Develop Bugs

True cause of "signal" issues

Has anyone read this article? Very informative.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5254/investigating-the-galaxy-nexus-lte-signal-issue
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

interesting read.
For a long time people have blamed their handsets for problems when the truth is there are always a lot of network issues out there at any given time.
Simply blaming your handset and assuming the network is 'great' because it has full bars or a good db is not the way to go.
Bars or db ultimately mean nothing, they do not mean you will get good speeds or in some cases to be able to make a call, in my experience its rare that the handset is to blame

True.
I had the RAZR before my phone. I would bet that the RAZR wasn't showing the correct signal strength and this is what a lot of people are comparing.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

aye it would be interesting if someone ran some speed tests on the two devices side by side to what what the speeds v coverage were like

edit

jimdurt said:
They still have some issues to work on. My OG Droid gave me a better signal at my house on 3g. At least measuring the db strength. I dont have 4g here so the measurement in db strength should be sufficient to accurately see which phone has better reception.
Give Google time. They have the right hardware. Just need to get the software tweaked a bit more.
My wifes DroidX consistantly shows -93dBm with 3 bars of 3g service, while my GNex bounces a little more between -120dBm(most of the time) to -93dBm(rarely)
Even with no bars and @-120dBm, i get 600kbps download. Thankfully i have 18mbps download service through ATT Uverse wifi.
I do have to mention, my service improved ALOT from 4.0.1 to 4.0.2 update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At -120 on 3g your lucky to anysort of dl

My 3g/4g signal has never been better. This phone is twice as good as my incredible.
WiFi signal strength does seem to be a little less strong but nothing horrible. Now I wish they would figure out why the OS won't go to sleep.

Well, Verizon resolved all my Nexus, CDMA, and LTE issues for me in one fell swoop. They called me yesterday and told me that they couldn't provide me service at my house and recommended I switch to a different carrier.
I was with them for less than three days. Brought my Galaxy Nexus and wife's temp phone back to the store, then went to the Apple Store to get my wife an iPhone 4S on AT&T with the plan to stop at an AT&T store to get myself a Skyrocket. While standing there playing with the 4S waiting for a sales associate, I got the warm fuzzies from back when I used the iPhone and decided to get one for myself as well.
It was a fun year with Android, but looking back at how I spent yesterday debating if I was going to keep the GN with all its issues, I think I made the right call for me.
I also forgot how much better GSM is than CDMA. I have full bars in my office, whereas on Sprint and Verizon the phones were struggling to hold onto a 3G connection. Amazing difference.
Anyway, sorry to hijack the thread for a moment. I truly hope that this is an issue that can be fixed with software; it seems like poor reception has become a hallmark of Samsung phones and I haven't seen a software update yet that makes a notable difference. We'll see what Sammy and Verizon come up with.

i can understand the signal strength display not being accurate but explain this...
for one, the signal strength on this Nexus is always 1/2(or more) then what i had on my Thunderbolt or Rezound at any given time/place.... which apparently is explained above.
what isntvexplained is this... my Thunderbolt was able to download fast, but not nearly as fast as my Rezound. on the R, i was able to download 1GB in roughly 5 minutes. ive tried downloading the same file(s) from same location various times(test) on this Nexus and it always takes 30 - 40 minutes.
so if the signal strength isnt being reported accurately i can accept that.... but what about the significant difference in data speed?
i also want to note that on my Reound, whenever i played a track in Google Music it started up right away and could jump/skip forward in a track without delay...
now on this Nexus, theres always a delay before the track starts & when you jump/skip to. buffering b.s.

Your Rezound probably already had the music cached.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

You guys also have to keep in mind that the LTE network slows down the more people that use it. When it was first intro a year ago, it was STUPID fast. Like 50mb DOWN. I remember my Droid Charge hitting low 40's in May. Now that there is a plethora of phones that have LTE and a lot of people using it, the network will be slowed. It still beats the hell out of any other network.

I’m glad somebody posted this.
I did a little experiment in my office this morning with three Verizon LTE phones:
1) Samsung Charge
2) HTC T-Bolt
3) Samsung Galaxy Nexus
With all three phones laying side by side, I opened up the same “Network Signal” app. All three phones we ranging in the -85 to -100 dB strength. There was no phone that clearly had a better or worse signal.
However, the Samsung Charge was showing 4 out of 5 “bars”, the T-bolt had 3 of 5 while the Nexus has a whopping 1 out of 5 bars. Amusing since they we all reading between -95 and -90 dB at that moment.
One thing I noticed different though, is that the Nexus requires at least -85dB before it will connect to LTE. Anything less, it switches to CDMA. I can’t speak for the T-bolt, but I could have sworn I saw the Charge at -95 / -100 dB and still reporting LTE Net. Type.
So, food for thought. Hopefully this “update” that Verizon is working on isn’t anything more than a recalibration of the “bars” indicator.
-Gp

Grannypotts said:
I’m glad somebody posted this.
I did a little experiment in my office this morning with three Verizon LTE phones:
1) Samsung Charge
2) HTC T-Bolt
3) Samsung Galaxy Nexus
With all three phones laying side by side, I opened up the same “Network Signal” app. All three phones we ranging in the -85 to -100 dB strength. There was no phone that clearly had a better or worse signal.
However, the Samsung Charge was showing 4 out of 5 “bars”, the T-bolt had 3 of 5 while the Nexus has a whopping 1 out of 5 bars. Amusing since they we all reading between -95 and -90 dB at that moment.
One thing I noticed different though, is that the Nexus requires at least -85dB before it will connect to LTE. Anything less, it switches to CDMA. I can’t speak for the T-bolt, but I could have sworn I saw the Charge at -95 / -100 dB and still reporting LTE Net. Type.
So, food for thought. Hopefully this “update” that Verizon is working on isn’t anything more than a recalibration of the “bars” indicator.
-Gp
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Click to collapse
There needs to be some kind of way to trick the OS into thinking it actually has the real signal so it will stop switching between 3G and 4G.

One thing I noticed different though, is that the Nexus requires at least -85dB before it will connect to LTE. Anything less, it switches to CDMA.
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Click to collapse
I have -86dB with 3 4G bars as I write this. I know that's not much of a difference from the -85dB, but I thought I would just mention it. Also, I've had -93dB with 4 4G bars (no picture of that though).

Syn Ack said:
There needs to be some kind of way to trick the OS into thinking it actually has the real signal so it will stop switching between 3G and 4G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My 30,000 foot uneducated view is simply that the calibrations for the Nexus require a stronger signal to both acquire and then maintain an LTE data connection. These calibrations probably could be tweaked, but at what cost? I suppose (assuming my theory is correct) the decision came down to a flaky 4G or a solid 3G... and Verizon chose the stronger connection over the faster one. Do you blame them?
However, when I do get a solid 4G connection... the speeds are stupid fast.
On my lunch break today:
30.6M down
15.7 up

What are the chances that software update can fix 4G issues?

My phone can barely keep 4g at home. Usually I have 2 bars, but soon after holding it it will go down to 3g. My wife's droid charge stays in 4g with 2 bars and her sister's og razr keeps between 2 and 3 bars in 4g. Yesterday my phone was firmly stuck in 3g, today I have 2 bars of 4g.
Crap like this makes new want to return it. What do you think? Should I wait or should I throw in a towel on this one?
Sent from my Droid RAZR M using Tapatalk.

My two cents, if the phone isn't working right for you, return it now. I wouldn't bank on a software update to fix anything.

Right after I wrote this post I read the CNET article about Motorola pissing off customers for not providing updates. Called amazon and the phone is boxed up and ready to be shipped back Monday. Don't need the headaches. I'll see how the hd is like when it comes out.
Sent from my ADR6330VW using Tapatalk 2

dandar said:
Right after I wrote this post I read the CNET article about Motorola pissing off customers for not providing updates. Called amazon and the phone is boxed up and ready to be shipped back Monday. Don't need the headaches. I'll see how the hd is like when it comes out.
Sent from my ADR6330VW using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will be pretty hilarious if Motorola continues to suck with updates even though it's now owned by Google.
-Sent from my Razr i on AT&T.-

I'm gonna have to talk my father into returning his, too. I get 4G reception fine on my Bionic, and his is only on 4G for a couple of minutes after a restart at best. That's just laying on the table, never mind picking it up. He doesn't seem to even care, but he paid for a 4G phone, so I have to convince him that he should be getting 4G if I am! It's a beautiful phone, but......

dandar said:
My phone can barely keep 4g at home. Usually I have 2 bars, but soon after holding it it will go down to 3g. My wife's droid charge stays in 4g with 2 bars and her sister's og razr keeps between 2 and 3 bars in 4g. Yesterday my phone was firmly stuck in 3g, today I have 2 bars of 4g.
Crap like this makes new want to return it. What do you think? Should I wait or should I throw in a towel on this one?
Sent from my Droid RAZR M using Tapatalk.
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Click to collapse
I personally don't have any issues with 4G overall on my RAZR M. My room and whole house overall don't like any cell signal since the place is from the 50's. But when I'm outside its perfect. Maybe its a flub unit. Could try getting a replacement. Wouldn't hurt.

There are a couple of threads about this in the Motorola forums. I'm really surprised about it as Motorola has more experience with radios than any other manufacturer.
https://forums.motorola.com/posts/5fb46833c0?page=3
As for the updates, I think this is more a Verizon than a Motorola issue. Verizon is even stalling Nexus updates directly from Google. Motorola continues to lose market share but it seems to me they're focusing on Verizon and not the cell phone market. Maybe that will start to change.

I have a large territory and regularly drive 1000+ miles in a week. Drove 1500+ miles last week, which was my first trip with the M. No issues with LTE signal whatsoever. Was actually rather impressed with how much LTE coverage Verizon has. First LTE phone for me. I noticed that going back and forth from LTE to 3G causes a momentary loss of data as the phone is switching between networks. Which makes sense, doesn't take long and is not an issue. But I'm not sure if it would drop your call or not. Never could confirm that was happening while on the phone.
The right hand "death grip" only affects the Wi-Fi signal. At least enough to see a difference in data speeds.

My personal opinion is that software tweaks can help it.
#1 - Most of the issues I've seen seem like the software simply giving up on 4G too quickly, not that the phone can't hold onto it "physically".
#2 - There do seem to be some attenuation issues, but it seems inconsistent depending on location / tower. So while software might not fix this, some tweaks to the algorithms could help.
#3 - The phone, while switching back to 3G at times where I didn't think it should, has never dropped data completely, and the transition between 3G/4G has been seamless and instant.
#4 - The Galaxy Nexus was acting VERY similar to this prior to 4.0.4. While 4.0.4's radios didn't resolve it 100%, it GREATLY improved the phone's ability to hold onto 4G. So software CAN help.
Maybe I'm just being idealistic (I hope not!), but given Moto's track record, I do believe software can improve this situation. Not 100%, but hopefully by a good margin.

It takes quite a bit more power for a device (your Razr M) to hold on to a poor LTE signal than it does to switch to a stronger 3G signal. So if you want better battery life then you want your phone switching to 3G when it has a very poor LTE signal. I prefer my phone behave this way as 90% of the time I don't need my phone consumer power searching for and holding a signal when I'm not using my phone. Other manufacturers sacrifice battery life by pouring more juice in to the searching and holding of LTE signals.
Compare the battery life of your Razr M to the other devices mentioned and you will see a difference.
Its about perspectives, do you need to have LTE showing when its sitting around or do you want it when you need it?

jimmydafish said:
It takes quite a bit more power for a device (your Razr M) to hold on to a poor LTE signal than it does to switch to a stronger 3G signal. So if you want better battery life then you want your phone switching to 3G when it has a very poor LTE signal. I prefer my phone behave this way as 90% of the time I don't need my phone consumer power searching for and holding a signal when I'm not using my phone. Other manufacturers sacrifice battery life by pouring more juice in to the searching and holding of LTE signals.
Compare the battery life of your Razr M to the other devices mentioned and you will see a difference.
Its about perspectives, do you need to have LTE showing when its sitting around or do you want it when you need it?
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Click to collapse
I think you're exactly right, and mentioned that possibility in a post over on the Moto support forums. And honestly, if that's the case, great.
But for those of us in areas where LTE signals are strong, it shouldn't be switching, and even that is happening occasionally. I can understand if I go into a mall (just as a large "inside" example) and my Inc 4G is fighting the whole time just to keep that 4G/LTE in the notification bar - it's a waste of battery, and honestly the connection will probably struggle even when I do try and use it. So in that scenario, 3G would be better all the way around.
But if I'm at home, 150 yards from a tower, where LTE is extremely strong (even when I had the Thunderbolt upon it's initial release), I shouldn't pick up my phone and see 3G, and have to toggle AP mode just to get 4G back. That's happened to me a handful of times. It immediately grabs 4G with full bars and -70's on the dbm side, but doesn't seem to want to grab it back on its own.
If that's some sort of feature built into the software (i.e. inactivity > drop to 3G) then that's awesome. But the flipside isn't working quite right - where it should be switching back to 4G again.
edit: I have an Inc 4G alongside my M for comparison purposes... didn't know if I had mentioned that before in this thread or not! And for what it's worth, the battery life on both phones is extremely similar - not a noticeable difference anyway. And the Inc 4G has a 1700mah.

Well I'm coming from a thunderbork so I'm definitely not a stranger to network issues. Confirming, it (the M) has no issues holding onto 3G, right? I don't even have 4G in my area yet so I am just praying this won't be another thunderbrick (which can't even switch from wifi to data without needing a toggle)

afunyun said:
Well I'm coming from a thunderbork so I'm definitely not a stranger to network issues. Confirming, it (the M) has no issues holding onto 3G, right? I don't even have 4G in my area yet so I am just praying this won't be another thunderbrick (which can't even switch from wifi to data without needing a toggle)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had no issues with data dropping, even when it switches, which has been nice. But I have great coverage, both 4g and 3g, in my area.
Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

I agree with the others who brought up the issue of battery conservation... but also remember, the RAZR M is one of the (physically) smallest LTE phones on the market. Antenna placement was tight, and it is very different from the Bionic, Photon Q, and RAZR. They cannot be compared to one another. If you look at the FCC records for the M vs the Bionic, HD, OG RAZR, etc you'll see the difference.
While I agree as well that LTE "stickiness" can be improved, I also believe it is a matter of strong signal coverage. I live in a Verizon LTE mecca, and I also have an AT&T LTE phone. In areas where I have LTE on one device, I have it on both. In areas where my AT&T device has NO signal, I drop down to 3G on the RAZR M.
All in all I am quite satisfied but as can be said with anything, there is room for improvement.
Honestly, before people go on a bender returning their phones, first, get a new SIM card. Second, turn off Smart Actions. Third, call Verizon and make sure there is in fact LTE coverage for your specific address (the coverage map means nothing). Fourth, you can ask Verizon for a signal study where a tech will come to your area and test the actual signal strength.
I can absolutely attest to the fact that when you are in a proper LTE zone, the RAZR M latches, and stays connected (even with one bar) quite well.

mk1151 said:
I can absolutely attest to the fact that when you are in a proper LTE zone, the RAZR M latches, and stays connected (even with one bar) quite well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
until you pick the phone up and hold it in your hand?
It is good most of the time (I'm also in a LTE mecca), but it's inconsistent when compared to other LTE devices, even my Gnex on the latest radios. I love the phone, but it's annoying when it acts that way.
And yes, I've done your suggestions, and then some (less the tech... but I live within 200 yards of a tower and have/had multiple devices to test against over a long enough period of time).
The S4 chipset was supposed to handle LTE/CDMA better and more efficiently, and so far the Incredible 4G is the only device I'm seeing actually live up to that.

mk1151 said:
...Second, turn off Smart Actions..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do you suggest turning off Smart Actions for 4G drops?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

scottjb said:
Why do you suggest turning off Smart Actions for 4G drops?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Smart actions can effect how your phone uses radio power, and what processes run in the background. While I don't have any issues with Smart Actions running in the default setup, I've heard others indicate that it has impacted signal strength. It's really more of a troubleshooting step than a prescribed fix.

I'm in NYC Metro and the 4G signal is good but I do notice my phone on 3G. I decided to use an app to see if I'd get a noticeable improvement in battery life if I keep 4G off. Just used my phone normally for a couple of days but the battery life was the same.

Cellular strength and throughput

We know how much you like to stream, ahem, "videos", and so cellular data is mega-important. Rate this thread to express how you think the ZTE Axon 7's LTE performs. A higher rating indicates that it's fantastic: throughput is excellent and signal strength is top-notch.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add.

I was on my way up northern Michigan and my wife drove for a bit and I compared the axon to her Moto G (2016) and it they both had to about the same signal. Both had issues shedding weaker towers. Now that we are up at the cabin both phones have very similar signal. So I think the axon is at least as good as a Moto G (2016).

runderekrun said:
I was on my way up northern Michigan and my wife drove for a bit and I compared the axon to her Moto G (2016) and it they both had to about the same signal. Both had issues shedding weaker towers. Now that we are up at the cabin both phones have very similar signal. So I think the axon is at least as good as a Moto G (2016).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On what network?

murkwell said:
On what network?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cricket (att)

Now that I am back at a keyboard I can expand a bit. I was testing via running speed tests. When I first started the Moto G was destroying the Axon. I started getting a sunken feeling, but then I noticed the Axon shifted off a tower only getting HSPA ("4G") to one using LTE so I reran a few speed tests and the Axon trounced the Moto G, as it was still stuck on the under performing tower. So that's when I thought maybe a rural roadtrip, with an iffy signal to begin with, wasn't the best way to test this. Once we arrived at the cabin we both had between 1 and 2 bars of HSPA connection that would only work in specific corners of the cabin effectively. Seemingly the same.
I know this isn't an empirical test. I wasn't comparing the actual db numbers or anything. But to my eyes, Axon is about on the same level as the Moto G (2016). I don't know how good the Moto G actually is but I remember reading it had good signal when I was originally reading reviews for it.
Once again this was all tested on the Cricket (via AT&T) network.

Up in Canada on Rogers and am having severely low signal rate. Cannot find service in any basement ive been in throughout the city. Signal of around -120dBm inside buildings. The signal seems very erratic and jumps from 96-143dBm extremely quick. I seem to think there may be a modem problem with this network. If anyone else is on Rogers please chime in on your findings.

The signal strength is worse than my s4, I checked the db and it is 5-10db worse, but occasionally will jump to being on par to the s4. Tested on tmo lte, neither phone was being held. Not sure how the rating is 4.5/5 as a reddit post agrees that there is some issue.

The signal quality is definitely not stable, had a few minor call drops if I am not in certain parts of my house and inside stores which can be tough on signals but it's nowhere near as strong as my other test phones such as the S5, Note 4, and S6 Edge+. I was dropping calls earlier this week and switched back to Note 4 and I was able to talk everywhere w/o dropped calls. This is on Tmobile and signal is decent in my area. Then on WIFI strength, the Note 4 beats it by 20-30% throughput. That's a 2014 device.
My problem with all these Chinese brand phones is they have great specs but software is lacking. Looks like I maybe back to my workhorse Note 4.

So I used this phone to drive Uber in Los Angeles all last night and had some pretty major problems.
GPS Signal would randomly shift positions so Google Maps would keep rerouting during trips. This didn't always happen, but happened enough to be annoying.
I'm pretty sure I lost a bunch of trip requests because they just never got through to my phone.
This is either because the OS wasn't allowing the notifications to come through correctly, or because of the network performance.
Interestingly I was streaming podcasts the entire time which came through fine for the most part, but they would cut out every once in a while if I ended up in areas with 1bar (which happened often last night).
This is a pretty major problem for me, I don't know if something like Cyanogenmod will fix me not receiving requests, but the cellular and GPS performance are very clearly performing poorly.
Edit:
Cellular performance is now much better after the update.
I would say it's on par with average smartphones (I still lose reception where most people do), and it no longer just drops and stays of signal for no good reason.
GPS performance is OK, it tends to shift around while I'm driving a bit (thinking I'm on the street next to me).

Antenna Strength
Has anyone been able to confirm that this is due to a bad physical design of the antenna and not a software issue?
I was ready to buy this device until I saw these reports of bad signal strength

Hi guys,
Can any European users comment on radio signal performance? Could the issue be limited to the US version?

joaste said:
Hi guys,
Can any European users comment on radio signal performance? Could the issue be limited to the US version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To asnwer my own post, it seems some amazon.de customers are returning the phone due to very poor reception.
I was soooo looking forward to buying this phone and am shocked that ZTE would put it on the market with such a problem. Time will tell if it is hardware related (which it probably is), but most likely my money will go to another brand. I sooo wanted good sound :crying:
EDIT: please, any feedback from European customers?

There are some reviews about the cellular strength on a german forum (android-hilfe.de/thema/empfang-des-axon.792336/) but without any comparison to other phones.

Radio Performance
The Pocket Now review of the Axon 7 mentions potential radio issues and compares it to other phones.
Axon 7 Signal Strength
It doesn't look good.
I wonder if the new "Mini" version of the phone has the same issue and if not, perhaps they corrected a hardware flaw.
There is a new software update for the Axon 7 coming soon. I hope it addresses the signal strength issue, but I wouldn't hold my breath. We may have to just wait for the Axon 8.

when new software coming.
((RayDar)) said:
The Pocket Now review of the Axon 7 mentions potential radio issues and compares it to other phones.
Axon 7 Signal Strength
It doesn't look good.
I wonder if the new "Mini" version of the phone has the same issue and if not, perhaps they corrected a hardware flaw.
There is a new software update for the Axon 7 coming soon. I hope it addresses the signal strength issue, but I wouldn't hold my breath. We may have to just wait for the Axon 8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When new Axon 7 update coming? any link for that please

Note 3
Cellular: -93 dBm
Wifi 5ghz: - 46 dBm
Axon 7
Cellular: -118 dBm
Wifi 5ghz: -59 dBm
Can't perform an LTE speedtest on the Axon 7. It won't hold a connection long enough. Web pages constantly fail to load.
Signal strength is significantly worse than my 3 year old Note 3. So much so the phone is unusable at home.

I commented elsewhere on this as I'm mainly sending the phone back because of the very poor camera and the disappointing audio.
The radio however is the worst I've had since 3G was launched. I've been all over Brussels today and barely seen a 4G signal. I'd forgotten 3G existed until today. I managed to get the Axon to connect to 4G by toggling the mobile data on and off but it quickly went back to 3G.
My bedroom is in the basement but thanks to a nearby base station I get four bars 4G on my Honor 7. The Axon get one-two bars on 3G.
I'm bailing out now. I'm not waiting for a software update to fix the radio and I'm not sure the camera *can* be fixed, it's that bad.
The lovely screen apart, the A7 is a downgrade from the much cheaper Honor. Shame.
Grey Axon 7 purchased from Amazon Germany.

LTE: Nexus 5X: -105 dB, Axon 7: -113 dB
Forcing 3G on both phones: Both about -95 dB.

European version
Indoors in a café. Both of our phones are on the same network using the same base station. The Nexus 5x shows -106dBm on LTE while the Axon 7 shows -111 dBm on HSPA and is unable to load a page.
A bad camera, broken audio and a weak radio now seem a heavy price to pay for a nice screen and a top of the line chip.... it was too good to be true.

When I was walking home from campus today, I had 4G with a maximum of 2 bars missing (one missing most of the time, sometimes full bars) 90% of the 3km trip. Don't have any other LTE phones to compare it to, so take that with a grain of salt.

Cellular strength and throughput

We know how much you like to stream, ahem, "videos", and so cellular data is mega-important. Rate this thread to express how you think the Samsung Galaxy Note 7's LTE performs. A higher rating indicates that it's fantastic: throughput is excellent and signal strength is top-notch.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add.

So far so good here, no issues what so ever!

I gave 4 stars. It far better than my note 4 was. I did a speed test, in an area I have done numerous speedtests with the 4, and with the 4 I averaged 12mbps(being generous here) down, and 1mbps (after a few seconds at 0) up. With this 7, I got a 38mbps down, and 12 mbps up.... showed the same amount of bars as the 4 usually did, but obviously performed much better.
Keep in mind, I live in the middle of nowhere in Maine... speed tests were performed with about 2-3 bars (fluctuating).

For me its been much worse than my Note 5. Not really sure what's going on. Carrier is Virgin Mobile (Bell Canada)

Is there anybody who can compare Note 3 (n9005) with Note 7?

It's about 70% as good as my 6P but I can deal. I would have LTE and 3 bars in my office building .. Note 7 fluxuates between LTE 1 bar and HSPA+ or nothing at all. Thank God for TMO wifi calling, eh?

Hmm, it doesn't sound promising at all. :/ Signal reception is a big weakness of my Note 3 so I expected little bit more from a new device (and after few years of development) - I see that there are still some issues on Samsung side in compare to other brands and models especially at high-end market.
WiFi calling (and VoLTE) isn't supported by O2 Czech network yet because they are... kind of slow and "specific".
What about Note 7 and iPhone 6S/6S+ or LG G4? My colleagues have these devices so I can test and compare it little bit in real life with my Carrier.
Btw. Thanks man!

I'd rank it about equal to my note 4, which is disappointed but most things are as I get older...

BableMan said:
I'd rank it about equal to my note 4, which is disappointed but most things are as I get older...
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Its a little better than my note 4. Little louder and clearer. Not crazy better, but better.

Corbitt74 said:
Its a little better than my note 4. Little louder and clearer. Not crazy better, but better.
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Click to collapse
Then we have different builds, mine suffers from worse speaker quality. I've assumed that's the trade off we get for being able to drop it in a toilet.

BableMan said:
Then we have different builds, mine suffers from worse speaker quality. I've assumed that's the trade off we get for being able to drop it in a toilet.
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Hard to say really, we do have quite a bit of HD coverage here, also havent talked a lot on this yet, but from what I have its been good.

I had questionable service with my GS5 down in my basement, and now there's no question at all about the service on my Note 7 - it's non-existent. I cannot make or receive calls down in my basement anymore; have to go upstairs. This was rarely the case with my GS5, both on Sprint. Just my experience.

Perhaps it is the fault of AT&T and not the phone itself, but I get a shoddy signal at my house. I do live in a rural area, however, but it could be better nonetheless. Note: In town and in cities, I get perfect cellular strength.

Sattero said:
Is there anybody who can compare Note 3 (n9005) with Note 7?
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I got the Note 7 to replace my Note 3. I am on Verizon. The Note 7 has been leaps and bounds better than the Note 3 as far as cell reception. I could not use my Note 3 at home without a Network extender and now my Note 7 works everywhere, even the basement, without a hiccup. I originally, before purchase, thought I would need to use the WiFi calling feature here at my home, but there is no need. On my daily route, I used to have 2 dead spots, where I always dropped calls on my Note 3, but I have had no issues with the Note 7. I believe that may be in part due to the VOLTE capabilities that the Note 7 has over the Note 3. The Note 7 would be the perfect phone if they would have built it with a flat screen. I don't see any real use for the edge panels and I have already turned them off. No need for insurance or screen protector on the Note 3 and it still looks perfect. I am seriously contemplating getting insurance for the first time as I am extremely paranoid about breaking this thing. If it weren't for how much I use the S-Pen, I would have probably waited to see what the other manufactures come out with. Hopefully, the paranoia will wear off.

Is not compatible with sprint signal booster air rave, but i also havent seen it reach high network speed on lte. so far not impressed.

I'm coming from an LG V10 and it's definitely a bit worse in the signal strength but the actual speeds seem to be about the same. I tether my phone for home internet and I always sit it in the exact same spot in my window because I found where the best signal is. With my V10 I'd have about -105 to -109db and with the Note 7 I'm getting about -114. I might need to move it around a bit and see if I can get any better. When you have a strong signal it flies though. Today in the city while I had a full signal (not sure the db's but 5 bars were full) I got 99.8Mb down and almost 17Mb up Verizon just upgraded a lot of the network in my area.

Cellular strength and throughput

We know how much you like to stream, ahem, "videos", and so cellular data is mega-important. Rate this thread to express how you think the Asus ZenFone 3 Zoom's LTE performs. A higher rating indicates that it's fantastic: throughput is excellent and signal strength is top-notch.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add.

Compared to my Nexus 6P, this phone tends to stay on HSPA+ more often than my 6P did. This phone either wont choose LTE or doesn't get LTE in many places where my 6P did. A bit frustrating.

DriveEuro said:
Compared to my Nexus 6P, this phone tends to stay on HSPA+ more often than my 6P did. This phone either wont choose LTE or doesn't get LTE in many places where my 6P did. A bit frustrating.
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Same here; I'm on straight talk, and I'm stuck on HSPA+. My S6 used to get LTE at full bars.

I'll chime in here. I fell asleep and my 8 month old destroyed my Moto Z Play. The Zenfone 3 zoom has a much crappier radio interface layer setup as I get 2g in places where I had lte in the same area and same SIM card. Otherwise specs were pretty much identical. Also while I get better battery it's not an extra 1500mh . I averaged 6 1/2 hours screen time on the zplay and average only 7 1/2 here with same apps /usage.

Anonamoose said:
I'll chime in here. I fell asleep and my 8 month old destroyed my Moto Z Play. The Zenfone 3 zoom has a much crappier radio interface layer setup as I get 2g in places where I had lte in the same area and same SIM card. Otherwise specs were pretty much identical. Also while I get better battery it's not an extra 1500mh . I averaged 6 1/2 hours screen time on the zplay and average only 7 1/2 here with same apps /usage.
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This is a little strange: as my previous post states, I was stuck on HSPA+ at home. Well I went into town yesterday, and caught 4G. Went back home... And I have 4G at home now.
Strange, but I won't complain.

The maximum I can get anywhere is HSPA+, even in places where my lgg3 would have full LTE coverage. Very disappointing quality of an otherwise impressive device. It is possible that at&t does not yet recognize the phone as 4g capable in their database yet, and this will change later, but for now at least, I don't think that this phone is a worthy purchase.

NoTucks said:
The maximum I can get anywhere is HSPA+, even in places where my lgg3 would have full LTE coverage. Very disappointing quality of an otherwise impressive device. It is possible that at&t does not yet recognize the phone as 4g capable in their database yet, and this will change later, but for now at least, I don't think that this phone is a worthy purchase.
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I've been getting 4G no problem on my AT&T SIM card, so they definitely recognize the phone as 4G capable. Coverage does seem slightly worse than my Galaxy S7 though.

I have no problem. Where I'm staying my network has domestic national roaming. At home I get LTE+ signal, but most of the time, it on LTE.

I'm a truck driver in Canada, so I travel a lot within Canada. I have to admit that the strength of LTE on this phone is very poor. In cities it's ok, the speed is high. However, when you get on road, the phone often looses the signal where s7 still has LTE and stream video. I'm disappointed with the phone. I would never buy it again for travel although it has excellent battery life.