Running a series of field tests between the iPhone 4 and the Google Nexus S, Blaze Software found that the iPhone's median load time is 3.2 seconds, while the Nexus S's median load time is 2.1 seconds. Over the course of 45,000 tests, the Android beat the iPhone 84 percent of the time.
The results actually contradict a study released a month ago that found browser speeds for both iPad and iPhone beat those of Android smartphones.
For mobile sites, Android lost its edge--though both phones loaded at rates 39 percent faster than for standard sites, at a median rate of around 2 seconds. iPhone users may want to stick to mobile sites: the phone loaded at times 66 percent faster than on regular sites. Researchers note that simplified mobile sites tend to have fewer elements, and therefore are designed to load faster.
Still, when it comes to tablets, Android's speed advantage might be something for Apple to worry about. Researchers noted that while the devices "use the same OS and similar hardware phones do," "users expect the full experience on tablets, not the simplified mobile sites."
Most of the tests were run over a Wi-Fi connection, with some done on the phones' built in 3G. Wi-Fi was faster 82 percent of the time, but by a mere half a second. But these times owe something to the conditions of the testing. Researchers ran the study at night, in an area with good reception. Download speed at night is over five times faster than during the middle of the day.
