AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon are all getting the iPhone 4S soon soon, but AT&T is getting the best one.
That's because AT&T's network supports iPhone 4S features that Sprint and Verizon don't. AT&T's phone will let iPhone owners surf the Internet much faster, and talk and surf at the same time. It's looking like Sprint and Verizon will be stuck in the slow lane.
Here's why. AT&T's iPhone runs on HSPA 14.4. That isn't the fastest wireless Internet network out there by far, but it's faster than the EV-DO Rev. A that Sprint and Verizon are stuck with.
We've reviewed a bunch of HSPA 14.4 phones, as well as testing AT&T's network in our annual Fastest Mobile Networks feature. The iPhone 4S should get similar speeds to the dual-core, HSPA 14.4 LG Thrill phone. In our experience, with good network conditions, that's 3-4Mbps down.
But Sprint's and Verizon's phones will run on slower EV-DO Rev. A networks. We tested those networks extensively earlier this year and found that Verizon's 3G network averaged 700kbps down, with peaks of 2.5Mbps; Sprint's only eked out 480kbps on average, with peaks of 2.22Mbps.
AT&T's network also permits you to talk and use the Internet at the same time. The other two networks probably won't. (There's an extension to EV-DO called SV-DO which allows simultaneous talking and surfing—Verizon's HTC Thunderbolt has it—but the iPhone 4S, as far as we know at the moment, doesn't have it.)
Sprint and Verizon have answers to these problems, of course: 4G. Sprint's 4G WiMAX system covers more than 120 million Americans. Verizon's 4G LTE covers more than 160 million, and it's super-fast. But the iPhone 4S doesn't support either of those networks. As far as Sprint and Verizon are concerned, the iPhone is running on the fastest network of 2006.
Now, I can hear the howls of protest from AT&T haters. None of this will change your experience if you have trouble receiving AT&T signals. None of what I'm saying has any bearing on voice calls. And Sprint hasn't released its iPhone service plans yet—they may be cheaper than AT&T's, or include unlimited data. We just don't know.
But if you're looking for the fastest iPhone and you have decent AT&T coverage, AT&T's model will be the one to go with. It's just a simple technological fact.
For more, see PCMag's hands-on with the iPhone 4S and the slideshow above. Also check out Battle of the iPhones: iPhone 4S vs. 4 vs. 3GS as well as Can Apple Survive Without a 4G iPhone? and Disappointed With iPhone 4S? Get Over It, Analysts Say.