T-Mobile.  EE invited us to try out 4G on a selection of handsets, including the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE, HTC One XL and Huawei Ascend P1 LTE.

4G speeds were impressive, apps opened downloaded quickly. But what we really wanted to find out was how the 4G performance of the Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE compare.

Using the Speedtest.net app (installed by EE) we compared download and upload speeds on the iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE to find out which phone was quicker:

Check out the video to find out more, alternatively the results are listed below.

Round 1

Apple iPhone 5

• Download: 12.44Mbps
• Upload: 11.88Mbps
• Ping: 47 milliseconds

Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE

• Download: 22Mbps
• Upload: 15.74Mbps
• Ping: 61 milliseconds
   

Round 2

Apple iPhone 5

• Download: 32.09Mbps
• Upload: 12.95Mbps
• Ping: 45 milliseconds
   

Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE

• Download: 42.16Mbps
• Upload: 15.73Mbps
• Ping: 53 milliseconds
   

Round 3

Apple iPhone 5

• Download: 22.46Mbps
• Upload: 13.07Mbps
• Ping: 47 milliseconds
   

Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE

• Download: 37.63Mbps
• Upload: 17.86Mbp
• Ping: 53 milliseconds
   

Round 4

Apple iPhone 5

• Download: 40.73Mbps
• Upload: 20.45Mbps
• Ping: 46 milliseconds
   

Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE

• Download: 45.33Mbps
• Upload: 16.17Mbps
• Ping: 56 milliseconds
   

Round 5

Apple iPhone 5

• Download: 22.75Mbps
• Upload: 12.96Mbps
• Ping: 54 milliseconds
   

Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE

• Download: 38.24Mbps
• Upload: 13.64Mbps
• Ping: 53 milliseconds
   

Verdict

Overall the Samsung Galaxy S3 produced faster download speeds in all five tests, the difference ranged from 5Mbps to 15Mbps faster than the iPhone 5. Upload speeds were closer and the iPhone 5 was actually faster in one test. We speculate that the metal chassis may have something to do with the iPhone’s poorer performance, along with the way it’s optimised.

Interestingly we found the iPhone 5’s scores using the app fluctuated wildly – so much so that we actually swapped to a new iPhone 5 (which didn’t make much difference). iPhone 5 download speeds ranged from 12.44Mbps to 40.73Mbps, in contrast the Samsung Galaxy S3’s download speeds ranged from 22Mbps to 45.33Mb. 

4G speeds varied depending on our location within the room – some parts of the room accessed a stronger signal than others, it’s worth pointing out that 4G is in its live testing period ahead of the customer launch. However even the low speeds are impressive and using the phones on EE’s 4G network has whetted our appetite for 4G.

It’s worth nothing that these tests were not performed under strict conditions and are based around the findings of one app and EE’s 4G network has not launched for customers yet. When we get hold of fully working units of both phones we will try them out in different locations and perform some more real-world tests.