Originally Posted by
Dave Blake Your question reads windows 8 but I am going to assume you mean WP 8.
First data speeds don't change depending on device. The data speed where you are is what it is. What changes is the data render rated which differs from one device to another. That is going to be based on the processor. Devices like the L1520 and Note 3 running the Qualcomm 800 are going to be very close in data rendering. Different speed test apps have shown varying results.
Do cellphone radios and antennas mean nothing in this regard ? I remember hearing from someone I know that in areas such as his basement or heavy rural areas in the mountains (holliday trip), all his LTE phones would loose 4G coverage and switch to 3G except his Nokia 1020 that would stay on LTE networks throughout, meaning stronger antennas and radio on the handset.
Note: he always stayed with the same carrier.