iPhone speed test: Verizon vs. AT&T

Watch this: iPhone 4 speed test: AT&T versus Verizon

01:11

The Verizon iPhone is finally official, but there are a number of questions that remain unanswered. Will Verizon's network be able to handle the deluge of iPhone users? Is Verizon's 3G network better or worse than AT&T's?

Obviously, the Verizon iPhone isn't out in the hands of the general public yet, so only time will tell if Verizon can deliver on its claims of being the "nation's most reliable network." However, just for kicks, we decided to do a little speed test comparing the AT&T and Verizon iPhones while we had the opportunity.

We put the two phones side by side and pulled up The New York Times' full Web site, and, as you'll see in the video, Verizon was the clear winner. Though the AT&T iPhone displayed the page just a couple of seconds after Verizon, it was still loading the contents of the page well after the Verizon iPhone was done.

Just a couple of other quick observations. I made a phone call from the launch event in Manhattan to my colleague Kent German in CNET's San Francisco office, and the iPhone had no problems connecting or holding the call. Voice quality was excellent on both ends. Despite being in a crowded room, I could hear Kent clearly without any background noise or voice distortion. Kent reported good audio quality on his end as well.

I also tried the death-grip test on the Verizon iPhone, covering all four antennas, and didn't see any signs of "antennuation." Again, none of these tests are definitive (and as some of you have pointed out, the venue was most likely fortified for Verizon coverage), but we wanted to provide you with some first impressions for now. Rest assured, we'll do plenty of testing once we get a device in for review.

See also:
Verizon iPhone first take
First Look video: Verizon iPhone
Verizon iPhone FAQ
Verizon, AT&T iPhone comparison chart