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I am considering going and trading in my Evo for an Evo 3D with Sprints buy back program. I saw that it will be $49.99 after trade in. Is there anything I should know if I go do this? Should I ask them not to update then phone when I go? Just wondering because I know that the new Evos have updated 2.3.3 on them and there is no root yet.
Any advice would be appreciated.
What are you waiting for, get to it. The phone is a BEAST.
The phone comes with 2.3.3 and regardless you can only get temp root, the minor update won't change or block that. Devs are working on a permanent root & S-off solution that might be available in the next few weeks.
Just go & get it
Sent from my BEASTO 3D using XDA Premium App
I would recommended you to upgrade. If you want you can try selling your evolution yourself over Craigslist for example and get some more money. One thing I would strongly recommend is buying your new phone at the sprint store, I have seen many minor flaws on those, probably because they are new (dead pixels 3g speeds and other issues) if you buy at a sprint store it will probably be easier for you to exchange it within your 30 days then online retailers, or lets say radio shack. Just from my experience though.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
I just did this yesterday and I am glad I did, this phone is awesome. Also, they said that they are not sure how long the buyback will be at that price so if you are thinking about it, go for it.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Premium App
Definitely worth it. Even if you dont care for the 3d, the hardware upgrade is worth the 50 bucks.
I was one of those people upgrading for the hardware coming from a Hero and thought of the 3D capabilities as a "gimmick." But NOW, I enjoy simply browsing YouTube for any 3D videos. Awesome technology
When I noticed that my girls speedy was doing circles around my evo when we both had cm7 I knew then It was time. On stock this phone pwns the speedy and the supersonic.
I would also recommend the upgrade.... And don't listen to the trolls.... There always something about a device that u may not agree with.... None of of em are perfect..... But id say go for it.....
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Premium App
Love my 3vo. From my cold, dead hands.
I am in the same situation. The main thing holding me back is that I keep hearing that the call quality is no good. I think I can get used to the lack of kickstand, although that little feature of the 4G has really grown on me.
Can anyone give a real evaluation of the call quality? It is a phone, after all.
Heinous said:
I am in the same situation. The main thing holding me back is that I keep hearing that the call quality is no good. I think I can get used to the lack of kickstand, although that little feature of the 4G has really grown on me.
Can anyone give a real evaluation of the call quality? It is a phone, after all.
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no doubt about it man..The call quality isn't the greatest but I think im getting used to it..It is still a phone and performs fine but for the amount of $ we spend on these phones I would have expected something better(call quality)..Still a fantastic phone for me though.
I would hold off until they get an updated line out. There are a bunch of issues it seems with version 0001 and 0002. Just my thoughts after doing a ton of research
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
I have been through a few phones now..think uneasy a victim of a bad batch..I got one now from a different shipment and its great ..hardware 002 but there are noticeable differences..the power button is more tactile and I have no problem with call quality..most of my complaints are with the network not the phone
firmbiz94 said:
I have been through a few phones now..think uneasy a victim of a bad batch..I got one now from a different shipment and its great ..hardware 002 but there are noticeable differences..the power button is more tactile and I have no problem with call quality..most of my complaints are with the network not the phone
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id be inclined to say its the network but when i have an OG Evo and an Evo 3D together making the same calls the Evo 3D is a lot worse in call quality..It is the phone but I think its how the phone handles the network its connected to...Its not horrible but its also not what it should be.
i mean seriously,why when making a call does the ring volume fluctuate? Loud for 1 ring then a lot lower on the second ring,then back to loud for the 3rd ring...I think this can be fixed with a software update to the phone.
BrianBaker said:
id be inclined to say its the network but when i have an OG Evo and an Evo 3D together making the same calls the Evo 3D is a lot worse in call quality..It is the phone but I think its how the phone handles the network its connected to...Its not horrible but its also not what it should be.
i mean seriously,why when making a call does the ring volume fluctuate? Loud for 1 ring then a lot lower on the second ring,then back to loud for the 3rd ring...I think this can be fixed with a software update to the phone.
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Now every one of.my e3d has that fluctuating ringer for reason ..it doesn't do that during the calls though.
jhoffy22 said:
I am considering going and trading in my Evo for an Evo 3D with Sprints buy back program. I saw that it will be $49.99 after trade in. Is there anything I should know if I go do this? Should I ask them not to update then phone when I go? Just wondering because I know that the new Evos have updated 2.3.3 on them and there is no root yet.
Any advice would be appreciated.
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At that price you should do it. There is a temp root out.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Premium App
I've never done a trade in so I don't know that once you do its done or you can switch back. If you can't switch back I would find a friend that owns one. Ask to swap phone for one day. It's hard to tell if everyone's problems will become one of yours. For me I can't stay connected to 4g for very long. I have a tower 2 blocks away and my 4g is 1 bar. 3g is 200kb or less. Better for you to see if that's an issue (or any others) for you before crossing the line and not being able to get your old phone back.
It is a great phone. It seems every day I find something new I like and something i don't. Definately a love hate thing going on for me. Ultimately its going to be, can you live with its flaws whatever it happens to be for you. Is it a deal breaker. And your not going to know before you leave the store.
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Hello,
I cannot think of a more cost effective upgrade in any arena than the worst case 50 Dollar difference for the 3D.
Even if you could care less about 3D, the aforementioned Dual Core Processors, far greater amounts of Internal Storage, DLNA Connectivity, etc really make it a no brainer.
If your 4G is in excellent condition and you have a decent number of Accessories, you could get far more than 150 by selling it on Craigslist. I got $300 Dollars for mine. I did include 2 Otterbox Defender Cases and an HTC HDMI Dock as well.
Even now, due to the guy I sold it to going to Sprint to Activate the 4G and walk out with 2 3D's instead, I have been helping to sell the 4G again and have someone ready to buy the 4G for 250 Dollars today.
Cheers,
JJ
OK... I'll be a data point. I got two on launch day. Both had crooked screens but the wife doesn't notice nor did she care when I pointed it out. So I left hers alone but my screen was the most crooked (actually to the point that the lower left corner was up under the blackout) so I exchanged it. We live in a fringe area where the phones typically bounce back and forth between a Sprint tower and roaming. My Evo 4G never once dropped a call in the year I owned it but my first 3vo (yes, that's the accepted name ) dropped a call a couple of times here at the house. I got maybe 1 drop in every 20-30 minutes here, so I categorized my new 3vo to be worse than the old Evo 4G at keeping a call. The new (exchanged on with straight screen) has had no dropped calls yet so it seems better.
And as for the actual call quality while you are in a call, I've never been quite sure what people are talking about because my Evo 4G was horrible for sound quality. The earpiece had the common earpiece rattle and the volume on the new 3vo is much louder. I actually think my calls are clearer with the 3vo than the old Evo 4G.
YMMV.
Mike
Just looking for some first hand experience, or tips from a T-Mobile employee. I was just told by TMo that if this Vibrant fails me (being my 3rd one), I'll be able to get a completely different phone.
I have every intention of calling them in the next couple of days to kindly let them know that the GPS isn't working as intended, of course. I just did a road trip to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and my GPS failed me over and over (yes, I've done all of the fixes known to man) while my Garmin Nuvi worked flawlessly, as usual.
So, anyone know what my options will be? Since I paid $199.99 to extend my contract for this POS, I feel that I should be offered any of their smartphones at that price, but really have no idea as to how this works.
Thanks in advance!
You can get alot
As long as you are clear in your point and sound like you know what you are talking about you should be fine.
I went through this right when the sensation came out.
I got one for free and got to keep my vibe by signing a 2 year with customer loyalty. They sent me tbe sensation and it had touchscreen isues so back it went and I went through 2 alltoghether.
It wasnt a bad phone but I missed my im on it again now.
samsung
If you really like not having a heavy phone (sensation was like a weight haha) or the phone with a million issues the g2x.
I'd stick it out just 2 more months tops and we will have the htc ruby/amaze 4g and the tmobile galaxy s2 "hercules" both are rumored to be on tmos 42 mps network which os way more than double our current max of 14.4
Thanks for the response! That's a good point... I'll wait until some better phones are released here soon and then call to get my replacement. No point in doing it now since the selection isn't all that great.
Yea its funny how there are so many levels of "top teir" devices that out can be hard to keep track of. I can say I'll be way happier with a lighter phone with a more visible screen outdoors anf that they won't know my warranties gone because I used the same oems software of who made the phone. I think brand presence aside that the 42mps is worth the wait. i live in the mpls area and tmobile is very sttong here for signal so im excited for that chip.
In the meantime time try using the custom rom toxic crazy 8 with the clean and shiny theme. I put it on a guy I work withs vibrant and now he is wayyy happier with his phone that ever before. He even stopped talking about needing a new phone all the time hah
Hey everyone, most of you will know me from the Evo 4G, I am the creator of Azrael X and Stock Turbo ROMS. I loved my Evo 4G and I loved developing ROMS for it. I was due for Upgrade in July of last year, just in time to get the Evo 3D. I was excited because of the Specs of the Evo 3D and traded "up" for my "amazing Evo 3D". To be honest, I wish I had held out for the Samsung GS-II or switched to Verizon now!
Here is the issues I have had with the Evo 3D.
My first one: I take good care of my phones, I think in all the time I had my Evo 4G I dropped it once and it was in a case so no damage. One day, I went to use my Evo 3D's camera to take a picture of something funny to send to my friends. Well, my phone became unresponsive and then my phone's display got corrupted. I tried all the troubleshooting steps, redid the phone ROM, hard reset, EVERYTHING. No dice and I heard that sometimes the camera gets disconnected and you can press real hard and it will work again. Ironically I did that and it worked once, the next day I went to use the camera and it did it again, froze the phone for a few minutes and corrupted the display. So I went to a Sprint service center and they "could not fix it, my replacement would be ordered and I can pick it up in a few days." So I get my replacement and...
I get a replacement with Hboot 1.50: Hboot 1.50 really sucks, that is all there is to it. HTC lets you root your phone...for a price! You void your warranty (not completely but it's more or less at the discretion of the Sprint employee if your covered by warranty or not if you bring it in for service with an issue) and it's not even a full root! You cannot flash kernels or radios without jumping through hoops and your phone is not S-Off. There is no current method to get S-Off with Hboot 1.50 and all attempts thus far have failed. Why could they have not just fixed my camera on my original one? This is livable with but has taken away the desire from me to develop ROMS for this phone. Then there is the....
Other issues with my replacement Evo 3D: The new one likes to restart itself randomly. It actually caused me to nearly late for work one morning because my carefully set alarm went off when it decided to restart itself. Thankfully I woke up by myself and was able to rush, get ready, and barely make it! I no longer rely on it as my alarm unless there is nothing else available. This NEVER happened with my Evo 4G, it reliably served as my alarm. Then there is...
CIQ: Sprint and HTC are spying on you; even a tinfoil hat will not prevent them from logging your phone usage. I mean, I am sure there are ways that all phones and carriers can do this, but where did I sign a form that allows them to monitor my usage? Not to mention this logging still eats up memory, CPU cycles, and battery. Even if they took this out now, not to mention developers found ways to rip out CIQ innards from the phone, this is a lameness that I cannot fathom. Then there is....
Sprint:
They removed the "Sprint Premier" program, which is really stupid. Now you have to wait 2 full years to get an upgraded phone.
The Network seems worse than ever. 4G coverage around the south suburbs of Chicago is bad at best, not there at worst. There are a couple of dead spots I always hit on the way home from work on 294.
Rude employees at Sprint. I ended up talking to a lady who kept interrupting me and laughed at me when I said something about that. I have never said, "F%$ you" to a lady on the phone until then. I actually said that and hung up, I was fuming! (UPDATE: Yes I know any company has good and bad reps and it's always a chance you will get one or the other, but she took the cake for the rudest CS rep I have dealt with from any company maybe ever. It was not just what she said, it was how she handled my questions. I should also mention she is a manager.)
Other things that I do not like about the Evo 3D.
The Speakerphone: Both Evo 3D phones I have had have mediocre speakers. The first one is way quieter and has NO bass compared to my former Evo 4G. Minor but noticeable.
The signal: This may have been "early teething" problems but my Evo 4G seemed to pull in signal much better than the Evo 3D. This could be because of premature radio and PRL updates at the time but I would be interested now to see how they compare. My Evo 4G would have 5 bars while the 3D would have 1-3 bars.
The charger port: The Evo 4G was nice because the charging port was right on the bottom of the phone. This made it easy to charge it while you mess with the phone and/or want to charge and talk at the same time. The Evo 3D has the charger port on the upper-left side. If you attempt to charge and talk, you are putting stress on your cable and the port itself. Stupid placement IMO.
Less tinker friendly: Besides the already mentioned Hboot 1.5 (partial root and partial warranty breaker) you cannot use the volume or power buttons while the cover is off. This is of course REALLY being nitpicky as there is not much need for it. But when you need access to the battery, having to take the back off every time is an extra step.
Of course, the Evo 3D is a better phone than the Evo 4G as far as hardware specs and screen quality. I just wish it was better in almost all ways instead of just specs.
The good of the Evo 3D is quite numerous of course.
The specs
The 3D features are neat
Increased memory
The screen slightly better quality
No more light bleeding like on the Evo 4G
Hboot 1.5 is a stupid means of control and I cannot believe we void our warranty for the sake of a half-ass root! I had aspirations for Azrael X 3D but honestly I feel the Evo 3D has some great ROMS already and Hboot 1.5 is a big deal breaker for me.
I might have to pass on HTC and Sprint too next time around.
More on the next post, but I want to know if anyone else has buyers (and/or Sprint) remorse lately. I am thinking of moving to "Big Red" network.
Luckily I haven't experienced any of the issues you seem to be going through. I would recommend calling or stopping by sprint and have your replacement swapped out. Who knows you might get lucky and get one with 1.4, good luck man hope it works out.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
I would definitely push them to get you a replacement, it sounds like they gave you another defective one. If they give you a hard time about it showing "relocked" shoot me a PM and I may be able to help you out.
Man what's up. I remember your Roms and work for the EVO4G. Deff top notch.
Personally I don't have buyers remorse as mine has been great here no issues hardware wise.
As for the things you mentioned with sprint itself like the premier program...I'm with ya on that 100%. Hate it that they took that away. BUT according to the Sprint Advocates group that has conf calls with execs each month, Sprint has been researching a new loyalty program to replace it with to reward those of us again. Maybe the buy your upgrade back trial program is a slight form of it, though I know they have discussed more.
As for leaving sprint if you head to big red you pretty might end up with only getting Samsung phones as they have announced their stance on bootloaders and I wouldn't be shocked to see their future HTC phones not on the unlock list...
Personally i can't beat the price here and I really want to stick around with Sprint and see these NetworkVision deployments because network wise they will improve things 10 fold in many areas. The mere backhaul improvement being done at the towers is a giant leap in itself.
S4GRU.com has a ton of very very detailed info, a lot inside info too on this. Great site btw, any Sprint customer interested in the network and such I suggest heading over there and reading the enormous amount of detailed info they have, including some spectrum analysis...
Saw you mentioned Chicago specifically so I linked the two wall posts that discuss some info on that area specifically for ya.
http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/...nd-lte-deployment-details-emerge-for-chicago/
http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/...-schedule-details-for-sprints-chicago-market/
As far as the customer service, that's a shame man and you really can't defend them for that.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
Hey ric, I thought you disappeared! I used to love your 4g roms. That sucks you've had so many issues. Good to see you're alive though.
We're comin from a pure power source.
Hey, I'm in the Chicago area too and I know there can be dead spots and sprint is the slowest of the carriers it seems. Where I'm at though, service is incredible. The Crestwood area. But I can't venture out too far before I see speeds drop. Signal strength seems to stay strong everywhere I go though. And I don't even bother using 4G. I can get it at home but not much anywhere else. And with wifi at home, what's the point? But I'm still happy with the service.
The phone I love too. I dropped it a couple times while in a case, no damage. Phone doesn't reboot, everything is responsive, etc. Maybe your replacement has something wrong with it.
Now, I did see lots of problems on custom roms or kernels or both for some reason. I trust the developers know what they're doing and I'm not a developer so I don't know why there were so many issues then. I didn't try every rom or kernel, but the popular ones I did always restarted and froze on my phone. It was like clock work. So I've stuck to the stock setup with some mods on top of it and have 0 problems.
As for CIQ goes, sprint removed it in the latest update I believe. But I wouldn't put it past then if there's some other way they're tracking us. Since the removal of ciq, things perform world's better too.
I won't get too into their customer service but I have had some really friendly support and I've had some that clearly don't enjoy their job but weren't rude to me. It happens everywhere.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA
Sucks that you are having so many issues, my 3d has been rock solid but sprints data in my home town is horrible. Stuck in a contract til mid 2013. Hoping to see some improvement by then with the upcoming lte. Although i dont see much about florida in their upcoming deployments. Think i read awhile back about Miami, but that was it. Best wishes to you and hope things improve for all of us with sprint issues.
Sent from one Fresh Honey Sensed Evo 3D
CIQ is indeed removed, since the January 13th update. Most phone manufacturers and Sprint are working with eachother to remove CIQ if it hasn't been already. Be glad you didn't go with Samsung, I've had so many with issues it's not funny. If you are mad about a camera issue on HTC, wait till you see what Samsung can give you. Late (if ever updates), radio issues, physical KB keypress skips, crashing camera, you name it (depending on the model). The SII is lambasted with problems galore, google it. It sucks that the HTC is locked down more, but IMO, it's not like a Samsung so it's not entirely necessary to root because the phone itself doesn't have major experience killing issues.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH . I demand a reason of the removal of my posts .
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
Threevo said:
FREEDOM OF SPEECH . I demand a reason of the removal of my posts .
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
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i second this what the hell is going on nothing that was said was terrible.. explain ur reasoning >:O
Threevo said:
FREEDOM OF SPEECH . I demand a reason of the removal of my posts .
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
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Freedom of speech does not apply on a forum.
Threevo said:
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
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"Freedom of Speech" doesn't always comply with XDA forum policies.
You mind showing us the policy and how what was said went against the policy?
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
PM a mod if you have any gripes.
dylan6879 said:
You mind showing us the policy and how what was said went against the policy?
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
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I don't know what was said here but many of the rules here could be used to limit your speech and rightfully so. For example the rule 2.4...
Regardless PM the mod or a mod and ask, and you'll likely get an answer.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
templep2k2 said:
I feel compelled to reply an I never post I have like 3 maybe IDk. Reading your post you sound very frustrated I get that been there but you are/were a custom rom developer?? How many cell carriers have you been with?
I was with Verizon for years they do not give a **** about any of their customers. They are more expensive for everything and they will nickel and dime you anyway they can. Verizon does not have blazing fast data 24/7 that covers every square inch of the USA.
They dropped sprint premiere, so what if you call sales they will upgrade you almost anytime you wanna buy a new phone an lock you down for two more years. Sprint buys back phones they always have some deal or incentive goin on. You buy a Verizon phone you aren't getting an upgrade for two yrs forget it.
Yea its not uncommon to talk to an idiot on the phone I myself as soon as I hear an accent not of the English language ask to speak someone else because I cannot understand them but you own a phone that they prob couldn't buy with their whole weeks paycheck.
I've had all the issues that you have with reboots freezes and whatnot no camera probs this is my 4th one. But hey they have replaced them with no hassle I've been offered other phones the photon for example which I passed on.
Idk what else you ask of them when they replace the defective product you can't justify getting mad at them for replacing a defective device with the lastest and least defective software.
THIS PHONE IS FAR SUPERIOR TO THE EVO4G which I had several of those I shattered the screen multiple times on all of them from dropping it. The speaker was a joke sure it was louder than the 3d until it blew the **** out. The 3D is sturdy and durable no problems from dropping not even a scratch on the screen I use no cases or protectors. Usb charging port is pathetic pos on EVO4g. 3D came out 1 year after 4G pretty dam good phone. There's nothing mind blowing that has come out since the 3D release I just don't get it. Were just now starting to see the next wave of technology that will soon outshine the phone.
Every other electronic device that you modify through software or hardware not provided by the OEM voids the warranty why does everyone feel cell phone manufactures/carriers shouldn't its just mind boggling. If you're fedup an rdy to tell sprint **** you kiss my ass it ain't always greener on the otherside even if its red.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA
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I don't care about customer service, I have dealt with good and bad reps of ANY company I have ever dealt with.
Sprint has unlimited plans but their network is mark-ably worse then when I first started using it.
Verizon has much better signal everywhere. I have a Verizon Mifi device and when my Evo 3D or Sprint Wifi device (which I returned) could not connect at work at all I was getting decent 4G with Verizon! No connection vs connection with 4G. And we all know Verizon has a much faster 4G data rate.
There are pros and cons to every carrier. I have friends who have all carriers, I have tried all of them almost (AT&T, US Cellular, T-Mobile, Sprint, Cingular) and there is plus and minus to all of them. But your post has some good points as well. Thank you for your reply and I agree with a LOT of what you said.
Threevo said:
FREEDOM OF SPEECH . I demand a reason of the removal of my posts .
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
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I have no idea what you said but I am guessing your post was a typical "retaliation" thread against mine and maybe the mods removed it so this post does not become a back and forth. But 30 posts about how they removed your threads are taking THIS thread off subject, so please stick to the subject matter.
A lot of people reply to posts with counter arguments but many go overboard. Maybe you did and they removed it? I can only speculate....
Anyhow, you can disagree with me of course but keep it clean. I opened this post with MY feelings, if yours differ offer counter arguments but no need to be rude (not saying your reply was rude, but seems there was something up with it).
I added to my first post now with more information
Loved your roms on the 4G, basically the only reason I responded to this thread (usually stay away from xda now). Sorry about the problems you are having.
Hopefully you find a phone and a carrier that treats you as well as your last phone.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA
ricsim78 said:
I don't care about customer service, I have dealt with good and bad reps of ANY company I have ever dealt with.
Sprint has unlimited plans but their network is mark-ably worse then when I first started using it.
Verizon has much better signal everywhere. I have a Verizon Mifi device and when my Evo 3D or Sprint Wifi device (which I returned) could not connect at work at all I was getting decent 4G with Verizon! No connection vs connection with 4G. And we all know Verizon has a much faster 4G data rate.
There are pros and cons to every carrier. I have friends who have all carriers, I have tried all of them almost (AT&T, US Cellular, T-Mobile, Sprint, Cingular) and there is plus and minus to all of them. But your post has some good points as well. Thank you for your reply and I agree with a LOT of what you said.
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Hi Ric, I also loved your roms on the EVO 4G too. I also made the switch to red, not because of the EVO 3D. I loved the phone and it's a solid phone but I didn't have a 1.5 hboot either. I might have felt differently if I had one. I as you did got tired of watching my coverage get worse. I'm not that far from you and I was paying for 4G coverage and hardly getting it . Some may disagree but I felt my 4G was better when I had my OG EVO. I'm no longer under "unlimited" data but is sprint truly "unlimited" when there's threads about guys getting cancelled for using too much data when it's "unlimited"..Just my .02. I'm sure in true XDA fashion someone will say "good riddance" or "cool story bro" but I'm a forum veteran and have seen it all on forums of all types. If it helps with your choice I'm loving the 4GLTE coverage Ric.
Peace
Can anyone find the Droid Increadble 4gLTE on VZW fourms https://community.verizonwireless.com/community/droid ? What is with this phone?
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/...t&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=5892
..
andybones said:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/...t&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=5892
..
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That is there but when you go to the community pages it is not listed. The S3 is there as well as the ORG inc and the Inc2 but not this one.
tjamscad said:
Can anyone find the Droid Increadble 4gLTE on VZW fourms https://community.verizonwireless.com/community/droid ? What is with this phone?
Click to expand...
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I've been saying this same thing for a while now. This phone is the bastard child of HTC and Verizon. Totally unloved. Last week I went to the local Verizon store and asked them if I could swap it out just because I felt like the entire existence of this phone is a fluke. The guy politely gave me Verizon's tech support number, smiled, and sent me on my way.
lwinstead said:
I've been saying this same thing for a while now. This phone is the bastard child of HTC and Verizon. Totally unloved. Last week I went to the local Verizon store and asked them if I could swap it out just because I felt like the entire existence of this phone is a fluke. The guy politely gave me Verizon's tech support number, smiled, and sent me on my way.
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That's strange. I was at a VZ store about a week after the phone came out and it was the first model the guy at the counter asked me if I'd be interested in. I was looking to buy a phone at full retail so I could keep my Unlimited Data Plan and he had one of these himself. He handed me his phone and let me fish around on it to get an idea of the look and feel. I had already purchased a Droid MAX but I hated everything about it so I took it back when I talked to this guy. He was really nice and was very patient with me while I was deciding. He told me I knew more about the phone than he did since I mentioned to him I was migrating from an HTC Thunderbolt. He hadn't figured out everything on the DINC 4G yet.
It's not a fluke, but it definitely isn't getting as much press as the larger screen phones. This model in particular is quite stable. I've not had any weird glitches of any kind. After a few battery charge cycles, even the battery seems reasonable given its size. It's probably lasting longer than my Thunderbolt battery because the DINC 4G screen is a bit smaller.
If you're looking for a small form factor, this phone is definitely worth considering but buyer beware - there aren't many accessories out there for this phone. I bought two at the VZ store and haven't really found much outside the VZ site.
I really miss my Thunderbolt though. The screen is one of the best available and there are quite a few case styles out there.
Some of you may have seen my post on upgrading from M9 to G4.
In that post I had said it appears that it was more of a Sprint issue than a phone issue. But I was keeping the G4 for other reasons.
Any way I had the M9 on swappa and prices seem to be tanking. I was offered $275 ugh.
Then I spoke to my wife and convinced her that she might be better off with the M9 than the M8 and she should at least try it.
Screaming bloody murder she agreed. The very first call went straight to voice mail as she drove away with her friend and I could still see her in the drive-way.
I would sell her reliable S-Off HK M8 if she was ok with M9.
When she got back I forgot that I left it in Auto (i.e. Global mode which includes GSM). I've seen phones misbehave when set that way.
I set it for LTE/CDMA. I suspect if I put the phone in CDMA mode it would be ok. But neither M8 or G4 needs that.
I have seen G4 do this once in a VERY weak single which is why I thought M9 was ok. But the M9 does this a LOT.
Ran the latest RUU on it that just came out which does have new firmware. And I only rerooted it via TWRP (nothing else), pure stock otherwise.
By the way Wifi Tether Router now works and only requires root, nice.
Anyways she drives off to go shopping. Still on the street I call her, didn't even ring once and went straight to voice mail (like the phone was off). Called 30 min later, rang forever and didn't even go to voice mail. Later I finally did reach her. Probably because she was out of LTE and in CDMA.
So now I feel guilty even selling it for any price. I really don't want to deal with Sprint on a phone I don't even want anymore.
I thought about making a "claim" on TEP and just couldn't do it.
So I figured why not try Ut-Oh. It does cover "damaged" phones. I told them exactly what was wrong and they refused to do ut-oh.
I told them I'll go drop in the toilet and be right back.
So I call them back with the toilet episode and they accepted it, so sad I had to do that, I tried the right way.
So I have not dropped it in the toilet. I really rather not. I hate seeing waste. I asked if the phone suddenly "recovered" in shipping when they got it back, what happens?
It can happen on dunked phones when they dry out.
They said I would still keep the replacement.
They said it will be a remanufactured phone.
Should I dunk it? It is S-Off, which is partly why I didn't want to go to sprint. I think you can hide it with hacked hboot, but I was not sure how fully hidden it was.
So should I dunk it and save headaches and feel guilty or just send it and they won't care. They will also see it's S-off too and they might take notice.
I prepaid to get new phone quick and just have to send old one back to not get charged.
Not sure if I should even try the new M9 with my wife again or leave it sealed and sell it.
I wouldn't worry about s-off, you'll have you're replacement phone via ut oh
also, sounds like your issues are sprint related not that specific m9
OMJ said:
I wouldn't worry about s-off, you'll have you're replacement phone via ut oh
also, sounds like your issues are sprint related not that specific m9
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It's either this M9 or all M9's. I tried it like 4 times each between G4 and M9. M9 would go to voice mail or no answer at all. G4 worked every time.
My guess is it's constantly bouncing between CDMA and LTE when it's asleep and if a call comes in while switching it loses it.
If I wake the phone first it will answer on LTE or CDMA.
I think it lowers power on radios when asleep and that causes it to bounce. It does not need full power on radio if no voice or data is going, just enough to hold the tower.
Got the new phone. HTC's web site still shows it as NOT even shipped !!
Did not come in retail box or any accessories. Cosmetically it looks new.
Still deciding what to do next. Since it's not sealed, I thought I should at least try it even if I do plan to sell.
If Network wise it worked as well as G4 or M8 I'd be happy for my wife to keep it.
I am really curious, so I know going forward with HTC or any brand for that matter.
Her current M9 has been fine since locking it into CDMA Only mode. Rock solid.
I see this problem of Calls go to Voice Mail on LTE ALL over the place all brands (LG, Samsung, HTC, Apple).
Saw one post by someone that had 3 LG G3's, 2 worked fine the other had this problem, and Sprint told him it needs to be in CDMA only mode.
He even showed him one phone working and the other not in the store when on LTE/CDMA.
Is it just variability in how well antennas are tuned or calibrated? Are some phones programmed wrong? Could it be programmed wrong and be this subtle?
90% of the time it will run the same at the G4 on LTE. 10% of the time it will run night and day different.
By the way my first M8 had an issue that DATA would only work on LTE not on 3G. Wiped and re-provisioned a bunch of times.
Ended up getting it replaced with S5. Later when I decided to go back to M8 I found out it was a programming issue after all and was an easy fix that had to be manually done on the phone in EPST.
So I do worry it's something like that again. But this is much more subtle.
Do towers divvy things up by say MAC addresses and some phones end up on one piece of equipment and other phones another?
The whole LTE switch to CDMA for calls is a total hack job in the first place. I think Verizon does it too.
This is why older phones had TWO Radios, one to stay on 3G and allowed simultaneous Voice and Data.
The hack works most of the time. But I have seen it fail on G4 too. Where as if I had it in CDMA only it would never fail.
This is crazy.
New M9 will not fully activate. Only get DATA (LTE and CDMA). Make a call and it will say Network Busy or immediately say Call Disconnected.
Tried with Sprint Tech for hours.
So we gave up and went back to her old M8 (that I deactivated Sunday).
First they say the SIM Card is tagged as lost or stolen. So the cleared that.
Then they reactivated M8. Same thing no Voice. Can't call or Text in or Out.
Worked with 3 techs. After 3 hours the tech spoke to another Tech saying he was seeing something similar on few customers he did swaps on.
Doesn't get nuttier than this.
Tried sending text out on new M9 and it expectedly failed.
Then tried sending text from G4 to new M9. No error but nothing happened. Called it a night and told wife that she will have no phone today.
Left phone in CDMA mode. 4 hours later in the middle of the night I hear Ding. Text received! On M9.
Called M9 and it rang.
Switch to LTE and it worked too.
Did my acid test in wife's pocket book and let it sleep and it answered in 1 ring. I had just confirmed failed doing that with old M9.
Need to test a little more but it is looking like 1st M9 was indeed bad. I unlocked bootloader, ran latest RUU, and restored DATA partition with TWRP.
I'm sure some of you are bored with this, but I post this for others in case it happens to them or is happening to them on any phone. Don't put up with it.
Because I lived with this broken M9 for 6 months. It was usable but not reliable in certain situations.
It is nice that HTC has the Ut-Oh program and I have long email exchange going with some rep at HTC explaining some of my history the past couple years.
If you want to use it, just say you dropped it or dunked it. It was fairly easy. Oh by the way I got the email today that it shipped.
I did a whole bunch more testing, mostly making sure it was in a deep sleep on LTE (our signal at the house (and work) varies between 1-3 bars on LTE and similar on CDMA).
It has not failed yet. Old one was almost 100% repeatable, once I figured it out.
Looks like I'll be keeping 1 foot in the door with HTC.
Also in EPST under ##DEBUG# it shows the phone as not Refurbish, 0 Hr's etc.
Ramble: In the electronics industry things are "Binned" chips that can't go as fast are just labeled as slower processors.
And there are tiers and thresholds to determine the bins things get put in.
Sometimes you might be very close to the threshold and sometimes way over (that's how some folks can way overclock chips while others can't).
It's not binary. With "Analog" antennas things can be even less binary.
Was this just a weak but passing spec M9? And the new M9 a strong one? (because we often put the phone in it's limits of weak signal).
Or was this phone simply broken?
I really wonder. I did compare LTE signal strengths and they looked similar and they were both bouncing around a lot.
But I don't recall if I compared CDMA (I think I did and would remember if they were significantly different).
I really wanted to see what would happen trying yet again another M9 and it appears it's good enough to be a reliable phone for my wife.
Usually my wife is behind one generation and every year the radio technology seems to change lately. So I could not compare them.
Now I'll get to see long term how same generation phones act in a wide variety of situations.
I see a couple members frequently saying HTC radios are sub-par. I don't believe that (even after having issues with two HTC phones 1st M8 and 1st M9).
Many of them are the exact same Qualcomm chipset each year. Only difference is antenna implementation, which I'm sure Qualcomm fairly rigidly specs.
Oh FYI, I sent the old M9 back with fresh RUU and S-Off and I didn't dunk it . I hope I don't regret that and they gripe about it.
I'll just play dumb and say it didn't work after getting wet, and it must have dried out.
This would have been a nightmare to go to a Sprint store with (with S-Off complicating things even further) because if the phone was awake it would work equal to G4.
And waiting for it to sleep long enough with appropriate signals is not easy to repeat at will. Which is why it took me 6 months to finally do something.
Kept hoping for new firmware to fix it because it was so subtle.
Oh, my wife is complaining about the Notification Light not being visible. I agree. If you set the phone down in front of you say a 18" away flat you can't see it at all.
You have to be above it.
I forget how M8 was. M8 was black, M9 is gold so M8 might have showed better contrast to see it. Other than that she seems fine with it so far.
Or there might be a little variation in how deep light is behind grill.
I don't plan on running sunshine this time. She barely needs root. She only really wants Tether for the rare occasion we are on the road and she is on call for work.
And tether works with Wifi Tether Router now, possibly less traceable too.
It's staying completely stock except for TWRP doing root. Less issues with warranty is that happens.
I won't upgrade unless I see a new RUU and will use the RUU to do so. Takes about 30 minutes to backup, lock, RUU, unlock and restore (well, maybe an hour )
I hate to say it but your experiences with the M9 are far from common. I had the M7. I had the M8. I had the M9. The M9 was the only real disappointment. I haven't done any hard testing in regards to the signal loss, but I think that's true. I definitely dropped LTE more frequently when going to the M9 compared to the M8.
I sell phones for a living and I really WANTED to have a good reason to push the M9, but my first experience with the phone was them taking HOURS to activate before I realized you had to set them to CDMA mode... absolutely ridiculous when the S6 beside them was up and running in 2 minutes... but I digress. I had the M9 since launch with Viper and for the most part felt almost like my M8. Except I ended up really missing my M8. The M9 just felt like a step backwards with nothing really new and exciting to offer.
All said and done, more than half of the M9s I did sell ended up getting returned. One guy gave it a fair shot on vacation, but he just could barely get the camera to take a good pic and ended up with an S6. I couldn't blame him. Is the M9 camera decent? Yes. Is it on par with it's competitors? Absolutely not. In fact some of the mid-tier phones took better pictures.
I have a Note 5 now. It's a huge jump in all honesty. Signal is phenomenal, battery life is great, camera is fantastic, fingerprint scanner is fast and useful, screen is bright and crisp, etc etc etc. I do miss the speakers, rooting, and Sense. Otherwise though, I'm not sure if I can bring myself back to HTC at this point. I don't know if anything can save them now...
Crawshayi said:
I hate to say it but your experiences with the M9 are far from common. I had the M7. I had the M8. I had the M9. The M9 was the only real disappointment. I haven't done any hard testing in regards to the signal loss, but I think that's true. I definitely dropped LTE more frequently when going to the M9 compared to the M8.
I sell phones for a living and I really WANTED to have a good reason to push the M9, but my first experience with the phone was them taking HOURS to activate before I realized you had to set them to CDMA mode... absolutely ridiculous when the S6 beside them was up and running in 2 minutes... but I digress. I had the M9 since launch with Viper and for the most part felt almost like my M8. Except I ended up really missing my M8. The M9 just felt like a step backwards with nothing really new and exciting to offer.
All said and done, more than half of the M9s I did sell ended up getting returned. One guy gave it a fair shot on vacation, but he just could barely get the camera to take a good pic and ended up with an S6. I couldn't blame him. Is the M9 camera decent? Yes. Is it on par with it's competitors? Absolutely not. In fact some of the mid-tier phones took better pictures.
I have a Note 5 now. It's a huge jump in all honesty. Signal is phenomenal, battery life is great, camera is fantastic, fingerprint scanner is fast and useful, screen is bright and crisp, etc etc etc. I do miss the speakers, rooting, and Sense. Otherwise though, I'm not sure if I can bring myself back to HTC at this point. I don't know if anything can save them now...
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Based on the rest of your post I think your first sentence meant to say "far from uncommon", not "far from common".
The replacement M9 is still running very solid though.
I was very close to also getting a Note 5.