What Internet Speed Do I Need for My Smartphone?

Smartphones are multifunction devices that we all use a little differently. Knowing your own needs in terms of Internet speed is very helpful when choosing a rate plan, but it’s not always easy. Is 10 Mbits enough or should it be 50 or even 300? There is probably no single correct answer to this question, but don’t worry: If you consider the following three points, you will certainly find the right speed.

10 Mbits seems rather ridiculous next to offers that promise 300 Mbits or more, but the difference in practice is often not that obvious. Do you receive your WhatsApp messages later than others with 10 Mbits? Does your YouTube video freeze more often? Does Google Maps not load? The answer is “no” in almost all cases, because 10 Mbits allow a throughput that enables smooth use of almost all applications on your smartphone.

The connection speed of smartphones is usually only noticed when large amounts of data are transferred. For example, downloading a 1 GB file at 10 Mbits takes 13 minutes and 20 seconds with a constant connection. If the same file is downloaded at 50 Mbits, the whole thing still takes 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Whether this is perceived as a big or small difference depends primarily on your usage habits and expectations on the mobile data connection.

13 minutes for 1 GB can lead to frustration when large updates or games are downloaded via the mobile data connection. Users who transfer such amounts via WLAN anyway, or who can do without their smartphone for 15 minutes, will hardly see a problem in the longer download time.

The first question you should ask yourself is: How fast do I want to be able to download large amounts of data? The online comparison service Moneyland provides a simple and free online calculator.

If your smartphone is just your smartphone, 10 Mbits will easily suffice. You can stream videos, use messenger services and social media, navigate via Google Maps, etc. with this speed. The range of common smartphone applications, as already mentioned, hardly needs more than 10 Mbits transfer rate.

If you want your smartphone to also serve as a mobile hotspot for one or more devices, or you want to stream 4k streams from your smartphone to a monitor, you’d better go for a rate with 50 Mbits.

If your smartphone is also your media center and you want to download games or movies in the shortest possible time via the mobile data connection, you will not be happy with 50 Mbits. In this case, you should choose the fastest possible speed.

Good to know: In Switzerland, the average achievable 5G speed varies between 131 and 205 Mbits depending on the provider. So if you are on the road a lot and do not stay in an ideal location, you can save on expensive gigabit rates.

More about the collection of this data can be found here.

Of course, most people will think “as little as possible” and there is hardly a provider that does not offer cheap flat rates. Nevertheless, you should consciously ask yourself this question, because as is often the case, “You get what you pay for.

It’s not always clear exactly where the cutbacks are made in low-cost rates, but at Digital Republic it’s the speed. Because 10 Mbits are usually enough for everyday use, they do not cut back on support or contract terms, but simply limit the bandwidth. This is a fair solution, especially since most things do not require a high-speed connection.

Customers benefit from first-class service and do not pay for a speed they do not need. Of course, every provider sets its priorities a bit differently here. But you should definitely set yourself a budget and find out exactly what the low price is made up of in the case of low-price offers.

If you know what internet speed you need for your smartphone, take a look at Rates! Thanks to numerous feedbacks from our customers and many years of experience, our rates are perfectly adapted to the different types of devices.

Whether you need 1, 10 or 2000 Mbits, if the mobile network allows it, Digital Republic has the right SIM card for you! 5G incl. unlimited data volume and no minimum contract period or notice period. Take a look!

Free, fair and progressive!