Vz & ATT iPhone 4 comparison

I found this fellow's review/comparison between the Verizon and AT&T iPhone 4 quite neutral and detailed. He bought both phones at full cost, off contract, and is coming from Verizon owning a Droid X. Doesn't seem to have any carrier 'fanboyism' either.

There are not many reviews out there yet comparing the two phones in terms of networks, data speeds, dropped calls, web loading, streaming, Youtube, etc. I apologize if it causes concern because the reviewer is from another forum. But not many people here went on a limb to make this type of comparison.

Vz vs ATT iPhone 4

Others in this thread added their own comparisons. Follow up posts at different signal levels worth noting: Posts 7 & 26

His conclusions, but go to the link above for the detailed review and follow up comments.

Speed Tests:

ANALYSIS: AT&T is much faster in overall throughput, though 1 mbps download is plenty fast for just about everything except HD video streaming. Upload speeds are also faster on AT&T, though normally this is less important.

Web Loading

ANALYSIS: In almost every test, there were two noticeable trends. 1) websites typically starting appearing first on Verizon, and 2) websites typically finished loading first on AT&T, particularly full sites. With mobile sites and lighter websites, Verizon had a slight advantage as the websites would actually start to appear very slightly sooner. On heavier sites, AT&T would finish first (sometimes MUCH sooner) while Verizon continued to load.

So in actual practice, what does this mean? It means there really isn't much difference between the networks when loading websites. Even during those times when Verizon was still loading, typically almost everything was already visible and it was just finishing loading some images, etc.

YouTube

ANALYSIS: If you plan to use 3G to do a lot of streaming video, then AT&T has the clear advantage. For light streaming, Verizon will be fine. Of course, if you are on a capped data plan on AT&T, those HD videos will eat through a LOT of bandwidth, so keep that in mind! On verizon, you won't get great HD video streaming, but you won't have to worry about bandwidth (until they start throttling you if you are a heavy user, however).

Calls and Coverage:
Of course, this is going to be highly dependent on your location. I use Google Voice for calls and texts and have not run into any problems using it with either device. Quality seems identical. As I mentioned, there are a few trouble spots in my area on AT&T where I don't get a signal. And in my workplace, I have noticed AT&T dropping down to Edge several times when I am streaming audio while working. Sometimes this requires me to restart the audio. I have not had that problem on Verizon as it gets a decent signal even deep inside the building. If I were in an area with poor AT&T coverage, then the decision would be easy and I would go with Verizon. But with just a few trouble spots and overall good coverage, the decision is harder.

CONCLUSION:
The conclusion is that I still can't decide which phone to keep and which one to return! I am definitely going to want tethering because that Personal Hotspot feature is awesome! So when comparing the two, the main differences lie between AT&T's faster network, and Verizon's better coverage and data/tethering plan options.

Another review from a newspaper (Washington Post) Vz/ATT iP4 gives basically the same viewpoint.

 

I guess you didn't pickup/read the OP link to the reviewer's full comments

Carrier Plans/Differences:
Here are the major differences I've discovered when comparing both phones and carriers:

- AT&T has better throughput, including the ability to stream HD video quite well.
- Verizon has slightly better latency, which translates into slightly quicker network starts
- AT&T has simultaneous voice & data which is nice when looking things up or using navigation
- Verizon has more consistent coverage with fewer deadzones and better building penetration (in my area)
- AT&T has rollover minutes and the recently announced mobile to mobile on any carrier feature if you have an unlimited text plan
- Verizon has unlimited data for new and existing subscribers (for now)
- AT&T has grandfathered unlimited for existing (but no tethering) but has a 2GB cap for new (or tethering users)
- Verizon has the Personal Hotspot feature with 2GB of data, AT&T has not announced it for iPhone yet
- If AT&T does get Hotspot, you'll be able to use 4GB of pooled data for phone and tethering

True enough. Although there has always been a 'is it the phone or network' aura around the iPhone and AT&T. This review will help people decide on that.

Network speeds isn't what most people think about. Most assume that 3G is 3G, and it is not. Considering all the talk about waiting for 4G...most seem willing to accept the slower Verizon 3G...which could be totally understandable, if the ATT service where you are is horrible.