5G excelled at this task.Īpp downloads provided more puzzling results. A slightly larger 158MB took an excruciating 13 minutes, 30 seconds over LTE, and we don’t think the extra 6MB was to blame.
#Verizon internet speed test download
Outside the Merchandise Mart, we were able to download a 152MB episode of Nailed It from Netflix in 43 seconds over 5G. On the Netflix front, at least, 5G proved to be worth its weight. And you would figure that hefty downloads would be no sweat at all for 5G. Speed tests are one thing, but what will 5G mean in terms of real-world usage? For example, Verizon tells us you’ll be able to instantly download Spotify tracks and Netflix shows over the advanced network. And sometimes, our tests recorded slower 5G speeds than what we got over LTE, something we attribute to the phone switching back and forth between the two networks (more on that below).
#Verizon internet speed test mod
We got faster speeds with 5G Moto Mod attached to the Z3, but not by much - speeds peaked at 367 Mbps. LTE speeds were a fairly consistent 220 to 231 Mbps. The gap was most narrow outside the Merchandise Mart, which not coincidentally houses Motorola’s Chicago office. With the 5G Moto Mod attached, download speeds fluctuated between 367 and 468 Mbps with the mod removed, our LTE speeds ranged between 163 and 204 Mbps. It was a similar story outside the Art Institute of Chicago on Michigan Avenue. There, the phone regularly saw LTE download speeds of 250 Mbps. Even at Wells and Ontario, where 5G download speeds were hitting 329 Mbps when not hitting the lofty heights of 600 Mbps-plus, our Z3 performed well on Verizon’s network with the 5G Moto Mod removed.
Those 5G speeds were improvements over the LTE speeds we saw around Chicago - but the gap wasn’t as big as you might think. More typically, though, speeds ranged between 177 Mbps and 468 Mbps. Our top speed came at the corner of Wells and Ontario streets in the heart of Chicago’s River North district, where we recorded download speeds of 604 Mbps. Outside the comforts of the Verizon Store, the speeds of 5G weren’t as jaw-dropping though still pretty fast. Once we removed that accessory, speeds dropped to 35 Mbps to 49 Mbps. In the lobby of the Verizon store, we saw download speeds between 575 Mbps and 579 Mbps with the help of the 5G Moto Mod. Once we got our Z3 updated, we were able to score some of the same speeds Verizon demonstrated at its 5G launch event this week.