AT&T vs. Verizon iPhone 4: Which Is More Reliable?

Is Verizon or AT&T the stronger carrier for iPhone 4 users?

ChangeWave Research recently set out to answer this question by conducting a survey of 4,068 iPhone 4 owners.

In terms of customer satisfaction, both carriers ranked about the same.

Verizon's satisfaction rate was slightly higher, with 82 percent of customers polling "very satisfied" and 16 percent "somewhat satisfied in March 2011. By contrast, 80 percent of AT&T customers said they were "very satisfied" and 18 percent said they were "somewhat satisfied."

The real difference is in the number of dropped calls reported by customers from each carrier. ChangeWave's data shows that Verizon customers reported far fewer dropped calls within the same 90-day time frame.

While AT&T users said that the network dropped 4.8 percent of their total calls, "Big Red" users reported a 1.8-percent dropped call rate.

ChangeWave's study also found that 46 percent of future iPhone 4 buyers said they planned to sign on with Verizon. Twenty-seven percent said they would sign a contract with AT&T. The remaining 27 percent chose another carrier or weren't sure which they'd choose.

Within these parpameters, Verizon emerges the victor.

However, a speed test completed by Ookla in February found that the iPhone 4 performed better on AT&T's network.

"The AT&T iPhone's average download speed was 1,769 Kbps, and the average upload speed was 730 Kbps. By way of comparison, the Verizon iPhone's average download speed was 848 Kbps, and the average upload speed was 506 Kbps," reported Ookla.

If it's speed you need, AT&T will probably satisfy. If it's stability you crave, Verizon seems a safer bet.

How would you choose?

Quick Poll

If you were buying an iPhone 4, would you sign with AT&T or Verizon?

Verizon

AT&T

Neither/Not sure

Share your vote on Facebook so your friends can take this poll

Comments

[admiralj]

01:30 AM on 04/08/2011

Both carriers have negatives, and both carriers need to improve speeds.

[Uhgg]

07:13 PM on 04/07/2011

Neither Sis is on AT&T and I have Verizon they both drop calls and are slow to load no longer have the iPhone

[samuraifrog37]

05:03 PM on 04/07/2011

I guess some peeps will have to buy both so they can have it all !!

[cagevice]

08:02 PM on 04/06/2011

"Within these parpameters", huh?

Huff Po, are you still having a problem finding proofreaders?

[Iwpach]

06:12 PM on 04/06/2011

AT&T can osculate my gluteal mass.

[Goliadkin]

06:04 PM on 04/06/2011

I suspect that the differences in user satisfaction between ATT and Verizon would be well within the margin of error for a survey of this type. So that's not a significant finding.

As for dropped calls, comparing one group (VZN) who has had their iPhone for 30 days or less to another group (ATT) who has had them for up to 3 years is not a meaningful comparison.

IMHO, the speed issue is the deal maker or breaker if you use mobile apps on the 3G network. In that arena, ATT "emerges the victor." My iPhone 4 on ATT gives pretty decent downloads speeds everywhere I go, except for the odd dead spot. I certainly wouldn't want anything slower!

[wskrs]

02:57 PM on 04/06/2011

I switched from AT

[Goliadkin]

06:04 PM on 04/06/2011

and T...

...and?

[wskrs]

08:52 PM on 04/06/2011

No idea what happened there! I switched from AT&T to Verizon and it's a night/day difference (I'm very glad I switched). My service is better, the customer services is better, and I get more minutes for the same price I was paying with AT&T (granted, I'm on a family plan with my husband).

[aphextwin07]

01:44 PM on 04/06/2011

i have at&t and the coverage is terrible everywhere, dropped calls are extremely frequent and data transfers and reception are very shoddy in a metro. area. I would go against the advice offered at the end of this write-up and say avoid at&t if speed or data transfers are important to you.

[davidwparker]

01:36 PM on 04/06/2011

I will be switching from AT&T to Verizon when the next phones come out. My contract ends this summer. I'm looking forward to using an iPhone in my house, where the signal is poor. My mother, however, can use her Verizon phone anywhere in the house.

This pretty much is the state of AT&T v. Verizon.

[biodieselvw]

03:15 PM on 04/06/2011

If you complain to ATT about your service in your house they will send you a myfi 3g for free if you're good enough at talking it out of the customer service people.

[LightBrigade]

01:14 PM on 04/06/2011

I would go with Verizon, because of location strength. I would not go with an Iphone, because I'm not a follower.

[grimcity]

02:13 PM on 04/06/2011

Not everyone that owns an iPhone is in a cult, y'know.

[flipper828]

03:38 PM on 04/06/2011

Are too.

[cagevice]

08:03 PM on 04/06/2011

Yeah, I'm sure you're a leader in technology trends.

[C Brent]

01:05 PM on 04/06/2011

I'm an Iphone user on AT& T network and the Iphone capabilities are better on AT&T network than Verizon..Yes, with Verizon you have few drop calls and service area is large but using the Iphone with Verizon you can not chat on your Iphone and search the web, received a text, send a text all at the same time while chatting. With AT& T network you can.

[bomland31]

03:59 PM on 04/06/2011

Is that such a big deal? I have a droid on verizon and I can't think of a time that I wished I could search the web while talking. It could be generational, (although I'm only 30) but it just never comes up.

[bmid2ton]

08:08 PM on 04/21/2011

I think it's one of those things if you never had it, you don't know how great it is. Think about the people who have regular cell phones and are looking at us smart phone users wondering WTF is all the fuss about. Nevertheless, it comes up for me a lot when I'm using bluetooth. I get a text when I'm on a call, I can just quickly respond. I'm talking and I want to look something up something on google real quick, just pull up my browser, etc, etc. I love it. But I don't have an iPhone, just the ATT network with a different smart phone.

[jkliss]

12:22 PM on 04/06/2011

In theory, the AT&T 3G system offers better speed based on the technology they use, and in best-case scenarios, users will achieve superior results. Unfortunately, most of us don't live and travel in best-case scenarios. Anywhere outside of AT&Ts somewhat limited 3G coverage area, their speeds drop to a fraction of their normal speeds. The better reliability and considerably larger coverage area will make the slower Verizon iPhone data speeds yield better overall, average speeds.

Because the way most data is transmitted on the Internet (TCP), reliable connections are always preferred to faster but less reliable connections for overall performance. While in good coverage areas, though, AT&T's system is more optimal for certain streaming applications where absolute fidelity is less important than speed. Again, that requires you to be in one of their more limited solid coverage areas, unfortunately.

[Dale Carstensen]

12:21 PM on 04/06/2011

It really depends on location. In my area Verizon is king. I work for a company with 30 iPhone users and am responsible for administering our cell phone account. We switched to Verizon and the call quality has risen dramatically and % of dropped calls has plummeted. The data connection for Verizon downloads at 1.35 Mbps and AT&T was 0.03Mbps! AT&T was so slow that it is literally unusable.

As for customer service (I've administered our account for over 2 years) Apple, AT&T and Verizon all get a BIG FAT F(ail) in customer service. ALL OF THEM ARE HORRIBLE after the sale.

[aphextwin07]

01:45 PM on 04/06/2011

your words echo my thoughts exactly on my daily usage: "AT&T was so slow that it is literally unusable"

[huzzah]

12:17 PM on 04/06/2011

First of all, if I get an iPhone it will be because that's the best priced phone for me at the time. I'm not about to get one just because it's an iPhone.

Secondly, I read an article a year or so ago in which an independent party analyzed the iPhone and AT&T's network and concluded that the network suffered in large part because AT&T had focused so much of its resources on making the network work with the iPhone that they didn't concern themselves as much with improving coverage quality. He said the iPhone was holding the network back, not vice versa, and that AT&T wouldn't say that because of fear of upsetting iPhone users.

Lastly, I never plan on leaving AT&T because I could never get a comparable price anywhere else. My plan has been grandfathered in every time they've increased rates. 150 fewer minutes on Verizon would cost me another $25 or more per month.

[American Air]

11:40 AM on 04/06/2011

Verizon has extremely poor customer service. They have too many systems and plans that even their own staff do not understand. They once created three different accounts for me... and this created so much problems.. It took me almost 3 months and so much blood pressure before I could sort them out. They need to consolidate all their computer systems.

[Jeremy Ailes]

11:56 AM on 04/06/2011

You had a bad experience, but that doesn't mean they have poor customer service. You'll find people with the same stories on ATT just like you'll find people with good stories on Verizon and ATT.

[gemini68]

01:07 PM on 04/06/2011

People can only judge a company by their own experiences.