Browsing with Atrix "4G" slower than D1 3G

[yiannis]

People's obsession with the speedtest.net application is I think missing the fact that their speeds are often not the major factor deciding how fast the webpage loads.

These tests have been conducted in parallel in the same area:

My D1 @800 Mhz speedtest average: ~700kbps
Colleague's Dx stock: ~1.5kbps
Colleague's Atrix stock: ~1.4kbps

Real web-browsing results for many websites (nytimes, huffingtonpost, drudgerepport, in.gr, timesofindia.com, espn.com) and many others:

If we set the fastest experience to 100% here are the results:

Dx Stock ROM and browser: 100%
D1 BB 0.6.2 and xScope Pro browser: 90%
Atrix stock ROM and browser:60%

These may be perceived changes but the differences on many webpages in the course of 4 days inside a large building in Baltimore, MD, were painfully consistent.

"Painfully" because of this dialog with the colleague who asked for advice 10 days ago:

Colleague: Which do you think is the best phone coming in the next two weeks:
Me: Atrix, no question
Me: However, it is on AT&T so if I were you I would wait go to their store and test it when it arrives
Colleague: It's not a problem I already have AT&T and they're good
Me: Well its specifications are amazing but the best phones will come in Q2 and Q3 of this year if you can wait for a few months

Ouch!

 

[kodiak799]

LTE blows it all away. I'm interested to see real world tests, but besides being supposedly 2X as fast as Sprint WiMax and 3-4X as fast as HSPA+, it also penetrates buildings better (horizontally and vertically).

This is one time I'm definitely go to take advantage of the 14-day trial period. If I get the gains I expect (my 3G is terribly slow and inconsistent, not to mention the D1 is just too underpowered) it will be worth it to pay retail.