We've given the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE a speed test from our London offices, to try and get a sense of the speeds you can expect from the 4G variant of this quad-core smart phone, as well as testing the new EE service that's powering it.
What was the test?
We'll be doing more testing on the Galaxy S3 LTE's network speeds, but we wanted some preliminary results, just to get a flavour of the kind of download and upload speeds you can expect.
I used the Speedtest.net app, the same software we used to benchmark EE's 4G service on a host of other phones earlier this month, and figure out exactly how poxy the UK's network speeds were on the new iPad, way back in March.
I ran the app five times and averaged the upload and download speeds.
Where was the test performed?
I ran these tests indoors, in CNET UK's central London offices, just south of the river by the Tate Modern. London is one of 11 cities currently equipped to handle the next-generation mobile tech, along with Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Glasgow and Southampton.
After these towns, 4G is headed to Belfast, Derby, Hull, Newcastle and Nottingham. Next year coverage will spread to Cornwall, Cumbria and Northern Ireland. EE has launched a postcode coverage checker so you can see what the signal is like in your area.
I've no doubt that the coverage we had to play with was among the best in the country -- our office's postcode registered as 'Excellent' on EE's site.
What were the results?
The results were impressive, and reasonably consistent, though there were a few wobbles with certain results being notably higher or lower than the average. The table below shows the download and upload results across the five tests, and an average result.
The average download speed was 24.11Mbps, and the average upload speed was 10.7Mbps. Those are impressive numbers, and will be significantly faster than many people's home broadband.
Will I actually get speeds that good?
As I mentioned earlier, this test was performed in central London, on the very day the UK's first 4G network launches.
As the network slowly becomes more crowded, speeds will suffer. The building you're in, and where you are geographically will also impact the speeds you can achieve, making it tough to give a realistic estimate of exactly how fast your 4G data will be.
This is a promising start though. It's just a shame that EE's tariffs are so pricey. Note that unlike some smart phones, the Galaxy S3 LTE will support other network's 4G services when they eventually launch, however, so if 4G gets cheaper next year, this phone could become a very tempting choice.
Will you be signing up for a 4G contract, or are you not fussed? Tell me in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Comments 9
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AkumaJack 30 October, 2012 20:08
considering the fact that very few people would have been using the network that is disappointing. would have been interesting to see what speeds you got with a phone connected to 3G+ (aka hspa+ aka DC-hspa+, aka 3.75G) that has a possible speed of 42mpbs. I will be investing in a new phone and it wont be 4g for a number of reasons and 3G+ has just started to mature so it'll be good to take advantage this. Not interested in 4G for 18/24 months.
damien2501 31 October, 2012 09:48
EE's 4G will be blazing lay fast, because hardly anyone's gonna use it
Jonathan Morris 31 October, 2012 10:10
It's true that with no users, 4G is going to be quicker than when it begins to get saturated like 3G. However, it should still be faster overall. My own testing has shown that I got speeds of up to 20Mbps down/10Mbps up even when I had just 1 bar signal indoors. Stepping outdoors got me this: http://twitpic.com/b8u9wf which does perhaps show why 1800MHz isn't going to be as good as 800MHz for decent indoor coverage and may well be a big problem in city centres. But, even if we get average speeds nearer what CNET has achieved above - it's still a good sign for 4G going forward, no? For now, DC-HSPA on Three might be better value, with a chance to see how Three opts to manage its own 4G offering in 2013. EE does have a network devoid of users, or competition, so I can see why it is taking advantage of it from a business point of view.
anonymous 31 October, 2012 10:35
I'm usually an early adopter and have virgin 100mb at home, so I'm really looking forward to 4g as a technology, however £36 per month for 500 mb is a big no no for me, this month i did 17 gb on 3's network (vastly over my usual 2~3 gb) but it's nice to know i don't have a nasty surprise coming in the bill at the end of the month. An EE spokesperson has said they have done these restrictive tariffs as they don't want data hogs on their network, how can they not understand that early adopters are tech heads who most likely use above average amounts of data ? They are alienating there own most likely customers.
anonymous 31 October, 2012 10:44
There must be better ways to use £36 in twelve minutes.Besides who the hell wants to watch movies on a phone. It's like viewing a house through the letterbox.
Dario Crosier 31 October, 2012 10:48
I will jump on 4G next year (probably with the Galaxy S4) when 4G is cheaper. Up until then, I'm sure i'll survive.
anonymous 31 October, 2012 11:11
Come check out Telstra 4G in Australia. I live in Brisbane and measured my download speed on my iPhone 5 (through the speed test app) at 50mbps the other day. I've never measured a speed slower than 30mbps. Average upload speed is about 20mbps.
anonymous 1 November, 2012 06:33
actually i'm quite happy with 3G.. but Samsung Galaxy S3 needs to be used to its full potential and one must try 4G...
anonymous 22 December, 2012 14:34
I'm currently with t mobile and there's no way I'll be joining them on 4g I'll be moving ti another network. When I chalked ti find out when I would get pics on my sensation they told me they had no clue then it was released 2 weeks later. Now I have an s3 and won't even bother cracking to find out when I'm getting jelly bean, but as usual I'm getting it months later than other networks ee are useless and treating their customers like crap and also ripping people off with 4g pricing I bet it comes down in price when other networks bring out 4g. So t mobile ee I will be leaving you get it right up you!