# iPhone - sprint vs at&t **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 9, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-sprint-vs-at-t/599099 "2011-10-09T19:28:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-sprint-vs-at-t/599099/1 "2011-10-09T19:28:08Z")
I’ve had an iPhone on AT&T for years, and have been eagerly awaiting the new model so I could go elsewhere. Already preordered my Sprint version, because where I live (Hollywood, CA), they tend to have better service. My only concern is Internet speeds. I know AT&T 3G is better than edge, but it’s so overloaded that 3G speeds are just awful n my current phone (3G model). How comparable are speeds on sprint? I’m not interested in their theoretical maximums, but in real world usage during daytime hours in a major market like LA. Anyone have experience with both networks? I know att will have speed boost on the 4s and that it’s a stopgap before the 4g iterations come out in a year or so, but my 3G phone is all but useless since going to iOS 4. Need an upgrade bad. So trying to gauge how something like looking up traffic while on the freeway (passenger, of course) via the map app is going to work. It’s slower than molasses on current phone via 3G. Should sprint be better? Will the att speed boost make any real world difference? Ps researching post-purchase because I do ave 2 weeks to change my mind, penalty-free. Trying to get any info I can before the phones come out on Friday, then will hopefully be able to compare the two models. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-sprint-vs-at-t/599099/2 "2011-10-09T19:47:42Z")
I can’t speak for Sprint, but as a 3gS owner, I can tell you that most of the slowness you’ve experienced with maps and such has very little to do with network speed. IOS4 ran like crap on the 3g. The amount of data used for maps is in the 10’s of kilobyte range. We’re talking less then 1 second for the 3g network to download the information. The rest was the slow Iphone 3g processing the data (further hampered by IOS4). For the record, when I tether my 3gs to my laptop, I can pull up to 2 megabits down in Los angeles. That’s approximately 244k/second and more like 150k/sec average. It’s honestly not slow at all for me, but I’m closer to eagle rock, and you’re in the more iphone dense Hollywood. the 4S is probably 5-10x faster in processing speed then your 3g. It should have no problem processing maps and IOS5 functionality. Unless sprints network is \>10x slower then ATT’s network. I don’t think you’ll have a problem. ---
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-sprint-vs-at-t/599099/3 "2011-10-09T20:00:53Z")
Exactly what I needed to know, thanks. Can’t remember how well the phone worked before ios4 killed it. Well, guess I’ll try the sprint version and see what happens… Att coverage is just crap in hwd. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-sprint-vs-at-t/599099/4 "2011-10-09T23:02:01Z")
I should note that my tether speed on ATT is significantly faster then my friend’s tether speed on his Android phone on Verizon. Which means that if the supposed ‘best’ verizon network is slower then ATT(in my experience, 1 data point on each network), all bets are off for sprint’s network speed. But for normal applications, not sucking down 10’s to 100’s of megabytes of data I have a hard time imagining this would even be noticeable. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-sprint-vs-at-t/599099/5 "2011-10-09T23:09:57Z")
Sprint is CDMA for 3G, just like Verizon, so you won’t be able to talk and surf at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-sprint-vs-at-t/599099/6 "2011-10-09T23:31:23Z")
Yah I figure watching videos will be mainly wifi, but if I can reliably get emails, news, basic web browsing, then it should work. As for surfing and talking simultaneously… It’s not something that I’ve needed to do very often. I’m very much seeing this as a stop gap between my 3G brick and the beginnings of 4G which just isn’t here yet. if 4g lives up to its promise, it’s going to change everything mobile. Besides… I’m just downright offended that att charges $30/mo for unlimited texting. That’s just evil. As has been said before, extrapolate to typical home Internet usage and that’s like billing home users $1,000,000+ per month. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-sprint-vs-at-t/599099/7 "2011-10-10T00:01:19Z")
> [@filmyak](#): > > Besides… I’m just downright offended that att charges $30/mo for unlimited texting. That’s just evil. As has been said before, extrapolate to typical home Internet usage and that’s like billing home users $1,000,000+ per month. Especially since it effectively costs them nothing, since text message piggy back on existing signals.