T-Mobile Speed Examination: Actual Speeds vs. Advertised Speeds

Congested areas are non T-Mobile's friend

T-Mobile's calling carte has been its super-fast data speeds, and nosotros're going to find out if the data speeds are all they're chalked up to exist. In theory, you should be able to open a spider web browser folio or refresh Twitter more than chop-chop on T-Mobile than yous could with other carriers—let'due south observe out if that'southward true.

We're especially curious to find if anything has changed since the Dart and T-Mobile merger from a information-speeds standpoint. Historically speaking, Sprint wasn't the fastest gun in the west when it came to data speeds, but who knows, perhaps T-Mobile's data speeds will take improved with the merger.

The following T-Mobile speed test took place in 3 different geographic locations in the country of Utah.

Why practise data speeds thing?

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Data speeds touch how quickly you tin can do things on the internet on your telephone's 4G connection. The more than information speed yous have, the more quickly you can Google things, refresh Instagram, and stream YouTube.

How fast is T-Mobile's information?

  • Suburban speed test result: 54.3 Mbps download speed
  • Metropolis supermarket speed examination result: 25.six Mbps download speed
  • Wilderness speed test result: 33.four Mbps download speed

What are T-Mobile's advertised speeds?

Per T-Mobile, you can expect your download speeds to land somewhere in the range between ix–47 Mbps. That'south a pretty wide range considering ix Mbps and 47 Mbps will basically feel as different as going twenty mph on the state highway versus 100 mph. We sampled over 150,000 wireless users in 2020 to get some averages for each major wireless provider. T-Mobile users averaged a 32.73 Mbps boilerplate, the second all-time amongst the major networks in 2020.

An infographic ranking wireless networks by speed: #1 T-Mobile, #2 Verizon, #3 AT&T, Sprint unranked because it was acquired by T-Mobile in 2020

Time to come across if T-Mobile's data speeds actually practise pull ahead of AT&T and Verizon. If so, T-Mobile should probably observe a new calling card.

T-Mobile wireless speed test

We performed a T-Mobile data speeds test in three different locations—a crowded supermarket in the metropolis, a house in the suburbs, and a couple miles into a hike in a remote location. These were the results we got running our speed tests at the dissimilar locations.

T-Mobile Speed Test Results

Location

Download Speed

Upload Speed

Suburbs

54.3 Mbps

19.3 Mbps

Supermarket

25.vi Mbps

12.0 Mbps

Wilderness

33.iv Mbps

26.6 Mbps

Now permit's zoom in on each individual test and see how things looked.

Speed test from home in the suburbs

  • Download speed: 54.iii Mbps
  • Upload speed: 19.three Mbps

T-Mobile Surburb Speed Test

Maybe information technology's the recent Sprint merger, but information technology looks similar T-Mobile is exceeding expectations compared to advertised speeds. Our speed test produced consequent results in the 54 Mbps range for T-Mobile, which blows OpenSignal'due south 25.8 Mbps average out of the h2o. To put that number in context, this is how long it took to open up YouTube and outset playing a video.

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Speed test at the supermarket

  • Download speed: 25.6 Mbps
  • Upload speed: 12.0 Mbps

It'due south normal to expect information speeds to dip in more than congested areas, but let's find out how much T-Mobile is affected in a crowded supermarket. Few areas are more crowded than my local Trader Joe's on a weekday afternoon.

T-Mobile Trader Joe's (Noon)

Yikes! T-Mobile'south data speeds dropped by more than than 50% while galavanting around Trader Joe's. In other words, it tin can have twice as long to pull things upwardly on the internet in a congested network with T-Mobile. Compare the YouTube test nosotros performed at Trader Joe's versus the one nosotros performed at home.

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It'due south simply the difference of a second or two, just that buffering cycle completes three whole revolutions earlier starting the stream, whereas the at-home test took a single wheel spin before starting. Lower information speeds add upward the longer you stream, and you lot'll likely accomplish a point where your video plays faster than your telephone can download the data. In other words, you'll reach a bespeak where a video will stop playing, and you lot'll need to look for buffering.

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Slower data speeds in congested areas tin be especially abrasive when you quickly need to look something upwards to settle an argument, or you need to await up a location on your GPS app while at a crowded cease light, and it takes forever.

Speed test from a hike

  • Download speed: 33.4 Mbps
  • Upload speed: 26.6 Mbps

The supermarket test wasn't a great look for T-Mobile'south data speeds, just now let's test it while hiking in the wilderness. Y'all never know if you might need to utilise your GPS app deep in the woods, or call a Lyft to pick you up when you get lost.

T-Mobile's information speeds took a pregnant hit when going off the grid. It'south not quite as bad as it looked in a crowded supermarket, just it'south withal a huge dip compared to the data speeds you tin can wait at home. Granted, 33.4 Mbps is still plenty of download speed to phone call a Lyft or check your GPS, but it can take longer than information technology would compared to other wireless services.

Shoutout to T-Mobile's upload speeds

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Though T-Mobile's download speeds accept been very up and down, T-Mobile's upload speeds have consistently been impressive. The more upload speed you have, the more chop-chop you tin can mail service your own Instagram stories and TikToks.

Despite the lower data speeds, T-Mobile still performs quite well in the streaming department. Our YouTube test took a second or ii longer to load than T-Mobile did at home, but it notwithstanding pulled up a video surprisingly quickly.

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T-Mobile speed test takeaways

Honestly, we were hoping for better from T-Mobile'south download data speeds, merely for the record, we were pleasantly surprised with its upload speeds and wireless streaming quality. But our tests showed that T-Mobile's network is really afflicted by congested areas similar supermarkets, and going off the grid. To T-Mobile's credit, its data speeds never reached a rock-lesser point where you couldn't perform basic internet tasks.

T-Mobile cell telephone plans

For those of you interested in T-Mobile'south plans, especially since the Sprint and T-Mobile merger finally finished, have a look at the unlimited options.

What are your data speeds similar with T-Mobile?

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We're trying to gather as much info as possible as what T-Mobile speeds feel like all around the country, so please let united states of america know your experience in the comments below!

Tyler Abbott

Written past

Tyler Abbott

Tyler has been obsessed with watching sports as efficiently equally possible since the creation of the DVR. He is always on the scout for the best tech in TV and wireless so he can scout all the sports and still have plenty fourth dimension to hang out with his baby. He has written about streaming, wireless, and Boob tube for over three years. He hopes the Lakers volition eventually get improve.

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