Is your phone service fast enough for 4K video? Try this Android speed test
TL; DR
- Ookla has launched Video Testing for Android.
- The function checks the maximum video streaming resolution that your telephone network can process, up to 4K.
- Whether or not you want to stream at this resolution is a different matter.
The speed test runs a series of video clips at increasingly higher resolutions, including 4K. Quit and Ookla not only tells you the maximum resolution you can use, it also provides useful secondary data like load times, buffering percentage and recommended devices to get the most out of your connection. These are obvious suggestions – 4K is best for a TV, for example – but might be helpful if you’re not sure what to use.
See also: The best video streaming services
A video speed test should complete in about a minute, Ookla said.
This video test only measures the speed of your connection, not the performance of the Android phone itself. Don’t be surprised if an aging or budget phone struggles with this, even if it supports fast cellular data or Wi-Fi. Just because your phone can handle 4K doesn’t mean this is a smart idea. Your Xperia 1 III can burn out the battery (or your data at full speed) if you insist on playing Netflix or YouTube videos at full quality.
Still, this is arguably a more practical speed test than most of the others. Other tests (including Speedtest) give you bandwidth numbers, but they don’t necessarily tell you what those numbers mean in practical terms. Here Ookla makes it clear whether you are getting the quality you were hoping for. If you can’t, it may be time to switch carriers or troubleshoot issues with your existing carrier.
