The arrival of Apple's iPhone 7 proved to be more just the controversial lack of the headphone jack and the AirPods. It also paved the way for Intel to penetrate one of the world's most recognizable brands and thereby giving Apple the chance to make two variants. Recent reports, however, are saying that one version is slower than the other.
A number of sources which included The Financial Express are pointing that the Intel version of the Apple iPhone 7 is "eight times" slower than its Qualcomm counterpart. A recent data gathering perpetuated that the 32GB version was "200Mbps slower" than the 128GB version: the latter clocked in at around 40Mbps, while the former peaked in more than 300Mbps.
Gizmodo Australia, on the other hand, was more precise in their results. It said that the 32GB flavor of Apple's recent flagship wrote 42Mbps, whereas the 128GB showed 341Mbps. GSM Arena, who also took a bite off of Apple's iPhone 7, scribbled 39.6Mbps and 308Mbps, respectively.
The Guardian meanwhile stated that alongside a slow write on memory, an Apple iPhone 7 Plus with an Intel chip has "at least 30% worse network performance". But it doesn't stop there: in some cases, it went to "as poor as 75%" when compared to a Qualcomm-based Apple iPhone 7 Plus. The gap, it added, will only lead to lackluster 4G connection as well as limited upload and download speeds.
The website also quoted Cellular Insight's Milan Milanovic when he said that while iPhone 7 Plus with Qualcomm chips "had a significant edge" over the Intel version, they are not sure why Apple decided to pursue two suppliers for their latest Smartphone.
Users who want to check whether they have an Apple device with an Intel or Qualcomm chip should visit the company's website, or look at the back of their iPhone 7 or 7 Plus. Models A1660 and A1661 should have a Qualcomm SoC, while models A1778 an A1784 carries Intel. Visiting their network providers should also help. In the US, Verizon and Sprint carry Apple handhelds with Qualcomm chips, while AT&T and T-Mobile offer the Intel version.
The recent tests proved to be an eye-opener, especially because we tend to blame our network providers for slow connection and lag performance. They might have a hand in the dip, but underlying causes can't be overlooked. In the case of Apple, choosing two chip manufacturers will have its consequences. On the one hand, they might say that they are testing the capabilities of Intel, while on the other, retains Qualcomm as a solid partner in future devices. Whatever the outcome may be, Apple will have its reasons.
