Why does the nRF9160 Tx power fall far short of the specification? Its seem to be a false claim that the nRF9160 is a 23 dBm device, and rather is a 20 dBm device. In other words, the RF transmitter should be capable of a 200 mW output, but is only capable of 100 mW. The spec does allow for a 2 dB variation, but in reality the hardware does not meet that specification.

Measurements made with Mini-circuits PWR-SEN-6RMS-RC true RMS power sensor on nRF9160 evaluation board and fully calibrated:

