Verizon Vs. Sprint 5G throwdown: Battle for the best speeds and coverage so far

After two tests of Verizon's 5G network in Chicago and one in Dallas with Sprint we're starting to see a picture of what kind of 5G speeds and services you can expect in the US – both in terms of peak speeds and real-world downloads. 5G is coming whether you want it or not, and our time with these budding networks is an important litmus for our faster future. Comparing our experiences with Verizon and Sprint shows us that while fast speeds are at the heart of the 5G promise, rapid downloads aren't everything.

For example, Verizon's field tests were faster than Sprint's on the whole, but our test with Sprint revealed the importance of a wider coverage area overall. The results of these two tests are anywhere near a conclusion that either network is "better." Right now they're both saddled with challenges and growing pains that could just as intensely start as more people using the networks.

We're still a long way off from 5G's broader applications, like helping self-driving cars instantly talk to each other on the road, remote surgery, flawless video calls and graphics-heavy games you play in real time. Even in the short run, you may not be able to fully feel the effects of next-generation 5G speeds until these networks are more built up, more phones become available, and the price of ownership drops. However, the reality of 5G's ability to make your download speeds exponentially faster is undeniably clear and happening now.

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

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

5G network footprint: Sprint wins today

Sprint claims victory in turning on a larger 5G network at square footage than Verizon. However, Verizon is the largest US network by population coverage, while Sprint is currently fourth. Still, Sprint's strong start with 5G makes it an attractive bargaining chip in the proposed merger between Sprint and T-Mobile .

If the DOJ approves the merger, the newly strengthened T-Mobile will be in a strongly competitive position to take on Verizon and AT&T (which has a network for 5G hotspots but has not yet invited journalists to publicly field-test them. )

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Putting Sprint's 5G to the test on the LG V50
                

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Sprint stats

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

Verizon stats

Read : See live 5G coverage anywhere in the world

Verizon is over 2x faster than Sprint's peak speeds

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

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

Verizon peak 5G speed : 1.3Gbps downlink (gigabits per second)
Sprint peak 5G speed : 484Mbps downlink (megabits per second)

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See Galaxy S10 5G's jaw-dropping real-world speeds
                

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For reference, our fast home internet speeds might hover in the 400Mbps range.

Verizon's network 5G speed superiority doesn't stop at peak speeds. Our results were consistently spanned 400Mbps to 1Gbps, and we broke through the 1Gbps barrier four times in a 4-hour testing period. 4G speeds were also faster where we tested 5G.

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

Real-world tests are more than you'd think

Peak speeds are one thing, but what you really care about is how quickly your shows and movies can download. We downloaded some of the same apps and shows in Chicago and Dallas to try to compare. It's not apples to apples, of course, because of testing constraints that have us in different cities, on different networks using different phones at different times (and in once case, a different season of the show – oops).

* Sprint later there were issues at this location

The takeaway here is that 5G will be faster than its 4G counterpart in ways you can really see.

Sprint beats Verizon on consistency

Where Sprint really pulls ahead was in citywide coverage. Our test in Dallas had us in a bus and driving around the city while seeing download speeds between 5G and 4G. We were able to test on the go, and there was a larger area of ​​the city and Dallas outskirts outfitted with coverage.

Meanwhile in Chicago (we didn't get a chance to test in Minneapolis), 5G areas acted more like hotspots. They work when you're within a line of sight and 100 to 300 feet away. Coverage zones are smaller and the signal is more finicky, easily obstructed by trees, cars, raindrops – you name it.

The mmWave spectrum that Verizon doesn't even penetrate indoors or through glass, so you can't get the benefit if you're driving in or inside your workplace … yet. Remember, 5G is still in painfully early days.

That larger coverage area showed in our Dallas tests, but again, this was one city with its very particular geography, and Sprint took its time to construct its network. Verizon clearly rushed to the first test, which is one reason for the network (and Samsung) invited journalists back to test the Galaxy S10 5G .

What does it all mean?

Verizon has the upper hand when it comes to consistently fixed 5G speeds … when you can actually latch onto the network. Sprint showed us how slower-but-broader 5G coverage can benefit you with faster-than-4G downloads across the board.

That said, these tests are still best thought of as demonstrations, since they're tightly monitored by the carriers and since there are only a few people using the network at a time. When people start pinging the 5G networks in droves, that will be the real test of network speed, congestion and convenience.

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

Lynn Launched to this story.

Originally published May 31 at 11:30 a.m. PT
Update, June 1 at 10:13 am.m. PT : Added more details.