Related
Pro's for T-Mobile Galaxy S2:
Generally better data speeds
Generally cheaper plan
GSM, so can use internationally
True Android-native infrastructure tethering after root
No Loss of Service (LOS), a problem afflicting Sprint GS2
No Sound Pool bug, a problem that crashes games afflicting all Exynos GS2
NFC
Wifi calling
USB Host (USB on the go)
Noise cancellation microphone
Con's for T-Mobile Galaxy S2:
Generally less coverage around the country (especially on non-roaming prepaid plans)
Screen suffers from blotches on low-brightness
Slightly slower CPU/GPU
Worse front-facing camera
Runs hotter
Less dev support
No notification LED
Capped data that throttles after plan limits
Edit: This thread was originally about me considering switching from a Sprint GS2 to a T-Mobile GS2. I've now done so, but figured since I drew up such a comprehensive list of differences, might as well keep it around for anyone else that might be curious
read thought this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1320942
talltexan said:
read thought this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1320942
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Click to collapse
Yup, I saw that, weird and disappointing. That's why I have "slightly worse screen" in my list of cons.
manekineko said:
I
GSM, so can use internationally, but only at EDGE speeds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's not correct
it can get 3G/4G at any GSM internationally
that's the beauty of this version of SGS2 Hercules
manekineko said:
No LOS, a problem afflicting Sprint GS2
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Click to collapse
What is LOS? Line of Sight? Left over soup?
I just switched over from Sprint as well. Their 3G has been totally pathetic and borderline unusable for the last 6 months. My T-Mobile speeds are 10+ times faster. I don't know what the SERO plan is, but T-Mobile doesn't have free mobile to mobile calling like Sprint. They only give you free calling from T-Mobile to T-Mobile and their nights and weekends are more restrictive than Sprint.
AllGamer said:
that's not correct
it can get 3G/4G at any GSM internationally
that's the beauty of this version of SGS2 Hercules
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that is big for me. Thanks for the tip, I hadn't heard the Hercules also has the AT&T bands.
Splaktar said:
What is LOS? Line of Sight? Left over soup?
I just switched over from Sprint as well. Their 3G has been totally pathetic and borderline unusable for the last 6 months. My T-Mobile speeds are 10+ times faster. I don't know what the SERO plan is, but T-Mobile doesn't have free mobile to mobile calling like Sprint. They only give you free calling from T-Mobile to T-Mobile and their nights and weekends are more restrictive than Sprint.
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Click to collapse
Loss of Service. It's a problem that comes from the fact that Samsung kind of sucks at making CDMA modems. Sometimes the Sprint GS2 will just lose cell service, and it won't come back until you reboot. I haven't gotten bit by it yet, but it's widespread enough that I feel it's just a matter of time.
The Sprint speeds drive me nuts. In the middle of Manhattan, I see download speeds on 3G of as low as 100kbps on Speedtest.
I'd be going to the T-Mobile $30 prepaid 5GB 100 minute plan, so I wouldn't get any nights and weekends or mobile to mobile I think. The plan's a big downgrade from the numbers I had on Sprint, but the speed improvements and lower monthly fee would balance it out for me. Plus, talking is probably the feature I use least on my phone.
manekineko said:
Loss of Service. It's a problem that comes from the fact that Samsung kind of sucks at making CDMA modems. Sometimes the Sprint GS2 will just lose cell service, and it won't come back until you reboot. I haven't gotten bit by it yet, but it's widespread enough that I feel it's just a matter of time.
The Sprint speeds drive me nuts. In the middle of Manhattan, I see download speeds on 3G of as low as 100kbps on Speedtest.
I'd be going to the T-Mobile $30 prepaid 5GB 100 minute plan, so I wouldn't get any nights and weekends or mobile to mobile I think. The plan's a big downgrade from the numbers I had on Sprint, but the speed improvements and lower monthly fee would balance it out for me. Plus, talking is probably the feature I use least on my phone.
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Click to collapse
If your paying $79.99 for sprint tmobile has the same plan for $79.99 with contract 2 gig cab though. if you want 5 gig cap its $89.99. 10 gig cap is $99.99
All those plans have unlimted minutes and texting.
Killbynature said:
If your paying $79.99 for sprint tmobile has the same plan for $79.99 with contract 2 gig cab though. if you want 5 gig cap its $89.99. 10 gig cap is $99.99
All those plans have unlimted minutes and texting.
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I pay 49 for unlimited talk/text and 2 gigs data. Not sure about 79.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
my wife works for tmobile and ill tell you that if you live in a good area then tmobile is definitely worth it and is the best bargain out there , if you travel alot then i dont recommend them,all depends on your lifestyle, most major cities get pretty good tmobile service
mikeyinid said:
I pay 49 for unlimited talk/text and 2 gigs data. Not sure about 79.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Classic or Value if you don't get subsidize it is much cheaper.
For me:
1. Sprint Galaxy S II phones do suffer from loss of signal. I have noticed this on both Sprint Galaxy S II phone I have. Very very annoying.
2. T-Mobile's version suffers from poor display.
3. T-Mobile's version suffers from poor front facing camera.
Maybe all of these problems can be fixed with a software update. And Samsung will take the time to make this happen. There are no assurances however.
For its part, Sprint has acknowledged the loss of signal problem and has promised a fix. T-Mobile has not yet acknowledged problems with their unit.
Walmart piggybacks off Tmobil.towers
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
I dunno what everyone is talking about with the front camera, it's the same resolution as sprint's.
kabuk1 said:
I dunno what everyone is talking about with the front camera, it's the same resolution as sprint's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might have missed this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1326314
Yes, I definitely missed that post. Damn :/
Hopefully it's just a software issue.
Killbynature said:
Classic or Value if you don't get subsidize it is much cheaper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on a value plan. 99 a month for 2 lines. And I'm in an excellent coverage area. But, 2 gigs is definitely not enough. I blew through half of that on Friday listening to Google music beta
First time I missed sprint since I switched a few months back.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Has anyone tried USB on the go to plug in a USB stick on the T-Mobile GS2?
They disabled it on the Sprint version for some reason, and am wondering if this is another pro I could add to the list.
Another question that I thought of.
Has anyone experienced lots of random crashing to home screen while playing games? Both the Sprint and international Galaxy S2 suffer from a bug in their sound system that causes certain games to crash all the time. If the T-Mobile one doesn't do that, it'd be a huge advantage.
Former sprint to tmo customer.
as a former sprint customer recently switched over to T Mobile in the NorCal area...
SWITCH TO TMOBILE.
holy ****. i ing hate sprint. i got the evo 3d from them, and right out of the box the first unit was bunk. started power cycling directly AFTER i set everything up and linked my contacts. The 3vo being my first android phone, i didn't know that a randomly restarting phone meant LEMONLEMONLEMON so i hung onto it for a couple days, hoping the issue would fix itself or something.
Called IN ADVANCE when the phone first began having issues to talk to the guy who sold me the phone. Brought it in a week after, after trying everything someone rational would, i.e. battery pull, factory reset, etc. and when i brought the device in i was told by the associate, (yes this is a quote) that he couldn't exchange it but that he could do a "hard hard reset" for me, (after i explained to him it had already been reset every way possible) and send me on my way.
Bear in mind sprint store is 35 minutes away in the next town over, and so this is now taken 2 hours of driving, and still no fully functional phone.
i get home, set everything up again, and boom. Literally as i drag the last icon into place it starts power cycling again.
i call corporate at this point to see if i can ensure an actual replacement on my next trip. i get a vague "probably-ish." sorta answer from them.
when i arrive the next day, there's an associate who was obviously told to expect me as he becomes instantly friendly when i tell him my name and he reads some memo on his screen. I give him my phone, and he hands me the power cord and charger, winking at me and goes "this is for your wasted time. keep it, as a thirty dollar value"
now, like all of you, i'm aware a usb cord and adapter is not worth 30 dollars. However, i was appreciative of the gesture, and i know that sprint really will try to charge you 30 bucks for one of those cords.
After a little wait i'm told the technician got my phone in front of him, and it power cycled in his face. so they replaced it. (finally)
as i'm checking out, back with the original associate who i got the dude phone from 2 weeks before, he's being SUPER surly. Won't look me in the eyes or answer any of the questions i have with more than a grunt or mumble. As he's switching out the new phone with the old, he takes the new charger cable and tosses it in the old box and slides it away from me.
i interrupt him and say "hey, the guy i checked in with said i could keep that."
not even bothering to look up, he shrugs, PULLS IT OUT OF MY HAND, tosses it into the box and closes it and says "nope."
i'm a bit taken aback at this point. incredulously i say, "i was told i would be given that for my wasted time. i was already told that i could have that."
to which he says, still not looking up "htc policy we return em."
at this pont, i'm just ing done dealing with this dude. So i just ask him where the other associate is, so i can work it out with him instead, to which he replies "he went to lunch."
"well...when will he be back"
"dunno."
at that point i walked out. I called about the issue and was given a run around.
anyways. thats ONE of my stories with sprint, in the ing 3 months i was with them. i have MANY MANY more. and their corporate branch is just as bad as the stores, i've been told so many contradicting things by sprint associates on the phone that i have literally found myself saying to them in barely hidden anger "HOW CAN ONE OF YOU TELL ME ONE THING AND THEN THE NEXT GUY AFTER THE TRANSFER SAYS THE OPPOSITE?! are you people even working for the same company?!"
anyways, i've had t-mobile since the release of the galaxy s2, and called in several times to change my features and they have been nothing but friendly informative and helpful. I've heard a bunch of **** talked about how the Tmo version of the GS2 is inferior to the others, but i have faith in the good people on these forums to correct most of those inferiorities which i believe are mostly software issues arising from the Tmo version having a different processor than the other versions.
so yeah sorry for the ungodly long post, but i am another sprint customer recently gone to tmobile and just wanted to share a little bit of my experience. here's a short list of ADDITIONAL pros, and the cons.
PROS.
1. WAY faster data, at least in my area. Went from CRAWLING 3g, and no 4g to being able to torrent via my tether when my cable went out. Achieving 9mbps according to speedtest app, never tested on sprint, but it was browsing speeds, AT BEST. took youtube videos AGES to load. Tmo 4g is about half the speed of my home wifi connection, which is impressive.
2. PRO/CON: better service in populated areas, but service does cut out earlier whenever you drive out into middle of nowhere parts. Also, much more continuity between service and data connection. With sprint, lots of service. Mobile data cuts out LOTS. Tmo data pretty much works until you have no service whatsoever, or at least close to that point.
CONS.
1. QUALCOMM processor instead of the one samsung meant for this device. LOTS of info about what this means as far as detrimental effects on device performance ALL OVER this particular forum.
2. Screen Issues...also, look in this forum.
3. No truly unlimited data plan (best you can get is 5 gb then down to EDGE speeds...which suck.)
More than likely, your hardware is FINE. If you have tried all software fixes like me, (ROMs, kernels, radios, stock) than I know what your problem is. You have a bad SIM card. How to test it: go into network settings and change to CDMA only. You should have great signal and no drops. If that's the case, go to VZW for a new SIM. You should be good to go!
can anyone confirm? i have both data and voice drop outs randomly i did as you said and will report my findings, usually every 10 mins or so i will lose signal, hope all it is is a sim card
I would love for this to be true. You may be right, but I've already gotten a new SIM card and the signal drops continued! I think it's unlikely that I got two bad SIM cards. I've checked dmesg logs on my phone with the "Netdrop Capture" app on my phone and the logs show the LTE modem crashing and rebooting all radios...
I said this when it seemed right, but it turns out I DO need a new Nexus. I got a new SIM card. I have figured it out that the 4G radio is fubar, so on Friday, I go into the store to get my new Nexus. I had previously thought I had a perfect screen, but it has SIGNIFICANT black dots and purple grays (I actually like the purple lol). Anyway, waste of a perfectly good screen protector and 5 hours of messing around with software trying to get it to work.
Just ordered it over the phone. Probably the nicest customer service lady I have EVER talked to. Polite, helpful, talked to her supervisor for me. This is how CS SHOULD BE. She upped my shipping so it will be here Friday before 7 PM. She also said I could switch to a Rezound or Razr if this one was dead too. Hopefully it works out!
I hope you get a good one. I too have not had a problem with CS, but I just wish I didn't have to go through all the replacements. My original phone also has a perfect screen, and each replacement I got had the signal drop issue AND had purple greys at low brightness and varying levels of banding/artifacts. This is why I just sent my phone with the perfect screen back to Samsung in the hopes that they can replace the radios in my device and then I will have a great screen and working radios. Good luck to you!
I'm not going through more issues. If my next phone has issues, I'm getting the Rezound. I'm sick of this.
Oh, I didn't mention, since I'm within my 14 days, I get a brand new Nexus, not a crappy pre-owned one.
It can help, but odds are, if you're getting signal drops, it's just a temporary fix and hiding an underlying issue with the hardware. Several people with the Charge had signal drops and would get a replacement SIM. The drops would stop for a little bit (one week up to a month) and then start again.
That's why I'm getting a brand new Nexus
Like I said, I'm not patient enough like some people here who have gone through 5 or 6. I'm jumping ship if this thing isn't functional. I couldn't care less about colors, because I can fix that with kernels. If I have signal drops though, it's Rezound time.
so i got a new sim and while in the verizon store it drops and the guy behind the counter was like oh that sucks, he actually called customer service and got me a replacement sent out 2 day shipping, He said to me if i have any issues with the next one to come to the store so he can do it for me again, great customer service in the store, Usually I am met with hostile angry employees not this time, maybe they said "be extra nice to these ppl that spent hundreds on a phone that doesnt work" lol
Yeah, VZW is really helpful. I just hope my Nexus works out fine. The issue is I don't want to go outside 14 days, so I'll probably get the Rezound to be safe.
So i received my "new" nexus and i tested it for about an hour and noticed NO SIGNAL DROPS i even went on a long drive which usually it would drop every few mins, Ive had nosignalalert running and the log is EMPTY! there is also no weird banding in the screen as others have reported, this is the first replacement i recieved i have heard on these forums of many people getting good radios bad screens bad radios good screen etc, well I am assuming they (VZW) have found the bad batch and are weeding them out. This is offically the best phone ive owned now.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus
hardware version 9
build date Jan 24th 2012
4.0.4 IMM76K Radios and Bootloader
BAMF Paradigm v1.25
I got my first Galaxy Nexus for Verizon yesterday. 4g signal is horrid. it drops constantly.
I think I am going to have to send this one back.
Edit: I flashed the updated radio. Things seem to be OK now.
Edit #2: nope, seems to be dropping still.
Lame.
yeah its best if you send it right back and tell them its the same issue, keep going until you get a good one, my earpiece on mine is messed up but its not enough for me to swap them
Do the drops get worse over time? Is it pretty clear which phones have issues and which do not? Is it black and white, or do most phones occasionally drop signal but certain problem ones are unusable?
I bought a GNex on ebay and it has dropped signal maybe 0-1 times a day. I was constantly tethering yesterday with low latency applications so I would know if it dropped out, and it was working all day except for 1 drop. I need to decide whether to keep or return it within the next week or so. Returning would be a hassle and I got it for a pretty good price, but there's no way I will settle for a defective device off of warranty
Also monitoring using the No Signal App, I'll just leave the phone on my desk all day so there are no interruptions from being in the elevator etc, and check the logs.
PS I am on stock VZ 4.0.2
My build version is v09.
mthe0ry said:
Do the drops get worse over time? Is it pretty clear which phones have issues and which do not? Is it black and white, or do most phones occasionally drop signal but certain problem ones are unusable?
I bought a GNex on ebay and it has dropped signal maybe 0-1 times a day. I was constantly tethering yesterday with low latency applications so I would know if it dropped out, and it was working all day except for 1 drop. I need to decide whether to keep or return it within the next week or so. Returning would be a hassle and I got it for a pretty good price, but there's no way I will settle for a defective device off of warranty
Also monitoring using the No Signal App, I'll just leave the phone on my desk all day so there are no interruptions from being in the elevator etc, and check the logs.
PS I am on stock VZ 4.0.2
My build version is v09.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So mine was showing an X over the signal bar meaning no data no voice, it would happen about every 5 mins or so, if you are just white with no data its most likely not the same issue and the new radios (4.0.4) are supposed to fix that, If its complete signal / service loss then its a hardware issue. and a new device is recommended ...its poor quality control on samsung/vzw side
I concur. On my phones that had the issue, I could have 4 bars of 4G and then drop to no signal at all and lose data/voice. If this is what you are seeing then I would get a replacement, although 0-1 times a day is not bad...
Hello,
We are long time Verizon customers but have had enough of their capricious attitude, the insane recent price hikes and limited data plans. (although we currently have unlimited data). However, my husband's phone was stolen about a month ago and while we're using an old phone for the moment, we need to upgrade it for him. I like Sprint's current business model of unlimited everything (& we plan to sign up for everything data plus from the employees referral to save a bit and get more minutes). We also like the fact that Sprint is a green company and supports more things that we believe in. Yeah, I know that we're giving up the network for a bit until Sprint's Network Vision is completed but I think we can live with that.
Here's my dilemma. There are no Sprint owned stores in our area, just third party stores and only a couple of those so I can't buy through them &get everything data plus... Which is fine because they don't know much at all. I went there to try to see both the Evo 4G LTE side by side with the Samsung Galaxy S3...both working. Unfortunately, they didn't have a working model of the S3 but they opened up a package so I could at least hold them next to each other.
My concern most of all is with the radio quality and reception. I have some serious medical issues so being able to call for help is a frequent need. I took my current phone (HTC Rezound), my husband's Motorola DROID X, and the Evo LTE, and did side by side comparisons of the radios. My Rezound came in top at -80 give or take a few both directions, the DX, at -86 also give/take & the Evo LTE at -97 to -103. I then tried to load a webpage on my Rezound and the Evo. I picked yahoo because it has mixed media &was a first thing that popped into my head. My Rezound loaded the desktop version in less than 20 seconds... The Evo was still attempting to load the mobile version after several minutes.
So, do I believe the story that the mall kiosk has terrible Sprint reception? Was the demo Evo LTE one of the bad first batch? I know that there will be a step back in service speed but this was unbearable. I'm hoping that this isn't the normal for Sprint service... I mean it can't be, right? Right no one would use them.
What I'm unable to find out is what the Samsung Galaxy S3 radio is like compared to the Evo LTE in similar circumstances. I can't afford to get one of the phones, not have it work, pay the restocking fee and a second activation fee. With two lines that's over $200 just to switch away from a defective phone. Is there any leeway given for phones that won't hold a signal... Like allowing us to switch to another phone if the first is defective? I know that the base chipset is the same between the two phones but from what I've read the radios themselves can be different based on the manufacturer. So, I don't know what either the HTC Evo LTE or galaxy S3 would be like on any specific phone and it sounds like there are differences in the batches. What do I do or what would you do? I know we're taking a risk switching to carriers but we want to live authentically and put money into companies that are supporting the things we believe in and shaping their company based upon similar values. We will be having to do a transfer of our Vzw account (assumption of liability) once we're settled into Sprint but not until we're positive it works for us. Then we'll give up our Vzw contract so we don't owe an ETF. It also gives my DH the phone upgrade he needs since his was stolen during one of my medical emergencies. Vzw refused to help us at all through the whole process.
But I digress.
What do you think phone wise? Bad reception? Bad Evo LTE? Would you take a chance on the S3 with Samsung's past radio issues... Do you think that they've improved them? Would you take a chance on getting a bad Evo LTE since HTC /Sprint have admitted to a problem there? Since I can't compare them side by side working or compare radio strengths I really need advice!
Thanks so much in advance!
All the best,
Rae
varaonaid said:
Hello,
We are long time Verizon customers but have had enough of their capricious attitude, the insane recent price hikes and limited data plans. (although we currently have unlimited data). However, my husband's phone was stolen about a month ago and while we're using an old phone for the moment, we need to upgrade it for him. I like Sprint's current business model of unlimited everything (& we plan to sign up for everything data plus from the employees referral to save a bit and get more minutes). We also like the fact that Sprint is a green company and supports more things that we believe in. Yeah, I know that we're giving up the network for a bit until Sprint's Network Vision is completed but I think we can live with that.
Here's my dilemma. There are no Sprint owned stores in our area, just third party stores and only a couple of those so I can't buy through them &get everything data plus... Which is fine because they don't know much at all. I went there to try to see both the Evo 4G LTE side by side with the Samsung Galaxy S3...both working. Unfortunately, they didn't have a working model of the S3 but they opened up a package so I could at least hold them next to each other.
My concern most of all is with the radio quality and reception. I have some serious medical issues so being able to call for help is a frequent need. I took my current phone (HTC Rezound), my husband's Motorola DROID X, and the Evo LTE, and did side by side comparisons of the radios. My Rezound came in top at -80 give or take a few both directions, the DX, at -86 also give/take & the Evo LTE at -97 to -103. I then tried to load a webpage on my Rezound and the Evo. I picked yahoo because it has mixed media &was a first thing that popped into my head. My Rezound loaded the desktop version in less than 20 seconds... The Evo was still attempting to load the mobile version after several minutes.
So, do I believe the story that the mall kiosk has terrible Sprint reception? Was the demo Evo LTE one of the bad first batch? I know that there will be a step back in service speed but this was unbearable. I'm hoping that this isn't the normal for Sprint service... I mean it can't be, right? Right no one would use them.
What I'm unable to find out is what the Samsung Galaxy S3 radio is like compared to the Evo LTE in similar circumstances. I can't afford to get one of the phones, not have it work, pay the restocking fee and a second activation fee. With two lines that's over $200 just to switch away from a defective phone. Is there any leeway given for phones that won't hold a signal... Like allowing us to switch to another phone if the first is defective? I know that the base chipset is the same between the two phones but from what I've read the radios themselves can be different based on the manufacturer. So, I don't know what either the HTC Evo LTE or galaxy S3 would be like on any specific phone and it sounds like there are differences in the batches. What do I do or what would you do? I know we're taking a risk switching to carriers but we want to live authentically and put money into companies that are supporting the things we believe in and shaping their company based upon similar values. We will be having to do a transfer of our Vzw account (assumption of liability) once we're settled into Sprint but not until we're positive it works for us. Then we'll give up our Vzw contract so we don't owe an ETF. It also gives my DH the phone upgrade he needs since his was stolen during one of my medical emergencies. Vzw refused to help us at all through the whole process.
But I digress.
What do you think phone wise? Bad reception? Bad Evo LTE? Would you take a chance on the S3 with Samsung's past radio issues... Do you think that they've improved them? Would you take a chance on getting a bad Evo LTE since HTC /Sprint have admitted to a problem there? Since I can't compare them side by side working or compare radio strengths I really need advice!
Thanks so much in advance!
All the best,
Rae
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all varies on your area, you need to find people who live around you and ask there opinion. Some ppl say the HTC radio sucks, others say Sammys sucks. Rumor was without pure fact that Samsung was using a radio like the Motorola phones use. Lots of ppl are reporting positive feedback with the GS3. So it's something you can try, and if the store can't help you avoid a restocking fee, I would call customer service to see if theyd waive it.
However I know Sprint hasnt charged me a restock fee yet or ever, and if you have reception issues at home they will send you a free airwave...
I've heard that Sprint 3g is awful in some areas. I get decent enough speeds here and LTE is coming to my area soon so I won't be changing carrier. However, if LTE wasn't coming soon I'd definitely consider jumping ship.
juanpow3r said:
I've heard that Sprint 3g is awful in some areas. I get decent enough speeds here and LTE is coming to my area soon so I won't be changing carrier. However, if LTE wasn't coming soon I'd definitely consider jumping ship.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is and to be honest, once LTE hits, everyone will be *****ing about battery life. There is not a reason you cant jump on WIFI if avalible. Or use 3g... I have been stuck and still am stuck on 3g, and things load instantly for me... granted I'm not downloading big videos or anything...
But I know her main point was coverage... so she'd really need to stop at a store and talk to people who use the phone outside of the business
I'll let you know. Mostly I want to know that Sprint will stand behind either phone if the radios aren't up to par without the restocking fees and a second activation fee... I can't afford $210 of activation, restocking and another reactivation fee for phones that are defective. I'm not talking about just changing my mind and wanting a different phone but needing to trust that one way or another I'll get two phones with no radio issues.
It's not as simple as just staying with VZW, my husband's phone was stolen during one of my medical emergencies... He's currently using an old phone but it's not working very well. So, we either pony up for a new phone (even if it's via Craigslist) or we get a new provider (who hopefully gives a care bc Vzw certainly didn't!), both get new phones and sell our current ones to cover most of the upfront cost of the new phones. We could wait until Network Vision is completed or moreso but will they still be able to offer unlimited data plan at that point. Since we feel that we want to switch, now feels like a good time to do so. Does that make sense?
No we're not out of contract with Verizon but have people lined up to do an AOL (assumption of liability or contract takeover) so we'd be out of it with no fees. However, we won't complete the AOL until we're sure that Sprint will work for us now.
Does anyone know if the everything data plus (we'd be looking at the 1600min family plan) has free activation? I'd have to order online and it would be via employee referral? Also, do you get any numbers you can pick that are unlimited to those numbers? Verizon had friends and family where you got to pick a handful of numbers that you call the most that don't count against our minutes. My only concern is my in laws as they have a VERY limited cell plan and use their land line almost exclusively. If we could add that one number that would help a ton. I'd read somewhere online that Sprint had something similar but now, of course, can't find it again.
I appreciate all of your help and advice so very much. I hope this explains more why we're considering the switch and why we need good phone reception... At least as good as is currently possible on their network.
BTW, when we informed Vzw about the phone theft we were tracking the phone on Google latitude and the refused to help or advise us as to what to do in any way. Super disappointed with their lack of help. If the customer service had been better, we might have gotten our phone back. I've heard good things about Sprint's customer service.
Any other thoughts or suggestions or advice... Please share! And many thanks to all of you who have shared!
Order directly from Sprint
As a former employee of a 3rd party vendor, if you are worried about the vendors complying with Sprint's 30-day no strings window, order your phones directly from Sprint. If your or your husband's employer have an agreement with sprint that nets their employee's a discount, they might also have an exclusive sales team and pricing. Most corporate discounts waive the activation fee on new lines and Sprint(corporate, not 3rd party) is very good about exchanges. Keep in mind 3rd party vendors can, and do, pretty much whatever they want, if they treat you poorly, email [email protected] and it will garner the attention of Dan Hesse's resolution team. But again if you want to avoid the 3rd party headache, just order online or over the phone. Good luck, and I will check back as I just ordered both, an evo lte and sIII, for my wife and I. I will let you know how signal goes.
Sprint is very giving... ill PM you a number to use when you call them.
Sent from my DynaTAC 8000S ;-) via 5G
Thanks so much for the new info. I really appreciate it. Please do send along the best number to call Sprint at. That's totally awesome. I just need to make sure that we have good enough reception in our area and that we get good working phones. I'm really glad to hear that they are a "giving" company or maybe best to describe as doing what it takes to satisfy the customer. Vzw seems to be purposely going the opposite way and I'm not impressed. Again, I'd love that phone number to use and would also love to hear your thoughts and impressions of the two phones when you get them! I Please keep the info coming!
varaonaid said:
Thanks so much for the new info. I really appreciate it. Please do send along the best number to call Sprint at. That's totally awesome. I just need to make sure that we have good enough reception in our area and that we get good working phones. I'm really glad to hear that they are a "giving" company or maybe best to describe as doing what it takes to satisfy the customer. Vzw seems to be purposely going the opposite way and I'm not impressed. Again, I'd love that phone number to use and would also love to hear your thoughts and impressions of the two phones when you get them! I Please keep the info coming!
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As of right now i get great signal and battery on my sprint s iii. I support ur cjoicr to switch. As far as customer sipport u eont regret it. If u have bad sifnal call them at any customer service number and request an airrave theyll send one for free. Those give u full signal at home. I believe emergency calls work without signal too so 911 shouldn't be a problem anyway, and airave should fix signal worries. So far this phone has great radio so far as I can tell.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
So, I am currently in the market for a new phone because I am sick of how HTC treats their customers. I was wondering if you guys thought jumping on the Galaxy Nexus would still be a good idea even though the Sg3 is out.
The Sg3 looks amazing, but it is kind of out of my price range with the average price being $400. I have found a few Nexus' anywhere from $200-250 which is more my style. The thing that worries me though is that it is already close to a year old and I know the minute I purchase one the next greatest phone will be out.
Does anyone know when the next Nexus phone will be out? I am due for an upgrade around March, but would really like to jump to a 4g phone before then.
What do you guys think? Stay with the inc2, grab a Nexus, or just wait until I can get something with my upgrade?
Any ideas?
I've had an upgrade since July I was going to get the sg3 but when I found out it was dual core it turned me off BC I was stoked for quad. Then I was going to get the inc4g, but I hate sense and I'm tired of HTC. I was close to getting the gnex on Saturday for $50 from best buy, but like you said its already a year old plus the 5mp camera is kinda iffy for me especially since the og Inc had an 8mp back in 2010! I'm going to wait for the galaxy note 2 coming out soon 1.6 quad core 2gigs ram super HD amoled running JB
I was considering a SG3 as well, or the GNEX, but I am currently satisfied with the Inc2 at the moment and will way my options when I am ready for a new device. I am curious if anyone has tested out any of these phones and had any opinions as well. I have not "upgraded" since they got away from unlimited data, so I am still grandfathered in and not sure if I will sign a new contract or just purchase the phone. The 4g is not a big issue with me as Big Red has not brought it to our area yet, and probably wont see it anytime soon.
Maybe I will wait for the Note 2 as well. My friend has the SG3 and the screen on it is beautiful. The one thing about the Note which I am unsure about is the stylus. I don't know how I feel about that. It's not like that is a big deal breaker for me, just something I'm unsure about. I have had 4g in my area since it has been released, for the most part, so I def want to go 4g. I am worried I will lose my unlimited, which is why I was starting to look for 4g now.
Samsung does make a great looking phone though. Colors are so vibrant on them. When the Note 2 comes out, is it supposed to be better than SG3 or is that phone still going to be considered the best?
kubes069 said:
So, I am currently in the market for a new phone because I am sick of how HTC treats their customers.
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It's not HTC's fault. They already gave the OTA to vzw a while ago. It's big red's fault for not releasing the goddamn update already because they need to bloat the **** out of it before they can be satisfied.
Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So, we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A Dark Knight.
kubes069 said:
Maybe I will wait for the Note 2 as well. My friend has the SG3 and the screen on it is beautiful. The one thing about the Note which I am unsure about is the stylus. I don't know how I feel about that. It's not like that is a big deal breaker for me, just something I'm unsure about. I have had 4g in my area since it has been released, for the most part, so I def want to go 4g. I am worried I will lose my unlimited, which is why I was starting to look for 4g now.
Samsung does make a great looking phone though. Colors are so vibrant on them. When the Note 2 comes out, is it supposed to be better than SG3 or is that phone still going to be considered the best?
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The stylus to me is just an accessory. You can function the phone without it. If I use my upgrade I will lose unlimited, but I'm only using 1.3 gigs a month. Not to mention my $200 phone bill and 2 unused phone lines. So upgrading will cancel unlimited data but I'll be saving $100+ dollars a month with my military discount. There's no real reason to use 4gig+ of data so I wouldn't worry about losing unlimited. Unlimited data users probably are getting throttled anyway. The note 2 is going to be a supercharged s3. Check out the specs on both http://www.autoomobile.com/news/samsung-galaxy-note-2-vs-s3-4/1003595/
My only problem is whether to stay on Verizon or not. The Verizon version of the note2 is going to have the Verizon brand on the home button! I can't believe that. I'm super satisfied with my inc2 only BC I rooted. But the lack of ota is troubling. This phone isn't that old
Linch89 said:
The stylus to me is just an accessory. You can function the phone without it. If I use my upgrade I will lose unlimited, but I'm only using 1.3 gigs a month. Not to mention my $200 phone bill and 2 unused phone lines. So upgrading will cancel unlimited data but I'll be saving $100+ dollars a month with my military discount. There's no real reason to use 4gig+ of data so I wouldn't worry about losing unlimited. Unlimited data users probably are getting throttled anyway. The note 2 is going to be a supercharged s3. Check out the specs on both http://www.autoomobile.com/news/samsung-galaxy-note-2-vs-s3-4/1003595/
My only problem is whether to stay on Verizon or not. The Verizon version of the note2 is going to have the Verizon brand on the home button! I can't believe that. I'm super satisfied with my inc2 only BC I rooted. But the lack of ota is troubling. This phone isn't that old
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Do you know of a way to check the actual data usage without calling up Verizon? I also just did watch a few videos of the Note 2 being used and all I can say is WOW. This phone looks like it is going to be a pure beast. Also, you are right about the stylus being an accessory. After watching this video with it in use, I think I completely changed my opinion on it.
This is the video I just watched:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DcgZum8M1o&feature=player_embedded
Edit: Damn, I can't figure out how to embed the video so it isn't just a link.
Linch89 said:
My only problem is whether to stay on Verizon or not. The Verizon version of the note2 is going to have the Verizon brand on the home button! I can't believe that. I'm super satisfied with my inc2 only BC I rooted. But the lack of ota is troubling. This phone isn't that old
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I only have 2 options for cellular service, Verizon or Cell One because I live in a small town. I have been with Verizon since probably 2004, switching from Sprint when I lived in Atlanta GA. I have never had an issue with them as far as service quality, prices are a bit high but I will pay for them as long as I have good service. As for the Inc 2 I will probably use it for another year or so before I consider switching, unless something happens to it before then. I have only been using mine for about 3 months or so and paid $75 for it from an acquaintance of mine that upgraded to the RazrMaxx.
ThePhantom97 said:
I only have 2 options for cellular service, Verizon or Cell One because I live in a small town. I have been with Verizon since probably 2004, switching from Sprint when I lived in Atlanta GA. I have never had an issue with them as far as service quality, prices are a bit high but I will pay for them as long as I have good service. As for the Inc 2 I will probably use it for another year or so before I consider switching, unless something happens to it before then. I have only been using mine for about 3 months or so and paid $75 for it from an acquaintance of mine that upgraded to the RazrMaxx.
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I am from New Jersey love the service I get from Verizon. I have yet to go someplace that doesn't give me great service (unless I'm in a basement with no windows or something similar). As for other services, I have just about everything you can find in my area and from having friends I pretty much see everyone leave all other to come to Verizon. AT&T is the only one that can compete with Verizon in my area, but the only people I know that have that service is the Iphone users. For $75 you can't go wrong with this phone. It is def a great phone and aside from the lack of updates and no 4g that is my only complaint.
Nitsua, you say Big Red has the OTA and I have heard that before also, but how true is it? Is Verizon keeping the OTA secret because they are bloating it up or do they actually not have it? We may never know the truth until it is either released or they come out and say that the OTA will not be coming. Of course, I hope it comes, but I feel myself slowly getting sick and tired of the wait, especially since they promised up end of Aug. and now we are a week from October.
Yes, They have been late on phones before, but from my research, this is the longest they have gone after missing a date which really angers me towards both HTC and Verizon.
kubes069 said:
I am from New Jersey love the service I get from Verizon. I have yet to go someplace that doesn't give me great service (unless I'm in a basement with no windows or something similar). As for other services, I have just about everything you can find in my area and from having friends I pretty much see everyone leave all other to come to Verizon. AT&T is the only one that can compete with Verizon in my area, but the only people I know that have that service is the Iphone users. For $75 you can't go wrong with this phone. It is def a great phone and aside from the lack of updates and no 4g that is my only complaint.
Nitsua, you say Big Red has the OTA and I have heard that before also, but how true is it? Is Verizon keeping the OTA secret because they are bloating it up or do they actually not have it? We may never know the truth until it is either released or they come out and say that the OTA will not be coming. Of course, I hope it comes, but I feel myself slowly getting sick and tired of the wait, especially since they promised up end of Aug. and now we are a week from October.
Yes, They have been late on phones before, but from my research, this is the longest they have gone after missing a date which really angers me towards both HTC and Verizon.
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Verizon has it. How else would you guys have your ics leak . They have to perfect it though and make sure that there are no bugs. Also since it's an older device that not many people have, they are setting their focus on other phones.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
I'm not too bothered by not getting the ICS OTA honestly. There are plenty of ICS ROMs that are functional enough for me to use. I'll just stick it out until I can upgrade in July, 2013 and either upgrade or switch carriers. Who knows what phones will be out by then?
kubes069 said:
Do you know of a way to check the actual data usage without calling up Verizon?
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Play store has a VZW app for usage.
I have a droid bionic just sittin here. I may use that, but with that remote phone wipe hack I may just forget about it.The hack doesn't seem to affect the INC2.
my upgrade isn't till may. Depending on the inc4g, i will purchase it if its s-off. Otherwise, I think i'll be getting the SGSIII. My next phone has to be unlocked someway.
I'm really diggin the xperia phones. And it looks like most of them are getting ics in the next couple weeks. The ion is free on the us sony site.
Depends what's out by August 2013
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda app-developers app
VZW is about to loose a 10 year customer.
I hate what VZW has done to this phone. That paired with the upgrade shuffle needed to keep my unlimited data and I am about to jump to Sprint. I can get two HTC Ones, and a new Torque for my son for $99 total. Unlimited data and everything. Plus the added feature of be able to unlock and root.
Why should I stay.
There is no reason to stay if you don't want to. If sprint has good enough service for you and is cheaper, go for it.
Good luck with sprint. **** service
Sent from my HTC One VZW using Tapatalk 4
it' s a tough choice, Verizon gives best service and they know it and take advantage, the ones who know they aren't up to par let things slide like unlocking to gain customers. and it works, I also have been with Verizon sine before it was even called Verizon (so my dad says) and I don't think I could get him to ever switch (he doesn't care about root, just service) so my future is in the hands of the great devs and or dev edition phones, yayyy. Verizon has gone down hill fast since crApple came. everything that was decent changed, recently 24 mount contracts now, no longer 20 month, 14 day return rather than 30. Guess we will see how things play out at least with this phone we are able to send it out for S-OFF. and it came fast, very cool.
I hopefully sending mine out next week.
Anthrax79 said:
VZW is about to loose a 10 year customer.
I hate what VZW has done to this phone. That paired with the upgrade shuffle needed to keep my unlimited data and I am about to jump to Sprint. I can get two HTC Ones, and a new Torque for my son for $99 total. Unlimited data and everything. Plus the added feature of be able to unlock and root.
Why should I stay.
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What have they done to the phone?
There's no reason to stay. Just like mentioned before - if you have no need for Verizon's service coverage vs. Sprint's, then why stay with them? If you get solid Sprint coverage everywhere you need it, then switch. Otherwise, the only reason to stay is for the coverage. That's generally the only reason to go with carrier X over carrier Y.
Anthrax79 said:
VZW is about to loose a 10 year customer.
I hate what VZW has done to this phone. That paired with the upgrade shuffle needed to keep my unlimited data and I am about to jump to Sprint. I can get two HTC Ones, and a new Torque for my son for $99 total. Unlimited data and everything. Plus the added feature of be able to unlock and root.
Why should I stay.
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Click to collapse
I just left Sprint after 13 years and picked this phone up on Verizon. Let me tell you the grass is not greener on the other side, Unlimited data is meaningless when you can't even play a youtube video for your kid in the car even though you're in the middle of a major metropolitan area (Seattle). If you want dial up speeds then by all means go for it.
Just switched from sprint also after being with them for 14 years. The data speeds were so slow they were unusable. It got to the point where I couldn't even get make a phone call without dropping the call. I drove from Ohio to Florida and only picked up LTE maybe 3 times for about 5 minutes. Other people in the car had Verizon and had LTE 90 percent of the time. Need less to say it was a damn long trip on horrible 3g and 1x
Sent from my HTC One
Sprints data speeds are horrible. Had them for years. Dropped calls a lot too.
I'm not really happy with Verizon either but at least I'm never without service. I'd rather be unhappy WITH service than unhappy WITHOUT service.
Have fun. Peace out.
m4rk0358 said:
I just left Sprint after 13 years and picked this phone up on Verizon. Let me tell you the grass is not greener on the other side, Unlimited data is meaningless when you can't even play a youtube video for your kid in the car even though you're in the middle of a major metropolitan area (Seattle). If you want dial up speeds then by all means go for it.
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Same here. I was with Sprint 9 years. The dropped calls, terrible data just got to be too much. They recently turned the 4G LTE on in my area and it was spotty at best. I just can't get over how much better Verizon's network is.
My work phone is T-Moble. I had VZ for my personal cells and switched to AT&T about 4 years ago. I could not wait to go back to VZ. T-Moble is just brutal in my vacation home. It actually switches to AT&T service. AT&T was slow and would drop a ton of calls. VZ may be a PITA but they have the best signal/speed where I live. I'm afraid I will be with VZ a long time.
Lol. Got a buddy on Sprint, he tethers into my phone for data all the time. You really can't beat Verizon coverage and data speed.
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Anthrax79 said:
VZW is about to loose a 10 year customer.
I hate what VZW has done to this phone. That paired with the upgrade shuffle needed to keep my unlimited data and I am about to jump to Sprint. I can get two HTC Ones, and a new Torque for my son for $99 total. Unlimited data and everything. Plus the added feature of be able to unlock and root.
Why should I stay.
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Click to collapse
I've been somewhat considering this too. After asking around, seems AT&T is considered next best in service.
replica9000 said:
I've been somewhat considering this too. After asking around, seems AT&T is considered next best in service.
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Click to collapse
Eh not anywhere I've been. ATT is barely better than Sprint where I've been. T-mobile is pretty much second in areas I've been which is alot.
Anthrax79 said:
VZW is about to loose a 10 year customer.
I hate what VZW has done to this phone. That paired with the upgrade shuffle needed to keep my unlimited data and I am about to jump to Sprint. I can get two HTC Ones, and a new Torque for my son for $99 total. Unlimited data and everything. Plus the added feature of be able to unlock and root.
Why should I stay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was with Sprint for 10 years and I'm glad I left them. Sure you can still get unlimited data with them but their service is terrible. Sprint LTE is going to take a while to reach Verizon's coverage and the 3G speeds are a joke. Verizon may torture us with their stance against modding, but most of us just deal with it because their service is the best...case in point, the recent JD Power rankings. Being able to unlock and root doesn't mean anything if you don't have the network support to back it up.
andybones said:
it' s a tough choice, Verizon gives best service and they know it and take advantage, the ones who know they aren't up to par let things slide like unlocking to gain customers. and it works, I also have been with Verizon sine before it was even called Verizon (so my dad says) and I don't think I could get him to ever switch (he doesn't care about root, just service) so my future is in the hands of the great devs and or dev edition phones, yayyy. Verizon has gone down hill fast since crApple came. everything that was decent changed, recently 24 mount contracts now, no longer 20 month, 14 day return rather than 30. Guess we will see how things play out at least with this phone we are able to send it out for S-OFF. and it came fast, very cool.
I hopefully sending mine out next week.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sell Verizon phones at a premium retailer and must say apple is the cause of all my problems and have seen that as soon as apple came along all the plans changed they got rid of unlimited apple is the root of all evil
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 2
Let the OP go to Sprint - he'll be back fast enough. The reason vzw did what they did was because they didn't want to swap out a bunch of phones and do all that paperwork.
In the future don't jump on the phone the first day or week it's out, wait a while to see if that's what you want.
Sent from my 4G LTE HTC One
good luck. Had sprint, then t-mobile before verizon.
Sprint was bad, 200kbits/sec speeds when having 3g signal. Their LTE runs on 2500mhz which means you'll drop that as soon as you walk inside.
T-mobile had much faster data speeds, but coverage was horrendous and a lot of dropped calls.
You get what you pay for. Unless you live on wifi, you'll be crying about sprint soon enough.
I've heard terrible things about Sprint, but I've never had their service. I had T-mobile YEARS ago and it was awful, I'm sure things have changed since then.
Verizon isn't cheap, it's a headache to go through the loophole to keep your unlimited data, but if you're going to switch to Sprint, do your research, and make sure you're going to be okay with slower data speeds and spotty coverage.
I don't like waiting extra time for phones on Verizon, nor do I enjoy the bloat that they fill their phones with, but that's the reality of it and the cost of keeping my unlimited data with a company that has a fast/reliable network.
Thankfully, we have awesome developers who work their magic and donate their work to the community.
jbh00jh said:
Let the OP go to Sprint - he'll be back fast enough. The reason vzw did what they did was because they didn't want to swap out a bunch of phones and do all that paperwork.
In the future don't jump on the phone the first day or week it's out, wait a while to see if that's what you want.
Sent from my 4G LTE HTC One
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Two years ago, I switched to Sprint. Got home and realized I couldn't even make phone calls inside my house. Next day,returned the sprint phones and went back to VZW. I have never looked at another carrier since.
I will say that when I went back to VZW, they gave me two new upgrades on my phones.... that was a plus to my mess.