iPhone X GPS accuracy is weak

Try using a GPS app, such as GPS Diagnostic, on both phones to test satellite signal strength (some apps rely a lot on cell towers and Wifi also, so you need to measure GPS alone).

You could also try backing up your phone and resetting it via iTunes to get the latest iOS (not via your phone's internal settings which will reinstall the old iOS) and then test the GPS on Apple Maps before restoring your apps and settings etc. If it doesn't work properly, get it replaced. I did for my iPhone X and the GPS is working fine now - that is, it can track me accurately walking or jogging through parks etc. I don't now about iPhone 6S but my replacement iPhone X seems as at least as accurate now as my iPhone 6 was.

Thanks for the tip. It is a shame that you have to use 3rd party apps to see if there is a fault on the phone.

When I use Apple Maps the position on the iPhone 6 is steady while the iPhone X positions is very flimsy.

I do not use the wifi when I compare so that cannot affect the positioning.

You can test the GPS system with the native Apple Maps as long as you know how to differentiate between when it merely uses cell towers/Wifi versus when it is using GPS also. I was told that the blue circle on the map starts to emit "pings" (blue circles that radiate outwards like ripples) when you have a GPS signal but doesn't do that when you just have cell tower/Wifi. This has been my experience. I also use GPS Diagnostics which obviously gives more data on your signal strength. However, I recommended Apple Maps to users who have just reset their phone and wanted to test it in its simplest state, before adding apps and settings to it, and before restoring from backup.

Thanks again. I did download the GPS Diagnostics and installed on both the iPhone X and iPhone 6. The iPhone 6 showed ´quite good reception and mainly green bars up to 100%. The iPhone X was between 25-50% lower than the iPhone 6 and frequently seem to drop the signals totally. So there is something that is not right with the iPhone X.

I recommend you backup your iPhone X, reset it, and then test it with only GPS Diagnostic installed, before you restore the phone from your backup. That way you can gauge its GPS performance without potential software issues that may have accumulated through usage/iOS upgrades.

In GPS Diagnostic, try comparing accuracy in meters between the phones over some period, like 10-20 minutes. Bar levels and colours alone may be misleading. When comparing my 5S to X, 5S is better in bars of signal strength, however when comparing accuracy, difference between the phones is about marginal in my test. I recorded screen video of both phones and then transcribed signal length and accuracy over the time to find out that.

I got mine replaced. The model I have now works fine.

I tried GPS Diagnostic on my old and replacement handset and the replacement was about 25% better.

This is, as I see it, a hardware defect. I got mine just after release, perhaps there were quality control issues.

I agree with your statements above. I'm a long time iphone user and still have multiple iPhones in the family. Ever since I bought the iPhone X (A1901) in Dec‘17 I experienced the bad GPS performance. It's unusable for tracking runs and navigation is bad as well. I contacted the apple support about it, did all the things they suggested and even had it diagnosed at a local authorized store. They claim the device is o.k. Also, they treated me as if I was the only one with this problem!

After not getting any help from Apple I did some tests myself using an iPhone5s (A1457), 6s (A1688), 7 (A1778) and the X (A1901). I did a side-by-side comparison of the gps accuracy under various conditions using the app “GPS Diagnostic”

Under all conditions the 5s and 6s performed great. The iPhone 7 and iPhone X, however, performed significantly worse. Worst performance was seen on the iPhone X (e.g. horizontal acc. 6s <5m, iphoneX < 48m or more). Both, the X and 7, almost never reached 100% reception strength reported by the App. Especially in areas with low signal-strength (inside a car, behind a window), the performance dropped significantly.

When comparing the tech specs of the phones I used there is one thing that seems to correlate to the observation. IPhone5s and iPhone6s use a Qualcomm chipset whereas the iPhone7 and the iPhoneX use Intel's.

So, I agree with your statement that this problem could be related to the chipset used within the different models. I’m pretty sure Apple knows about this. Considering the fact that this, most likely, didn’t just start with the iPhoneX I’m outraged that Apple sold me a 1400€ device knowing about the flaw. I also encourage everyone to let Apple know that this is not acceptable.

Unfortunately, the A1865 model is not available in Europe. It’s only sold at AT&T or sim-lock free at US Apple stores. I guess that the people who reported that the issue was fixed after they got the device exchanged at the Apple store got their A1901 model replaced by an A1865 model. It’s hard to believe that Apples technicians don’t know about that. I also think the problem is known here in Europe, but the stuff simply doesn’t have the option to swap the device.

It’s a petty that the only option seems to be selling the iPhoneX, as Apple doesn’t comment on the problem. I don’t think that’s how premium buyers should be treated! Apple, please help!

I had the Qualcomm MDM9655 in my iPhone X but it still had problems with GPS, so I wouldn't necessarily bet on the Intel vs Qualcomm issue as a cause of your problems.

I would do a factory reset, test GPS on your iPhone X without restoring from backup, and if the GPS doesn't work, get a replacement.

I did conclude that it is the GPS that is very poor on the iPhoneX. Compared to my old iPhone6 the accuracy of the iPhoneX is more or less a joke.

But what is more a joke is Apples Apple Care + support. Having paid more than $250 extra for this support just for the iPhoneX I must admit that Apple is the worst support experience I have ever had. After more that a month and multiple calls and transfers to their so called "senior" deparment thay have not yet managed to send me a replacement phone.

I am still waiting and still experiencing the worst customer service I have ever had. And nobody can tell me what has gone wrong...

a restore and set up as new could be needed for the device

Did you ever resolve this problem? I’m having the same issue.

no and I installed 11.2.5 already!

what is your vehicle brand

Model A1901 here (MQAF2B/A)