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Really want the giant screen of this phone, even though I really like my Epic Touch 4G; Obviously Sprint data speeds suck right now, but, not sure ATT would be that much better here in the SW 'burbs of Chicago..
Anyone out there that switched from the ET4G for this bad boy?
Are you glad you did, or not so glad?
Thanks so much for your input!
I came from a long line of devices on Sprint, my last being the E4GT. I'm extremely happy with the Note, no regrets in leaving Sprint at all.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
i'm hoping someone from the Chicago land area will chime in and tell me how ATT service is here now' a few years ago I tried ATT, and I couldn't even make or receive phone calls in my house in Willowbrook..
wase4711 said:
i'm hoping someone from the Chicago land area will chime in and tell me how ATT service is here now' a few years ago I tried ATT, and I couldn't even make or receive phone calls in my house in Willowbrook..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In not far from u (la grange) and att has improved ALOT in last few years. Still get dropped calls here and there but not like in the past. LTE is just wow and that's even with us in Chi town land not getting nowhere near the speeds other markets are. (10 mbs here and Dallas is at 40mbs) .
I've had VZW LTE on my galaxy tab and left them, was never on sprint but remember Nextel
As for the Note I don't think u will put it down much, battery is mehhh but given how much I use it I'm not complaining and there's always a charger near me. My mother lives in wiilowbrook and I have not had any issues in that area, Indian head park is weak in my experience.
Hope this helps.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
bbgt2 said:
In not far from u (la grange) and att has improved ALOT in last few years. Still get dropped calls here and there but not like in the past. LTE is just wow and that's even with us in Chi town land not getting nowhere near the speeds other markets are. (10 mbs here and Dallas is at 40mbs) .
I've had VZW LTE on my galaxy tab and left them, was never on sprint but remember Nextel
As for the Note I don't think u will put it down much, battery is mehhh but given how much I use it I'm not complaining and there's always a charger near me. My mother lives in wiilowbrook and I have not had any issues in that area, Indian head park is weak in my experience.
Hope this helps.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How does the 4glte work inside your house?
Even though I am really close to Sprint wimax towers, i really get no 4g signal inside my house...
Do you drop calls inside your house, or out on the road?
I work from a home office, and using the phone part of the "package" is very important to me...
Thanks again!
I live in Burr Ridge. Last month I sold my Epic Touch 4g on Sprint for the Note.
Back in the day I'd had the iPhone 3g on AT&T and the service sucked, and I'd swore I'd never come back to AT&T, but I really wanted the Note. I've had no problems on the Note on AT&T...no dropped calls yet, and love the 4g speeds. The 3g speeds I get on AT&T are faster than any of the 4g Wimax speeds I used to get on Sprint.
Fyi here is a speediest from my house and I'm not on lte (it always says 4g in the statusbar, when you're in LTE you'll see a little "lte" in there as well)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Came from sprint, California. It's more expensive but the service is awesome. Unlimited data was a cruel joke unless I was in 4g area, staying still with a door or window open
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
stevieraveon said:
I live in Burr Ridge. Last month I sold my Epic Touch 4g on Sprint for the Note.
Back in the day I'd had the iPhone 3g on AT&T and the service sucked, and I'd swore I'd never come back to AT&T, but I really wanted the Note. I've had no problems on the Note on AT&T...no dropped calls yet, and love the 4g speeds. The 3g speeds I get on AT&T are faster than any of the 4g Wimax speeds I used to get on Sprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats great to hear!
when I used to have ATT a few years ago, I dropped calls ALWAYS in certain areas; rt 83 and 63rd street, 55 and 355 overpass, it was pretty pathetic to tell people on a call that you had to hang up, because you were going to lose the call..Plus, when I lived in Darien, I had to go out side to make or receive calls, and that was just stupid, especially in the winter!!
Glad to hear they have upgraded the network in the SW burbs...being an older guy, I actually use the phone for phone calls first and foremost..
and, as far as pricing, it appears that with 3 lines and the family plan, I will be paying about 30 dollars a month LESS with ATt than with sprint..hard to believe, but I confirmed the pricing yesterday...Sprints 10 dollar "premium" to own a smartphone now is just bull****..
stevieraveon said:
I live in Burr Ridge. Last month I sold my Epic Touch 4g on Sprint for the Note.
Back in the day I'd had the iPhone 3g on AT&T and the service sucked, and I'd swore I'd never come back to AT&T, but I really wanted the Note. I've had no problems on the Note on AT&T...no dropped calls yet, and love the 4g speeds. The 3g speeds I get on AT&T are faster than any of the 4g Wimax speeds I used to get on Sprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume its just as easy to root this guy as it was the ET4g?
I checked the Dev section, and it doesn't seem there are as many custom Roms for this guy yet; it is a lot newer, but I wonder if things like CM9 will ever make their way to this phone...
wase4711 said:
Really want the giant screen of this phone, even though I really like my Epic Touch 4G; Obviously Sprint data speeds suck right now, but, not sure ATT would be that much better here in the SW 'burbs of Chicago..
Anyone out there that switched from the ET4G for this bad boy?
Are you glad you did, or not so glad?
Thanks so much for your input!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you like your epic touch 4G...then you'll Love the Note. No doubt.
-Once you go NOTE, you'd say 4 inches a Joke
SKyRocKeting727 said:
-Once you go NOTE, you'd say 4 inches a Joke
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Click to collapse
/Thats what she said...
wase4711 said:
I assume its just as easy to root this guy as it was the ET4g?
I checked the Dev section, and it doesn't seem there are as many custom Roms for this guy yet; it is a lot newer, but I wonder if things like CM9 will ever make their way to this phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, rooting was just as easy. Also, there aren't may custom Roms, but Quality > Quantity.
DAGr8's Saurom rom is the only ROM I've flashed so far (gingerbread ROM) and I've had no complaints. There also has already been an ICS leak and various ROM's that I haven't tried yet and we know a real release will be coming.
Also, Cm9 is supposedly coming:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1568698
I have a split level house so I'm more in the lower level and I do have spots where I get weak call signal but still able to make receive calls. I too work out of my house (transfer office to cell when I leave) so I rely on my cell for work mainly. LTE reception is very good for me at home but I do use my wifi mainly when home. I have been with att since it was Ameritech and have had every iPhone since the first one but can safely say iPhones cell reception is crap compared to the note. My wife and daughter have iPhones and they still drop calls way way more then me. I never had the phone ur coming from so I can't attest to compare as I have been a sammy guy since the galaxy s and cannot see myself going to another brand.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
For anyone wondering. .yea this device is 3 times the speed of sprint ..I came from sprint after 3 years of bottom of the barrel 3g so called..3g I signed up with atat and Right of the bat atat was twice as fast good signal and YES CAN FINALLY STREAM MEDIA WITHOUT LAG.It may not be lte but hspa is suitable
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
wase4711 said:
/Thats what she said...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After she met me....
-Once you go NOTE, you'd say 4 inches a Joke
lojak29 said:
For anyone wondering. .yea this device is 3 times the speed of sprint ..I came from sprint after 3 years of bottom of the barrel 3g so called..3g I signed up with atat and Right of the bat atat was twice as fast good signal and YES CAN FINALLY STREAM MEDIA WITHOUT LAG.It may not be lte but hspa is suitable
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm just hoping the service in my area of Chicago land has improved over what it was 3 years ago, when ATT was the absolute worst in my area..
I never drop calls with sprint when I am out of my house, and inside of it, I have been using an Air Rave device that they provided, so that isn't an issue at home.
Their 3G data is horrible, and, they claim its because they are currently upgrading their network; I gotta tell ya, it was just as bad when they weren't upgrading their network. Typical 3g speeds are 100-400kb, so the thought of getting 5-10 megs from ATT is very exciting...
wase4711 said:
I'm just hoping the service in my area of Chicago land has improved over what it was 3 years ago, when ATT was the absolute worst in my area..
I never drop calls with sprint when I am out of my house, and inside of it, I have been using an Air Rave device that they provided, so that isn't an issue at home.
Their 3G data is horrible, and, they claim its because they are currently upgrading their network; I gotta tell ya, it was just as bad when they weren't upgrading their network. Typical 3g speeds are 100-400kb, so the thought of getting 5-10 megs from ATT is very exciting...
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Click to collapse
If I were you, I would test the Note in and around your house for a few days to make sure the reception works well overall.
At times, the data jumps back-and-forth between HSPA and LTE depending on your whereabouts. But...I don't believe it really drains that much battery.
And I agree how Sprint's 3G is an absolute joke....I thought VZW 3G was horrid...but when I saw it on Sprint, it was unbelievably slow.
They continue to advertise that they're the only 1 of the big 4 providers who still offer "truly unlimited data"....but what's the point of having that if you're basically already throttled with dial-up speeds.
Only thing i hate about note is qualcom processor, thats only aspect I miss of s2
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Aerials said:
If I were you, I would test the Note in and around your house for a few days to make sure the reception works well overall.
At times, the data jumps back-and-forth between HSPA and LTE depending on your whereabouts. But...I don't believe it really drains that much battery.
And I agree how Sprint's 3G is an absolute joke....I thought VZW 3G was horrid...but when I saw it on Sprint, it was unbelievably slow.
They continue to advertise that they're the only 1 of the big 4 providers who still offer "truly unlimited data"....but what's the point of having that if you're basically already throttled with dial-up speeds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, I plan on testing it immediately, but, the problem is of course, that once I port the number over, of their service sucks, its a pain to cancel with them and go back to Sprint; I love the Sammy E4GT, but, I am really switching carriers to get the Note, not Att...I just hope all the improvements in my area that I have heard/read about our true.
I mean, this is the Chicago land market, and I am certain ATT wants to come off as a good provider here..
But I really wanted this phone first and foremost..
Good Morning!
I'm in the midst of trying to decide the best course to follow - I use T-Mobile prepaid for the data / messaging plans since I rarely talk on the phone; with the official T-Mobile branded handset coming out next week I'm stuck deciding whether to buy an unlocked ATT Galaxy Note or wait it out for the T-Mobile one to be available. I don't plan to sign any contracts so I'll have to pay outright (street price or store depending)
I know the major difference between the ATT Note and TMO version is the fact the ATT one has the 21 mbps hspa+ antennas versus the TMO one having the full fledged 45mbps antennas
while 5mb d/l is nothing to scoff at (ample for my use) I suppose more is better - but is it worth owning a 'more flexible' hanset that can run tmo/att/lte versus a tmo only handset?
thanks for your help in deciding!
Sorry Mods, as you can see I read more than I post - this can move to the Q&A forum if you see fit
wait for the tmobile one
you wont need to flash no modem to get 3G/4G service.
You also won't have to worry about charging the ATT version every 3 hours and worry about the phone heating up. I had the ATT one and I hated it for those two reasons.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
tr82691 said:
You also won't have to worry about charging the ATT version every 3 hours and worry about the phone heating up. I had the ATT one and I hated it for those two reasons.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What this guy said
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
Many members have had troubles with flashing the t-mobile modem on the att note.
I had t-mobile data plans for many years and liked the speed and no contract.
I would wait one week for sure.
tr82691 said:
You also won't have to worry about charging the ATT version every 3 hours and worry about the phone heating up. I had the ATT one and I hated it for those two reasons.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the TMO version won't be any different, if you had to charge the ATT ver. every 3 hrs, which is absurd, mine last me most of the day on one charge, you will also have to do the same thing with the TMO ver. since the specs are the same and so is the battery.
http://www.androidcentral.com/t-mobile-galaxy-note-specs
tr82691 said:
You also won't have to worry about charging the ATT version every 3 hours and worry about the phone heating up. I had the ATT one and I hated it for those two reasons.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't mind me, but after 4 months and avery ROM available, this hasn't happened to me. At worst I get 8 hours, but that's not stop phone, text, ebook, facebook, nand-backup ROM flashing and restore.
OK, the question: As I said I've been on the Note with tmobile for 4 months. data is poor....not horrible, but poor - but I'm at home on wifi most o the time, so it shouldn't bother me. Shouldn't is the operative word - thinks like this drive me to distraction.
So.....if I find the note 2 is being released, I'm going to hope t-mobile will offer it. Don't get too excited, it was something like 8 months between S, S2 & S3, so sometime in Q2 '13 seems about right.
Of course I'd have to take it on a leap of faith on after the announcement of the note 2 that T-Mo might get it and 8 months is a long time, assuming I'm anywhere near right.
Oh, my druthers: If everything were equal, I'd want the T-Mo version (cost wise).
audscott said:
Don't mind me, but after 4 months and avery ROM available, this hasn't happened to me. At worst I get 8 hours, but that's not stop phone, text, ebook, facebook, nand-backup ROM flashing and restore.
OK, the question: As I said I've been on the Note with tmobile for 4 months. data is poor....not horrible, but poor - but I'm at home on wifi most o the time, so it shouldn't bother me. Shouldn't is the operative word - thinks like this drive me to distraction.
So.....if I find the note 2 is being released, I'm going to hope t-mobile will offer it. Don't get too excited, it was something like 8 months between S, S2 & S3, so sometime in Q2 '13 seems about right.
Of course I'd have to take it on a leap of faith on after the announcement of the note 2 that T-Mo might get it and 8 months is a long time, assuming I'm anywhere near right.
Oh, my druthers: If everything were equal, I'd want the T-Mo version (cost wise).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not only that, they run on different radio frequencies.
Elpidio said:
Not only that, they run on different radio frequencies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Note is pentaband, so techincally both the ATT and Tmo models are capable of running on each others' networks (provided you flash the correct modem).
The main reason some folks will probably stick with the ATT Note (myself included) is because of grandfathered data plans. For example, I still have the T-Zones data plan which I've had since the voicestream days...and basically get full unlimited internet (3G speeds) at under $10 a month. Granted, the speeds are probably not as fast as the normal $20-$30 plans, it suits my purposes just fine.
If you have one of the more recent standard Tmo plans, then I suggest going for the Tmo note, as it'll basically work right out of the box for you. I'm sticking with my ATT Note and hopefully when the Tmo radio gets leaked here it'll fix the terrible upload speeds and bad voice connection I experience now. *fingers crossed*
I've been spared from the terrible voice problems so many have experienced, just typical data slow downs.
Of course one could buy from cl or eBay, which would void the warranty, then again I'all be doing that on my own.
thanks all for the advice and tips - i did lots of reading as well into handling tmo radios etc to get the ATT version to run TMO properly
I did buy a ATT Note yesterday (the price was right) and I figured why not try it out right?
the Note is already running the S3 Rom with a few tweaks iirc, the seller had a local service mod it a few weeks back
without flashing the modem, just inputting the network unlock code (cellunlocker had it in 2hrs) a speedtest on 4G showed only ~150k d/l speed and after flashing the icsblaze.zip modem I had ~400k d/l speeds, so that's a little imrovement...
If i can get a solid 2mb d/l I'll be fine since I'm around wifi pretty often, but for the times I'm not...well...
I'm in the process of dl'ing Flapjaxx's ICS build and have an assortment of ICS radios (better check if they are in fact the ICS flavors or not) to try out
Thanks again XDA! what an awesome community
I've been using ATT note on Tmo for the same reason (grandfather in tzone). I am just waiting for a solid radio coming from Tmo Note.
I'll most likely be using an unlocked one. My brother got one for free (I think it was a friends) and we unlocked it. When the T-Mo version come out he'll upgrade and I will too from my G2. I use Wi-Fi when I'm at home or anywhere that has it for that matter so I don't think the slow(er) data speeds will bother me that much. As long as calls are okay then I'm good.
T-Mobile Note also will work on AT&T HSPA+ Network.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
I would wait for the tmobile version. My unlocked Note with the tmobile radio had spotty connection. One minute, I'm getting 2MB, the next serveral hours, i'm getting 112kb or it does not work at all.
Also when 4GB is running, the backside of the phone (below the camera) heats up a lot. Almost to a point I had to put the note down and let it cool off by turning off the network data. So it's working really hard to maintain 4GB and eating up the battery. It doesn't happen on wifi.
the only reason why I would want the At&t version is because of the white note and lower price.
I'm fine using my at&t version. If it's the same hardware I don't see a big reason to switch.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Only reason I would get the tmo note would be for the wifi calling feature.. Then again it might be possible to flash tmo note stock ROM on unlocked att now and have the wifi calling feature, guess we will find out the 8th or soon after
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
initial_k said:
I would wait for the tmobile version. My unlocked Note with the tmobile radio had spotty connection. One minute, I'm getting 2MB, the next serveral hours, i'm getting 112kb or it does not work at all.
Also when 4GB is running, the backside of the phone (below the camera) heats up a lot. Almost to a point I had to put the note down and let it cool off by turning off the network data. So it's working really hard to maintain 4GB and eating up the battery. It doesn't happen on wifi.
the only reason why I would want the At&t version is because of the white note and lower price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
XDA is no longer worth my time.
After bricking my note I called att used early upgrade to get s4 while my note gets fixed, jtaged... log story short I compared att and tmobile and realized for my wife and i we are paying $150/month att and tmobile should be $75/mn after 15% work discount. So I called att cancelled s4(thank god still boot loader locked, and htc one better).
The reason i share all this with all of you is I believe some of you may be in same boat. I came to at&t for lte. I'm paying premium for that service. From research I've done I can pay half as much on tmobile for speeds around 10-25mb. That is to much savings for me to pass up on. I'm buying nexus from play store from now on and staying on tmobile.
BTW: my nexus was $349 for bigger memory version, s4 would have cost me $200 plus 2 years at $75 more which would have been a $2000 phone!!!!!! Nexus 4 is 90% or more as good which much better roms and support!
Edit: wanted to add.. two new phones on att plus 2 year agreement is $400 phones, plus $1800 more than tmobile. Two nexus $700. Tmobile savings over two years $1500.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
troyolson92 said:
Two new phones on att plus 2 year agreement is $400 phones, plus $1800 more than tmobile. Two nexus $700. Tmobile savings over two years $1500
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For my part, I say Thank you for this. I'm on both networks right now, owing only to a remaining AT&T contract, and T-Mobile's network, service and support are significantly better. T-Mobile's CALL CENTERS still suck, but their online "T-Force" support team is superb... absolutely superb.
Thanks for rubbing it in guys! I'm stuck like chuck with att. I live close to lake erie and Tmobile doesn't work here. Att barely works here at all but they gave me a Microcell which hooks up to the net and gives me 5 bars signal throughout my house. I wish Tmobile had something like this. I've tried getting a friends tmobile phone onto my microcell but no go.
440bro said:
Thanks for rubbing it in guys! I'm stuck like chuck with att. I live close to lake erie and Tmobile doesn't work here. Att barely works here at all but they gave me a Microcell which hooks up to the net and gives me 5 bars signal throughout my house. I wish Tmobile had something like this. I've tried getting a friends tmobile phone onto my microcell but no go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I had TMo some time ago I was able to make wifi calls without a microcell. Not sure if they still do that.
edit: http://t-mobile-coverage.t-mobile.com/4g-wireless-broadband-service
rquinn19 said:
When I had TMo some time ago I was able to make wifi calls without a microcell. Not sure if they still do that.
edit: http://t-mobile-coverage.t-mobile.com/4g-wireless-broadband-service
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Click to collapse
That is some VERY good information !!! Thank you VERY VERY much!!!!! My contract is up in October and att will probably be kicked to the curb!
I'm curious though, will my phone battery deplete with no cell signal, only wifi? I don't want it searching for cell signal that's not there draining my battery.
glenbarney said:
For my part, I say Thank you for this. I'm on both networks right now, owing only to a remaining AT&T contract, and T-Mobile's network, service and support are significantly better. T-Mobile's CALL CENTERS still suck, but their online "T-Force" support team is superb... absolutely superb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What Is your T-Mobile data speed?
To the other guy, T-Mobile does have native voip calling. I seen it while researching. They use an app to call and text over WiFi should you be unfortunate enough to be in an area with no or poor service.
I'm excited for nexus 5 which will be same time I'll be converting over. Till then Jamie keeps my note fresh and fun!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
FYI the "Wifi calling" feature is only available on branded phones (i.e ones with T-Mobile logo/apps pre-installed). So if you get a Nexus 4, it does not have it built in.
zivan56 said:
FYI the "Wifi calling" feature is only available on branded phones (i.e ones with T-Mobile logo/apps pre-installed). So if you get a Nexus 4, it does not have it built in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hum... I would think our highly skilled community off developers could solve that problem pretty fast...
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
troyolson92 said:
Hum... I would think our highly skilled community off developers could solve that problem pretty fast...
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's been a few t mobile uvlg3 roms that have the tmobile wifi calling app built in. Same rom from tmobiles original note. Used it and it worked fine.
I myself have setup google voice to use wifi, and cellular over grooveip( google chat) and pbxes.org if need be. That's since I use google voice as my main number though.
Been T-Mobile since forever. The fact this og note will get LTE on T-Mobile excites me even more.
On the blaze modem I've got 10-15mbps.
On the stock att modem, I pull 6-10mbps on tmobiles refarming.
scariola said:
There's been a few t mobile uvlg3 roms that have the tmobile wifi calling app built in. Same rom from tmobiles original note. Used it and it worked fine.
I myself have setup google voice to use wifi, and cellular over grooveip( google chat) and pbxes.org if need be. That's since I use google voice as my main number though.
Been T-Mobile since forever. The fact this og note will get LTE on T-Mobile excites me even more.
On the blaze modem I've got 10-15mbps.
On the stock att modem, I pull 6-10mbps on tmobiles refarming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the information. I consider under 5mb speed slow. I can handle medium speed such as that. Looks like I'll be going blaze in couple months. Thanks. I googled voip.on mobile and a few good setups pop up.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Thanks for the info
Anyone here who switched from a Verizon S3? I work in an office with people who have the Verizon RAZR and Verizon iphone with no problems but my Verizon S3 says no signal and dies by 3PM. I've switched it out and it still sucks for reception but I like most other things about it.
I typically use 2000-3000 minutes a month so reception for voice is EXTREMELY important to me.
I either will move to the HTC DNA or One if the S4 has the same reception issues I had with my Samsung Galaxy and S3 on Verizon. If your S3 never gave you any reception problems that is wonderful for you but PLEASE feel free to start another thread saying how great your reception is or for you to tell me I must have gotten 4 defective phones and SIMs. This thread is aimed at helping me decide which phone to get.
To be clear, this isn't a thread about iphone or DNA or RAZR, Sprint S3, Tmobile S3 or ATT S3 reception or how you never had reception issues on your S3. This survey is specifically targeted to find out if people who had reception issues with the S3 got any relief with the S4.
Please do not check "yes this is a question" as all Qs get moved to Q&A. If you post a poll put POLL in the title instead.
Edited
FNM
From what I have read, the CDMA S3 had a poor CDMA chip/radio so that's why lot of them have issues on Verizon/sprint. If the Sprint S4 is any thing like the verizon one voice/CDMA wise then it should be way better than the S3 and even better than the ONE.
I know you said this wasn't about the RAZR, but I have had two of them and both of them had very bad signal issues holding 4G. The first one even had a hard time holding 3G or any thing for that matter. I got a S3 from Verizon for free in the end due to the issues just getting worse and worse along with Flash player not working on update 4.0.4 even though Flash player should work just fine on ICS.
4ktvs said:
From what I have read, the CDMA S3 had a poor CDMA chip/radio so that's why lot of them have issues on Verizon/sprint. If the Sprint S4 is any thing like the verizon one voice/CDMA wise then it should be way better than the S3 and even better than the ONE.
I know you said this wasn't about the RAZR, but I have had two of them and both of them had very bad signal issues holding 4G. The first one even had a hard time holding 3G or any thing for that matter. I got a S3 from Verizon for free in the end due to the issues just getting worse and worse along with Flash player not working on update 4.0.4 even though Flash player should work just fine on ICS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm much much much more concerned about call reception than 4G. I work with someone who has the Verizon razr and they never have reception issues at the office. I can't make or receive calls on my Verizon S3 at the office.
boe said:
Anyone here who switched from a Verizon S3? I work in an office with people who have the Verizon RAZR and Verizon iphone with no problems but my Verizon S3 says no signal and dies by 3PM. I've switched it out and it still sucks for reception but I like most other things about it.
I typically use 2000-3000 minutes a month so reception for voice is EXTREMELY important to me.
I either will move to the HTC DNA or One if the S4 has the same reception issues I had with my Samsung Galaxy and S3 on Verizon. If your S3 never gave you any reception problems that is wonderful for you but PLEASE feel free to start another thread saying how great your reception is or for you to tell me I must have gotten 4 defective phones and SIMs. This thread is aimed at helping me decide which phone to get.
To be clear, this isn't a thread about iphone or DNA or RAZR, Sprint S3, Tmobile S3 or ATT S3 reception or how you never had reception issues on your S3. This survey is specifically targeted to find out if people who had reception issues with the S3 got any relief with the S4.
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I had terrible S3 reception. The DNA has a solid Radio.
I'm hoping the S4 has a really good one too, or else, i'm sending mine back, the only thing that sucks with the dna is theres no root, and theres no way of s-offing it currently.
I am curious as well as samsung has a history with bad radios and hoping they finalyl figured it out, otherwise I will have to pass.
4ktvs said:
From what I have read, the CDMA S3 had a poor CDMA chip/radio so that's why lot of them have issues on Verizon/sprint. If the Sprint S4 is any thing like the verizon one voice/CDMA wise then it should be way better than the S3 and even better than the ONE.
I know you said this wasn't about the RAZR, but I have had two of them and both of them had very bad signal issues holding 4G. The first one even had a hard time holding 3G or any thing for that matter. I got a S3 from Verizon for free in the end due to the issues just getting worse and worse along with Flash player not working on update 4.0.4 even though Flash player should work just fine on ICS.
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Yep, the S3 has bad 2g/3g but real good 4g. Weird.
ericerk said:
I had terrible S3 reception. The DNA has a solid Radio.
I'm hoping the S4 has a really good one too, or else, i'm sending mine back, the only thing that sucks with the dna is theres no root, and theres no way of s-offing it currently.
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Click to collapse
The DNA is a sweet phone. I came VERY close to buying one, but the lack of SD card slot (and only 16G) and non-removable turned me off. Other than that a very sweet phone!
elucid said:
The DNA is a sweet phone. I came VERY close to buying one, but the lack of SD card slot (and only 16G) and non-removable turned me off. Other than that a very sweet phone!
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Click to collapse
I was close to getting the DNA as well but Sense seems a little sluggish on it compared to wiz and the battery was a bit underpowered for my needs. I can be on the phone with a client or tech support for hours at a time. There are rumors the One will have a larger screen on Verizon which should cover my issues.
If anyone has the Verizon S3 and the Verizon S4 it might be helpful if you showed network db side by side in an area with no reception or bad reception on the S3.
I just received my S4 today, hoping like hell that the reception was better than my S3. I travel A LOT and know every area in my 200+mile drive, that I have reception issues in. I haven't been able to use my S3 in my house, since I moved here 2 months ago; I believe its a combination of the metal roof and ****y phone, so I upgraded one of my lines to the S4.
I am finally able to walk thru every part of my house and talk without any.issues. I used to have no service in my kitchen, now I have 2 bars with crystal clear reception. I'll know tomorrow if its fixed the issues in the other areas I have issues in, but for now I'm excited.
I did active my old droidX a week ago to see if I could use it in the areas I always have problms, and I could, which means its the ****ty S3.
One other thing to note is the battery life. I've read that its horrible etc: I charged my phone to 100% before activation and I'm still running with 51%, 6 hours later and I've uploaded everything and been playing with the new features the whole night. I did have a 43 minutes call in there as well, so the battery life seems extremely compatible with my S3. I also ordered 2 spares with a charger from Amazon and I'll see how they stack up with the factory battery over the next few days. I'm a phone abuser for work; 5000+ text, 3000+ minutes and probably 10,000+ emails a month, so it will be put thru the paces for certain. I'll update my overall impression with the reception tomorrow night.
Sorry, I know this was long but I wanted to tell how I'll be comparing and already have been, to show a major improvement so far.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
GS4 has been noticeably better then my GS3
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using xda app-developers app
jlangleyrn said:
I just received my S4 today, hoping like hell that the reception was better than my S3. I travel A LOT and know every area in my 200+mile drive, that I have reception issues in. I haven't been able to use my S3 in my house, since I moved here 2 months ago; I believe its a combination of the metal roof and ****y phone, so I upgraded one of my lines to the S4.
I am finally able to walk thru every part of my house and talk without any.issues. I used to have no service in my kitchen, now I have 2 bars with crystal clear reception. I'll know tomorrow if its fixed the issues in the other areas I have issues in, but for now I'm excited.
I did active my old droidX a week ago to see if I could use it in the areas I always have problms, and I could, which means its the ****ty S3.
One other thing to note is the battery life. I've read that its horrible etc: I charged my phone to 100% before activation and I'm still running with 51%, 6 hours later and I've uploaded everything and been playing with the new features the whole night. I did have a 43 minutes call in there as well, so the battery life seems extremely compatible with my S3. I also ordered 2 spares with a charger from Amazon and I'll see how they stack up with the factory battery over the next few days. I'm a phone abuser for work; 5000+ text, 3000+ minutes and probably 10,000+ emails a month, so it will be put thru the paces for certain. I'll update my overall impression with the reception tomorrow night.
Sorry, I know this was long but I wanted to tell how I'll be comparing and already have been, to show a major improvement so far.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
THanks! This is exactly the sort of info that is helpful. Someone who has an S3 that can't work in some areas and then using an S4 in those same spots.
jlangleyrn said:
I just received my S4 today, hoping like hell that the reception was better than my S3. I travel A LOT and know every area in my 200+mile drive, that I have reception issues in. I haven't been able to use my S3 in my house, since I moved here 2 months ago; I believe its a combination of the metal roof and ****y phone, so I upgraded one of my lines to the S4.
I am finally able to walk thru every part of my house and talk without any.issues. I used to have no service in my kitchen, now I have 2 bars with crystal clear reception. I'll know tomorrow if its fixed the issues in the other areas I have issues in, but for now I'm excited.
I did active my old droidX a week ago to see if I could use it in the areas I always have problms, and I could, which means its the ****ty S3.
One other thing to note is the battery life. I've read that its horrible etc: I charged my phone to 100% before activation and I'm still running with 51%, 6 hours later and I've uploaded everything and been playing with the new features the whole night. I did have a 43 minutes call in there as well, so the battery life seems extremely compatible with my S3. I also ordered 2 spares with a charger from Amazon and I'll see how they stack up with the factory battery over the next few days. I'm a phone abuser for work; 5000+ text, 3000+ minutes and probably 10,000+ emails a month, so it will be put thru the paces for certain. I'll update my overall impression with the reception tomorrow night.
Sorry, I know this was long but I wanted to tell how I'll be comparing and already have been, to show a major improvement so far.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
You Sir, Have Given Me hope.
You guys have all given me hope. When I read the op, I seriously thought I wrote it or my wife did. I too have problems using my s3 at work after switching from a Droid Razr to the s3. Everyone at work has an iPhone and have no issues with making calls.
Based on everyone's input, I'm almost willing to try an s4 out before I'm forced to switch to an iPhone 5 (those are the only options for work this time around).
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
boe said:
If anyone has the Verizon S3 and the Verizon S4 it might be helpful if you showed network db side by side in an area with no reception or bad reception on the S3.
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Click to collapse
i get my s4 later today, ill get some screens of the network db side by side and post to see what my results are. Ill have 2 s3s and a s4 so I can see them all side by side. I have a few places on my way to my house the s3 wont pick up so we will see how the s4 does
boe said:
Anyone here who switched from a Verizon S3? I work in an office with people who have the Verizon RAZR and Verizon iphone with no problems but my Verizon S3 says no signal and dies by 3PM. I've switched it out and it still sucks for reception but I like most other things about it.
I typically use 2000-3000 minutes a month so reception for voice is EXTREMELY important to me.
I either will move to the HTC DNA or One if the S4 has the same reception issues I had with my Samsung Galaxy and S3 on Verizon. If your S3 never gave you any reception problems that is wonderful for you but PLEASE feel free to start another thread saying how great your reception is or for you to tell me I must have gotten 4 defective phones and SIMs. This thread is aimed at helping me decide which phone to get.
To be clear, this isn't a thread about iphone or DNA or RAZR, Sprint S3, Tmobile S3 or ATT S3 reception or how you never had reception issues on your S3. This survey is specifically targeted to find out if people who had reception issues with the S3 got any relief with the S4.
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Click to collapse
I'm with you 110% Boe. For those of us who have bad reception issues with the S3 it can be a tough road getting people who are happy with their S3, to understand exactly how irritating it is to have a phone that does a lot very well, but can NEVER be trusted as a telephone. I am really looking forward to seeing the responses in this thread. I'm on Verizon.
dweezle said:
I'm with you 110% Boe. For those of us who have bad reception issues with the S3 it can be a tough road getting people who are happy with their S3, to understand exactly how irritating it is to have a phone that does a lot very well, but can NEVER be trusted as a telephone. I am really looking forward to seeing the responses in this thread. I'm on Verizon.
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Click to collapse
Yeah for some reason they insist on posting things like I never have problems with my S3 (perhaps they never use it as a phone) or you must have gotten a defective one (all 4 times I replaced my phones and sims at difference Verizon stores throughout the country - amazingly bad luck).
i have a galaxy nexus and can say without a doubt that the s4 radios are better by far. way better. i keep a 4g signal everywhere my galaxy nexus would drop to 3g or 1x, matter of fact i have yet to lose 4g anywhere but in an elevator.
gps locks are also way faster.
very impressive.
BzBz said:
i have a galaxy nexus and can say without a doubt that the s4 radios are better by far. way better. i keep a 4g signal everywhere my galaxy nexus would drop to 3g or 1x, matter of fact i have yet to lose 4g anywhere but in an elevator.
gps locks are also way faster.
very impressive.
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Click to collapse
I picked up the s4 this morning. Reception so far OK. I'm in the office where I frequently get no signal. For whatever reason today my S3 and S4 are getting signal. However, both are reading about 100db on average - no real difference between the two so i'm as yet, unconvinced this is an improvement over the S3. I'll be going to yet another place I frequently can't make calls on my S3 later today and we'll see how the S4 does. Clouds, lack of clouds etc can all impact reception so I'll need more testing to know anything regarding this phone's reception.'
Foxfi doesn't seem to work on the S4 but does on my S3 so I'll have to find another sharing program if I decide to keep this phone.
So I've been using the Galaxy S4 for a little over 3 weeks. I'm coming from a Thunderbolt which was rooted and updated with its radios.
I travel a lot for work and go to the same locations (different days) every now and then. I've noticed that I lose my 4G connection and go to 3G when I USED TO have a 4G connection at the same site with my Thunderbolt. Has anyone noticed this occuring with their S4?
I feel like I'm not getting the signals I'm supposed to be getting.
I had a Razr HD before the s4 that i have now and the HD was known for its very good radios. To my surprise, the S4's radios are on par or even better than the Hd
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
itsdubai said:
I had a Razr HD before the s4 that i have now and the HD was known for its very good radios. To my surprise, the S4's radios are on par or even better than the Hd
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
I came from Mot Razr Maxx...worrying most about radio performance in buying the S4. The S4 does better in every regard......contrary to my old samsung phone experience (very old). I live in a fringe area with 1 bar or so.....on both phones. The S4 holds on to calls very well too.
zilla. said:
So I've been using the Galaxy S4 for a little over 3 weeks. I'm coming from a Thunderbolt which was rooted and updated with its radios.
I travel a lot for work and go to the same locations (different days) every now and then. I've noticed that I lose my 4G connection and go to 3G when I USED TO have a 4G connection at the same site with my Thunderbolt. Has anyone noticed this occuring with their S4?
I feel like I'm not getting the signals I'm supposed to be getting.
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Click to collapse
yes!!!! i came from a gnexus and then an iphone 5, and ive noticed that the radios arent as good. I was also able to customize the radios on the nexus the way i wanted to for 3g and 4g... but it seems to be worse on the galaxy s4
i dont know if radios came out for the GS3, but im hoping that with time, some will come out for this thing... and not the fm radios that i keep seeing
short rrespear
jt25741 said:
I came from Mot Razr Maxx...worrying most about radio performance in buying the S4. The S4 does better in every regard......contrary to my old samsung phone experience (very old). I live in a fringe area with 1 bar or so.....on both phones. The S4 holds on to calls very well too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be carrier specific.....for VZW this has been my experience.
jt25741 said:
It could be carrier specific.....for VZW this has been my experience.
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Click to collapse
ehh, ive been on verizon for over 15 years.... and at my specific work for 7 years. I'd say i got the best cell signal with the iphone 5 (dont shoot me), but the gnexus is a close second.
i work in the middle of my building where there is barely any signal, so i kind of know what its like to move the phone an arm length up and finally send a text
theidoctor said:
ehh, ive been on verizon for over 15 years.... and at my specific work for 7 years. I'd say i got the best cell signal with the iphone 5 (dont shoot me), but the gnexus is a close second.
i work in the middle of my building where there is barely any signal, so i kind of know what its like to move the phone an arm length up and finally send a text
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Click to collapse
Interesting.....good to know. I guess this means these Motorola phones really didn't have good RF performance after all (despite reputation).....compared to iPhone etc.... All is relative I guess -- LoL
jt25741 said:
Interesting.....good to know. I guess this means these Motorola phones really didn't have good RF performance after all (despite reputation).....compared to iPhone etc.... All is relative I guess -- LoL
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Click to collapse
hahaha... not compared completely to iphone. I mean, in all honesty, i was able to get that one text message without having to worry; but noticed it when my messages weren't going through.
ON the other hand, my friend with a motorola can get a text message the next seat over which is only an armlength away
I had a thunderbolt, an it would always show 4g until I went to use it, then I would get no connection, and eventually it would drop to 3g. I think this phone just hands of the connection faster and smoother than the thunderbolt, and thats what you're seeing.
Schoat333 said:
I had a thunderbolt, an it would always show 4g until I went to use it, then I would get no connection, and eventually it would drop to 3g. I think this phone just hands of the connection faster and smoother than the thunderbolt, and thats what you're seeing.
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Click to collapse
This was also the case for me sometimes with the Thunderbolt. But then again, most of the time I was showing 4G at most locations.
I've seen just the opposite, I've got the S4 and my wife has the Razr Maxx, and she's usually got one to two bars better then I do. It's pretty often when in a building I get bumped down to 3G but the Razr is still hanging on to one or two bars 4G. I haven't been too surprised as this is almost exactly the same signals as what I was seeing with my Galaxy Nexus.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2322975
I get significantly better signal with the S4 than I did with the S3. In my house, I can have great phone calls and decent 4G data speed on the S4 (2 bars). On the S3, I had slow speed on 4G and an occasional breakup on phone calls (1 bar). On the Galaxy Nexus, it couldn't connect to the phone network at all from inside the house (x on the signal strength)... A friends RAZR MAXX gets 2 bars and has the same performance as the S4. My bosses Note 2 gets the same experience as my S4...
jeffreycentex said:
I get significantly better signal with the S4 than I did with the S3. In my house, I can have great phone calls and decent 4G data speed on the S4 (2 bars). On the S3, I had slow speed on 4G and an occasional breakup on phone calls (1 bar). On the Galaxy Nexus, it couldn't connect to the phone network at all from inside the house (x on the signal strength)... A friends RAZR MAXX gets 2 bars and has the same performance as the S4. My bosses Note 2 gets the same experience as my S4...
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Click to collapse
I had an S3 also and while at work I would lose 4G all the time. With my S4 I have never lost 4G at work.
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