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Should I switch from VZW to Sprint?

I currently have the droid bionic with a iPhone as my back up. Is it worth me switching to sprint to pick up the Epic touch? How's the battery life and reception with sprint compared to VZW? Right now with juice defender I get about a consistent 20 hrs actually using my phone.

Verizons network is better as far as data speeds go. I don't think it's worth the switch for just a device.
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk

Depends on where you are and where you tend to travel to.
I get 2-2.5Mb 3G speeds with Sprint (250 - 300KBytes/s) at home and and work. I also get 1-1.5Mb 3G in the middle of the forest up in northern Wisconsin. All with a lowly Moment.
There is an active 4G tower where I work (according to a friend's Evo) despite it not being on the coverage map.
On the other hand, if you are stuck anywhere where Verizon has the only network, you will have crappy data speeds because Verizon refuses to allow anything more than 1x roaming to Sprint customers. This also applies if you are on the edge of a Sprint tower... Sprint tends to want to keep you connected to a Sprint signal, regardless of its strength. This can get frustrating at times.
If you do go with Sprint, the first app you should download and pay for is Roam Control.

That all depends on your needs...
Sprint's voice and data plans are much cheaper and 4g data is unlimited. 3g is limited to 5gb per month.
If you do need coverage in remote areas, check Sprint's coverage maps and see if there is signal where you need it.
http://coverage.sprint.com/IMPACT.jsp
If you dont use much data and want to spend more to get faster speeds while paying more for voice as well, Verizon is the way to go. I would only hang with Verizon if coverage is an issue.
I had Verizon for many years and switched to Sprint in 2006. I've never regretted making the change.

-logik- said:
That all depends on your needs...
Sprint's voice and data plans are much cheaper and 4g data is unlimited. 3g is limited to 5gb per month.
If you do need coverage in remote areas, check Sprint's coverage maps and see if there is signal where you need it.
http://coverage.sprint.com/IMPACT.jsp
If you dont use much data and want to spend more to get faster speeds while paying more for voice as well, Verizon is the way to go. I would only hang with Verizon if coverage is an issue.
I had Verizon for many years and switched to Sprint in 2006. I've never regretted making the change.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprint doesn't cap data at 5GB for mobile phones. Only on their usb cards.

eakrish said:
I currently have the droid bionic with a iPhone as my back up. Is it worth me switching to sprint to pick up the Epic touch? How's the battery life and reception with sprint compared to VZW? Right now with juice defender I get about a consistent 20 hrs actually using my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pick your provider FIRST, then pick your device.
As stated be sure to not just check a coverage map but to check with friends and coworkers who have Sprint and live/commute/work in your area.
I've traveled the country a little and I have never been without Sprint coverage except in two tiny holes in my home town...where not a single provider has anything but threshold levels of service out doors, indoors you get squat from any of them. These "holes", however, can be deal breakers if you happen to live and/or work in them. Coverage maps help, a little, but asking people (and looking at their signal meters) is far more precise.
As far as data speed is concerned it's a mixed bag. I came from a line of HTC devices where changing the PRL on-the-go was simple so I used the "00001.prl" a lot. This PRL, essentially, puts you on Verizon's towers, full speed 3G. I can honestly say that while Verizon's speeds tend to be far more consistent than Sprint's that even though I had the chance to get out of Sprint this month (for free) that instead of going to Big Red I used that to upgrade to the Epic Touch without hesitation...The data speeds can drag-ass in a highly congested area at times but unless it's lunch time in a 1-bar area I don't tend to dip below 500kbps and if it is later in the day (or evening) and/or in a sparsely populated area (or higher-income area, draw your own conclusions) I have seen as high as 2.7mbps...my friend lives in a low-population high income area and he may be the only Sprint subscriber for miles, lol, and they get 2.5~2.7mbps all day every day. There are also times/places where Sprint's 3G speed absolutely spanks Verizon's.
...as far as 4G goes it can be blazing fast but you probably won't ever get the signal indoors unless you are in a 4G saturated metropolitan environment. I hear lots of complaints about 4G speed but when I get connected it's always faster than my home internet (6mbps, the most you can get from residential ATT DSL around here), I have seen 15mbps too.
As far as price is concerned Sprint wins hands down especially if you consider the unlimited data and free roaming. Voice roaming is unlimited. There is a "soft" limit of 3G roaming at 300mb, but, that is a floating line. If you aren't usually roaming but happen to travel somewhere that you are forced to roam at worst they will call or send you a letter telling you that if you do it again your contract may be terminated. But as long as it doesn't happen at work or at home they are mostly forgiving...and if not? That's a free out on your contract and now you have a $500-$700 (retail) phone for trade-up or resale to go back to Verizon.
EDIT: Oh yeah, battery life. It's killer. Very very killer compared to a Moment, Hero, Evo 4G and Evo 3D this thing slaughters them all. It's hard to say since I have been using my phone more than breathing these past 2 days, but, considering that I'm very impressed....*very* impressed.

I agree with most everyone here take a look and see what you are using and what you need. make sure you have coverage at home and work and other places you visit regularly. if it works out for you make the switch. You can save alot of money with Sprint depending on your needs and they have a great selection of phones, I just the the GSII and it is awesome about 50% faster then the evo3d it just flies. but all of that power doesn't mean anything if you can't get signal.

I just switched from Verizon because I wanted the GS2 really bad.
I live in Seattle and Sprint has good coverage here so I'm pretty happy. (i've had Sprint in the past as well)
You can always switch and test drive Sprint for 14 days (or maybe it's 30) and if you don't like it, return to Verizon. No big deal.
PS: I had the Droid Bionic for a few days before switching to Sprint. Honestly, I think the GS2 is simply better in every way. That's just my opinion. Couldn't deal with the Pentile display and the camera was quite a disappointment.

If the service is good in the area then go for it. Of not I wouldn't change. If I could do it all over again I would have switched to vz before they started the data caps.
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk

I switched about 6 years ago and never looked back. I had voice and data with them for over 10 years, back in the Bell Mobile days. They kicked me off of a BroadbandAccess for using too much data claiming I HAD to have violated the ToS (P2P, video streaming, web hosting) by using over 5GB in a month. Really, that is only 150MB a day and that goes very quickly with just web and e-mail if you use it daily. I work on the road a LOT so naturally, I went over this regularly. I had to explain what I do and that I did NOT violate the ToS, which said NOTHING about 5GB. I didn't do any of the activities it stated. This was back when everything was unlimited with no fine print. They didn't charge an ETF and asked if I wanted to reactivate the account. I declined and moved to Sprint and eventually took voice too. Have been very happy since.
I still consider Sprint to be the best value in wireless. It always seemed that VZW nickle and dime'd me to death. My bill fluctuated month to month by $20 with no changes in service and additional fees. Just "taxes". They charged for web order shipping, activation, and everything they could have.

I forgot to mention I have unlimited data

Bigjim1488 said:
If the service is good in the area then go for it. Of not I wouldn't change. If I could do it all over again I would have switched to vz before they started the data caps.
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't have switched. As stated below I was on them with true unlimited before they started the caps. Then they terminated the account and offered to reactivate, probably to instate a cap on me. I suspect the same would have happened to you.
When I switched data to Sprint, I asked if they had unlimited data and bandwidth, and got multiple confirmations (with chat transcripts) that it was 100% unlimited. They introduced the 5GB limit a year or two later. And, since I haven't renewed the contract or accepted any new modems on that line, it today is still unlimited and I use 8-10GB (sometimes more) monthly. They've called and tried to get me to renew, which would activate 4G but put a cap on 3G... and I've declined. Until 4G is everywhere I need on the road, I can't do it.
Phones are still unlimited, so I wonder if a cheap phone to tether with an unlimited plan is worth it for tethering only?? Just a thought.

I don't need a phone to tether, just need a bad ass phone that looks great, feels super fast and has great battery life. I also want a great looking display and widgets that are good for social media.

daneurysm said:
Pick your provider FIRST, then pick your device.
As stated be sure to not just check a coverage map but to check with friends and coworkers who have Sprint and live/commute/work in your area.
I've traveled the country a little and I have never been without Sprint coverage except in two tiny holes in my home town...where not a single provider has anything but threshold levels of service out doors, indoors you get squat from any of them. These "holes", however, can be deal breakers if you happen to live and/or work in them. Coverage maps help, a little, but asking people (and looking at their signal meters) is far more precise.
As far as data speed is concerned it's a mixed bag. I came from a line of HTC devices where changing the PRL on-the-go was simple so I used the "00001.prl" a lot. This PRL, essentially, puts you on Verizon's towers, full speed 3G. I can honestly say that while Verizon's speeds tend to be far more consistent than Sprint's that even though I had the chance to get out of Sprint this month (for free) that instead of going to Big Red I used that to upgrade to the Epic Touch without hesitation...The data speeds can drag-ass in a highly congested area at times but unless it's lunch time in a 1-bar area I don't tend to dip below 500kbps and if it is later in the day (or evening) and/or in a sparsely populated area (or higher-income area, draw your own conclusions) I have seen as high as 2.7mbps...my friend lives in a low-population high income area and he may be the only Sprint subscriber for miles, lol, and they get 2.5~2.7mbps all day every day. There are also times/places where Sprint's 3G speed absolutely spanks Verizon's.
...as far as 4G goes it can be blazing fast but you probably won't ever get the signal indoors unless you are in a 4G saturated metropolitan environment. I hear lots of complaints about 4G speed but when I get connected it's always faster than my home internet (6mbps, the most you can get from residential ATT DSL around here), I have seen 15mbps too.
As far as price is concerned Sprint wins hands down especially if you consider the unlimited data and free roaming. Voice roaming is unlimited. There is a "soft" limit of 3G roaming at 300mb, but, that is a floating line. If you aren't usually roaming but happen to travel somewhere that you are forced to roam at worst they will call or send you a letter telling you that if you do it again your contract may be terminated. But as long as it doesn't happen at work or at home they are mostly forgiving...and if not? That's a free out on your contract and now you have a $500-$700 (retail) phone for trade-up or resale to go back to Verizon.
EDIT: Oh yeah, battery life. It's killer. Very very killer compared to a Moment, Hero, Evo 4G and Evo 3D this thing slaughters them all. It's hard to say since I have been using my phone more than breathing these past 2 days, but, considering that I'm very impressed....*very* impressed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprint does NOT offer unlimited roaming.....I found this out while traveling to Florida in August. When I got done with explaining the Ambiguity in their false claims it has now since changed from unlimited roaming to unlimitting roaming on their network. They are such good corporate game players(liars).
Misleading people is what I don't agree with, but they are the cheapest game in town and suffice "if" you can get a signal. That said you get 800 minutes of roaming on their unlimited plan, and what ever your land line minutes are on their lower plans is the amount of roaming you will have before you have to PAY overages. If the overages happen too much they void your contract after making you aware that their is no unlimited. Now before any one starts debating this look at the advertisements and if that doesn't clue you in call and ask what I said.
They advertised unlimited roaming until I got done with them. They had a little fine print in the back of that agreement letting unsuspecting people that went over know that there was no unlimited roaming. Then they try to collect money for it. But, I let them know that ambiguity in contract law goes to the consumer, and that we can all void our contracts based on this lil tidbit of a lie, because many of us joined because of the roaming plan when we lose their coverage, and since it was a hoax the contract was null and void. They have now changed it to read unlimited roaming on their network only. How can you roam on the very network that you reside.

eakrish said:
I currently have the droid bionic with a iPhone as my back up. Is it worth me switching to sprint to pick up the Epic touch? How's the battery life and reception with sprint compared to VZW? Right now with juice defender I get about a consistent 20 hrs actually using my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
QWIKSTRIKE said:
Sprint does NOT offer unlimited roaming.....I found this out while traveling to Florida in August. When I got done with explaining the Ambiguity in their false claims it has now since changed from unlimited roaming to unlimitting roaming on their network. They are such good corporate game players(liars).
Misleading people is what I don't agree with, but they are the cheapest game in town and suffice "if" you can get a signal. That said you get 800 minutes of roaming on their unlimited plan, and what ever your land line minutes are on their lower plans is the amount of roaming you will have before you have to PAY overages. If the overages happen too much they void your contract after making you aware that their is no unlimited. Now before any one starts debating this look at the advertisements and if that doesn't clue you in call and ask what I said.
They advertised unlimited roaming until I got done with them. They had a little fine print in the back of that agreement letting unsuspecting people that went over know that there was no unlimited roaming. Then they try to collect money for it. But, I let them know that ambiguity in contract law goes to the consumer, and that we can all void our contracts based on this lil tidbit of a lie, because many of us joined because of the roaming plan when we lose their coverage, and since it was a hoax the contract was null and void. They have now changed it to read unlimited roaming on their network only. How can you roam on the very network that you reside.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Roaming on their network!? I'm trying really hard to find some way to make sense out of that... my legalese-to-english converter is usually pretty good but I just can't....wrap my....anything around that.

daneurysm said:
Pick your provider FIRST, then pick your device.
As stated be sure to not just check a coverage map but to check with friends and coworkers who have Sprint and live/commute/work in your area.
I've traveled the country a little and I have never been without Sprint coverage except in two tiny holes in my home town...where not a single provider has anything but threshold levels of service out doors, indoors you get squat from any of them. These "holes", however, can be deal breakers if you happen to live and/or work in them. Coverage maps help, a little, but asking people (and looking at their signal meters) is far more precise.
As far as data speed is concerned it's a mixed bag. I came from a line of HTC devices where changing the PRL on-the-go was simple so I used the "00001.prl" a lot. This PRL, essentially, puts you on Verizon's towers, full speed 3G. I can honestly say that while Verizon's speeds tend to be far more consistent than Sprint's that even though I had the chance to get out of Sprint this month (for free) that instead of going to Big Red I used that to upgrade to the Epic Touch without hesitation...The data speeds can drag-ass in a highly congested area at times but unless it's lunch time in a 1-bar area I don't tend to dip below 500kbps and if it is later in the day (or evening) and/or in a sparsely populated area (or higher-income area, draw your own conclusions) I have seen as high as 2.7mbps...my friend lives in a low-population high income area and he may be the only Sprint subscriber for miles, lol, and they get 2.5~2.7mbps all day every day. There are also times/places where Sprint's 3G speed absolutely spanks Verizon's.
...as far as 4G goes it can be blazing fast but you probably won't ever get the signal indoors unless you are in a 4G saturated metropolitan environment. I hear lots of complaints about 4G speed but when I get connected it's always faster than my home internet (6mbps, the most you can get from residential ATT DSL around here), I have seen 15mbps too.
As far as price is concerned Sprint wins hands down especially if you consider the unlimited data and free roaming. Voice roaming is unlimited. There is a "soft" limit of 3G roaming at 300mb, but, that is a floating line. If you aren't usually roaming but happen to travel somewhere that you are forced to roam at worst they will call or send you a letter telling you that if you do it again your contract may be terminated. But as long as it doesn't happen at work or at home they are mostly forgiving...and if not? That's a free out on your contract and now you have a $500-$700 (retail) phone for trade-up or resale to go back to Verizon.
EDIT: Oh yeah, battery life. It's killer. Very very killer compared to a Moment, Hero, Evo 4G and Evo 3D this thing slaughters them all. It's hard to say since I have been using my phone more than breathing these past 2 days, but, considering that I'm very impressed....*very* impressed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Carrier first. A phone shouldn't really be a reason to switch, although this phone is pretty awesome.
Sprint has been AWESOME in nearly all areas. They seem better than VZW for me in rural areas. I live in the middle of nowhere and have EXCELLENT EVDOrA signal.
---------- Post added at 03:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:35 PM ----------
eakrish said:
I don't need a phone to tether, just need a bad ass phone that looks great, feels super fast and has great battery life. I also want a great looking display and widgets that are good for social media.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon has plenty of phones in that department.. and nearly any Android phone would fill those needs. If you want the best Android phone available right now, this is it.

Also you may want to keep an eye out for the sprint network meeting October 7th. They are going to talk about this new thing called "network vision".
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

I switched on Friday and I'm already starting to regret it - I haven't seen a 3G download speed higher than around 90kbps here. The phone is absolutely amazing on wifi and I love the device itself, but out around town it's pretty bad. I tried to download a 2MB or so app at a restaurant where I had a full 5 bars of signal last night and it was still trying to download 15+ minutes later because of how slow the actual download rate was. It's worse than a dial-up modem at time.
I wasn't even thinking about the unlimited data on VZW when I did it too - did I lose that now even if I do a winback?

TabsAZ said:
I switched on Friday and I'm already starting to regret it - I haven't seen a 3G download speed higher than around 90kbps here. The phone is absolutely amazing on wifi and I love the device itself, but out around town it's pretty bad. I tried to download a 2MB or so app at a restaurant where I had a full 5 bars of signal last night and it was still trying to download 15+ minutes later because of how slow the actual download rate was. It's worse than a dial-up modem at time.
I wasn't even thinking about the unlimited data on VZW when I did it too - did I lose that now even if I do a winback?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think they are doing something for the launch of the iPHONE. It was never this slow until recently. It had better go back to how it was or I will ditch their asses

TabsAZ said:
I switched on Friday and I'm already starting to regret it - I haven't seen a 3G download speed higher than around 90kbps here. The phone is absolutely amazing on wifi and I love the device itself, but out around town it's pretty bad. I tried to download a 2MB or so app at a restaurant where I had a full 5 bars of signal last night and it was still trying to download 15+ minutes later because of how slow the actual download rate was. It's worse than a dial-up modem at time.
I wasn't even thinking about the unlimited data on VZW when I did it too - did I lose that now even if I do a winback?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you investigate Sprint coverage before you switched? What is signal strength like? Are you metering 90 kbps with SpeedTest app, tethering, or a program like DU Meter?
I'm guessing your PRL is up to date..
I'd also make sure you don't have any background apps downloading stuff.
Also, are you saying 90 kilo-bytes per second or 90 kilo-bits per second. 90 kilo-bytes is almost 1Mbps, and is a low-side average for 3G. That could also vary by network congestion, etc.
90 kilo-bits sounds like 1xRTT and not EVDO.
I'd also check with other users, or try a mobile broadband card if you can.
You will lose unlimited from VZW if you go back, but like I posted earlier, I am surprised they didn't terminate you to get you on limited like they did me.

So lost right now!! Which provider??

I totally don't know which provider to choose for the galaxy nexus!!!
Should I pay $750 for the GSM version??
I would be able to
-get the $30 walmart/tmobile plan
-no contract
-able to save $$ overtime....
-Speeds wont be fast as the Verizon model
Or
Get the Verizon Nexus!
-I have LTE in my area
-My bill would be $79.00 plus taxes
If you was in my position, which model would you get?

whats more important to you? speed or cost?
For me, it was a pretty easy choice. I use wifi the majority of my day, at work and home. So I go for cost

Easy decision for me, I'm stuck on Verizon until I get rid of my ~$1100 in ETFs, plus the LTE is fantastic around here. It's nothing to pull 16 Mbps down.

Ez decision. Big red robs you and make you think you like it. Pay the money upfront for the phone and get your tmob plan to make it back in the short and long term.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Well you get what you pay for.
$30 vs. $80.
5-7 mbps vs. 20+mbps
100 minutes vs. 450 minutes
unlimited text vs. 0 text
Is the $50 premium worth it? Do you really need more than 7mbps down? I would say no unless you are tethering. GSM HSDPA+ is perfectly fine for a phone. Nobody needs 20mbps to stream media of any kind.

You wanna be the tortoise or the hare? Lol

I was in the same boat on AT&T after having been bitten by the iPhone 4S bug. After a few weeks, I totally realized I never should have bought it. Battery life is great and all and the apps are well designed, but there is something about having the same phone as my mother that rubs me the wrong way. Verizon's LTE is mighty tempting as well and even though we just launched a few LTE devices on AT&T, none of them caught my eye.
I ultimately decided to go with importing since my monthly bill would be lower with my work discount. LTE is great, but I can't imagine doing anything with it that I can't do on AT&T's HSPA network. Plus with how the launch of this phone has gone, I didn't want to take the risk that this would be Verizon's first and last Nexus phone. Hopefully AT&T does decided to launch an LTE version of the Nexus in the next six months. If not I'll just wait for the next Nexus....

I would also add... if you plan to travel outside of north america get the gsm phone, cdma doesn't work outside of North America (ok china and india?)
also. i've been using tmobile and not at&t which is awesome where I live. (~9mbit/s down). I cannot speak to the battery usage of LTE, but I hear its terrible
I say go with GSM
(note CDMA/LTE version is slightly heavier [15g] and thicket [0.5mm])

It was easy for me.
Got the imported GN. Went into AT&T store renew my contract by getting a iphone 4S for 200 hoping that I would be able to sell it for 500+ on ebay etc. That would help me cover some of damage that importing GN did to my bank. lol.

FastMhz said:
You wanna be the tortoise or the hare? Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please explain what you can do on the LTE network that is impossible on a 7mbps+ HSDPA+ connection?
I use slingbox, tunein radio and SiriusXM without a hiccup.
How would Verizon make this stream better??
These outrageous LTE speeds only benefit users if you are tethering to download an .iso or something. Outside of that, it's marketing gold.
Discuss.

If I get the verizon lte model I may actually get the Big old Cheese during a wootoff for once with the better speeds and ping.

All of these posted speeds are nice, assuming that for both AT&T and Verizon provides the same level of coverage and network performance as promised. Even though my area is in HSDPA+, AT&T service is crap and isn't worth a damn during peaks times when I need to use my phone. I'd be lucky to get 1MB down if that.

fr4c said:
All of these posted speeds are nice, assuming that for both AT&T and Verizon provides the same level of coverage and network performance as promised. Even though my area is in HSDPA+, AT&T service is crap and isn't worth a damn during peaks times when I need to use my phone. I'd be lucky to get 1MB down if that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is *exactly* the problem. Here are my AT&T HSPA+ speeds on my GSM Galaxy Nexus:
From my house -- 5 mb/s
From random place in the west part of the city -- 10 mb/s
From downtown at 10 PM -- 5 mb/s
BUT, from downtown during the business day, when it matters -- 0.5 mb/s
It's what I call the football game effect. At a football game, AT&T phones get basically zero service, whereas Verizon's CDMA network is capable of normal speeds. Downtown has that same issue during the day, as will any crowded area (shopping mall, etc).
This is the reason why I'm likely going to switch to Verizon if they ever release the phone. Enjoying LTE has less to do with the crazy 50 mb/s speeds than it does with enjoying reasonable speeds even in crowded areas. I'll still keep the GSM phone for international travel, though.

I wanted a GSM device and I didn't want anything a carrier had a chance to mess with. This meant importing. Yeah, I paid about $750, but it was worth it. I get updates prompt from Google, I don't worry about carrier apps that can't be uninstalled, I can change phones whenever I want without having to call or get permission from my carrier, and I'm stuck on AT&T for a while anyway.
I'm very happy with my purchase. Honestly, with the VZW one, you'll be tied in to a contract anyway. You'll end up paying more than the phone's cost over that time regardless. The GSM import is just more up front. And if you can get WiFi fairly often, then it's worth it to go with the cheaper plan.
Also, to reply to the poster above me: I haven't had any issues with speed in Boston on AT&T. It seems pretty consistent. Maybe your area is more of a problem area? I know a lot of people hate on AT&T, but I've found their network to be quite stable.

Moving from T-mo to ATT, ATT Gnexus users pls offer suggestions?

Hi fellow nexus users, I have a UK handset that I got from handtec I've been using on tmobile for the past couple weeks and I really enjoy it.
However my family wants to move our plan to ATT asap for various reasons.
Is there anything I should know? We all have unlocked phones (and nobody but me cares about 3g/4g) so I want to go month to month, I don't want to get into a contract.
Any plans that you guys think are good, and will work well with the galaxy nexus?
We're lookin for about a 1000 minutes shared between the 4 of us, data plans on all phones, no texting (We all use google talk or bbm).

I just did the same thing. Switched from Tmo to ATT
Im on the 450min plan with unlimited messaging. Unlimited messaging gives you unlimited mobile to mobile minutes for any cell phone on any network. I rarely if ever call landlines so this plan works for me - all my calling is free and i barely dent the 450 min allotted for other calls.
Im also on the 2GB dataplan. ATT does not reject the IMEI in the GN: they just add a generic smartphone data plan to your phone. If you want a "4G" plan you need to have the ATT rep input the IMEI of a 4G phone such as the Atrix. With the non 4G plan in Miami Im getting around 3down and 1up pretty consistently whereas on TMo i was getting 3-4up and .8-1 down (only outside, never indoors).
If you bring your device in to the store you can sign up for service and not be on a contract. They only bind you if you get a subsidized phone. I am currently contract free. As an added benefit, I no longer drop coverage walking into buildings and ATT doesnt have the MMS bug that TMo does.

Wondering why would you ever switch from T-Mobile to AT&T if you're in a metro area. T-Mobile has much cheaper plans, better data speeds, and full duplex voice.
I'm not sure if you guys did the right thing, but good luck.

milan03 said:
Wondering why would you ever switch from T-Mobile to AT&T if you're in a metro area. T-Mobile has much cheaper plans, better data speeds, and full duplex voice.
I'm not sure if you guys did the right thing, but good luck.
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Click to collapse
T-Mobile does have cheaper plans but does not always have better data speeds (location dependant). It's really hit or miss speed wise in Chicago. Both networks get bogged down by congestion. Recently I haven't seen large deviations in speed in Chicago, Charlotte, Newark, Atlanta or Denver, but YMMV.
I see almost identical data speeds usually between the two carriers with AT&T being a bit more consistent and T-Mobile peaking a little higher but overall being less consistent.
There are instances where T-Mobile's backhaul / lesser congestion has helped. Atlantic City saw around 7mbps with T-Mobile and only 3 mbps on AT&T at the airport but T-Mobile also had some nasty dead spots and tower issues there that caused AT&T to be a more effective option outside of the airport. I was stuck on a 3G connection that was slower than Edge (I literally forced the phone into Edge so that the data connection was usable).
The *much* bigger advantage that AT&T can offer is using the 850 Mhz spectrum over T-Mobile's 1700/2100 combo for 3G/4G. 850 penetrates building much better. With T-Mobile I'd often drop to edge inside of buildings whereas I'll stay on 3G/4G (HSPA) with AT&T. AT&T does not utilize 850 everywhere, but where they do the signal penetration is much appreciated.

krohnjw said:
T-Mobile does have cheaper plans but does not always have better data speeds (location dependant). It's really hit or miss speed wise in Chicago. Both networks get bogged down by congestion. Recently I haven't seen large deviations in speed in Chicago, Charlotte, Newark, Atlanta or Denver, but YMMV.
I see almost identical data speeds usually between the two carriers with AT&T being a bit more consistent and T-Mobile peaking a little higher but overall being less consistent.
There are instances where T-Mobile's backhaul / lesser congestion has helped. Atlantic City saw around 7mbps with T-Mobile and only 3 mbps on AT&T at the airport but T-Mobile also had some nasty dead spots and tower issues there that caused AT&T to be a more effective option outside of the airport. I was stuck on a 3G connection that was slower than Edge (I literally forced the phone into Edge so that the data connection was usable).
The *much* bigger advantage that AT&T can offer is using the 850 Mhz spectrum over T-Mobile's 1700/2100 combo for 3G/4G. 850 penetrates building much better. With T-Mobile I'd often drop to edge inside of buildings whereas I'll stay on 3G/4G (HSPA) with AT&T. AT&T does not utilize 850 everywhere, but where they do the signal penetration is much appreciated.
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Click to collapse
I agree 100%. I could get faster speed tests with TMo standing outside - Inside buildings I can barely break 2mbps down. I get much more consistant results with ATT everywhere. The cost didn't seem worth the lesser service.
I drop from full bars coverage to 1 bar EDGE / no service the minute i walk into my one story office building at work. At my desk I often miss messages (i get them later than I need to) and cant make calls. With full 3G signal I type in a website and it takes a while to start loading, in comparison ATT is almost instant
Maybe theoretically TMo is a good deal but in South Florida I get much much better service with ATT. I've switched between them a few times (whenever I see a phone I like) and Im sure I made the right decision.

Does anyone know of any official plans by att to offer the GN subsidized? I know that if anyone actually knew anything, it would be reposted everywhere, but even a glimmer of hope will be welcome.

In NYC metro area T-Mobile is running circles around AT&T's network in terms of data speeds, latency and especially voice quality. I've seen speeds approaching 30mbps on T-Mobile's 42mbps DC-HSPA handsets and 18mpbs on my GN using $30 PrePaid plan.
AT&T crawls down to EDGE speeds and sometimes time outs during the peak hours when the data becomes unusable. Dropped calls are day to day reality, and I've grown accustomed to that and never ever make important calls using AT&T's network. Plus the plans are almost twice as high. Not recommended.

What is the $30 prepaid plan you use? How many minutes do you get with that?

kinggheedora said:
What is the $30 prepaid plan you use? How many minutes do you get with that?
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100 minutes, unlimited data (5GB of 4G speeds then lowered to EDGE), unlimited texting, pre paid no commitment. It's honestly my dream plan.

milan03 said:
100 minutes, unlimited data (5GB of 4G speeds then lowered to EDGE), unlimited texting, pre paid no commitment. It's honestly my dream plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you link me to this plan?
What do you mean by "Full Duplex Voice" on T-Mo vs ATT

milan03 said:
100 minutes, unlimited data (5GB of 4G speeds then lowered to EDGE), unlimited texting, pre paid no commitment. It's honestly my dream plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it's the ONLY reason I was willing to buy an unlocked Nexus and go T-mobile, was going to wait for VZ.
I came from Virgin Mobile's 300min version, I would call the t-mobile plan perfect if it was 200 minute, but it's still an insane deal.
As is, I'm using groove IP to make calls out when I'm in wifi in order to save minutes in case I'm out and I need to use my voice minutes.
But $30 for 5GB of H+ is just awesome sauce!

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans
I'm on $30 plan myself. At home I use GrooveIP on wifi for VOIP and no minutes used (technically only needing minutes outside of my place).
Saving HUNDREDS of dollars a year is worth it over the slightly slower speeds I get on Tmo over ATT. Also helps pay for the price of the GN easily.
Plus I'm using a company that is much more customer-friendly. Lower plan prices when off contract are something to be supported.

I just wish T-Mobile had International Data plans. I travel to Europe once a month, and $15/mb for international data roaming insane when you can buy 125mb international data plan from AT&T for $50/mo.

ksujace said:
What do you mean by "Full Duplex Voice" on T-Mo vs ATT
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Click to collapse
It has to do with how the receive (RX) and transmission (TX) audio are handled. You can either have both RX and TX on 100% of the time or they can be multiplexed into one channel to save bandwidth. It's a misnomer because half-duplex usually means something like this:
Caller1: Hello. Over.
Caller2: Hello. Over.
Caller1: What are...(interrupted)
Caller2: Are you... oh, sorry... Go ahead.
Caller1: What?
Caller2: Huh? Oh. Go ahead! Over.
Caller1: I hate this AT&T half-duplex CB radio crap! When will they get full-duplex??? Over.
Caller2: Can you repeat that? Over.
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Click to collapse
ksujace said:
I just wish T-Mobile had International Data plans. I travel to Europe once a month, and $15/mb for international data roaming insane when you can buy 125mb international data plan from AT&T for $50/mo.
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Click to collapse
If you're there that often, I'd suggest a prepaid SIM. It's not as if AT&T international data plans are economical. I racked up close to $400 of roaming last month for a two week trip to London. All expensed, so no biggie. But it's still pants down, no lube.

ianwood said:
If you're there that often, I'd suggest a prepaid SIM. It's not as if AT&T international data plans are economical. I racked up close to $400 of roaming last month for a two week trip to London. All expensed, so no biggie. But it's still pants down, no lube.
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Click to collapse
I'm in the same boat , all expensed , so don't really care. I don't like having multiple phone #'s when over there. (travel to Switzerland 1 week every month)

tmobile is awesome if i stay outside or never travel. But then, so is cricket.

milan03 said:
100 minutes, unlimited data (5GB of 4G speeds then lowered to EDGE), unlimited texting, pre paid no commitment. It's honestly my dream plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have any idea on how bad AT&T throttles speeds on their unlimited data plan?

Lets talk GSM Gnex data speeds

So I have a play store Gnex running Xenon HD I cant seem to get decent speeds. Coverage is spotty around here in Myrtle Beach, but sitting in the same place in my house with the same number of bars showing yields very different results. Sometimes its up to 5mbps down sometimes its 200k down. What has your experience been with GSM version Gnex and data speed? List off your carrier and location. Ive attached my best speed with T-Mobile

poopymt3g said:
So I have a play store Gnex running Xenon HD I cant seem to get decent speeds. Coverage is spotty around here in Myrtle Beach, but sitting in the same place in my house with the same number of bars showing yields very different results. Sometimes its up to 5mbps down sometimes its 200k down. What has your experience been with GSM version Gnex and data speed? List off your carrier and location. Ive attached my best speed with T-Mobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very lucky
I'm in the UK and use Virgin Mobile, i don't get anything above 1.8mbit anywhere

Just north of you, here in Wilmington, NC, I average around ~6Mbps down and ~1Mbps up on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network. There is always variance, although I'd say the connection is pretty stable. I'm totally happy with the GNex's network performance; although my vision might be a bit clouded as I just jumped ship from Sprint. I was getting a choppy/sporadic 100kbps down and 200kbps up on the best of days with Sprint 3G! My data speeds/reliability on the GNex puts that to shame....even when I'm forced to use T-Mobile's Edge network.
--DC

DamienChaos said:
Just north of you, here in Wilmington, NC, I average around ~6Mbps down and ~1Mbps up on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network. There is always variance, although I'd say the connection is pretty stable. I'm totally happy with the GNex's network performance; although my vision might be a bit clouded as I just jumped ship from Sprint. I was getting a choppy/sporadic 100kbps down and 200kbps up on the best of days with Sprint 3G! My data speeds/reliability on the GNex puts that to shame....even when I'm forced to use T-Mobile's Edge network.
--DC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1000
I've really been trying to give sprint a chance, but, this week, I bought a GNex and decided to give the TMo Monthly 4G a try. I haven't canceled my Sprint plan yet, although it's only $90 at this point (contract is almost up!!!). I've been blown away by the data speeds. I just pulled 8.2Mbps down and 2.09Mbps up. This is probably 20x faster than I'm getting with sprint. Safe to say this is a good deal. I'm probably going to cancel Sprint this week and pony up the $90, but I'm also going to have change from the $30 plan on TMo to the $60. I need more than 100 minutes, and the VOIP methods aren't too reliable yet, from what I gather.

Im in NYC. This phone gets the same exact speeds as my sgs2 which is a 42mbps device. Average 10-13 down, and 1 up.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

This is the fastest i got with Vodafone UK, at home in Leyton, East London. i would usually get around a constant 6,7,8MB/s

Anyone running on AT&T HSPA +?

looneylu said:
+1000
I've really been trying to give sprint a chance, but, this week, I bought a GNex and decided to give the TMo Monthly 4G a try. I haven't canceled my Sprint plan yet, although it's only $90 at this point (contract is almost up!!!). I've been blown away by the data speeds. I just pulled 8.2Mbps down and 2.09Mbps up. This is probably 20x faster than I'm getting with sprint. Safe to say this is a good deal. I'm probably going to cancel Sprint this week and pony up the $90, but I'm also going to have change from the $30 plan on TMo to the $60. I need more than 100 minutes, and the VOIP methods aren't too reliable yet, from what I gather.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same situation here. Thankfully, I can get by with the 100mins/mo since additional minutes are only $0.10ea. I've never used 400min/mo, so the $30 plan works for me.
Glad to know T-Mobile works so well in MYR...I go that way pretty regularly, but haven't had a chance to yet since switching over to the GNex. Definitely good to hear! Anything has to be better than Sprint. Their voice coverage and pricing is decent; but I simply cannot handle dial-up speeds!

Having a "GSM data speed" thread is kinda pointless. There are so many different carriers, and even extreme variations within carriers, that just make it useless.

poopymt3g said:
Anyone running on AT&T HSPA +?
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Click to collapse
I am on Straihg Talk AT&T HSPA+. The Att tower is right down the street. I usually get higher than this. But like said above there are a lot of factors at play when it comes to speedtests, so I am not sure how it will relate to your area or carrier.

looneylu said:
+1000
I've really been trying to give sprint a chance, but, this week, I bought a GNex and decided to give the TMo Monthly 4G a try. I haven't canceled my Sprint plan yet, although it's only $90 at this point (contract is almost up!!!). I've been blown away by the data speeds. I just pulled 8.2Mbps down and 2.09Mbps up. This is probably 20x faster than I'm getting with sprint. Safe to say this is a good deal. I'm probably going to cancel Sprint this week and pony up the $90, but I'm also going to have change from the $30 plan on TMo to the $60. I need more than 100 minutes, and the VOIP methods aren't too reliable yet, from what I gather.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you are only going for the 2GB Tmobile plan for $60, have you considered the Straight Talk $45 BYOD plan with a tmobile sim? should get you the same service for less...
www.straighttalksim.com

poopymt3g said:
Anyone running on AT&T HSPA +?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is my random AT&T HSPA+ speeds gotta love the range.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

pdxtechdoctor said:
if you are only going for the 2GB Tmobile plan for $60, have you considered the Straight Talk $45 BYOD plan with a tmobile sim? should get you the same service for less...
www.straighttalksim.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm definitely considering Straight Talk... I just have to gauge how much data I actually use. Coming from Sprint's unlimited, I never worried about it, although at their speeds I couldn't actually do much. i'm in my trial period right now... Straight Talk has made me nervous with their soft data caps. Seems like everyone is confused as to what it is, but I'm definitely going to give it a try once this month is up. I'm going to give them a whirl with both the TMo sim and AT&T sim

looneylu said:
I'm definitely considering Straight Talk... I just have to gauge how much data I actually use. Coming from Sprint's unlimited, I never worried about it, although at their speeds I couldn't actually do much. i'm in my trial period right now... Straight Talk has made me nervous with their soft data caps. Seems like everyone is confused as to what it is, but I'm definitely going to give it a try once this month is up. I'm going to give them a whirl with both the TMo sim and AT&T sim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Data usage on Straight Talk really depends on your area and how many other ST users there are in that area. I'd say try it out and see how it goes. Worst case scenario is you find out you'll use too much for your area and you gotta go back to T-Mobile. The only "issue" is that ST charges $15 for the SIM (which is also an activation kit effectively), whereas T-Mobile's Monthly 4G SIM + activation kits are like ~$0.99. Gets a little spendy to try out ST AT&T and ST T-Mobile. Worth it if you find out what's best for you though, of course. Just really wish ST would cut you a break on the SIM if you pre-purchase a month of service with it.

Bloomington-Normal Illinois, T-Mobile monthly 4G. I get around 1.7 average down and 1.5 up.
Was just in St. Louis last week. Got around 3 down and 3 up, downtown and around the arch.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

What radio are you using? I get about half the download speed I did with my sg2.

On your sprint online account if you look in your detailed bill there's an option to view your statistics which show you how much data you use in nice graphs. Also txts and minutes used. Check it out.
looneylu said:
I'm definitely considering Straight Talk... I just have to gauge how much data I actually use. Coming from Sprint's unlimited, I never worried about it, although at their speeds I couldn't actually do much. i'm in my trial period right now... Straight Talk has made me nervous with their soft data caps. Seems like everyone is confused as to what it is, but I'm definitely going to give it a try once this month is up. I'm going to give them a whirl with both the TMo sim and AT&T sim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium App

DamienChaos said:
Just north of you, here in Wilmington, NC, I average around ~6Mbps down and ~1Mbps up on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network. There is always variance, although I'd say the connection is pretty stable. I'm totally happy with the GNex's network performance; although my vision might be a bit clouded as I just jumped ship from Sprint. I was getting a choppy/sporadic 100kbps down and 200kbps up on the best of days with Sprint 3G! My data speeds/reliability on the GNex puts that to shame....even when I'm forced to use T-Mobile's Edge network.
--DC
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Click to collapse
Lol woop woop. Decided not to pay for my tmobile this month as I get free sprint through work, loving my download on sprint... Sarcasm...
On gnexus, I got about 5mbps average all times a day here in Colorado.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app

Speed test
I'm getting decent speeds on tmobile
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Sprint could be set to undercut T-Mo’s unlimited plans

Ever since Sprint backed out of its*proposed merger with T-Mobile, it’s been all-change at the Kansas City-based telecoms company. Its CEO, Dan Hesse was*replaced by Marcelo Claure, who’s set to bring a new competitive edge to Old Yeller. And if WSJ’s inside sources are correct, that could mean launching an unlimited plan costing just $50 per month.
Sprint is allegedly “testing” a $50 plan which would include unlimited data, text and calls. That’s some $30 cheaper than the equivalent*
http://www.tmonews.com/2014/08/sprint-could-be-set-to-undercut-t-mos-unlimited-plans/

jpeps3 said:
Ever since Sprint backed out of its*proposed merger with T-Mobile, it’s been all-change at the Kansas City-based telecoms company. Its CEO, Dan Hesse was*replaced by Marcelo Claure, who’s set to bring a new competitive edge to Old Yeller. And if WSJ’s inside sources are correct, that could mean launching an unlimited plan costing just $50 per month.
Sprint is allegedly “testing” a $50 plan which would include unlimited data, text and calls. That’s some $30 cheaper than the equivalent*
http://www.tmonews.com/2014/08/sprint-could-be-set-to-undercut-t-mos-unlimited-plans/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter how much they lower prices. People won't put up with their lousy network. Unlimited talk text and data for $50 sounds great, until you can't actually talk text and use your data. LOL.
Probably should have posted this under General...

This isn't going to help Sprint, not with their network in the shape it's in.

npaladin2000 said:
This isn't going to help Sprint, not with their network in the shape it's in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They need to quickly dump their CDMA network and beat Verizon at their own game. High risk, but it's go big or go home for Sprint at this point.

By me the sprint service sucks either way

then tmobile would counter with a jab to the mouth !! but sprints service is horrible and it wont be enough to save them

The big two have coverage.
T-Mobile is deploying higher quality LTE network and expanding coverage as well.
Sprint has what? Lower price only drives network oversold.
Don't rely on massive chunk of 2.5GHz network as the cost can be pretty high to make coverage on par with AWS and PCS.

Too little too late for Sprint. They had the advantage years ago with their unlimited 70 dollar plan before 4G was out, then they scrapped Wimax and started over with LTE and their network is a complete disaster. The worst part? They are on par with Verizon and AT&T for cost of services, which is absurd for the network that they offer. I switched to T-Mobile 18 months ago, and never looked back. T-Mobile has a much faster network, and right now, nobody can beat their prices. The downside to T-Mobile who has fantastic coverage in the metro areas, is your phone is pretty much unusable if you are traveling through rural areas, I mean, you can't even get cell service to make a call. Luckily, I am very rarely in those areas, and mostly notice it while passing from one metro area to another. Hopefully, T-Mobile will make the network larger at some point, but right now they are great in cities.

Not going to Sprint even if they are cheaper.
Back when they bought Nextel I ended up getting $600 bill for text messages even though I had unlimited text messages. I spent 3 months fighting that bill before it was taken care of. 2 years later 23 fellow employees, and myself were dropped by Sprint for excessive roaming, and they wanted us to pay the ETF's. There's a tower 1/2 mile from the office. If I have to deal with this kind of stuff for a $10-15 cheaper bill I'll pass. So far AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile I haven't had this kind of trouble with(Yes I have all 3 services. Used to be 4). Sprint hasn't shown me something that makes me believe I should go back.

Network quality is subjective, just like it is with T-Mobile. While you all are saying Sprint has a terrible network, even more people are saying the same about T-Mobile's. Meanwhile, where I live, both are great and both are much cheaper alternatives to AT&T and Verizon.

partylikeaninjastar said:
Network quality is subjective, just like it is with T-Mobile. While you all are saying Sprint has a terrible network, even more people are saying the same about T-Mobile's. Meanwhile, where I live, both are great and both are much cheaper alternatives to AT&T and Verizon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really depends on were you live and we're I live sprint Internet really bad were tmobile is really.
Sent from my C6916 using xda premium

partylikeaninjastar said:
Network quality is subjective, just like it is with T-Mobile. While you all are saying Sprint has a terrible network, even more people are saying the same about T-Mobile's. Meanwhile, where I live, both are great and both are much cheaper alternatives to AT&T and Verizon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If even more people are saying that about T-Mobile, why did T-Mobile pass Sprint in subscribers? How in the world is Sprint much cheaper than AT&T and Verizon? I pay 85 dollars less per month on T-Mobile then I did with Sprint, and I don't have to suffer 300kbps data anymore. 210 a month on Sprint to 125 a month on T-Mobile with 3 line family plan. I'll be the first to admit that in rural areas, T-Mobile is poor, a lot worse than Sprint even just to make a phonecall, but in any metro area, there is no comparison.

Actually there are several rural areas where Sprint has only deployed 3g, or even hasn't deployed EVDO yet, while T-mobile has deployed HSPA. It depends on the area some, but overall Sprint is behind on their network modernization. And they were counting way too much on their BRS spectrum being the magic bullet, but have run into too many problems.