Develop Bugs

Exchanging VZW GN today, radio issues

About an hour out from going back to the store where I bought my VZW GN to exchange it for a different one. They've only got one left and I'm on the last day of my 30 day window.
Can barely make a phone call in my house, whereas my Droid X had no issues before. Few weird episodes of deafening scrambled noises during voice calls. Lots of dropped calles/lost signal. All radios I tried (including hybrids) didn't do much for me. Though even if it didn't even make calls ever I'd still keep the phone...too much enjoyment from tinkering with it.
I know some have exchanged and gotten a flawless GN which worked perfectly (signal wise).
Anyone exchange it and become worse off with the newer/exchanged GN?

I have had no problems but would share that some people believe there are less problems with the ones built in Korea.

I guess it will be interesting to see what I get.
Current GN is REV 10 mfg on Nov 16, 2011. Not sure of the mfg location.

How did you get a 30 day window? I bought 3 Gnex and all were 14 days.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

eaketia Aaron
policy of my local store (Nebraska Furniture Mart).
14 day return
30 day exchange

cordell12 said:
How did you get a 30 day window? I bought 3 Gnex and all were 14 days.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Different states and stores have different policies.

Got the new one yesterday. Same revision and mfg date.
Dunno about the reception yet. However, this one has noticeable banding at low levels whereas my other one had none.
I suppose perfect is the enemy of good in this case

RalphMachio said:
Got the new one yesterday. Same revision and mfg date.
Dunno about the reception yet. However, this one has noticeable banding at low levels whereas my other one had none.
I suppose perfect is the enemy of good in this case
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, I feel your frustration & anger as I am experiencing the exact issue that you are having for 4 months now. As a fellow galaxy nexus user, I am truly sorry. I hope we all find a solution in the near future.
In the mean time, since you are on the journey to find a Galaxy nexus that actually works as advertised, I would also like to say. "Welcome aboard." Some of us went through 6-7 GNex until we found an okay / usable / livable one.
Until then, if some of the members in this forum will reply on these threads "My GNex is perfect, what are you talking about?" You can always try to remember there's people like me and you as well.

I got sick and tired of the same complaints many have on this message board.
Poor rf. Slow LTE to CDMA data handoff. Speakerphone low.
My Verizon LTE iPad gets at least 2-3 bars LTE at my house. My buddy razr gets 2-3 bars LTE. I get 2-3 bars CDMA. 0 bars and sometimes LTE signal lights up. Very frustrating. It's just not one defective phone. This is poor antenna design on Samsung CDMA division. Nurse at work got same galaxy nexus and has same issues I have. Same rf problems so it's pointless switching it out.
I had this phone since day one December 15th on Verizon. So 3 -1/2 months is plenty enough. Put it on Craigslist for $400. Sold it for $380. Good riddance.
Thank god I also had my AT&T iPhone 4s. I carry both AT&T and Verizon.
I'll just put the Verizon LTE sim that was on my galaxy nexus into my Verizon LTE iPad and get essentially unlimited LTE data plus free hotspot.
I'll wait a month or two before figuring what Verizon phone to buy again. This Galaxy nexus phone has left a sour taste in my mouth. And I am a phone junkie. I've own the Atrix, Mytouch 4g, S2 all within the past year.
Samsung needs to do a better job with their CDMA antennas. It's been 8 years since I last owned a CDMA phone. And the last phone that drove me away was also a Samsung CDMA phone.
I do like Verizon LTE data. That's why I added Verizon. At least I will get data use out of it from the iPad. It really only costs me $30 a month since I added a line to my brothers Verizon account while I have AT&T as my main line.
I got an expensive phone habit. At least selling it off recoups some of the cost.

aneftp said:
I got sick and tired of the same complaints many have on this message board.
Poor rf. Slow LTE to CDMA data handoff. Speakerphone low.
My Verizon LTE iPad gets at least 2-3 bars LTE at my house. My buddy razr gets 2-3 bars LTE. I get 2-3 bars CDMA. 0 bars and sometimes LTE signal lights up. Very frustrating. It's just not one defective phone. This is poor antenna design on Samsung CDMA division. Nurse at work got same galaxy nexus and has same issues I have. Same rf problems so it's pointless switching it out.
I had this phone since day one December 15th on Verizon. So 3 -1/2 months is plenty enough. Put it on Craigslist for $400. Sold it for $380. Good riddance.
Thank god I also had my AT&T iPhone 4s. I carry both AT&T and Verizon.
I'll just put the Verizon LTE sim that was on my galaxy nexus into my Verizon LTE iPad and get essentially unlimited LTE data plus free hotspot.
I'll wait a month or two before figuring what Verizon phone to buy again. This Galaxy nexus phone has left a sour taste in my mouth. And I am a phone junkie. I've own the Atrix, Mytouch 4g, S2 all within the past year.
Samsung needs to do a better job with their CDMA antennas. It's been 8 years since I last owned a CDMA phone. And the last phone that drove me away was also a Samsung CDMA phone.
I do like Verizon LTE data. That's why I added Verizon. At least I will get data use out of it from the iPad. It really only costs me $30 a month since I added a line to my brothers Verizon account while I have AT&T as my main line.
I got an expensive phone habit. At least selling it off recoups some of the cost.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol You put a 700 dollar phone that's barely 3 months old up on craigslist for 400, AND you took an offer of 380?
Can I have some of those amazing drugs that you're on?

MMcCraryNJ said:
lol You put a 700 dollar phone that's barely 3 months old up on craigslist for 400, AND you took an offer of 380?
Can I have some of those amazing drugs that you're on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds about right. Its like a new car, drops in value the minute it becomes "used".
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

MMcCraryNJ said:
lol You put a 700 dollar phone that's barely 3 months old up on craigslist for 400, AND you took an offer of 380?
Can I have some of those amazing drugs that you're on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. Sad but that's just the going price for the Verizon galaxy nexus on craigslist.
Even looking at eBay. Many are ending in the high $300s to mid $400s. Factor in 6-10% eBay fees and shipping cost. Your net will probably be close to high $300s/low $400s.
Many listing buy it now for $500 on eBay are not getting a single bite.
All the Craigslist ads in my area for gnex Verizon range from $360-$450 mint condition.
Just remember CDMA phones lose value a lot faster than gsm. Cause your potential clients shrink since they have to deal with just Verizon.
I had a buyer for $400 last week but he wanted to flash to metro pcs and thought he could get LTE with metro. I told him I don't think he could flash it and get LTE cause metro has different frequencies. I am an honest seller. I know the resell market.

Was not trying have this be a GN complaint thread, but I understand your frustrations. I wish the phone was perfect....I agree that Google and Samsung botched the whole thing up. However almost every other aspect of the phone and it's tinkerability are too much to give up.
As I was eating lunch today in the doctor's lounge I looked around for 20 seconds...everyone doing stuff on their phones...every single phone an iPhone. So happy to stand out owning a GNex...a real smartphone (which I'm incidentally surprised so many smart people choose Apple).
Oh the brainwashing...
As people in this country get lazier and more uninspired Apple's stock will continue to rise.
Oh...wait...now it's an anti-iPhone thread

aneftp said:
Yeah. Sad but that's just the going price for the Verizon galaxy nexus on craigslist.
Even looking at eBay. Many are ending in the high $300s to mid $400s. Factor in 6-10% eBay fees and shipping cost. Your net will probably be close to high $300s/low $400s.
Many listing buy it now for $500 on eBay are not getting a single bite.
All the Craigslist ads in my area for gnex Verizon range from $360-$450 mint condition.
Just remember CDMA phones lose value a lot faster than gsm. Cause your potential clients shrink since they have to deal with just Verizon.
I had a buyer for $400 last week but he wanted to flash to metro pcs and thought he could get LTE with metro. I told him I don't think he could flash it and get LTE cause metro has different frequencies. I am an honest seller. I know the resell market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume because Sprint will have LTE soon, the LTE version will sell well soon on Craigslist and co., right?
And that IS a pretty expensive hobby, selling and buying the latest and greatest... what's the point of buying into two different providers anyway? Must have a lot of disposable income (and of course, what you do with it is totally up to you.)
xXTERMIN8RXXx

MMcCraryNJ said:
lol You put a 700 dollar phone that's barely 3 months old up on craigslist for 400, AND you took an offer of 380?
Can I have some of those amazing drugs that you're on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As aneftp said, check around. That's right in the range that the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is going for these days. I bought mine in mint condition - never activated - for $375. The value on this one has dropped much faster than most anticipated.

incidentally I put a new screen cover on (not an invisi shield or anything). It has a matte finish. Probably decreases the luster of the screen a bit but somehow it also decreases any banding. I don't see it at all anymore.
I am a fan of matte finishes...bought my laptop with it because of it...less luster but IMO looks better overall.

Is the Galaxy Nexus still a smart buy?

I currently sport a HTC Thunderbolt on Verizon and I'm seriously considering moving to an unlocked GSM phone + prepaid wireless. My question is do you think that the Galaxy Nexus is still a smart buy? Considering it's hardware, Google's hardware release cycle, etc. It would be one hell of an upgrade from the Thunderbolt... But I'm just curious what the general consensus is concerning whether or not it is wise to purchase it now (considering the possibility of a new Nexus phone in the future).

At this point of time, yes. But if you are able to wait for a few months, then just wait for the next Nexus.

Only you can decide if it's worth the money to you. We're pretty sure that there will be another Nexus at the end of the year, but it surely won't be $350. If you need to save the $$ and want the Nexus, pick one up.

I would just think about how urgently you need a device. If your current one is broken in some way, go ahead and get the gnex. But, as someone else said, if you can afford to wait a few months then I would get the next one.

it is a smart buy but i really hate the signal issues this phone has. i don't get 4G signal at all in my house and everywhere else in my town i get at least 3 or full bars of 4G

tjrocks91 said:
it is a smart buy but i really hate the signal issues this phone has. i don't get 4G signal at all in my house and everywhere else in my town i get at least 3 or full bars of 4G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He is speaking about the gsm nexus which doesn't come with 4g also I would think it would have less issues than a carrier version.

vbman213 said:
I currently sport a HTC Thunderbolt on Verizon and I'm seriously considering moving to an unlocked GSM phone + prepaid wireless. My question is do you think that the Galaxy Nexus is still a smart buy? Considering it's hardware, Google's hardware release cycle, etc. It would be one hell of an upgrade from the Thunderbolt... But I'm just curious what the general consensus is concerning whether or not it is wise to purchase it now (considering the possibility of a new Nexus phone in the future).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get this one for a steal, or wait for the new and pay a heavy price tag.
--------------------------------------------------
If I have helped you.... hit that sexy thanks button. ^_^

It's the smartest buy as of now. I just bought the SIII and I still like my Nexus more, its unbeatable if you want the best roms and developments.

tjrocks91 said:
it is a smart buy but i really hate the signal issues this phone has. i don't get 4G signal at all in my house and everywhere else in my town i get at least 3 or full bars of 4G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can force 4g.

I bought this phone a week ago and I am in the 7th heaven.
1. Despite not having the best hardware at the moment, it works perfect with everything Android currently has to offer. There's really no software that requires a quad core CPU at the moment, at least not that I know of.
2. Currently it's the best device by far for it's price / performance (software) combo.
Besides that, I am done buying devices near their release dates, as it ends up being an epic waste of money. Once the next Nexus comes out, in 6 months it will cost half as much as it does near the release date. Then would be the perfect time to dump the GNex and get the next Nexus.

$350---Yes

Yea,!! Another one of these pointless threads!!!!!!
sent from my Galaxy Nexus running official Jelly Bean!!!!

These phones are crazy cheap outright.
I gave my girlfriend my GS3 and went back to my GNexus and couldn't be happier.
This phone will be updated by Google for a long while, considering the Nexus S still gets Jelly Bean etc. Defo a worthwhile purchase
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

I think its still a good buy. The new Nexus phone will probably be $700+ after taxes and the $386 I just spent for this phone is obviously a lot cheaper. Even better I'm on the $30 TMobile plan.

[Q] Is the Note II worth 2 Jelly Bean Galaxy S III's?

I'm good for a phone upgrade through T-Mobile now and Walmart has the GSIII for $150, which is exactly half of what they will sell the Note II for when that releases in the near future. (SOURCE: http://www.tmonews.com/2012/10/leak...t-for-galaxy-note-ii-windows-phone-8-devices/). There's no question that the Note II is the best Android phone out there, but I'm also paying the most for it and in this case twice as much as the alternative. Knowing that the GSIII will get an update to Jelly Bean making the list of different features even smaller, is the Note II worth the extra $150? Features that come to mind that won't ever make it to the GSIII are the S-Pen, larger non Pentile screen, and multi-screen. Do you Note II users notice or use these features regularly?

paul2834 said:
I'm good for a phone upgrade through T-Mobile now and Walmart has the GSIII for $150, which is exactly half of what they will sell the Note II for when that releases in the near future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's kinda funny that you're stressing about paying $149 or $299 when alot of us will be paying ~$700 full price for the Note II when it comes out. :laugh:
Don't forget, the Note II will have a slightly faster processor and more RAM, which will help make it faster as well. So, yeah, bigger and better screen, faster CPU, more RAM, S-Pen, no lag. Yeah, Note II will be the best and fastest phone on the market until sometime next spring/summer.

Why do Americans never mention the price they are forced to pay a month?

No one is forced to pay for cellular service. It's a choice to pay it... If I didn't agree with the price I wouldn't get cellular service. I will gladly do it too.

Tidbits said:
No one is forced to pay for cellular service. It's a choice to pay it... If I didn't agree with the price I wouldn't get cellular service. I will gladly do it too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But you wouldn't get an S3 for $150 if you didn't sign up for a contract...

Easy..if u a creative person..then, note 2 is for u..no matter what the price or contract is
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

Well the contract shouldn't matter since they're the same between alternatives. I'm going to get the contract regardless. And I'm not a creative person, so I won't be using the stylus much for drawing but I can see myself using it for other purposes, though also very much doable without the stylus as well. Do people notice the extra performance over the S III during their daily use? US S IIIs also have 2GB of RAM.

If money isn't the problem here, then you shoukd go for the Note2. Not only it is faster and more powerful, but it will probably be the first Samsung phone to Get Android 4.2 as I believe the next flagship Android based Samsung phone will be the S4.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

isn't the sgs3 actually slower (at least in feel) than the nexus running JB? i've heard that it's not as smooth as it should be.
for me, the sgs3 wasn't enough of an upgrade over my sgs2. the note 2 though? OMG it's awesome!

RambJoe said:
But you wouldn't get an S3 for $150 if you didn't sign up for a contract...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's still your choice to sign that contract. I am a firm believer of my previous statement. If I don't agree with the terms then I won't sign the contract and walk away. If people did this instead of signing and then complaining I am willing to bet the mobile landscape would be better for us. We wouldn't need the broken government to try and do it for us.

Well, if you feel like waiting another month, the SGSIII may be much cheaper on Black Friday. I have read that Sprint will be selling it for $50. I am unsure if other carriers will follow suit, but I assume they will.
That being said, I really want the Note II and am set on getting it. Size, speed and functionality.

Bought it......Sold it. $475 For those still on the fence re N7100 vs SGHi717 .

I should have listened to my instincts and went of the N7100. I really wanted to like the ATT version. I got the device. immediately rooted it and flashed the CleanLite Rom. There were a couple things I missed too much and the additional $30 a month was not worth it since we do not have LTE and if we did the speeds are really only realized when downloading ir uploading huge files. Regular browsing is still website dependent,
However the phone is always seeking LTE. No way to turn it off. Having been on Mediat Net UL data was nice but I never used more than 700mb and that was when I was steaming TuneIn radio just to try it out. (I was listening to the same shows we have locally.at different times) I am a talk radio junkie. I love all the gad fests, from Kim Komand to Rush Limbaugh. I am plugged in all day at work.
I need the FM Radio and I did not want to pay $15 more a month for it and have to get a 3GB plan.Not to mention the battery use for radio is far less than streaming wifi or carrier data. So I called ATT and Provisioned my International Note 1 for Smartphone data ( I had to convince them I had a smart phone because you cannot have two dumb phones on a family share plan and the wife International SGS II i9100 shows up as a dumb phone to get the Family Shared 1GB plan. Now we have messaging as well which we did not have and unlimited calling which we did not have. and I will buy an N7100 when the prices drop below $600. Funny all these years I was under the radar. they "discovered " my Note a a smart phone and I always had to call to switch it back to MediNet. Now I had to convince them it was a smart phone...Funny how things work.
The international development is very much further as well. although a few "ported" ROMs are showing up on this side of things.
Love the form factor of the Note 2 and it was very fast. The additional processing and RAM were clearly noticeable.
S Pen much better. Notification LED nice. There is a reason to upgrade for sure. In my case the N7100 is the better choice.Warranties mean little to me since I root the devices out of the box,
I posted this for those who are on the fence and may have similar needs.

Thanks for the post, man. I'm fighting myself over whether I want to go grab a Note II today (been thinking about it non-stop all weekend). Heck, I was cussing when I saw your post in the MP and I missed out! I'd have bought it in a heartbeat (and saved a couple of hundred $$$ in the process).
I've already got the AT&T GSIII, so I'm not sure how much of an upgrade the Note II would be for me. I mean, I KNOW it would be an upgrade in some areas, but I'm just trying to figure out if it warrants the $$$ (and the money isn't a problem for me...I'm just debating myself as I always do on large purchases). I'd be buying off-contract (as I did with the SIII), so it's not a small amount of money.
I usually get my phones, the off-contract ones at least, from Best Buy because of their generous 30-day return window and their price matching. I guess I could always grab a Note II and give it a go for a couple of weeks. Then I'll know for sure whether it's a worthy upgrade or not and if not, I can always return it without a restocking fee.
Glad to see you got things figured out. Sorry I missed out on buying your Note II, but glad to see you got it sold quickly! :good:

KentuckyHouse said:
Thanks for the post, man. I'm fighting myself over whether I want to go grab a Note II today (been thinking about it non-stop all weekend). Heck, I was cussing when I saw your post in the MP and I missed out! I'd have bought it in a heartbeat (and saved a couple of hundred $$$ in the process).
I've already got the AT&T GSIII, so I'm not sure how much of an upgrade the Note II would be for me. I mean, I KNOW it would be an upgrade in some areas, but I'm just trying to figure out if it warrants the $$$ (and the money isn't a problem for me...I'm just debating myself as I always do on large purchases). I'd be buying off-contract (as I did with the SIII), so it's not a small amount of money.
I usually get my phones, the off-contract ones at least, from Best Buy because of their generous 30-day return window and their price matching. I guess I could always grab a Note II and give it a go for a couple of weeks. Then I'll know for sure whether it's a worthy upgrade or not and if not, I can always return it without a restocking fee.
Glad to see you got things figured out. Sorry I missed out on buying your Note II, but glad to see you got it sold quickly! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We have pretty good LTE coverage here...and I do use it..and I also had my time with 3 of the G3's...when they worked that is..
Looking at things objectively...is the Note 2 a upgrade worthy enough to leave the G3...IMHO...you bet it is especially if you like big screens...and can use the S-pen...
If those 2 things aren't enough to sway you...then maybe you should wait for the G 4 to come out...I would never go back to a G3 after using this one...to me it's leaps and bounds above them and custom roms will come...hell the sys dump for the ATT version just happened on the 6th of this month...so...IMHO...go get one and use it for a while...at least you will have a time with it to see what all the hubbub is about... and since they are still in short supply in many places...I don't think you will have any issue selling it if you don't like it..
Mac

I don't regret leaving my gs3 one bit. You either want a bigger screen or you don't and the internals are certainly a bump up. Getting the note 2 was a little intimidating now I don't think I could go back to the gs3.

about att and international note 2 choices, basically the question is: LTE & warranty or lots more custom rom
I choose att version only because i like LTE. and i am sure the att version will have its asop, cm 10/11, miui, and some kernel.

vista1984 said:
about att and international note 2 choices, basically the question is: LTE & warranty or lots more custom rom
I choose att version only because i like LTE. and i am sure the att version will have its asop, cm 10/11, miui, and some kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with ASOP with the Notes is the S pen apps don't always work as they are Samsung apps and Samsung has been hoarding their drivers as well. The FM Radio did not work in Cyanogen. Needed a $10 app to make it work Spirit UL I think it was. I like the Samsung stuff well enough and eliminate the Social apps so I stick with the Stock Samsung ROMS. Especially since I am not a flashaholic and prefer to stick with a good ROM that only gets updated when there are major updates.
OP;us I am running 4..1.2 now and the ATT Note was a step back as far as Multiview etc went. Roms will be coming but like with the Captivate most of the good stuff will be ported from the N7100 developers

I dont get it. You bought it and sold it. So you save 30 a month? Did you buy it out right or sign contract. Contract arent you IN contract so you pay anyway? Full price?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium

carhigh said:
I dont get it. You bought it and sold it. So you save 30 a month? Did you buy it out right or sign contract. Contract arent you IN contract so you pay anyway? Full price?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought it for $239 an signed a contract for two years I have been with ATT since Wireless began. I don;t plan on changing Carriers. We have had two upgrades for the past four years. I burned one to try the ATT version. Since I rooted it I don't feel right bringing it back and sold it instead made a few dollars toward the N7100 With the sale iof My Note either way it was going to cost me $300 to buy the N7100. Now it will be "free" or at most $100 more. I will use my wife's upgrade next year.
I buy her used International phones. She loves the SGS II i9100 and will be using that until it fails. Then I will find her a well used international SIII to keep her on the $30 non smartphone plan.
We pay $115 a month for two phones with UL everything except for the 1GB data Same as we were paying for two mediaNEt UL data phones with no messaging and 700 minutes. I don;t use a lot of carrier data with the FM radio especially.

Disregard me please. Im totally lost even more now. Att has a 1gb plan? I didnt know
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium

Thanks for the info
For me, its an easy choice. LTE. I live about 30 miles from AT&T headquarters, so LTE speed is amazing. As far as custom rom's go. I create my own stuff, so that does not concern me the slightest.
CM will come. Ive already setup the device tree, I just need to figure out the RIL stuff and defconfig in the kernel, to enable to qualcomm modem.

carhigh said:
Disregard me please. Im totally lost even more now. Att has a 1gb plan? I didnt know
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah they have a family share plan with UL talk and messaging with 1 GB data shared. One smart phone and one dumb phone would be $115 a month. They charge $40 plus $30 for the "dumb" phone and $45 for the smart phone. If my wife were to get an ATT smart phone the bill would go up nearly $200 a year. $15 more a month Still sharing 1GB. Not worth it. I would go back to MediNet and two "dumb" phones. We have a couple old dumb phones we stick the SIM cards in when calling ATT. Except now I have declared a smart phone to get UL talk and messaging.
With 4GB shared the bill would be $15 more Her phone would Still be $30 the plan would go to $70 and my phone would drop to $40 Basically I would get 3GB more for another $25 a month. I would rather pay the extra $15 for 2GB if i should use over 1GB. Without LTE there is no way I would be using 2GB.
LTE is great. but for basic web browsing 4G is fine. Downloading huge ROM files would be nice at home with 30MPS LOL I would use the Carrier before the cable internet. But I don;t want to become dependent on high carrier speeds. Its like the carriers are drug dealers. they get you hooked then you pay pay pay.....

antiochasylum said:
Thanks for the info
For me, its an easy choice. LTE. I live about 30 miles from AT&T headquarters, so LTE speed is amazing. As far as custom rom's go. I create my own stuff, so that does not concern me the slightest.
CM will come. Ive already setup the device tree, I just need to figure out the RIL stuff and defconfig in the kernel, to enable to qualcomm modem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is the best news i heard today

Upgrading from a SGS2

Main question, is it worth upgrading since I got the phone in December on a family plan but want to take advantage of the new plans T-Mobile has.

Its worth it to me. The sgs2 is my current phone and the much bigger and full hd screen is enough to warrant a purchase. Plus, the gs2 still can be laggy and samsung is no longer updating it since we just got jelly bean 4.1. Its the end of the road for the s2 but the s4 just got an update that helps eliminate noticeable lag among other things.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

Skip-Breezy said:
Main question, is it worth upgrading since I got the phone in December on a family plan but want to take advantage of the new plans T-Mobile has.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and no. Depending on how much money you have I bought mine outright so i didn't have to pay the "migration fee" basically contact cancelation and i kept my classic plan
Sent from my Wicked Galaxy S4

Im coning from a S2, it depends on what rom your on. I had ics before it it was GREAT! no lag ran like a champ. then i installed Jedi mind trick JB and it was MUCH slower. I am happy with teh S4, tons of apps and features. Bigger and better screen. it all depends on what you want. you can get a S3 for much cheaper.

Hell yeah!! Hell I thought it was an upgrade from the S3
Sent from Flip's Galaxy S4

I'm also coming from a SGS2 (Sprint) and the S4 is a massive upgrade in comparison. I held off on the S3, since the S2 did everything I wanted at the time and I was still under contract.
Besides the obvious (better camera, speed, etc) below are the things I can appreciate coming from the S2:
- Battery lasts MUCH longer, I can go a full day using this phone or forget to charge at night and its not dead the next morning
- I had frequent issues with the SGS2 power button - not with S4
- Moving from WVGA to 1080P is worth it to upgrade alone
- Speaker phone is louder
- T-Mobile LTE in my area is ~30Mbps down, much better than the ~100kbps down I was getting on Sprint 3G!
Well worth the upgrade if you're coming from an S2, if you're coming from an S3 then you might want to think about compare it to an S4 in-person and make the call yourself.

ker0zene said:
I'm also coming from a SGS2 (Sprint) and the S4 is a massive upgrade in comparison. I held off on the S3, since the S2 did everything I wanted at the time and I was still under contract.
Besides the obvious (better camera, speed, etc) below are the things I can appreciate coming from the S2:
- Battery lasts MUCH longer, I can go a full day using this phone or forget to charge at night and its not dead the next morning
- I had frequent issues with the SGS2 power button - not with S4
- Moving from WVGA to 1080P is worth it to upgrade alone
- Speaker phone is louder
- T-Mobile LTE in my area is ~30Mbps down, much better than the ~100kbps down I was getting on Sprint 3G!
Well worth the upgrade if you're coming from an S2, if you're coming from an S3 then you might want to think about compare it to an S4 in-person and make the call yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, Just upgraded from the S2 yesterday and although it did everything I needed it to do well, never gave me any problems and was running fast and rock solid with a custom ROM, the S4 is definitely leagues above the S2

I was due for an upgrade from the 2s also - i love it and wouldn't think twice about doing, except in your situation.
The s4 is great!
Its costly to break contract - but i have the family plan, so it served me even to break the classic plans and take the value plans - saving 100/month on 5 lines in addition to being able to upgrade whenever i choose.

dtrwos said:
I was due for an upgrade from the 2s also - i love it and wouldn't think twice about doing, except in your situation.
The s4 is great!
Its costly to break contract - but i have the family plan, so it served me even to break the classic plans and take the value plans - saving 100/month on 5 lines in addition to being able to upgrade whenever i choose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already talked to a T-Mobile representative about changing over to an individual plan & what all I have to pay for...a $200 migration fee on top of the 149 down payment and the monthly payment, but he did tell me I could pay the migration fee down in installments.

Skip-Breezy said:
I already talked to a T-Mobile representative about changing over to an individual plan & what all I have to pay for...a $200 migration fee on top of the 149 down payment and the monthly payment, but he did tell me I could pay the migration fee down in installments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I changed from an individual plan to the new tmobile non-contract plan without any fees....
But I guess I am still "in contract" with tmo. If I switch to ATT or Verizon I still need to pay 200 bucks...