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A few weeks ago, I posted a thread asking why does my friend get 4G, but I don't. If you are like me in a situation like this, the process is simple. In my area, there are 4G and Edge bands that phones connect to. My phone persistently connected to the edge band while my friend connects to the 4G. So lets get to the point shall we.
If you are having problems like me try this:
Go to your settings, wireless and network, mobile networks, and then select network mode. (After doing some research about GSM and WCDMA, I found out that GSM (3G aka edge) was slower than WCDMA (the newer technology 3G).
Select WCDMA. (For me it took a while so don't worry. If it does take too much time then select WCDMA + GSM.) You are going to have to select it anyway when you are done if you don't automatically connect to 4G.
When you select the combination, your phone should reconnect to your carrier provider and you should get 4G like me.
Oh. F.Y.I. T-Mobile doesn't actually have 4G. It's just a fast 3G network called HSPA, but they still display the 4G symbol when you have it. Hope it helps somebody.
Tmobile doesn't have 4g?
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mikeyinid said:
Tmobile doesn't have 4g?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
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not "technically" but id say hspa gets the job done... except wen u run out of ur 5gb of data... which i did... n now they slowed me down till the end of billing cycle... what sucks is... my hspa is faster than wifi connection wifi is slow as hellllllll....
mikeyinid said:
Tmobile doesn't have 4g?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
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No. It's not really 4G. Just a faster 3G Network. It is really fast though.
Radsolutionz said:
not "technically" but id say hspa gets the job done... except wen u run out of ur 5gb of data... which i did... n now they slowed me down till the end of billing cycle... what sucks is... my hspa is faster than wifi connection wifi is slow as hellllllll....
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LOL! That is true.. I find my phone faster than WiFi.
SIISuperUserIIS said:
Oh. F.Y.I. T-Mobile doesn't actually have 4G. It's just a fast 3G network called HSPA, but they still display the 4G symbol when you have it. Hope it helps somebody.
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So who has 4G? T-Mobile is faster than the other 3, so no one has 4G?
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
mikeyinid said:
Tmobile doesn't have 4g?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
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Looks like 4g to me.
nysoprano said:
So who has 4G? T-Mobile is faster than the other 3, so no one has 4G?
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
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I don't know about the other providers though. I will do some more research when I get out for Christmas break.
billydroid said:
Looks like 4g to me.
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I don't know if you still have the sticker, but look on top of your Galaxy S2 and there should be a sticker that reads "Qualcomm 3G HSDPA". Sorry folks, correction HSDPA*
No company has "4G", none of them meet the official requirements of 4G. Just because your phone says 4G doesn't mean it actually is. Just because David Copperfield made it LOOK like he made a Boeing-747 disappear doesn't mean he ACTUALLY did
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G#Requirements
SIISuperUserIIS said:
I don't know if you still have the sticker, but look on top of your Galaxy S2 and there should be a sticker that reads "Qualcomm 3G HSDPA". Sorry folks, correction HSDPA*
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My sticker has 4g qualcomm
From a glaxay better than yours.
billydroid said:
Looks like 4g to me.
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Doesn't look like it to me... that's half the speed
Sent from the Galaxy, 2 stars to the left.
tehseano said:
No company has "4G", none of them meet the official requirements of 4G. Just because your phone says 4G doesn't mean it actually is. Just because David Copperfield made it LOOK like he made a Boeing-747 disappear doesn't mean he ACTUALLY did
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G#Requirements
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Well sort of. Wiki mentions it but glazes over it a bit. It's a reference anyone can change of course so take it with a grain of salt. ITU relaxed their position about this time last year to include "evolving technologies" of which WiMax, LTE and HSPDA are all included.
So the reality is, all the carriers can make the 4G claim and sleep comfortably and the extended reality is, the speeds are all showing that next evolutionary step in speed, even if the technology as it sits today is just that. Steps toward LTE Advanced and whatever WiMax is calling their next version. As a TMobile customer, and one that it seems will stay with the TMobile branding it's unfortunate they are using a technology that has it's limits. But I'm getting 10-15Mbps on occasion and solid 7 to 8 Mbps speeds generally speaking so I'm not complaining. Until the carriers clear more spectrum what "G" it is isn't relevant to me. With 2Gbps, or even 5Gb soft caps I don't need to get to my ceiling any faster than I am now.
btyork said:
Doesn't look like it to me... that's half the speed
Sent from the Galaxy, 2 stars to the left.
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Well technically it is a quarter of the speed. If you are going by 100mbs defintion.
By industry standards , marketing, its 4g. But the term is meaningless. It is way faster than previous generation of phones.
So whatever, I'm calling 4g.
Multi-channel HSPA is capable of ~40Mbps, which is damned fast.
Call it what you want; technically LTE ir WiMax is 4g, but if it runs as fast as the others, who cares what it's called?
You would think at those speeds you'll burn through your data cap in days. I don't get the requirement for faster data speeds let alone just for minor things.
Genesis3 said:
Multi-channel HSPA is capable of ~40Mbps, which is damned fast.
Call it what you want; technically LTE ir WiMax is 4g, but if it runs as fast as the others, who cares what it's called?
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Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App
SHUT UP
SIISuperUserIIS said:
I don't know about the other providers though. I will do some more research when I get out for Christmas break.
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Can we end this stupid 4g/3g debate? I'll end it for you right now.
Until a few months ago NONE of the technologies out were 4g, not LTE, not WiMax, not HSAP+ ...BUT the ITU (International Telecommunications Union), which are the people that say what's what in the wireless industry, folded under the marketing schemes of the big 4 here in the U.S. and said that TECHNICALLY NOW LTE, WiMax, and HSPA+ All count as 4g. So...yes they have 4g. A few months ago they didn't. Now they do.
So what was the trick again? lol
SIISuperUserIIS said:
I don't know if you still have the sticker, but look on top of your Galaxy S2 and there should be a sticker that reads "Qualcomm 3G HSDPA". Sorry folks, correction HSDPA*
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Yeah... mine says 4G also.. odd your sticker is different... As for hitting your cap faster, that doesnt really make much sense since it is just loading faster not loading more..
I have no issues calling it 4G since I get about 19-25 in the late hours pf the night and no less than 13 during prime time hours.
jonjon68 said:
Well sort of. Wiki mentions it but glazes over it a bit. It's a reference anyone can change of course so take it with a grain of salt. ITU relaxed their position about this time last year to include "evolving technologies" of which WiMax, LTE and HSPDA are all included.
So the reality is, all the carriers can make the 4G claim and sleep comfortably and the extended reality is, the speeds are all showing that next evolutionary step in speed, even if the technology as it sits today is just that. Steps toward LTE Advanced and whatever WiMax is calling their next version. As a TMobile customer, and one that it seems will stay with the TMobile branding it's unfortunate they are using a technology that has it's limits. But I'm getting 10-15Mbps on occasion and solid 7 to 8 Mbps speeds generally speaking so I'm not complaining. Until the carriers clear more spectrum what "G" it is isn't relevant to me. With 2Gbps, or even 5Gb soft caps I don't need to get to my ceiling any faster than I am now.
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Wikipedia is an administrator-approved peer-editing system. For one, there are references to back up the claims made, two, you can't just click "edit" then put in whatever you want. A Wiki admin approves all edits made, so bogus stuff can't just be easily added. (Sorry, I'm just sick an tired of people claiming wiki is a poor source for valid information, when in reality it's one of the most largest and beneficial information sources on the internet. Again, sorry, didn't mean that as an attack on you lol)
Either way, yes, our "4G" is fast, but in reality it's not in comparison to what it should be. And for those of you with worries about your data caps, these will be removed in due time. It becomes easier and easier to reach those caps without any effort at all (Google Music being a perfect example), carriers won't have a choice but to remove data caps, especially with carriers like sprint still offering unlimited data (for now lol)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1432756
Keep in mind that that is with a completely unloaded tower...
Sprint only has 10 mhz of spare spectrum in the PCS band, so before Clearwire or Lightsquared (if it gets FCC approval) roll out LTE, or Sprint decommissions the iDEN network, everyone will be using this small slice of spectrum. That means that each cell will be limited to a maximum of 40-60 mbps for all users to share.
Verizon uses at least 20 mhz of spectrum in all of its LTE coverage areas, so I don't think it's likely that Sprint's LTE will be able to outperform VZW's in its first year.
I love the "(At Least For Now)" nonsense.
I think I'll unfollow "android police" now.
Never see anyone make these type of comments directed at At&t or Verizon.
The fact is, even at their absolute best, Verizon and At&t LTE speeds were not even this fast.
However, I couldn't care less about having these speeds on a phone.
Anything above 10mbps is 'nice sounding' but honestly useless.
Keep it unlimited.
I don't know about you guys, but speeds like that are completely unnecessary. The speeds I get on 4g now is more than enough for everything I need, I'd rather have unlimited internet which I can use without worry, rather than have to deal with overages and etc.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
JSarella said:
I don't know about you guys, but speeds like that are completely unnecessary. The speeds I get on 4g now is more than enough for everything I need, I'd rather have unlimited internet which I can use without worry, rather than have to deal with overages and etc.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
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I AGREE...but the good thing is more bandwidth should mean less server/network traffic which is good for the end users and should mean faster overall speeds
mattykinsx said:
I love the "(At Least For Now)" nonsense.
I think I'll unfollow "android police" now.
Never see anyone make these type of comments directed at At&t or Verizon.
The fact is, even at their absolute best, Verizon and At&t LTE speeds were not even this fast.
However, I couldn't care less about having these speeds on a phone.
Anything above 10mbps is 'nice sounding' but honestly useless.
Keep it unlimited.
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Actually there are people that still get 40-50 mb download speeds on verizon even now WITH people on the network. Perhaps you should do a little more homework.
brownhornet said:
Actually there are people that still get 40-50 mb download speeds on verizon even now WITH people on the network. Perhaps you should do a little more homework.
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Lmfao.
Completely full of ****.
Never seen anyone talk about anywhere close to those speeds, even when LTE for Verizon was just released
http://www.phonearena.com/news/4G-s...e-holds-the-fort-in-smartphone-speeds_id17405
I ran a speedtest against a verizon customer inside Fry's electronics in Roseville, CA and the guy's phone hit 29mbps consistently. It doesnt sound TOO unrealistic to me.
Edit: I can't remember if he was using a thunderbolt or bionic at the time but regardless he destroyed me lol
Sent from my rooted GameBoy Color
Didn't have all the WooHoo commentary, but did show 50mbps on Verizon LTE using Pantech USB modem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5AGEj7ftK4&feature=related
sfhub said:
Didn't have all the WooHoo commentary, but did show 50mbps on Verizon LTE using Pantech USB modem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5AGEj7ftK4&feature=related
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Dedicated modem versus a phone. Does show the potential versus the usual reality though. Kinda makes me hope I move to NC. Verizon LTE coverage in the middle of no where I should be getting all the bandwidth
I heard from a friend his RAZR was netting 20/15 at best which beats the hell out of the 1.4 upload im getting now which would be the only complaint. Seems like the average users upload is a bit slower around 2-5 but still an improvement.
Overstew said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1432756
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Did you just link to a forum thread, in a new thread, when both threads are in the same forum?
DonutGrunt said:
Did you just link to a forum thread, in a new thread, when both threads are in the same forum?
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There was a thread on it already, so I edited the OP. I was hoping this thread would die. lol
Ok...apparently no one here has read about how sprint is going to use a multi-switching system on all they're towers. Which means, its going to free up a lot more spectrum and allow for much more capacity. On top of it, when sprint completely converts to lte network, even more spectrum is going to be available. That's why a lot of these carriers are going or have gone lte. (Long term evolution). Instead of sprint running at 1900mhz , they will run lte at 700mhz.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
androidmaster1 said:
Ok...apparently no one here has read about how sprint is going to use a multi-switching system on all they're towers. Which means, its going to free up a lot more spectrum and allow for much more capacity. On top of it, when sprint completely converts to lte network, even more spectrum is going to be available. That's why a lot of these carriers are going or have gone lte. (Long term evolution). Instead of sprint running at 1900mhz , they will run lte at 700mhz.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
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Why would anyone read?
Its Sprint, everything they do is wrong and a lie.
I can survive with 4-5 Mbps. What I need is unlimited data with no throttling, including when I use wifi tether.
Jayavarman said:
I can survive with 4-5 Mbps. What I need is unlimited data with no throttling, including when I use wifi tether.
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+1
I have a thunderbolt, its data connection is extremely fast, but I use my phones consistently throughout the day, and this means that I hit the 2GB limit within 3 weeks.
This is just regular use, If I were to steam on spotify, or last.fm or anything else, I'd be screwed within a week or two.
RainMotorsports said:
Dedicated modem versus a phone. Does show the potential versus the usual reality though. Kinda makes me hope I move to NC. Verizon LTE coverage in the middle of no where I should be getting all the bandwidth
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The Sprint "test" was said to be dedicated Huawei modem also so it is one-to-one comparison.
BTW the Verizon test was supposedly done in *NYC*, not NC.
androidmaster1 said:
Ok...apparently no one here has read about how sprint is going to use a multi-switching system on all they're towers. Which means, its going to free up a lot more spectrum and allow for much more capacity. On top of it, when sprint completely converts to lte network, even more spectrum is going to be available. That's why a lot of these carriers are going or have gone lte. (Long term evolution). Instead of sprint running at 1900mhz , they will run lte at 700mhz.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
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Can you post a link?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
Okay....how long have I been saying this now? Seriously wise up people and start listening to me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn0Drfu7QYM
I'm curious, haven't been able to find an answer by googling. I thought I remembered the guy in the TMO store saying that one of the features of the SG2 is that it is capable of higher data speeds. What I'm not sure of, is whether he was talking about TMO's 4G network in general, or the specific capabilities of the SG2 to achieve higher speeds.
For example, would I be able to attain higher 4G speeds on the SG2 than I would on my old Mytouch 4G if the signal strength were equal?
yes
the SGS2 & HTC Amaze run on the HSPA 42 when I think all other run on the 14 or 21...I forget the exact number
JaY iZz BaKk said:
yes
the SGS2 & HTC Amaze run on the HSPA 42 when I think all other run on the 14 or 21...I forget the exact number
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Right, that sounds familiar. So the older phones aren't capable of reaching the faster speeds; so even if TMO's 4G (or H or whatever you want to call it) network improves, older phones won't be able to utilize the speed bump...I'm trying to decide whether or not to keep the phone and that's a pretty good incentive right there.
sunsean said:
Right, that sounds familiar. So the older phones aren't capable of reaching the faster speeds; so even if TMO's 4G (or H or whatever you want to call it) network improves, older phones won't be able to utilize the speed bump...I'm trying to decide whether or not to keep the phone and that's a pretty good incentive right there.
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Unlike lte and wimax. Hspa+ affects all 3 capable devices though not much you do get a slight increase in 3g speeds. Since Hspa + is just upgraded 3g.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
it really comes down to which area you are using your data on, the phone is able to go max 42 Mbps
but there's no network in the world, at this time, that can really provide the full speed
even LTE can hardly provide what it advertises
so people get horrible LTE speed, some get great speed, same goes with 4G devices some people can get really fast, some other can only get average
hi
i recently got a nexus from google.
it woks like a charm but i notice i have never gotten 4G on my phone.
i know there is cus my friend has 4G on his GS2.
so any one knows why is my phone not connecting to 4G network?
any help will be appreciated
PS: the APN i have is epc.tmo.com
HSPA+ (the H icon) is the same thing as T-Mobile's "4G."
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
its weird, i get a 3G icon then it changes to an H. but when i go to settings i dont have the network mode option to choose from.
C0dy said:
HSPA+ (the H icon) is the same thing as T-Mobile's "4G."
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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It wasn't built to display HSPA+ as 4G for T-Mobile.
Google and rest of Europe considered it plain old 3G.
HSPA+ is not true 4G. It's considered 4G because it's almost as fast as 4G but it's not and people don't mind being tricked by that. They want to feel good about their phone. So they simply accept it.
I would just to brag about it. =p
Look at the AT&T 4S, it has HSPA+ but they don't advertise it as 4G. They just say it's faster then normal 3G.
That's why all my friends on AT&T with a 4S and jailbroken just get winter board and change the 3G to 4G and say they got 4G.
It's as fast so they say, "WTH!!! Let's make people feel like they got 4G and see a symbol that says so, even though they know they don't."
That is why you dont see 4G.
Ahh ok. Im asking cus someone told me i needed a new sim card. But thanks
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Yeah I understand why you would be confused. U assume it's 4G since it's as fast. =p
I'd do the same unless I'm told. And since I found out when the 4S came out (I was confused at first), I learned it's just simple 3G on steroids.
Actually one of the firmware updates to the 4S revised the indicator so now it *does* say 4G on AT&T. Which is frustrating because non-technical types now say things like "Well my son didn't get 4G on his Verizon 4G phone in our area, but I get 4G on my AT&T iPhone, so I guess AT&T has better 4G."
I know.
Advertising something that is not true. They can trick people into thinking that the AT&T 4S is better and make people think they have more 4G coverage.
Technically it does since it's considered just as fast. But technically isn't good enough.
DLD511 said:
I know.
Advertising something that is not true. They can trick people into thinking that the AT&T 4S is better and make people think they have more 4G coverage.
Technically it does since it's considered just as fast. But technically isn't good enough.
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The iPhone 4S utilizes HSPA+ just like the Galaxy Nexus. The only difference is that the 4S has an HSPA+ radio that is limited to 14.4Mbps, just like early T-Mobile HSPA+ devices like the G2x. The Nexus has a 21Mbps radio. Functionally, there isn't a whole lot of difference.
Fortunately, we should see true 4G in the states soon, as T-Mobile plans to roll out LTE-Advanced; which, unlike AT&T, Sprint and Verizon's LTE, is the version that actually complies to all of the initial 4G standards, which are not limited to speed. Unfortunately, it will likely still be quite a while before we see speeds of 100Mbps / 1Gbps, which are also one of the requirements. The backhaul and infrastructure for such a network simply aren't utilized in the US. Also, I don't think we really need speeds like that. The initial LTE we have now is still a battery drainer, where HSPA+ still excels in efficiency. The main benefit of LTE and LTE Advanced is changing from a circuit switched network to a fully IP based system, which HSPA+ partially supports.
Correction: The 4S uses HSDPA+HSUPA, which is close but not identical to HSPA+.
HSDPA+HSUPA Release 6
HSPA+ Release 7
LTE Release 8
LTE Advanced Release 10
3G is UMTS. 4G is HSPA/HSPA+
4G and 3G are not the same in these terms.
"Long is the way, and hard, that out of hell leads up to light."
T-Mobile's LTE gonna be at 48mbps correct??? Gonna be damn fast.
Here's Verizon speeds.
DLD511 said:
T-Mobile's LTE gonna be at 48mbps correct??? Gonna be damn fast.
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T-Mobile's HSPA+ is already at 48Mbps in most cases. No word on the max speed for LTE Advanced yet.
Keep in mind that maximum theoretical speed and maximum real usage speed are two different things, but LTE Advanced supposedly reduces a lot of the issues that HSPA+ has, including the speed degradation that HSPA+ has when it comes to distance from the tower and interference.
Also, to be honest, speed tests are just like benchmarks. They really don't show realistic results most of the time. Besides, most of us really only use about 250kbps-3Mbps in actual real time usage, at best and on high load.
JaiaV said:
T-Mobile's HSPA+ is already at 48Mbps in most cases. No word on the max speed for LTE Advanced yet.
Keep in mind that maximum theoretical speed and maximum real usage speed are two different things, but LTE Advanced supposedly reduces a lot of the issues that HSPA+ has, including the speed degradation that HSPA+ has when it comes to distance from the tower and interference.
Also, to be honest, speed tests are just like benchmarks. They really don't show realistic results most of the time. Besides, most of us really only use about 250kbps-3Mbps in actual real time usage, at best and on high load.
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Verizon got to play serious catch up on speed.
DLD511 said:
T-Mobile's LTE gonna be at 48mbps correct??? Gonna be damn fast.
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They're already on 48mbps HSPA+. When they deploy LTE, it'll be LTE-Advanced, which is the next iteration above the current LTE deployments by AT&T/Verizon.
DLD511 said:
Here's Verizon speeds.
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cool story.
Verizon gonna do this too???
DLD511 said:
Verizon gonna do this too???
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Verizon's still busy implementing Release 9 LTE. Less incentive for them to upgrade to LTE Advanced, but possible the groundwork has already been laid for it, not entirely certain of what the differences between the hardware needed at the cell site or the hardware needed in the handset have to be.
JaiaV said:
Verizon's still busy implementing Release 9 LTE. Less incentive for them to upgrade to LTE Advanced, but possible the groundwork has already been laid for it, not entirely certain of what the differences between the hardware needed at the cell site or the hardware needed in the handset have to be.
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Bet it's gonna **** on the battery.... again.
DLD511 said:
Bet it's gonna **** on the battery.... again.
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LTE is quite horrible for battery life. I'm not sure what the difference LTE Advanced will make. I do know that one of the reasons LTE battery life is poor is that LTE coverage is relatively sparse for the time being, as the radio is having to work harder to get and keep a signal than it would if LTE coverage were as prevalent as HSPA+ coverage is.
Hi everyone, I've got a small question to ask.
I've been reading reviews about all the different North American bound GSIII's, and I have noticed that while the "maximum theoritical speed" of lte is around double that of hspda+, there isn't really a difference in usability .
I mean to say, when you use the phone, it is blazing fast right? Not gimped :victory:
I'm about to get it on a Canadian Carrier that uses AWS, and was wondering if I should spring for the lte, non AWS version.
Thanks in advance
(sorry if this isn't even a question )
Of course it makes a difference. It means the battery will last a fair amount longer.
IMO HSPA+ is good enough. You won't notice the real world difference between the two, given that you have enough HSPA coverage. LTE is a newer technology but as I've heard it drains battery too quick. I'd prefer a longer battery life with decent speeds throughout a day than to have the phone die on me more quickly just to boast a faster speed that I probably won't notice.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
stevessvt said:
Of course it makes a difference. It means the battery will last a fair amount longer.
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jaygajay said:
IMO HSPA+ is good enough. You won't notice the real world difference between the two, given that you have enough HSPA coverage. LTE is a newer technology but as I've heard it drains battery too quick. I'd prefer a longer battery life with decent speeds throughout a day than to have the phone die on me more quickly just to boast a faster speed that I probably won't notice.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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I agree with both. Wish T-Mobile wouldn't be putting time and money towards lte. It's already faster than Verizon. Even on my aosp ROM which doesn't get the full speeds it blew away Verizon lte using the speed test app.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Skype and stuff would be clearer on LTE of course, but with a strong 4g signal it is pretty fast. Most people crab about bandwidth, but in all reality most people never use near all of it. On a phone getting 15 or 20 meg you can do anything. What does LTE speed test at?
I know when I had Verizon my battery would go super fast on LTE.
jjlean said:
Skype and stuff would be clearer on LTE of course, but with a strong 4g signal it is pretty fast. Most people crab about bandwidth, but in all reality most people never use near all of it. On a phone getting 15 or 20 meg you can do anything. What does LTE speed test at?
I know when I had Verizon my battery would go super fast on LTE.
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When I had Verizon in Chicago I would speed test around 30-40mbps. Sure it's cool to see big numbers, but it isn't a huge deal.
LTE is a bit gentler on battery these days as well. My friend's S3 gets pretty good battery life on Verizon but he also has amazing LTE coverage where he is.
Sent from my SGH-T999
There are other improvements in LTE other than raw speed, such as latency, air interface, architecture, etc. Granted HSPA is an improvement over standard UMTS, and actually can provide plenty of raw bandwidth for most applications, if implemented properly. Some of the architectural changes are already, at least partially, implemented in HSPA.
With that said, I have never found myself regretting not having LTE (on T-Mobile) over HSPA. I get 10Mb down easily and sometimes more in my area (DC Metro). I imagine LTE is faster in this area in terms of raw speed, but I don't really care. I will take the better battery life and simultaneous data/voice any day over that extra data speed at this point in time. I actually think that the way T-Mobile is going about the upgrade makes a lot of technical sense. Granted the CDMA carriers were at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to implementing LTE (frequencies aside). Since LTE is actually in the GSM family, sharing some standards and concepts with those descendants, they have had to implement more of a hybrid system.
Bottom line - I think HSPA is a much better trade off for speed, functionality, battery, etc. at this point in time than LTE is. I wouldn't worry about not having LTE in the GS3 at this time. I think that by the time T-Mobile gets their LTE network up and running in most major areas, the next generation phones will be here. If you are into marketing hype, by all means go for LTE now. If you are more into real world results, then don't worry about it, and be happy with HSPA for now.
LTE is a bit gentler on battery these days as well.
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True, and that will only improve over time, just as early UMTS/HSPA implementations did. Early LTE chipsets really had horrendous battery life, to the point of severely limiting the usefulness of LTE. I actually think 2013 will be a good year for LTE adoption. T-Mobile is right on schedule, they just have to fight that marketing battle.
I still prefer HSPA+ 42mbps... I average 20mbps down and 3mbps up
Sent from my SGH-T999 using XDA Premium HD app
big battery drainer, stick with HSPA+
Thanks for all the replies. I guess I'll just get the AWS SIII then (not on tmobile though :victory
BTW: I didn't know lte couldn't do voice/data at the same time! )
BTW: I didn't know lte couldn't do voice/data at the same time!
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Oh no, it can. It's just the way it is implemented right now. It is not an LTE limitation.
Between T-Mobile and AT&T, T-Mobile has the best HSPA+. I can get 24Mbps in my city. So, it makes a difference of about 10Mbps, it's not a big deal when you really think about it and use it.
T-Mobile (by accident) will have the best data coverage in the future. Look at how good their HSPA+ is right now and then think about when they're finished rolling out LTE. People can get one signal or the other.
To answer your question, it matters if you and your friends are racing who can download a file the fastest. You'll lose by two seconds...
Snook321 said:
I still prefer HSPA+ 42mbps... I average 20mbps down and 3mbps up
Sent from my SGH-T999 using XDA Premium HD app
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That's what I average here in the Placerville, CA area. My friends who have Verizon LTE get pretty much the same speeds.
Last question: does lte even make a difference in battery life? I mean, if it does, is the t999's battery life slightly better than the i747's?
Last question: does lte even make a difference in battery life? I mean, if it does, is the t999's battery life slightly better than the i747's?
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Yes, it does if you have it on. The reason being that LTE radios and chips are not as mature as HSPA implementations. It was the same situation with the move from GSM to UMTS. Remember the first iPhone didn't have 3G primarily because of battery drain on 3G networks. The situation quickly improved, as it will/is with LTE.
So, I would say the battery life in the T999 would be better than the i747 if you actually use LTE on the latter. That is just an educated guess though. By how much, I don't know, but I imagine it would be measurable. Might want to ask on the i747 forum about their battery life. It might not be a big deal.
redhooka said:
That's what I average here in the Placerville, CA area. My friends who have Verizon LTE get pretty much the same speeds.
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What's the difference in your bills if you don't mind me asking?
T-Mobile customer since Voicestream days, so I'm a loyal customer
Here's my personal experience.
I have a Verizon LTE Mifi. One day I was sitting in Portland air port waiting for a flight. Bored, I started to surf the net. 15 minutes in, I remember thinking to myself, WOW, T-Mobile is fast today! Then I saw my wifi icon is lit, and realized that I have forgotten to turn off my Mifi, and I was running on LTE.
So, yes, you CAN tell the difference, but when T-Mobile's 3G is running correctly though, it's not a huge difference, but certainly noticeable.
BTW, even on Verizon's slow 3G speed, I can still make Skype calls, and it worked flawlessly.
Friend of mine has at&t gs3 and he averages around 31mbps down and 20ish mbps up on LTE. The other day he got 61mbps down but only 100kbps up on one speed test. I'm perfectly happy with tmobile HSPA+ though, and have been getting exceptional battery life on just rooted stock with slight debloating.
I finally hit 12mbps in toledo last night my old g2 was struggling for even 5 I thought the area just sucked but it's probably the better antennas in this s3. My wifi does 15 so im happy with this. When I go to bigger cities like Chicago and nyc I know I'll get at least 20 so I could care less for lte. Even with lte ur not constantly getting 40 or so mbps that's just the peak of ur speed
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
otariq said:
I finally hit 12mbps in toledo last night my old g2 was struggling for even 5 I thought the area just sucked but it's probably the better antennas in this s3. My wifi does 15 so im happy with this. When I go to bigger cities like Chicago and nyc I know I'll get at least 20 so I could care less for lte. Even with lte ur not constantly getting 40 or so mbps that's just the peak of ur speed
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
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Correct. The G2 is only capable of 21mbps while the s3 is capable of 42mbps. I haven't been able to get over 15 in Chicago though on CM10
Sent from my SGH-T999