Does not having lte even make a difference? - T-Mobile, Samsung Galaxy SIII

Hi everyone, I've got a small question to ask.
I've been reading reviews about all the different North American bound GSIII's, and I have noticed that while the "maximum theoritical speed" of lte is around double that of hspda+, there isn't really a difference in usability .
I mean to say, when you use the phone, it is blazing fast right? Not gimped :victory:
I'm about to get it on a Canadian Carrier that uses AWS, and was wondering if I should spring for the lte, non AWS version.
Thanks in advance
(sorry if this isn't even a question )

Of course it makes a difference. It means the battery will last a fair amount longer.

IMO HSPA+ is good enough. You won't notice the real world difference between the two, given that you have enough HSPA coverage. LTE is a newer technology but as I've heard it drains battery too quick. I'd prefer a longer battery life with decent speeds throughout a day than to have the phone die on me more quickly just to boast a faster speed that I probably won't notice.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

stevessvt said:
Of course it makes a difference. It means the battery will last a fair amount longer.
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jaygajay said:
IMO HSPA+ is good enough. You won't notice the real world difference between the two, given that you have enough HSPA coverage. LTE is a newer technology but as I've heard it drains battery too quick. I'd prefer a longer battery life with decent speeds throughout a day than to have the phone die on me more quickly just to boast a faster speed that I probably won't notice.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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I agree with both. Wish T-Mobile wouldn't be putting time and money towards lte. It's already faster than Verizon. Even on my aosp ROM which doesn't get the full speeds it blew away Verizon lte using the speed test app.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

Skype and stuff would be clearer on LTE of course, but with a strong 4g signal it is pretty fast. Most people crab about bandwidth, but in all reality most people never use near all of it. On a phone getting 15 or 20 meg you can do anything. What does LTE speed test at?
I know when I had Verizon my battery would go super fast on LTE.

jjlean said:
Skype and stuff would be clearer on LTE of course, but with a strong 4g signal it is pretty fast. Most people crab about bandwidth, but in all reality most people never use near all of it. On a phone getting 15 or 20 meg you can do anything. What does LTE speed test at?
I know when I had Verizon my battery would go super fast on LTE.
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When I had Verizon in Chicago I would speed test around 30-40mbps. Sure it's cool to see big numbers, but it isn't a huge deal.
LTE is a bit gentler on battery these days as well. My friend's S3 gets pretty good battery life on Verizon but he also has amazing LTE coverage where he is.
Sent from my SGH-T999

There are other improvements in LTE other than raw speed, such as latency, air interface, architecture, etc. Granted HSPA is an improvement over standard UMTS, and actually can provide plenty of raw bandwidth for most applications, if implemented properly. Some of the architectural changes are already, at least partially, implemented in HSPA.
With that said, I have never found myself regretting not having LTE (on T-Mobile) over HSPA. I get 10Mb down easily and sometimes more in my area (DC Metro). I imagine LTE is faster in this area in terms of raw speed, but I don't really care. I will take the better battery life and simultaneous data/voice any day over that extra data speed at this point in time. I actually think that the way T-Mobile is going about the upgrade makes a lot of technical sense. Granted the CDMA carriers were at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to implementing LTE (frequencies aside). Since LTE is actually in the GSM family, sharing some standards and concepts with those descendants, they have had to implement more of a hybrid system.
Bottom line - I think HSPA is a much better trade off for speed, functionality, battery, etc. at this point in time than LTE is. I wouldn't worry about not having LTE in the GS3 at this time. I think that by the time T-Mobile gets their LTE network up and running in most major areas, the next generation phones will be here. If you are into marketing hype, by all means go for LTE now. If you are more into real world results, then don't worry about it, and be happy with HSPA for now.
LTE is a bit gentler on battery these days as well.
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True, and that will only improve over time, just as early UMTS/HSPA implementations did. Early LTE chipsets really had horrendous battery life, to the point of severely limiting the usefulness of LTE. I actually think 2013 will be a good year for LTE adoption. T-Mobile is right on schedule, they just have to fight that marketing battle.

I still prefer HSPA+ 42mbps... I average 20mbps down and 3mbps up
Sent from my SGH-T999 using XDA Premium HD app

big battery drainer, stick with HSPA+

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I'll just get the AWS SIII then (not on tmobile though :victory
BTW: I didn't know lte couldn't do voice/data at the same time! )

BTW: I didn't know lte couldn't do voice/data at the same time!
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Oh no, it can. It's just the way it is implemented right now. It is not an LTE limitation.

Between T-Mobile and AT&T, T-Mobile has the best HSPA+. I can get 24Mbps in my city. So, it makes a difference of about 10Mbps, it's not a big deal when you really think about it and use it.
T-Mobile (by accident) will have the best data coverage in the future. Look at how good their HSPA+ is right now and then think about when they're finished rolling out LTE. People can get one signal or the other.
To answer your question, it matters if you and your friends are racing who can download a file the fastest. You'll lose by two seconds...

Snook321 said:
I still prefer HSPA+ 42mbps... I average 20mbps down and 3mbps up
Sent from my SGH-T999 using XDA Premium HD app
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That's what I average here in the Placerville, CA area. My friends who have Verizon LTE get pretty much the same speeds.

Last question: does lte even make a difference in battery life? I mean, if it does, is the t999's battery life slightly better than the i747's?

Last question: does lte even make a difference in battery life? I mean, if it does, is the t999's battery life slightly better than the i747's?
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Yes, it does if you have it on. The reason being that LTE radios and chips are not as mature as HSPA implementations. It was the same situation with the move from GSM to UMTS. Remember the first iPhone didn't have 3G primarily because of battery drain on 3G networks. The situation quickly improved, as it will/is with LTE.
So, I would say the battery life in the T999 would be better than the i747 if you actually use LTE on the latter. That is just an educated guess though. By how much, I don't know, but I imagine it would be measurable. Might want to ask on the i747 forum about their battery life. It might not be a big deal.

redhooka said:
That's what I average here in the Placerville, CA area. My friends who have Verizon LTE get pretty much the same speeds.
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What's the difference in your bills if you don't mind me asking?

T-Mobile customer since Voicestream days, so I'm a loyal customer
Here's my personal experience.
I have a Verizon LTE Mifi. One day I was sitting in Portland air port waiting for a flight. Bored, I started to surf the net. 15 minutes in, I remember thinking to myself, WOW, T-Mobile is fast today! Then I saw my wifi icon is lit, and realized that I have forgotten to turn off my Mifi, and I was running on LTE.
So, yes, you CAN tell the difference, but when T-Mobile's 3G is running correctly though, it's not a huge difference, but certainly noticeable.
BTW, even on Verizon's slow 3G speed, I can still make Skype calls, and it worked flawlessly.

Friend of mine has at&t gs3 and he averages around 31mbps down and 20ish mbps up on LTE. The other day he got 61mbps down but only 100kbps up on one speed test. I'm perfectly happy with tmobile HSPA+ though, and have been getting exceptional battery life on just rooted stock with slight debloating.

I finally hit 12mbps in toledo last night my old g2 was struggling for even 5 I thought the area just sucked but it's probably the better antennas in this s3. My wifi does 15 so im happy with this. When I go to bigger cities like Chicago and nyc I know I'll get at least 20 so I could care less for lte. Even with lte ur not constantly getting 40 or so mbps that's just the peak of ur speed
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

otariq said:
I finally hit 12mbps in toledo last night my old g2 was struggling for even 5 I thought the area just sucked but it's probably the better antennas in this s3. My wifi does 15 so im happy with this. When I go to bigger cities like Chicago and nyc I know I'll get at least 20 so I could care less for lte. Even with lte ur not constantly getting 40 or so mbps that's just the peak of ur speed
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
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Correct. The G2 is only capable of 21mbps while the s3 is capable of 42mbps. I haven't been able to get over 15 in Chicago though on CM10
Sent from my SGH-T999

Related

HSPA+ in NYC very slow?

I'm seeing very erratic speeds in Manhattan with my new SGS II, but generally I'm in the 2-3 mbps down, 1 mbps up range anywhere I'm inside. Sometimes it is the same outside as well, but occasionally that will spike up to ~16mpbs down outside.
Any other NYC users having similar issues?
Get a new sim at tmobile
sent from my real Gs move in silence like lasagna
Since when is 2-3Mbps slow? Really?
Try Sprint 3G/4G or Verizon 3G or AT&T "4G". 100-900Kbps is the norm on Sprint, Verizon and AT&T except AT&T has higher bursts. Verizon LTE is quick but it's already slowed down below 10Mbps here and coverage is not everywhere
heygrl said:
Since when is 2-3Mbps slow? Really?
Try Sprint 3G/4G or Verizon 3G or AT&T "4G". 100-900Kbps is the norm on Sprint, Verizon and AT&T except AT&T has higher bursts. Verizon LTE is quick but it's already slowed down below 10Mbps here and coverage is not everywhere
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Since it's advertised as HSPA+ 42mbps. Yes, really.
mbernusg said:
Get a new sim at tmobile
sent from my real Gs move in silence like lasagna
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How come? Is this sim defective somehow?
ap77 said:
Since it's advertised as HSPA+ 42mbps. Yes, really.
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No - you're not going to get close to a theoretical max speed. Sorry to break the news to you, but this is Wireless - there are no guarantees.
heygrl said:
No - you're not going to get close to a theoretical max speed. Sorry to break the news to you, but this is Wireless - there are no guarantees.
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Obviously I'm not expecting the 42mbps. But they made a big deal about this being the first DC-HSPA+ phone -- it is, in fact, why this phone doesn't have exynos. Sorry to break it to you, but 2-3 mbps is very slow even for HSPA+ 21mbps. This is slower than Sprint's ****ty wimax.
If you're content with 2-3 mpbs, great, I'm happy for you.
ap77 said:
Obviously I'm not expecting the 42mbps. But they made a big deal about this being the first DC-HSPA+ phone -- it is, in fact, why this phone doesn't have exynos. Sorry to break it to you, but 2-3 mbps is very slow even for HSPA+ 21mbps. This is slower than Sprint's ****ty wimax.
If you're content with 2-3 mpbs, great, I'm happy for you.
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It's not slower than WiMAX here, and if you are seeing a variance in speed it's obvious that you are bouncing between two different cell towers with two different loads or one without Dual Carrier HSPA deployed on it.
2-3Mbps for a network with 1 3G carrier which means all of the bandwidth on that sector is shared with other T-Mobile subscribers is NOT bad. 50-300Kbps/Sprint 3G speed is bad. Verizon 3G at 500-1000Kbps is mediocre but acceptable due to the low ping. 2Mbps is decent, not bad, and OK for a HSPA network.
heygrl said:
It's not slower than WiMAX here, and if you are seeing a variance in speed it's obvious that you are bouncing between two different cell towers with two different loads or one without Dual Carrier HSPA deployed on it.
2-3Mbps for a network with 1 3G carrier which means all of the bandwidth on that sector is shared with other T-Mobile subscribers is NOT bad. 50-300Kbps/Sprint 3G speed is bad. Verizon 3G at 500-1000Kbps is mediocre but acceptable due to the low ping. 2Mbps is decent, not bad, and OK for a HSPA network.
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I still have my Sprint Epic and this service is certainly slower than wimax.
Look, I'm not going to argue with you if you think 2mbps is just fine. I don't. What I'm interested in is whether other users in NYC are getting the same kind of speeds.
ap77 said:
I still have my Sprint Epic and this service is certainly slower than wimax.
Look, I'm not going to argue with you if you think 2mbps is just fine. I don't. What I'm interested in is whether other users in NYC are getting the same kind of speeds.
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This is a speedtest i ran and got the same score 3 times in bloomingdales 59th
Get a new sim bro
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
kennyp987 said:
This is a speedtest i ran and got the same score 3 times in bloomingdales 59th
Get a new sim bro
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
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I got 12mbps DL / 0.8mbps UL in Brooklyn last night. Right now I'm downtown and I have 113kbps DL / 381kbps UL.
grabiarz said:
I got 12mbps DL / 0.8mbps UL in Brooklyn last night. Right now I'm downtown and I have 113kbps DL / 381kbps UL.
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Ouch on the downtown.
ap77 said:
I still have my Sprint Epic and this service is certainly slower than wimax.
Look, I'm not going to argue with you if you think 2mbps is just fine. I don't. What I'm interested in is whether other users in NYC are getting the same kind of speeds.
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The 2.5GHz network reaches few people. In a market where Clear actually has people using the network the speeds are much lower due to the traffic. NYC is still very much brand new with few WiMAX users, not a valid comparison. Here, it's 1Mbps all day long due to the maturity of the network and the usage
Unless they're on the same tower as you -- they're going to get different speeds, higher and even lower depending on load. Something you can't comprehend. It's not going to be 10+ everywhere. What are you desperately needing 10Mbps at home for anyway? Do you have an unlimited plan with no throttle cap you desperately want to use? I don't get it.
heygrl said:
The 2.5GHz network reaches few people. In a market where Clear actually has people using the network the speeds are much lower due to the traffic. NYC is still very much brand new with few WiMAX users, not a valid comparison. Here, it's 1Mbps all day long due to the maturity of the network and the usage
Unless they're on the same tower as you -- they're going to get different speeds, higher and even lower depending on load. Something you can't comprehend. It's not going to be 10+ everywhere. What are you desperately needing 10Mbps at home for anyway? Do you have an unlimited plan with no throttle cap you desperately want to use? I don't get it.
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For god's sake, will you take your concern trolling elsewhere? "Why do you even need something that fast?" Unbelievable.
heygrl said:
The 2.5GHz network reaches few people. In a market where Clear actually has people using the network the speeds are much lower due to the traffic. NYC is still very much brand new with few WiMAX users, not a valid comparison. Here, it's 1Mbps all day long due to the maturity of the network and the usage
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Meant to add: I don't care at all about how wimax works where you are (Vegas?). Here in NYC, I have pretty uniformly seen lower speeds on TMO than I did on wimax, sometimes substantially so. I'm curious about the speeds that others in NYC with DC-HSPA+ are generally seeing on average. Your entire contribution to this thread has been a giant non-sequitur.
This is what im getting in Delaware .....very nice
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App
ap77 said:
Meant to add: I don't care at all about how wimax works where you are (Vegas?). Here in NYC, I have pretty uniformly seen lower speeds on TMO than I did on wimax, sometimes substantially so. I'm curious about the speeds that others in NYC with DC-HSPA+ are generally seeing on average. Your entire contribution to this thread has been a giant non-sequitur.
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Your babbling about how you aren't getting 16Mbps everywhere. I'm surprised you can even get a WiMAX signal that doesn't cut out all over the place. It matters because you can't comprehend network load or variances.
heygrl said:
Your babbling about how you aren't getting 16Mbps everywhere. I'm surprised you can even get a WiMAX signal that doesn't cut out all over the place. It matters because you can't comprehend network load or variances.
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Or never at all. I just noticed your sig -- "LTE killer." Right -- killer 2mbps. Obviously dealing with a fanboy troll here. Move along.
ap77 said:
Or never at all. I just noticed your sig -- "LTE killer." Right -- killer 2mbps. Obviously dealing with a fanboy troll here. Move along.
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I get 10 Mbps+ on dual cell HSPA which usually outperforms Verizon LTE in Las Vegas on a regular basis, at a much lower price with better phones to boot. Again, you don't/can't comprehend variances per tower. Grasp that first and you will understand why you don't get 16Mbps *EVERYWHERE*
heygrl said:
I get 10 Mbps+ on dual cell HSPA which usually outperforms Verizon LTE in Las Vegas on a regular basis, at a much lower price with better phones to boot. Again, you don't/can't comprehend variances per tower. Grasp that first and you will understand why you don't get 16Mbps *EVERYWHERE*
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Are you seriously this slow? PLEASE, PLEASE stop trolling this thread.
Again, I don't give a **** about your experience in Vegas. This thread is about NYC. Believe me, 2mbps is beyond a joke compared to VZ's LTE in NYC. And, hey, you got 20mbps+ *everywhere* with VZ LTE here. My mighty 2-3mbps DC-HSPA+ is not match.
Seriously, please just stop. You're killing value with every character in this thread.

LTE vs HSPA+ Pros and Cons ?

Can anyone explain this to me ? All I hear is LTE kills battery, so whats the point of LTE when T-mobile HSPA+ 42Mbps has pretty much the same speed as LTE without causing any battery drain. And why would you need 30Mbps anyway on a limited data plan ? My current Tmobile 3G (not 4G or HSPA+) pulls anywhere from 2.5-5.0 Mbps right now....on older HD2 and Nexus One
GSM version of Galaxy Nexus on T-Mobile does not go up to 41Mbps speeds. It can only go up to 21Mb (this is the reasoning why Galaxy S2 on T-Mobile went with Qualcomm's CPU instead of Samsung's Exynos to hit 41Mbps speeds), this is all speaking theoretically as well. Realistically, I haven't gotten to those speeds.
And people "need 30Mbps" on their phones simply because.... they can.
HSPA+ in its current implementation is definitely not as fast as Verizon's LTE, but as you said it surely is fast and it is more than enough for most people. You can definitely expect upwards of 10mbps down, which is great.
Its really a personal call. Some people are on Verizon because its the only carrier available consistently in their area, or they've been a long-time customer, or they're part of a family plan with others on Verizon.
If you're on T-mobile and happy with your service, you're definitely saving money staying with them. If you can buy it unlocked it is definitely a good choice. You're not missing out on anything by staying with T-Mo and the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus.
Cause we like to stream stuff?
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk
zephiK said:
GSM version of Galaxy Nexus on T-Mobile does not go up to 41Mbps speeds. It can only go up to 21Mb (this is the reasoning why Galaxy S2 on T-Mobile went with Qualcomm's CPU instead of Samsung's Exynos to hit 41Mbps speeds), this is all speaking theoretically as well. Realistically, I haven't gotten to those speeds.
And people "need 30Mbps" on their phones simply because.... they can.
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Whats your speed in NYC ?
martonikaj said:
HSPA+ in its current implementation is definitely not as fast as Verizon's LTE, but as you said it surely is fast and it is more than enough for most people. You can definitely expect upwards of 10mbps down, which is great.
Its really a personal call. Some people are on Verizon because its the only carrier available consistently in their area, or they've been a long-time customer, or they're part of a family plan with others on Verizon.
If you're on T-mobile and happy with your service, you're definitely saving money staying with them. If you can buy it unlocked it is definitely a good choice. You're not missing out on anything by staying with T-Mo and the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus.
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My buddy has been testing his Nexus and Droid X on Verizon....Nexus got up to 27mbps and DroidX on 3G pulled only 500kbps. I mean I would rather get constant 2-3mbps then switchs between LTE 27m and CDMA 500k. I want to switch to Verizon because it will be the same price as Tmobile, but I am affraid that LTE will kill battery and CDMA is dirt slow. I am in Boston area by the way.
also some reviews say that LTE kills battery while car charging....this just scares me.....i can stream music + use Google navigation at the same time and have brightness at auto and i still dont charge my phone in car....my 1250 battery in HD2 lasts 12-14 hours on that heavy use.
kolyan said:
but I am affraid that LTE will kill battery and CDMA is dirt slow.
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Both of these things are very true.
I have the LTE nexus, and yes, LTE does do a number on the battery, and yes, it is ever so slightly thicker. however, I'm pulling 10 mb/s down in a very poor coverage area, and a reliable 40+ mb/s down when I get closer to the city. (I live on an away facing side of a hill a few miles outside of a town). Also, without 4g, atleast in my area, I can pull 1-2 mb/s down, but thats not as reliable. I like that speed, and I am willing to charge my phone twice in a day.
In all reality, you wont notice too much of a difference between 10-20 mb/s (HSPA+) and 30-50 mb/s (LTE in my area) on a phone. What you will notice is the difference between coverage and no coverage. Which again favors the Verizon model.
These are THEORETICAL max speeds you are talking about.
In reality the speeds you get will be no where close to the theoretical max speeds the technology can handle. Those speeds might be attainable if you are the only one on the network and are standing under a cell tower.
T-Mobile HSPA+ speeds in NYC are 5.4mbps down, and 1.6mbps up (tested on my friend's International Galaxy Nexus)
LTE max theoretical speed is 299.6 mbps. In reality the speeds I tested in NYC on my Verizon Galaxy Nexus are 26.79mbps down and 7.20mbps up.
http://www.speedtest.net/android/114425608.png
Results will vary but I pull 1-1.5Mbps on 3g so I can live with that. Verizon is the only carrier at my house. T-Mobile doest have coverage in the rural area where I live. If I went with them I'd only have service at work and while running errands downtown.
I get 3g at home and LTE just a few miles away. Part of me wishes that I could use T-Mobile but its not practical where I live and do business.
One last thing, LTE reception is great in the basement of my workplace!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
I'm curious to see Verizon LTE speeds once people start buying LTE phones.
It is almost important to note that LTE is not only faster, but also capable of keeping the signal while you are moving rather fast. Like in cars and trains
Sent from Galaxy Nexus hspa+ 16gb
I get 40-50 mb/s down and 10-20 up, thats why
kolyan said:
Can anyone explain this to me ? All I hear is LTE kills battery, so whats the point of LTE when T-mobile HSPA+ 42Mbps has pretty much the same speed as LTE without causing any battery drain. And why would you need 30Mbps anyway on a limited data plan ? My current Tmobile 3G (not 4G or HSPA+) pulls anywhere from 2.5-5.0 Mbps right now....on older HD2 and Nexus One
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I think you are answering your own question. TMo and AT&T will be slower but use less battery. In the end I'd just decide if you want to be on Verizon or want a GSM phone. Your call.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
kolyan said:
Can anyone explain this to me ? All I hear is LTE kills battery, so whats the point of LTE when T-mobile HSPA+ 42Mbps has pretty much the same speed as LTE without causing any battery drain. And why would you need 30Mbps anyway on a limited data plan ? My current Tmobile 3G (not 4G or HSPA+) pulls anywhere from 2.5-5.0 Mbps right now....on older HD2 and Nexus One
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LTE does kill the battery, but there is an extended battery (Still, I'm not sure how well the battery life improves with the extended battery)
The speed is all about how you feel and what you need. I'd say if you get great LTE coverage in your area and where you're going to be and you'd be fine with the smaller battery life and such, go for the LTE model. HSPA+ speeds are proven to be slower than the LTE speeds (i've seen some users get up to 15-16 down and 12-13 UP while HSPA+ get's us 8-10 DOWN 5-9 UP) But what are you going to do with the 15 mb/s speed?
Since you are T-Mobile, I don't know if you're going to have to switch data plans to access the HSPA+ speeds as some people who are on AT&T (including me) had to do this as well.
rexdog1888 said:
I get 40-50 mb/s down and 10-20 up, thats why
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And what can you do with that, that you can't do with 10 mb/s down on HSPA+?
[hfm] said:
I think you are answering your own question. TMo and AT&T will be slower but use less battery. In the end I'd just decide if you want to be on Verizon or want a GSM phone. Your call.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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lol...not that easy. I am on Tmo with contract (200 to break now and 100 in a month) I very much prefer GSM over Verizon, but my wife doesn't get any service at work. I am somewhat happy with Tmo, I get service everywhere but when I go places like skiing there is usually just 2g with GPRS or EDGE at best.....I have no idea about Verizon. My battery is just amazing.... I never use any chargers other then at night. Price for service will be the same at both, but I will have to make new 2 year contract at Verizon, I will also get Nexus for myself at $150 and Incredible for wife for free....so new phones is nice to get... my wife not really happy with current Nexus One and I would love to have GN. If I stay with Tmo.... paying 650+ for NS is pricy....
kolyan said:
lol...not that easy. I am on Tmo with contract (200 to break now and 100 in a month) I very much prefer GSM over Verizon, but my wife doesn't get any service at work. I am somewhat happy with Tmo, I get service everywhere but when I go places like skiing there is usually just 2g with GPRS or EDGE at best.....I have no idea about Verizon. My battery is just amazing.... I never use any chargers other then at night. Price for service will be the same at both, but I will have to make new 2 year contract at Verizon, I will also get Nexus for myself at $150 and Incredible for wife for free....so new phones is nice to get... my wife not really happy with current Nexus One and I would love to have GN. If I stay with Tmo.... paying 650+ for NS is pricy....
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Well, lets weigh out the pros and cons.
VERIZON
Pros:
1) You only spend about 400 going with Verizon.
2) Your wife may get signal at work.
Cons:
1) Battery life using LTE (But you can always turn off LTE)
2) Your wife may not get signal at work. (You never know..)
TMO
Pros:
1) You stay with a company that you've known and have been with for a while.
2) You get to have the flexibility of staying on a GSM provider. Meaning you get the freedom of switching world phones whenever you need to and not having to get it activated and what not.
Cons:
1) You spend more money. (About 250 more just for the GN, and maybe more for your wife's new phone.
2) Your wife will still not get any signal at work.
I guess its really what makes your wife happy. ;D Kidding. I'd bet on Verizon, but only if having a weak battery and not having places to charge your phone aren't complete deal breakers.
Speed won't really be a BIG BIG factor because while LTE and HSPA realtime speeds do differ, the coverage area for both aren't super complete. In both cases, you'll be constrained to 3G/HSPA. But then again this has to do with your coverage area that we know nothing about.
going to Verizon with 2 new phones, Google Voice porting, and paying Tmobile cancelation fee should all be pretty much covered by selling my tmo phones. My wife doesnt really care if she gets service at work she is not picky. In reallity i guess its all about me wanting Nexus and better coverage, but cdma and lte is a big compromise for me.
i'll figure this out soon.....
Think of it this way,
You can get 2 Ferraris:
One with the original Ferrari engine.
And one with 4 cylinder engine in it.
You will do 30 mpg on your 4 cylinder engine Ferrari and will get to the same place as the other Ferrari goes, but just a "little bit" slower.
I made the switch to Verizon and not planing on swapping to a 4 cylinder engine any time soon.
martonikaj said:
And what can you do with that, that you can't do with 10 mb/s down on HSPA+?
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Anything you can do on a home internet service.

Verizon and Android phones...

Never really thought about Verizon but I'm to the point were I've had it with sprints ****ty service, so i got a few questions im a little hesitant about jumping to Verizon since their Android lineup seems lackluster (getting the nexus but probably only for a year then would get another phone) anybody hear anything about them acquiring better Android phones in the future, also been to the development section an don't see much activity going on for the LTE version any reason for this? Maybe due to how new it is? Any comments about Verizon as a service provider would be welcome also...
In my opinion, Verizon gets a pretty good lineup of phones. The Galaxy Nexus, Rezound, Razr, etc. As far as a carrier, very expensive but you get what you pay for.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Verizon gets pretty good Android handsets IMO.
I just recently moved one of my AT&T lines to Verizon. Prior to that I was with Sprint. Sprint's data speeds were horrendous in my area and EVERY area in traveled too. I can't even imagine what its like after the Iphone release. Voice was always good on Sprint. AT&T's data blew sprint out of the water. Verizon is as good if not quite as fast 3g wise as AT&T but its incredibly reliable. 4g is blazing. 3g speeds are usually 1 - 1.8mbs on Verizon 3g. 4g pushes 15mbs. AT&T's 3g was anywhere from 800k to 4mbs. Verizon is definitely more stable and works in more places.
Both are leaps and bounds better than Sprint. Also with Sprints $10 premium add on its the same price as Verizon if you use Google voice or another data type service for texting. Which is what I do and saves me the $20 a month. I don't need many minutes since if I get low I can use google voice and GrooveIP for free minutes. Once its set up and configured it works great even over 3g.
In other words, jump ship the grass is greener. Sprint's service has taken a dump the last few years and they run a serious risk of bankruptcy before they can put all the spectrum they have to any real use. They have made one mistake after another after another for a long time now.
The LTE roms are on another site mostly.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Thanks a lot guys ^^ its really between getting the LTE nexus or GSM on tmo, an whats the deal with the litte dev support for the LTE version?
*what site josh...?
i moved from AT&T to Verizon and havent looked back, love my GN, but other phones are respectable too,RAZR,REZOUND are good phones too depending on youre tastes
Rootzwiki, but if you have the choice, get the GSM version.. much better battery life.
Cool, thanks guys great input, how much better battery we talking about?
carlost24 said:
Cool, thanks guys great input, how much better battery we talking about?
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Significant amount. LTE is quite the battery drain. All depending on use patterns of course.
martonikaj said:
Significant amount. LTE is quite the battery drain. All depending on use patterns of course.
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It's really not that bad. I mean if you hammer it on LTE it will drain quicker than usual but it's not this destroyer of batteries that people make it out to be.
while LTE may destroy ur battery, u can always turn it off till u need it. there is plenty of dev support for the LTE version, and verizon's network coverage destroys all other three carriers put together.
also.. if u are going to pay for a data plan anyways, might as well enjoy the subsidy.
carlost24 said:
whats the deal with the litte dev support for the LTE version?
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The GSM version works on all providers in all countries all over the earth. The LTE version works on one provider, in one country.
I think the GSM-model simply has what you may refer to as a "immensely much bigger user-base" and hence more developers than what's when you look at the cold, hard facts, is basically a carrier-phone, available on one carrier only.
If you travel out of the country often get GSM. Otherwise get the LTE model. People wanna make LTE out to be some battery black hole but its not. Sprint vs vzw is no contest. Verizon 3g is actually usable and 4g knocks my socks off. It maintains 25 megs on a heavily loaded network and gives me 50+ when its lightly loaded. Honestly development is not really a problem for me because ICS is so good.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Buff McBigstuff said:
If you travel out of the country often get GSM. Otherwise get the LTE model. People wanna make LTE out to be some battery black hole but its not. Sprint vs vzw is no contest. Verizon 3g is actually usable and 4g knocks my socks off. It maintains 25 megs on a heavily loaded network and gives me 50+ when its lightly loaded. Honestly development is not really a problem for me because ICS is so good.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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I can't seem to get above 7 anywhere in Denver. Any chance its my phone?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
mark manning said:
I can't seem to get above 7 anywhere in Denver. Any chance its my phone?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
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It's going to vary largely due to many factors. What's your signal strength, how many other people are using 4G in your area, etc...
I was traveling through Baltimore, MD and was managing only 12 MBPS with 1 bar of signal strength on New Years Eve, which honestly, is easily more than enough for anything. Keep in mind, as time goes on, more people get 4G phones, and use them more, available bandwidth is going to go down anyway. I don't understand why people think they should get 20 MBPS anyway....what are you going to do? If you don't have an unlimited plan, what's the point? You'll use up the small amount of data allotment that you have so quick you'll never even know it.
Thanks guys i think i shall pick up the LTE tomorrow...
carlost24 said:
Never really thought about Verizon but I'm to the point were I've had it with sprints ****ty service, so i got a few questions im a little hesitant about jumping to Verizon since their Android lineup seems lackluster (getting the nexus but probably only for a year then would get another phone) anybody hear anything about them acquiring better Android phones in the future, also been to the development section an don't see much activity going on for the LTE version any reason for this? Maybe due to how new it is? Any comments about Verizon as a service provider would be welcome also...
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I left Sprint for Verizon 3 months ago, and the extra cost is well worth it - it's like having a landline in my pocket.
As far as your assessment of the Android phone lineup, I'm not sure where you're coming from. I think they have a great lineup, although certainly it's slanted toward the Motorola line. With Google buy Motorola mobility, that should end up being a very good thing.
I also don't think they meddle with the phones nearly as much as ATT does - but I have no direct experience with ATT, just what my friends tell me.
I don't know about all your guys' locations but I live in Mesa, AZ (it is about 30 min from downtown Phoenix). I get VERY slow LTE in the city. Even with 2 bars I get ~5 down and 5 up. As far as signal strength, it isn't much different to any other 4G phones I have used. I get no data in my school's basement and the phone always seems to drop the data service. This morning I had 1X until I restarted the device. At a small town in east AZ, Verizon is the only one with data service, but it is VERY!!!! slow. 3G in Phoenix area is about .8 down (on a good day).
Was hesitant due to what im hearing about battery life on LTE, but i guess I'll deal with battery issue since i do want the 32gig option an I'm hearing nothing but good things about Verizon, any other differences between LTE an GSM version?
I drop Sprint and made the switch to Verizon. I had nothing but network problems on Sprint, crappy speed on 3g/4g network. But one thing I can say is once you make the switch to an LTE phone you’ll never go back to regular 3g/4g service! is like going from DVD to bluray.

no 4G?

hi
i recently got a nexus from google.
it woks like a charm but i notice i have never gotten 4G on my phone.
i know there is cus my friend has 4G on his GS2.
so any one knows why is my phone not connecting to 4G network?
any help will be appreciated
PS: the APN i have is epc.tmo.com
HSPA+ (the H icon) is the same thing as T-Mobile's "4G."
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
its weird, i get a 3G icon then it changes to an H. but when i go to settings i dont have the network mode option to choose from.
C0dy said:
HSPA+ (the H icon) is the same thing as T-Mobile's "4G."
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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It wasn't built to display HSPA+ as 4G for T-Mobile.
Google and rest of Europe considered it plain old 3G.
HSPA+ is not true 4G. It's considered 4G because it's almost as fast as 4G but it's not and people don't mind being tricked by that. They want to feel good about their phone. So they simply accept it.
I would just to brag about it. =p
Look at the AT&T 4S, it has HSPA+ but they don't advertise it as 4G. They just say it's faster then normal 3G.
That's why all my friends on AT&T with a 4S and jailbroken just get winter board and change the 3G to 4G and say they got 4G.
It's as fast so they say, "WTH!!! Let's make people feel like they got 4G and see a symbol that says so, even though they know they don't."
That is why you dont see 4G.
Ahh ok. Im asking cus someone told me i needed a new sim card. But thanks
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Yeah I understand why you would be confused. U assume it's 4G since it's as fast. =p
I'd do the same unless I'm told. And since I found out when the 4S came out (I was confused at first), I learned it's just simple 3G on steroids.
Actually one of the firmware updates to the 4S revised the indicator so now it *does* say 4G on AT&T. Which is frustrating because non-technical types now say things like "Well my son didn't get 4G on his Verizon 4G phone in our area, but I get 4G on my AT&T iPhone, so I guess AT&T has better 4G."
I know.
Advertising something that is not true. They can trick people into thinking that the AT&T 4S is better and make people think they have more 4G coverage.
Technically it does since it's considered just as fast. But technically isn't good enough.
DLD511 said:
I know.
Advertising something that is not true. They can trick people into thinking that the AT&T 4S is better and make people think they have more 4G coverage.
Technically it does since it's considered just as fast. But technically isn't good enough.
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The iPhone 4S utilizes HSPA+ just like the Galaxy Nexus. The only difference is that the 4S has an HSPA+ radio that is limited to 14.4Mbps, just like early T-Mobile HSPA+ devices like the G2x. The Nexus has a 21Mbps radio. Functionally, there isn't a whole lot of difference.
Fortunately, we should see true 4G in the states soon, as T-Mobile plans to roll out LTE-Advanced; which, unlike AT&T, Sprint and Verizon's LTE, is the version that actually complies to all of the initial 4G standards, which are not limited to speed. Unfortunately, it will likely still be quite a while before we see speeds of 100Mbps / 1Gbps, which are also one of the requirements. The backhaul and infrastructure for such a network simply aren't utilized in the US. Also, I don't think we really need speeds like that. The initial LTE we have now is still a battery drainer, where HSPA+ still excels in efficiency. The main benefit of LTE and LTE Advanced is changing from a circuit switched network to a fully IP based system, which HSPA+ partially supports.
Correction: The 4S uses HSDPA+HSUPA, which is close but not identical to HSPA+.
HSDPA+HSUPA Release 6
HSPA+ Release 7
LTE Release 8
LTE Advanced Release 10
3G is UMTS. 4G is HSPA/HSPA+
4G and 3G are not the same in these terms.
"Long is the way, and hard, that out of hell leads up to light."
T-Mobile's LTE gonna be at 48mbps correct??? Gonna be damn fast.
Here's Verizon speeds.
DLD511 said:
T-Mobile's LTE gonna be at 48mbps correct??? Gonna be damn fast.
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T-Mobile's HSPA+ is already at 48Mbps in most cases. No word on the max speed for LTE Advanced yet.
Keep in mind that maximum theoretical speed and maximum real usage speed are two different things, but LTE Advanced supposedly reduces a lot of the issues that HSPA+ has, including the speed degradation that HSPA+ has when it comes to distance from the tower and interference.
Also, to be honest, speed tests are just like benchmarks. They really don't show realistic results most of the time. Besides, most of us really only use about 250kbps-3Mbps in actual real time usage, at best and on high load.
JaiaV said:
T-Mobile's HSPA+ is already at 48Mbps in most cases. No word on the max speed for LTE Advanced yet.
Keep in mind that maximum theoretical speed and maximum real usage speed are two different things, but LTE Advanced supposedly reduces a lot of the issues that HSPA+ has, including the speed degradation that HSPA+ has when it comes to distance from the tower and interference.
Also, to be honest, speed tests are just like benchmarks. They really don't show realistic results most of the time. Besides, most of us really only use about 250kbps-3Mbps in actual real time usage, at best and on high load.
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Verizon got to play serious catch up on speed.
DLD511 said:
T-Mobile's LTE gonna be at 48mbps correct??? Gonna be damn fast.
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They're already on 48mbps HSPA+. When they deploy LTE, it'll be LTE-Advanced, which is the next iteration above the current LTE deployments by AT&T/Verizon.
DLD511 said:
Here's Verizon speeds.
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cool story.
Verizon gonna do this too???
DLD511 said:
Verizon gonna do this too???
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Verizon's still busy implementing Release 9 LTE. Less incentive for them to upgrade to LTE Advanced, but possible the groundwork has already been laid for it, not entirely certain of what the differences between the hardware needed at the cell site or the hardware needed in the handset have to be.
JaiaV said:
Verizon's still busy implementing Release 9 LTE. Less incentive for them to upgrade to LTE Advanced, but possible the groundwork has already been laid for it, not entirely certain of what the differences between the hardware needed at the cell site or the hardware needed in the handset have to be.
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Bet it's gonna **** on the battery.... again.
DLD511 said:
Bet it's gonna **** on the battery.... again.
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LTE is quite horrible for battery life. I'm not sure what the difference LTE Advanced will make. I do know that one of the reasons LTE battery life is poor is that LTE coverage is relatively sparse for the time being, as the radio is having to work harder to get and keep a signal than it would if LTE coverage were as prevalent as HSPA+ coverage is.

No LTE for Tmobile S3

Just read an article that T-Mobile S3 won't be compatible with its LTE network in 2013.... this frustrates me so much considering the higher price for tmobile version.. why do tmobile users always ripped off? I have tmobile and want this phone but now there's no LTE support, do you think it's still worth it? (considering i won't have LTE on this phone for 2 yrs....
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/06/t-mobile-samsung-galaxy-s3-skips-lte-party/
Are you really considering keeping this phone for more than a year?? by the time LTE is all ready to go this phone will be a dinosaur!
lol im planning to do a 2 yr upgrade....
huggosz said:
Are you really considering keeping this phone for more than a year?? by the time LTE is all ready to go this phone will be a dinosaur!
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This plus the phone is already reaching insane downloads speeds, even beating AT&T LTE. Look it up on YouTube.
Don't worry my friend. You will be just fine.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA
yea you really dont need the lte.
I really don't think it is a big deal. First of all, LTE won't be ready for a year and chances are once they start it up it will be at least another year before they have a large coverage in most markets.
Second of all, TMobile's HSPA+ network is plenty fast enough. My typical speedtest results are at least 5 Mb/s and have been as high as 18.6 Mb/s.
Third, anything more than about 3 Mb/s is just bragging rights anyways. When do you really get consistent download speeds greater than 3 Mb/s from anywhere? Plus even if you did get more than that you'd blow through your 5 GB data cap in less than 4 hours.
moshe22 said:
This plus the phone is already reaching insane downloads speeds, even beating AT&T LTE. Look it up on YouTube.
Don't worry my friend. You will be just fine.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA
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+1
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
I've been in this situation for several years now with Sprint. 4G was never implemented in my area and now LTE is replacing the 4G. I've got (3) 4G capable phones from Sprint but I never got to use the 4G. Lol.
yea but atleast with tmo u can get 5mbps consistantly
it's not great because tmobile costumers are paying more for the phone and getting less out of it. this, combined with worse coverage does nothing to make tmobile an appealing option. For all practical purposes though, i'm still fine with it because I get 11mbps consistently in areas with tmobiles HSPA+ coverage, which has expanded from last year. I live in manhattan and tmobile has given me pretty consistant speeds all around the metro area. It hasn't been perfect all the time, but 95% of the time I'm looking at 3-6 mbps on my vibrant and 6-12 mbps on my gnex.
I don't know why people really need lte speeds I'm downloading 10 to 15mbps t-mobile on a good night I have reached to 17mbps....
Sent from my SGH-T999 using XDA

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