The 5G download data speed of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is nearly twice as fast as its predecessor

We did point out at the start of this week that the iPhone 15 Pro Max had the fastest median 5G downlink and uplink speeds in the U.S. during the third quarter according to Ookla, The big surprise was that the 5G download data speed measured on Apple's 2023 top-of-the-line iPhone nearly doubled to 251.37Mbps from the previous year's model. The median 5G download data speed for the iPhone 14 Pro Max, measured during the second quarter of 2023 (just one quarter before the new model was tested), came to 127.83Mbps.

What makes this unexpected is that the iPhone 15 series uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon X70 5G modem chip which the chip designer said is capable of a 24% speed hike over the Snapdragon X65 5G modem chip that the 2022 iPhone models were equipped with. Apple, which surely must have conducted a similar test, never mentioned  anything about this during the September 12th unveiling of the new iPhone line.

The improvement in 5G download data speed might be the result of more than just Qualcomm's new 5G modem. After all, Ookla's list of the top five median 5G download data speeds in the U.S. during Q3 doesn't include the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. Both of those phones also are equipped with the Snapdragon X70 5G modem. That would suggest that the 3nm A17 Pro chipset, not found in the non-Pro 2023 iPhone models, has something to do with the faster 5G download data speeds.

And we shouldn't fail to give a shout-out to the carriers for any improvements made on their respective networks although on a quarter-to-quarter basis, we have to really give much of the credit to the technology inside the new phone.

As you probably know, Apple has been having trouble finishing the project it started to build its own 5G modem chips forcing it to sign a contract with Qualcomm last month that will keep Apple supplied with Snapdragon 5G modem chips through 2026. Analyst Jeff Pu of Haitong Securities recently said that Apple will use the next generation Snapdragon X75 5G modem chip on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max while the non-Pro models will continue to use the Snapdragon X70 chip.

The Snapdragon X75 5G modem chip uses carrier aggregation to combine multiple carriers allowing for faster data speeds and an increase in capacity. In addition, the X75 5G modem chip will take up 25% less room on the iPhone circuit board than the X70.