For the first time this year, Apple went with two different providers of cellular modems in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Some phones have Qualcomm modems, the company Apple has worked with for years. The others had Intel modems, marking a real breakthrough for Intel, which has been trying to get its chips into flagship smartphones for years.

Clear caches on Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus In most cases, the above method will help solve the slow Internet problem on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. But if for some reason the Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Internet is still slow, completing a “wipe cache partition” should fix this problem. Doesn’t matter what the case is, follow our tips below and you’ll have your iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus (or any of the previous iPhones) running up to speed in no time. Speed Up Animations. Maybe your iPhone just feels slow. Especially on a brand new iPhone 7, the animations can feel like they just drag on, making the phone seem slower than. The Apple iPhone 7 Plus phone has a 5.5-inch (1920x1080) IPS LCD screen, a 12MP main camera and a 7MP selfie camera. The battery capacity is 2900 mAh.

Unfortunately, testing is showing that there’s a big difference between the two modems. Although both will work just fine when there’s a good LTE signal, it seems that if you’ve got an Intel modem, your data speed in areas with less-than-ideal coverage may be much slower.

DON’T MISS: New tests confirm there’s one iPhone 7 model that’s much slower than the rest

The testing was conducted by Cellular Insights, using a test rig that allowed them to vary the cell signal at will. As such, it might not be a perfect representation of real-world conditions, but it does have the benefit of being more scientific and controllable.

The results show that the iPhone 7 Plus with the Intel modem performs much worse in areas with poor cell signal. At worst, the Intel-powered phone was 40Mbps slower than the Qualcomm device, although when the cell signal gets really bad, they’re only a couple megabits apart.

Qualcomm modems can be found in Verizon, Sprint, and SIM-unlocked iPhones. Devices on other networks are using the Intel modems. To work out which device you have, you can check the model number on the back of your phone. The A1778 and A1784 versions are powered by Intel modems, while the A1660 and A1661 models are Qualcomm-powered.

It’s worth mentioning that both versions of the iPhone 7 Plus were soundly beaten by the Galaxy S7 Edge in the tests, so even the best iPhone isn’t comparable to Samsung’s flagship on a good day. It’s also debatable how different the performance will be in the real world. On a recent three-day road trip, I consistently had excellent service and data speeds on my Intel-powered iPhone 7, so just because one model is slower than the other, doesn’t make it truly slow.

This also isn’t the first time that we’ve found major performance differences between different versions of iPhones. Other tests have shown that the storage used in this year’s 32GB iPhones is much worse than in the 128GB or 256GB models, and previous years have seen different processors in different models with vastly different processing speeds.

Image Source: Apple Inc.

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They have to be just a little bit jealous. The new iPhone 8 and 8 Plus stand in the shadow of the iPhone X and iPhone XS, which both sport a futuristic edge-to-edge screen and a depth-sensing front camera that lets you unlock the handset with your face.

But the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus aren’t mere consolation prizes to Apple’s spotlight-hogging flagships. They pack a ton of improvements, including a blazing fast processor that puts many laptops to shame, better cameras (especially on the iPhone 8 Plus) and wireless charging. In many ways, they're still some of the best smartphones you can buy today.

Starting at $599 and $699, respectively, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are also more affordable than the $999 iPhone XS. If you’re ready to upgrade your iPhone, our top pick remains the Plus because of its larger screen, longer battery life and more versatile dual cameras.

Design: Slicker and tougher, but about those bezels

I’m torn about the look of the new iPhones. On the one hand, the new glass back looks elegant while being less slippery than my matte black iPhone 7 Plus. Apple’s new phones are also built stronger, with the company claiming that the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus boast the most durable glass ever on a smartphone. This is due in part to a deeper strengthening layer. (More on that in a moment.)

On the other hand, seeing bezels this large on a late-2017 phone above and below the display seems dated compared not just with the iPhone X but also the Galaxy S8 and other Android phones that are going the edge-to-edge route. My complaint isn’t just about aesthetics; having smaller bezels makes it easier to use a phone with one hand and fit it in a front pocket.

I do like how the strong 7000 series aluminum band on the iPhone 8 is color matched with the pearlescent rear. On the gold iPhone 8 Plus I tested, the back looks like a true rose gold and less pink than previous model. I also tested the silver iPhone 8, whose back is a less exciting gray. The new iPhones are also available in Space Gray.

The glass back is elegant and tough, but the big bezels up front look dated.

For us minimalists, there’s no small type saying where this device was assembled or its model number beneath the word iPhone. Now, it just says iPhone.

MORE: Best Smartphones on the Market Now

Measuring 5.5 x 2.7 x 0.29 inches and weighing 5.2 ounces, the iPhone 8 is a bit heavier and a smidge thicker than the iPhone 7 (5.4 x 2.6 x 0.28 inches, 4.9 ounces), but I barely noticed the difference. I’m guessing the extra girth comes from adding the wireless-charging capability and reinforced glass back. The iPhone 8 Plus (7.1 ounces, 0.3 inches thick) sees a similar small bump up versus the iPhone 7 Plus (6.6 ounces, 0.29 inches).

While the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus still lack a headphone jack, music lovers will appreciate that they sound better sans headphones, thanks to stereo speakers that are now 25 percent louder. When I streamed “An Honest Mistake” by The Bravery, I noticed deeper bass and more natural-sounding vocals on the iPhone 8 versus the iPhone 7 Plus.

Durability: Decently tough

We tested the toughness of the iPhone 8 by dropping it on its face onto wood from a height of 4 feet and 6 feet; we then dropped it on its edge and face onto concrete from 4 feet; we then dropped it on its edge and face from 6 feet onto concrete.

The iPhone 8 survived drops from 4 and 6 feet onto wood without incurring any damage. A 4-foot drop on its edge onto concrete caused a minor crack and scratching along the bottom, which grew larger with a face drop from 4 feet onto concrete.

Apple's phone lasted all the way up to a 6-foot face drop onto concrete, when its screen stopped working. The result of this testing was that the iPhone 8 achieved an okay toughness score of 4.9 out of 10. To see the results of other smartphones, as well as our complete scoring methodology, check out our smartphone drop tests.

iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus Specs

	iPhone 8	iPhone 8 Plus
Price	$699, $849	$799, $949
CPU	A11 Bionic	A11 Bionic
Capacity	64, 256 GB	64, 256 GB
Rear Camera	12-MP	Dual 12-MP (f/1.8, f/2.8)
Front Camera	7-MP FaceTime HD	7-MP FaceTime HD
Unlocking Method	Touch ID

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