Android devices outperform iPhone 14 Pro Max in fastest download speeds

The iPhone 14 Pro Max, which was once considered to have the fastest download speeds in multiple studies, has now been dethroned by two Android devices in the latest report. This comes as a surprise, as the device was able to beat out competitors like Samsung's Galaxy S22 smartphones upon its launch last fall.

In its latest mobile performance report, Ookla compared the major US carriers in terms of download and upload speeds, consistency, availability, and more. Additionally, the report also examined how the most popular smartphones in the US performed in Q4 in terms of download/upload speed and latency. The iPhone 14 Pro Max had held the title for speed in Q3 with a median of 147 Mbps for download speed and 17 Mbps for upload speed, however, the results of Ookla's new study have shown a shift in the rankings.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 was the top performer with a median download speed of 147.24 Mbps, followed by Google's Pixel 7 Pro at 137.11 Mbps. The iPhone 14 Pro Max placed third with a speed of 133.84 Mbps, and the 14 Pro came in fourth with 130.14 Mbps.

The Pixel 7 Pro had the best upload speed and latency, recording 15.53 Mbps and 50 ms, respectively. It is worth noting that Samsung smartphones had a median download speed 7 Mbps faster than all iPhones.

The noteworthy aspect of the iPhone 14 Pro Max losing its title for the fastest download speed is that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 emerged victorious with the same performance that the 14 Pro Max displayed in Q3. The 14 Pro Max's median download speed dropped from 147 to 133 Mbps, which allowed the Fold4 and Pixel 7 Pro to take first and second place. The reasons for this decline could be that more 14 Pro Max devices were distributed to customers in regions with weaker carrier coverage, or that initially, a larger proportion of 14 Pro Max users were located in urban areas, leading to skewed download speeds in Q3.

Regardless, the top smartphones from Apple, Samsung, and Google all provide exceptional download speeds, with median performance ranging between 125 and 147 Mbps according to Ookla's test.