Should internet speeds be the only thing you consider when buying a new smartphone, then there really is only one brand for you – Apple.
As part of its Speedtest Intelligence report for Q2 2021, Ookla outlined which smartphones had the highest mean download speeds and Apple’s iPhone 12 series were right at the top.
| Device | Mean Download (Mbps) | Mean Upload (Mbps) | Mean Latency (ms) |
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G | 93.36 | 16.93 | 26 |
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro 5G | 91.15 | 17.3 | 26 |
| Apple iPhone 12 Mini 5G | 90.99 | 16.6 | 27 |
| Apple iPhone 12 5G | 89.59 | 17.37 | 27 |
| Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G | 85.64 | 19.08 | 29 |
While this is great news, it doesn’t really help that despite the iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G’s 93.36Mbps mean download, South African’s average mobile broadband internet speed is a mere 44.6Mbps.
Looking at manufacturers following closely behind Apple is LG, which isn’t great as the firm announced earlier this year that it is shuttering its mobile business.
If you aren’t an Apple fan then your next best options are Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi. The full results from Ookla’s manufacturer tests follow below.
| Manufacturer | Mean Download (Mbps) | Mean Upload (Mbps) | Mean Latency (ms) |
| Apple | 52.59 | 12.22 | 31 |
| LG | 47.07 | 11.33 | 30 |
| Samsung | 44.1 | 10.82 | 29 |
| Huawei | 32.37 | 10.35 | 28 |
| Xiaomi | 24.22 | 8.89 | 31 |
Of course, download speeds shouldn’t be the only thing you look for in a smartphone. Sure, faster speeds are always nice to have, but battery life, screen size, feature sets and operating system preference all play a part.
Before you spend wallets of money on a new smartphone, perhaps your internet line is in need of a boost. If that is the case check out our story from earlier to today which outlines the most important findings from Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence report for Q2 2021.
