Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Who's the best cell phone carrier of them all? Verizon, according to RootMetrics

Lulu Chang
By

verizon no unlimited data feat
The jury’s back, and the verdict favors Verizon. According to RootMetrics’ most recent network performance test, Verizon was ranked the best overall network, taking top honors in reliability, speed, data, calling, and text messaging. In second place in nearly every category was AT&T, though Sprint took the silver in the calls category.

These results closely resemble those of RootMetrics’ second-half 2015 test, but for those of you using other carriers, don’t worry. Other testing firms have published rather different results — for example, OpenSignal called T-Mobile the best overall network, and according to Speedtest.net, the Un-carrier is the fastest network, too.

All the same, RootMetrics’ recent findings give Verizon a leg up on the competition for the time being, at least providing the carrier with some more marketing material to justify its premium costs. The most recent data, which examined network performances across the first six months of 2016, rewarded Verizon Wireless a total of 93.9 points. AT&T scored an 89.9, Sprint got an 85.5, and T-Mobile rounded out the pack with a score of 82.5.

Apparently, however, all the carriers except for T-Mobile are doing slightly worse than they were in the the last six months of 2015, when Verizon scored a 94.5 , AT&T scored 91.3, and Sprint scored 86. At the very least, T-Mobile has improved its previous score of 80.9.

“The high level results show that Verizon remains the top carrier when it comes to overall network performance at the national level,” RootMetrics noted. “In fact, this round of testing marked the first time that Verizon was able to earn the National RootScore Award for all six categories outright.”

And on the state level, Verizon performed quite well as well, winning the outright performance test in 41 states, and tying for top honors in seven other states. Sprint was the only carrier not to be ranked best overall in any state.

RootMetrics drew its conclusions after conducting 3.7 million tests, driving 265,386 miles, and testing 4,249 indoor locations to get its results.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Google Pixel 8: all the latest rumors and what we want to see
Google Pixel 8 leaked render.

The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are on their way. Google's fallen in a pretty reliable release pattern for Pixel phones, meaning we can safely expect a new lineup of flagship Pixels each year. In 2023, that means the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.

The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are two excellent devices -- possibly two of the best smartphones Google has ever made. But while they have some serious strengths, a number of problems and missed opportunities drag both phones down. This wouldn't be a problem if the competition was standing still, but it's not. The Apple iPhone 14 Pro refreshed the iPhone design for the first time in years, and the recently released Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is quite possibly one of the best smartphones ever created. So what's a humble Pixel to do?

Read more
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 is big news for cheap phones
Hand holding up a smartphone against a city background with Qualcomm Snapdragon7+ Gen 2 logo.

Qualcomm has taken the wraps off its Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2, the next generation of its midrange mobile platform. The new chip is designed to deliver powerful entertainment experiences and performance gains to a broader range of smartphones.

The new platform is an evolution of last year’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, which was already a leap beyond the older Snapdragon 700 series it replaced. It began closing the gap with the premium Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 — a trend that continues with this year’s Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2.

Read more
I love the Galaxy S23 — here are 5 things the iPhone still does better
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Apple iPhone 14 Pro

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 has arrived to the masses, and it’s one of the best Android phones you can get right now, especially the S23 Ultra. However, for those who don’t need all of the fancy bells and whistles, like the S Pen and 200MP main camera, the regular S23 is also plenty powerful for the average person, especially if you prefer smaller devices.

I’ve been using the Galaxy S23 for the past few weeks, and so far, my experience has been delightful. I know that it’s still early on in the year, but for me, the S23’s small size is perfect and comfortable. Android also does a lot of things better than iOS, like individual volume controls and notifications, for example. But I am still primarily using my iPhone 14 Pro — despite Apple having some big flaws, such as overprocessing images after you capture them.

Read more