The Dell Streak Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on August 15, 2010 6:59 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Dell
- Streak
- Gadgets
- Mobile
Cellular and WiFi Performance
The Streak only supports 802.11b/g and WiFi performance isn’t very good. Connected to an access point less than 6 feet away the best transfer rate I could get from a locally hosted PDF was 1.76Mbps. I tried copying directly to the microSD card over USB and got over 50Mbps. This may be an Android 1.6 limitation however as the Speedtest app managed 5 - 7Mbps consistently (on my desktop I get 17 - 20Mbps running the same test on the same network).
The Streak uses Qualcomm's QSD8250 SoC with integrated cellular radio:
| Dell Streak Network Support | |||||
| UMTS | 2100 / 1900 / 850MHz | ||||
| GSM/EDGE | 1900 / 1800 / 900 / 850MHz | ||||
| HSDPA/HSUPA | 7.2Mbps / 5.76Mbps | ||||
Cellular network performance was pretty good. Using the SpeedTest.net app I managed 2204Kbps down and 1007 Kbps up.
Cell signal attenuation was also in line with most other phones we’ve tested:
| Signal Attenuation Comparison in dB - Lower is Better | |||||||
| Cupping Tightly | Holding Naturally | On an Open Palm | |||||
| Dell Streak | 14.0 | 8.7 | 4.0 | ||||
| Droid X | 15.0 | 5.1 | 4.5 | ||||
| iPhone 4 | 24.6 | 19.8 | 9.2 | ||||
| iPhone 3GS | 14.3 | 1.9 | 0.2 | ||||
| HTC Nexus One | 17.7 | 10.7 | 6.7 | ||||
The Streak doesn’t appear to drop signal any more than comparable Android phones, and of course less than the iPhone 4. The wireless radio stack is less sensitive than the iPhone 4 but in line with other Android phones I’ve tested. I could hold calls at -109dBm but had mixed results below that point.
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ned14 - Sunday, August 15, 2010 - link
Useful review - and good call on the button size which no other review bothered to mention. However how come you didn't try the Dell 2.1 build 6941 firmware which has been online for a while now? Here's a link to it:http://www.mediafire.com/file/bb9cvm5uaap2z8k/upda...
It *does* have bugs, hence why Dell haven't released it proper. Here's hoping that enough of you Americans buy the Streak to get a Cyanogenmod port working for the Streak ... so far the Brits haven't done much other than complain (if you look at the cyanogenmod forums).
Cheers,
Niall
Goty - Sunday, August 15, 2010 - link
Brits complain about Americans? Noooooooo....=P
In all seriousness, though, I don't see this device becoming a huge seller. It's simply too large to become popular with the public and so will probably be relegated to the few people like us who appreciate the advantages of such a device and to some corporate users.
neogodless2 - Sunday, August 15, 2010 - link
You stated that this will work for GSM carriers other than AT&T but other sites reported that it is "officially" SIM-locked to AT&T. Could you clarify this?Anand Lal Shimpi - Sunday, August 15, 2010 - link
Hmm the t-mobile support part came from Dell, let me clarify and update tomorrow.Take care,
Anand
Anand Lal Shimpi - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
Dell just responded - you're correct, all Streak devices are carrier locked to AT&T. I've updated the article.Take care,
Anand
JHBoricua - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
Sorry, that's a deal killer for me. I like the fact that all of my mobile devices now come with a standard micro usb connector for which I only have to carry ONE cable and for which I'm not held hostage by the device maker if I need it replaced.I can run to my local Microcenter and get 4 micro USB cables for $9 a piece. That's one for the house, office, car and my backpack.
How much do you think Dell is going to charge you for a replacement USB to 30-pin cable?
s44 - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
Who cares how much Dell will charge? Monoprice will charge a lot less.medi01 - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
" the Streak doesn’t perform anywhere close to the Nexus One, HTC Incredible or Droid X. Let’s forget about comparing it to the iPhone 4 or iPad."Should you've said "forget about Nexus One"?
damianrobertjones - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
I was under the impression that all phone makers were moving towards the standard mini/micro/whatever it's called usb port on phones for sync/charge etc?I really wish they would...
JHBoricua - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
I believe in Europe they mandated this, but enforcement starts in 2011. Also here is how it works:First option is a charger with a *fixed* cable that must terminate with a Micro-USB plug. How this connects to the phone is outside the scope of the EU mandate, it can be a direct connection or through an adapter.
The second option is that a *detachable* cable is used that connects to the *charger* using a standard USB A connection. Where the phone does not have a Micro-USB charging port and an adapter would be required, this cable is allowed to *be* the adapter; in other words it can terminate with a proprietary plug, it doesn't have to be a Micro-USB plug if the cable is detachable. An example of this is the existing iPhone charger.
Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/08/europe-univ...