Verizon vs. Sprint 5G Projection: Ultra-Fast Network Speeds Are Only One Beginning

Think about 5G and you're thinking about speed – between 2x and 10x what you get with 4G, to start with. But after two tests of Verizon's 5G network in Chicago and an in Dallas with Sprintit is clear that download speeds are only the beginning of a satisfactory 5G experiment. Consistency and coverage are just as important as incredible top speeds and high-speed real-time downloads.

For example, Verizon's field tests were faster than Sprint's, but our tests with Sprint revealed the importance of a larger coverage area. The results of these two tests do not allow to conclude that one or the other of the networks is "better". At present, they both face challenges and growth difficulties that may even intensify as more and more people start using the networks. Our time with these emerging networks is a turning point for our faster future.

We're still a long way from the broader applications of 5G, such as helping stand-alone cars talk to each other instantly on the road, remote surgery, seamless video calls, and heavy-duty graphics games that you play in real time. Even in the short term, you may not be able to fully experience the effects of next generation 5G speeds until these networks are built more, more phones become available, and the property price drops. However, the ability of 5G to exponentially accelerate the speed of your downloads is undeniably clear and materializes.

And now, here's how the Verizon and Sprint 5G tests compare.

Lily: The 5G is real and Verizon, Sprint and EE have the networks to prove it

5G network footprint: Sprint wins today

Sprint claims victory over a 5G network larger than Verizon in square feet. However, Verizon is the largest US network in terms of population coverage, while Sprint is currently the fourth. Still, the good start of Sprint with the 5G makes it an interesting exchange currency in the proposed merger between Sprint and T-Mobile.

If the Justice Department approves the merger, the newly strengthened T-Mobile will be in a highly competitive position to face Verizon and AT & T (which has a network for 5G hotspots but has no not yet invited the journalists to test them publicly in the field.)

Sprint's statistics

• 5G cities today: Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Kansas City
• 5G Phones: LG V50, Galaxy S10 5G come in june
• More 5G cities announced: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix and Washington, in "the coming weeks".
• Total area: 2,180 square miles; 11.5 million people

Verizon stats

Lily: Watch 5G live coverage all over the world

Verizon is twice as fast as Sprint's top speeds

We field tested Verizon and Sprint speeds in two different ways. First, use the Speedtest.net benchmarking app to measure speeds at different locations around each city. Second, we downloaded apps, movies, and TV shows to see how fast the network and phones were handling real-world actions.

The fastest download speeds in Chicago were faster on our second visit and more than twice as fast as Sprint's fastest speed on the Dallas LG V50.

Verizon 5G maximum speed: Downlink of 1.3 Gbps (gigabits per second)
Sprint 5G top speed: 484Mbps downlink (megabits per second)

As a reference, our fast home Internet speeds could oscillate in the 400 Mbps range.

The superiority of Verizon's 5G network speed is not limited to top speeds. Our 5G results from our most recent trip to Chicago consistently increased from 400 Mbps to over 1 Gbps, and we broke the 1 Gbps barrier four times over a 4 hour test period. 4G speeds were also faster when we tested the 5G.

This is an imperfect comparison in many ways. Verizon and Sprint use a different spectrum (radio frequencies). Verizon uses a millimeter wave spectrum (mmWave), which produces extremely fast speeds in a targeted area. Sprint, however, uses median frequencies, which cover a comparatively larger area but are a bit slower, resulting in peaks at 400 Mbps.

The real world tests are more impressive than you think

Top speeds are one thing, but you will really be concerned about how quickly your shows and movies can be downloaded. We have downloaded some of the same apps and shows in Chicago and Dallas to try to compare. Of course, this is not an apple to another, because of the test constraints that impose us in different cities, on different networks and using different phones at different times (and in one case, a different season of the show) .

Verizon 5G vs Sprint 5G

	Galaxy S10 5G (Verizon)	Galaxy S10 Plus (Verizon)	LG V50 (Sprint)	LG G8 (Sprint)
PUBG Mobile (1.86 GB)	2.5 minutes	~ 3 minutes	3 minutes, 31 seconds	73MB (3% of the file) after 3.5 minutes
Film Wine Country (143 minutes)	8.2 seconds	Little progress after 2 minutes	3 minutes, 45 seconds *	No progress
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Season 1 (8 episodes)	N / A	N / A	4 minutes	The first episode was not downloaded after 4 minutes
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Season 2 (10 episodes)	~ 5 minutes	1 episode in 4 minutes	N / A	N / A

* Sprint later said that there were problems at this place

The conclusion to remember is that the 5G will be faster than its 4G counterpart in a way that you can really see.

Sprint beats Verizon on consistency

Sprint really does well in the coverage of the entire city. Our test in Dallas took us on a bus and a car while seeing the download speed go between 5G and 4G. We were able to test on the go, and there was a larger area of ​​the city and suburban Dallas equipped with a blanket.

Meanwhile in Chicago (we have not had the chance to test in Minneapolis), 5G areas have instead acted as hot spots. They work best when you are within sight and at a distance of 100 to 300 feet. The coverage areas are smaller and the signal is more capricious, easily obstructed by trees, cars, raindrops, etc.

The mmWave spectrum used by Verizon also can not penetrate inside or through the glass. You can not take advantage if you drive in a car or in your workplace … for the moment. Do not forget that the 5G is still in its infancy.

Our tests in Dallas revealed this broader coverage area, but again, it was a very particular geography city, and Sprint spent its time building its network. Verizon has clearly rushed on the first test, which is one of the reasons why the network (and Samsung) invited journalists to come back test the Galaxy S10 5G.

What does all this mean?

Verizon has the advantage when it comes to fast 5G speeds … when you can actually hook up to the network. Sprint showed us how much slower but wider 5G coverage can still benefit you with faster downloads than 4G in all areas.

That said, these tests are even better seen as demonstrations because they are closely monitored by operators and only a few people use the network at one time. When people start pinging 5G networks en masse, this will be the real test of network speed, congestion, and convenience.

After all the talk, it's exciting to see 5G networks come alive. But they still have a long way to go.

Lynn La contributed to this story.

Originally released on May 31 at 11:30 am Pacific Time.
Updated June 1 at 10:13 am Pacific Time: Adding more details.
Update, June 2 at 9:32 am Pacific Time: Adding more details.