Maybe my N800 is just super-powered or something but I have never had to wait over 2 seconds for a page to load (unless its a page with a video on it or lot and lots of moving graphics / .gif images) and most the time I am connected through a cellphone that is not capable of 3g.
Here's an interesting comparison of recent mobile devices (Pepper Pad 3, Archos 704 WiFi, Sony mylo, Apple iPhone, Nokia N800, and Archos 604 WiFi.) on their web browsing performances: http://www.pocketables.net/2007/08/review-website-.html