WiFi reception much worse compared to Z3C

[McVitas]

I have had to switch to Z5C and generally it is good. Only big difference which I see is that wifi networks I used before now have much worse signal! Is it because the Z5 lower antenna sensitivity or because recent Marshmallow update?

[McVitas]

So nobody upgraded from Z3 compact to Z5 compact and noticed this? Maybe I am just unlucky with this one and others are fine...

[G94N · Accepted solution]

Dude, I feel you, honestly! I own a Z5C and my brother owns the regular Z5, and seeing the WIFI coverage performance difference between these two, I feel a bit disappointed. However, I believe this is more of a hardware issue rather than a software issue. You see, Z5 uses 2x2 MIMO antenna design where Z5C uses 1x1 SISO arrangement. Where Z5's MIMO comes into play in terms of bandwith, being able to establish connections up to 867 Mbps, Z5C can connect up to 433 Mbps. And some sources suggest that 2x2 often gives you a better coverage than 1x1 (please someone else correct me if I am wrong, I am no expert, I'm just stating what I had read a while back) antenna arrangement. Having said that, I do not own a Z3C nor have someone around who has it so I can not compare. However, having upgraded from an older phone (Galaxy Note 2) with again 1x1 design, I expected WIFI coverage to be much better on this 2015 flagship phone than it was on a 2012 flagship phone. Maybe some software tweaks in the upcoming releases may help mend it...