I need some help deciding which carrier to choose from. So I am asking this great community to give their opinions.
Verizon LTE available
At&t LTE not available! But hpsa+ is
Verizon Bootloader locked (no true custom ROMS / kernels/ radios)
AT&T bootloader unlocked
Verizon unlimited data
AT&T 3 or 5 gb plans
What should I do?!
Biggest thing in my opinion is to look at coverage in your area and who has the best. Then look at pricing and who will give you the best bang for your buck essentially.
Those two things are what matter most if you ask me... not rooting and ROMing (although that is SO much fun)
SpartanG087 said:
I need some help deciding which carrier to choose from. So I am asking this great community to give their opinions.
Verizon LTE available
At&t LTE not available! But hpsa+ is
Verizon Bootloader locked (no true custom ROMS / kernels/ radios)
AT&T bootloader unlocked
Verizon unlimited data
AT&T 3 or 5 gb plans
What should I do?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would also recommend checking pricing options. I think AT&T is the only carrier with rollover minutes so if you call a lot that could save you a lot of money. Otherwise just compare / contrast. Beware however Verizon did lock down the bootloader on their S 3 so it maybe hard if not impossible to install a custom ROM. However I think I read some where today that there is a work around for it already so you may be ok.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
Coverage is about the same, AT&T doesn't have as much coverage up north where i live, but i am rarely up there anyway. Pricing is in favor of Verizon, but only since i would still have unlimited data. I don't think having root access on a locked bootloader with Verizon is going to be much fun or exciting. All the custom ROMS will be based of stock anyway. I think I am going with AT&T. Thanks for the help guys.
Tmobile!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
I had the same dilemma in my area, except I was coming from Sprint.
So I didn't get the option of keeping the unlimited data of verizon like you do.
I went with AT&T, cheaper plans, faster LTE network, and it gave more data allowance (3gb vs 2gb)
dirrtyswan said:
I had the same dilemma in my area, except I was coming from Sprint.
So I didn't get the option of keeping the unlimited data of verizon like you do.
I went with AT&T, cheaper plans, faster LTE network, and it gave more data allowance (3gb vs 2gb)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you have the S3 with AT&T? Bootloader is unlocked? I am talking with an AT&T rep who is telling me it's locked. I hope he just doesn't know what he is talking about.
SpartanG087 said:
So you have the S3 with AT&T? Bootloader is unlocked? I am talking with an AT&T rep who is telling me it's locked. I hope he just doesn't know what he is talking about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the reps for AT&T are generally retarded when it comes to details like that. They're just there to sell the phones and plans. All the S3's have unlocked bootloaders except for Verizons.
SpartanG087 said:
Coverage is about the same, AT&T doesn't have as much coverage up north where i live, but i am rarely up there anyway. Pricing is in favor of Verizon, but only since i would still have unlimited data. I don't think having root access on a locked bootloader with Verizon is going to be much fun or exciting. All the custom ROMS will be based of stock anyway. I think I am going with AT&T. Thanks for the help guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I left Tmobile to enjoy the blazzing speeds of Verizon .. but within hours of hearing about that locked bootloader .. I immediately got my money back and went with AT&T.
If we were in that 99% who are just as happy owning a SGS III just the way it is, without question I'd say that Unlimited plan is something to fight for and keep..
But since we are in that 1% who love flashing and having the latest the moment it comes out .. than that's just as important as deciding to drop $600 for this phone and being able to get as much as you can out of it. And for Verizon to tell you NO .. whether there is a *work around* or not .. that's betting on a dead horse.
From what I've read, Verizon customers are use to these tactics and are okay with settling..but for those of us on Sprint, AT&T, TMO, and International are looking at Verizon folks cross-eyed because developing and flashing isn't suppose to be so difficult. You just boot into recovery, flash once and go .. not boot into recovery and go through how many steps just before the thing loads .. No disrespect to the devs, one can appreciate the effort, but they shouldn't have to even be is a position to go through all of that...
Also, with the ROMs I already see in the AT&T/TMO dev section .. already being able to use each others ROMS .. man..that's just too much fun and the party hasn't even started. This is a huge reason I choose to get this phone and mine is coming tomorrow! .. See ya around
I switched to at&t from verizon because on my business plan I saved about 50 dollars a month even when replacing a regular phone with a smartphone with a data plan.
I am in HSPA+ area and when I have full bars I get about 6 mbps download speeds and 1.5 mbps upload speeds.
What kind of speeds are you guys getting? How does LTE speeds compare to this?
extreme11191986 said:
I switched to at&t from verizon because on my business plan I saved about 50 dollars a month even when replacing a regular phone with a smartphone with a data plan.
I am in HSPA+ area and when I have full bars I get about 6 mbps download speeds and 1.5 mbps upload speeds.
What kind of speeds are you guys getting? How does LTE speeds compare to this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have LTE in the Baltimore, MD area and the fastest I got on LTE is was 47mbps down and 11mbps up. As far as I know, this beats Verizon's LTE in my area by about 3.5x
Sent from my GS3
miztaken1312 said:
I have LTE in the Baltimore, MD area and the fastest I got on LTE is was 47mbps down and 11mbps up. As far as I know, this beats Verizon's LTE in my area by about 3.5x
Sent from my GS3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow blows my 6 mbps out of the water lol.
I with t mobile and I get. They say I be bragging but I can't help it if I live in GREAT coverage area
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
SO I don't need LTE at all. Plus I come out cheaper. Win Win for me
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Just did this one. For whatever reason the stupid app refuses to show me any testing locations that are actually near me, instead putting me in Indiana instead of Maryland or D.C. so keep that in mind. It should be about 10mb down and 1.5mb up faster then this.
Sent from my GS3
SpartanG087 said:
I need some help deciding which carrier to choose from. So I am asking this great community to give their opinions.
Verizon LTE available
At&t LTE not available! But hpsa+ is
Verizon Bootloader locked (no true custom ROMS / kernels/ radios)
AT&T bootloader unlocked
Verizon unlimited data
AT&T 3 or 5 gb plans
What should I do?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do we assume you already have been with Verizon, you already had an unlimited data plan, and you already preordered the phone and accepted terms of a new two year contract before June 28th?
because if all of the above doesn't apply you won't be allowed to keep your unlimited data on Verizon, sorry
Related
Is anyone working on tweaking the AT&T Notes radio? I don't mean for TMobile, I mean so that HSPA+ as well as LTE are faster? The reason I ask, is I had/have an HTC HD2 that gets way better data transfer rates on 3g, than this phone does on HSPA+ in the same area. I have been able to hit 3-4Mbits down on this phone, and was getting 5-to almost 8 MBits on the HD2. (There have been a dozen plus radios on the HD2) The data speed on this Note is disappointing.
C0BRA01 said:
Is anyone working on tweaking the AT&T Notes radio? I don't mean for TMobile, I mean so that HSPA+ as well as LTE are faster? The reason I ask, is I had/have an HTC HD2 that gets way better data transfer rates on 3g, than this phone does on HSPA+ in the same area. I have been able to hit 3-4Mbits down on this phone, and was getting 5-to almost 8 MBits on the HD2. (There have been a dozen plus radios on the HD2) The data speed on this Note is disappointing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I easily get 10MB down on my this phone on HSPA+, which is the same as my last phone. I'd say there is something wrong with your phone.
HSPA+
Are you running a stock rom? Mines rooted, but otherwise stock. Also, are you on AT&T?
EvoXOhio said:
I easily get 10MB down on my this phone on HSPA+, which is the same as my last phone. I'd say there is something wrong with your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
C0BRA01 said:
Are you running a stock rom? Mines rooted, but otherwise stock. Also, are you on AT&T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tested running completely stock, stock + rooted, and on The Collective Unofficial ROM.
Yes I am on AT&T.
C0BRA01 said:
Is anyone working on tweaking the AT&T Notes radio? I don't mean for TMobile, I mean so that HSPA+ as well as LTE are faster? The reason I ask, is I had/have an HTC HD2 that gets way better data transfer rates on 3g, than this phone does on HSPA+ in the same area. I have been able to hit 3-4Mbits down on this phone, and was getting 5-to almost 8 MBits on the HD2. (There have been a dozen plus radios on the HD2) The data speed on this Note is disappointing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running into the same issues. I am thinking that since I am a long time AT&T unlimited user, I only have two options available:
Note: I already unlocked, then rooted the stock with Odin, did a back-up with
Titanium, did a nandroid back from the phone, and loaded the clockwork recovery into my phone so that I can load ROMS easier.
Options:
1. Subscribe to AT&Ts NEW service options and I will be subscribed to their
new HSPA+/LTE club (give up unlimited) without any problems.
OR
2. Don't subscribe to any of their new plans, and stay stuck with the Edge and
3G, and Unlimited data services, all while the phone falsely shows 4G at the top of the screen.
My fastest down speed has been around 6.5 MB - depending on where I am while 4G was being displayed on the phone.
It seems to me that the HSPA+/LTE requires a special subscription.
Network Mode does not appear on my phone, so I can't ensure that it
it has a 4G service selected. I was looking for a fix that would turn my Network Mode back on.
I can see a defaulted APN titled AT&T PTA, but it is locked from edits.
If I set my phone to that defaulted AT&T PTA everything works but data. SpeedTest immediately displays, "Try Again".
In my Elixir application, if I choose "Turn WiMax(4G) ON,
I get the following in Elixir:
=====Data======
State: DcInactiveState
disconnected with last try at 4:38 PM
fail because
SERVICE_OPTION_NOT_SUBSCRIBED
===============
So, I think that either we need to figure out how to turn Network Mode back on,
for the AT&T Notes, or give up unlimited and go with their new plan.
Some kind of way it seems like a subscription may be tied into allowing HSPA/LTE speeds.
You don't have to give up your grandfathered unlimited plan for HSPA or LTE. They just upgrade you to the 4G version of the unlimited plan.
You may have to do it in an actual AT&T store (not a dealer) or over the phone with customer care.
Also these phones don't have wimax...
lactardjosh said:
You don't have to give up your grandfathered unlimited plan for HSPA or LTE. They just upgrade you to the 4G version of the unlimited plan.
You may have to do it in an actual AT&T store (not a dealer) or over the phone with customer care.
Also these phones don't have wimax...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been on the phone with a couple of reps., been into an AT&T shop a few times, and they all keep telling me that I have to upgrade to their new plan which does not have unlimited. The best they could offer me was a 5 GB plan. Also, they said I have never been on a smartphone plan with them. Although, I was previously using an HTC HD2 (sounds like a smartphone too me), but it was not a smartphone registered in their system. Records show that I'm a razor user.
They have no record of the unlocked phones that have been using like the HTC HD2. So now, when I take that SIM out of the HTC HD2 and slide it into the Note, I'm not getting 4G.
And finally, they said that if I was previously on one of their Smartphone plans I would be able to transfer to the LTE service.
When I zoom out and look at the big picture, I don't think most people have a need for the extra speed anyway.
Any thoughts... I think I am stuck with the Edge.
4g vs 3g
Don't bother upgrading. I had unlimited, and am now on their 5gb a month plan with tethering. and I am not getting any faster speeds. I seriously doubt it's the plan, and I am getting billed for 4g.
Tecneek said:
I've been on the phone with a couple of reps., been into an AT&T shop a few times, and they all keep telling me that I have to upgrade to their new plan which does not have unlimited. The best they could offer me was a 5 GB plan. Also, they said I have never been on a smartphone plan with them. Although, I was previously using an HTC HD2 (sounds like a smartphone too me), but it was not a smartphone registered in their system. Records show that I'm a razor user.
They have no record of the unlocked phones that have been using like the HTC HD2. So now, when I take that SIM out of the HTC HD2 and slide it into the Note, I'm not getting 4G.
And finally, they said that if I was previously on one of their Smartphone plans I would be able to transfer to the LTE service.
When I zoom out and look at the big picture, I don't think most people have a need for the extra speed anyway.
Any thoughts... I think I am stuck with the Edge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tecneek said:
I've been on the phone with a couple of reps., been into an AT&T shop a few times, and they all keep telling me that I have to upgrade to their new plan which does not have unlimited. The best they could offer me was a 5 GB plan. Also, they said I have never been on a smartphone plan with them. Although, I was previously using an HTC HD2 (sounds like a smartphone too me), but it was not a smartphone registered in their system. Records show that I'm a razor user.
They have no record of the unlocked phones that have been using like the HTC HD2. So now, when I take that SIM out of the HTC HD2 and slide it into the Note, I'm not getting 4G.
And finally, they said that if I was previously on one of their Smartphone plans I would be able to transfer to the LTE service.
When I zoom out and look at the big picture, I don't think most people have a need for the extra speed anyway.
Any thoughts... I think I am stuck with the Edge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think maybe I misread your earlier post. Do you mean that you have an AT&T Unlimited plan (calling minutes, etc) or AT&T unlimited data plan?
If you have a grandfathered unlimited data plan, they should upgrade you to the unlimited 4G data plan with the new SIM card.
If you have the Unlimited calling plan, then you might have to suck it up and get one of the capped data plans if you really want LTE.
Either way, to get the faster data speeds you would need a new SIM card. The older SIMs (even from last year in some cases) can't handle the faster LTE speeds and can cripple the data speeds on the phone to the point you are describing.
I have the unlimited data and calling plan. Reps. just told me straight out that I will lose the unlimited data. But after reading Cobra's post, I have no clue as to what the real trigger is for making HSPA+/LTE work on my phone.
Well, I'm getting ready to strip everything to see how ICS looks, and then go from there..
I guess Cobra there is still no answer. You switched and it is still slow, I did not switch and it is still slow. Does the LTE service really exist
p.s. I can't wait until I don't have to challenge the image verification. I cannot understand those &^&%^ letters
Tecneek said:
I have the unlimited data and calling plan. Reps. just told me straight out that I will lose the unlimited data. But after reading Cobra's post, I have no clue as to what the real trigger is for making HSPA+/LTE work on my phone.
Well, I'm getting ready to strip everything to see how ICS looks, and then go from there..
I guess Cobra there is still no answer. You switched and it is still slow, I did not switch and it is still slow. Does the LTE service really exist
p.s. I can't wait until I don't have to challenge the image verification. I cannot understand those &^&%^ letters
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reps are BSing you. I have a grandfathered unlimited plan & switched to a LTE unlimited plan by asking the rep to do it for me when I activated my I717. I came from a N7000 to an I717. Are you in a LTE area? I went from 3-6MB DL to 20-35ish MB DL, depending where I'm at.
RMXO said:
The reps are BSing you. I have a grandfathered unlimited plan & switched to a LTE unlimited plan by asking the rep to do it for me when I activated my I717. I came from a N7000 to an I717. Are you in a LTE area? I went from 3-6MB DL to 20-35ish MB DL, depending where I'm at.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good grief.. I'll try again at a new location. I'll simply tell them that I want to change my current unlimited plan to the LTE unlimited plan. I am in the Wash, D.C. metro area. They act like an LTE unlimited plan doesn't exist.
Cobra are you in an LTE area? I wonder why your speeds aren't up there if you are in fact on the LTE plan.
---------- Post added at 03:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:26 PM ----------
Tecneek said:
Good grief.. I'll try again at a new location. I'll simply tell them that I want to change my current unlimited plan to the LTE unlimited plan. I am in the Wash, D.C. metro area. They act like an LTE unlimited plan doesn't exist.
Cobra are you in an LTE area? I wonder why your speeds aren't up there if you are in fact on the LTE plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, they looked at the SIM too and said it was a current SIM.
If you can send me the description of the svc as on the invoice I would appreciate..
XDA is no longer worth my time.
TimOster said:
I just picked mine up yesterday. Upgraded from a Nexus One. I still have the old SIM, it's disabled. I purchased the phone at the ATT store. Comes with a NEW SIM or you won't get LTE speeds.
1. Other than the upgrade fee, my monthly bill is the same. I still have my unlimited data plan, only since I'm LTE now I don't get throttled until I hit 5G.
2. I get 25M DL, 8.5 UL at my house. I live in San Diego. (depending on where I am. I tried here at work and got **** for DL, right next to thousands of iPhone users)
If someone is telling you different, they are lying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You guys got me feeling slighted over here Ok, I'm defintely going to follow-up again. I was wondering if your Nexus smartphone was a recognized AT&T phone. The pivotal point for grandfathering unlimited to LTE may be that they will do it only for THEIR phones that were previously recognized as smartphones. When they look up my records it comes back showing that I'm officially using one of their previous motorola razor phones, which at the time was not on a their smartphone plan, even though I was able to use the SIM in an unlocked non-AT&T HTC-HD2 without any problems.
So, maybe if you come from a recognized AT&T smartphone they will upgrade you, but if your last phone registered with them was not considered a smartphone while on an unlimited data plan, then they will not grandfather you in..
I gues it's worth another try.
p.s. thanks for helping me respond and overcome that *&^ image verification challenge
Tecneek said:
You guys got me feeling slighted over here Ok, I'm defintely going to follow-up again. I was wondering if your Nexus smartphone was a recognized AT&T phone. The pivotal point for grandfathering unlimited to LTE may be that they will do it only for THEIR phones that were previously recognized as smartphones. When they look up my records it comes back showing that I'm officially using one of their previous motorola razor phones, which at the time was not on a their smartphone plan, even though I was able to use the SIM in an unlocked non-AT&T HTC-HD2 without any problems.
So, maybe if you come from a recognized AT&T smartphone they will upgrade you, but if your last phone registered with them was not considered a smartphone while on an unlimited data plan, then they will not grandfather you in..
I gues it's worth another try.
p.s. thanks for helping me respond and overcome that *&^ image verification challenge
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. It has to be an "unlimited smartphone data plan". If you have that no matter what phone you are using, you can keep it. Usually you can tell by how much you are paying for the data plan. There was a "unlimited" plan for other non smartphones for like $20 for phones like the Razor etc but the smartphone plan for what were known previously as PDAs was like $39.
So which one do you have? I am pretty sure if you only have the unlimited non-smartphone plan you cannot convert that to a smartphone unlimited plan...
LTE
Yes, and I think there is a list of cities somewhere. Seattle area, as high tech as it is, does NOT have it yet, while smaller cities, and lower tech areas do? Doesn't make sense to me. So for now I am stuck with HSPA+
On my HD2, I had regular 3g speeds, then I did a radio change, and used the Rafpigna Froyo ROM, and suddenly I started getting speeds like my sig pic shows. My data is slower with this ROM, but from what I have been reading around the net, my speeds are pretty typical for a lot of the Notes on HSPA+
Forgot to mention that I installed the leaked ICS ROM, and it is very much worth doing. Data speed went up a little as well. Still not as much as my HD2 was though.
Tecneek said:
I have the unlimited data and calling plan. Reps. just told me straight out that I will lose the unlimited data. But after reading Cobra's post, I have no clue as to what the real trigger is for making HSPA+/LTE work on my phone.
Well, I'm getting ready to strip everything to see how ICS looks, and then go from there..
I guess Cobra there is still no answer. You switched and it is still slow, I did not switch and it is still slow. Does the LTE service really exist
p.s. I can't wait until I don't have to challenge the image verification. I cannot understand those &^&%^ letters
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The speed of the network will always vary greatly. They are completely based on your proximity to the tower and the current load from other users on the tower. Unless you can find a tower with no other users on it and you can repeat the test from the exact same spot, there is no way to compare speeds between phones, or even the same phone at different locations.
If you find some threads where people are reporting their speeds, you will see that they vary by massive amounts.
I can say that I am still onthe unlimited data plan and on stock ROM I was getting 10Mbps. It must be your area because my last phone was hitting max capability on HSPA @ 7.2 Mbps.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note™
Edit, just to clarify I went from a 3G only phone and finally got a 4G phone and I really don't thing they are trying to throttle your speeds just because you are on 4G with an unlimited data plan.
I was an AT&T rep from a long time ago (before cingular) and one thing that has held true is that all reps are told by corporate to push people into new plans no matter what. I was told as a rep by another rep that even something as swapping phones required new 2 year contracts which was and still is bull.
AT&T arbitrarily swapped my plan when I went from my G1 to a streak because they said I never was on a smartphone plan. I explained to them that I was on a blackjack and went to a G1 (paying $30 a month) and then I went to the streak. They told me tough luck and they were keeping me on the tiered data plan. I calmly asked for their manager, when I was transferred I exploded on the manager telling them that I call every time when I swap phones to make sure everything is good (not needing to upgrade my plan or anything) and that it was their screwup and if they're treating me like this I was going to leave. I promptly got an apology and asked for my current IEMI number and we were done. I threw in words and phrases like improper business practices, bait and switch and other such things. Managers have more "Say" on what they can do, you tend to get things taken care of because they just don't want to deal with you.
that's been my experience with AT&T, they're far from perfect, but if you start yelling and being upset, you're more likely to get what you want. Sad but true.
LTE
Nope, no LTE in Seattle yet. Only HSPA+ Seattle is very high tech, and yet, no LTE here. One of AT&T's major data centers is here as well. Hard to tell why they are slow rolling it out here.
I don't get to see the invoices. My wife works for AT&T, and gets those. She did tell me I am being billed for 4g though.
Tecneek said:
Good grief.. I'll try again at a new location. I'll simply tell them that I want to change my current unlimited plan to the LTE unlimited plan. I am in the Wash, D.C. metro area. They act like an LTE unlimited plan doesn't exist.
Cobra are you in an LTE area? I wonder why your speeds aren't up there if you are in fact on the LTE plan.
---------- Post added at 03:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:26 PM ----------
Oh, they looked at the SIM too and said it was a current SIM.
If you can send me the description of the svc as on the invoice I would appreciate..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an i9100 right now and run data on the non-smartphone unlimited plan. I've only had the i9100 since October, but I'm thinking of eBay'ing it and getting the S3.
My question is, would I be better served to wait for the AT&T version so I could get LTE or just get the i9300, live with slower non-wifi speeds and enjoy a new, unlocked, unfettered phone?
AT&T prevented the One X from unlocking their bootloader; to me, that already says enough.
mfratella said:
I have an i9100 right now and run data on the non-smartphone unlimited plan. I've only had the i9100 since October, but I'm thinking of eBay'ing it and getting the S3.
My question is, would I be better served to wait for the AT&T version so I could get LTE or just get the i9300, live with slower non-wifi speeds and enjoy a new, unlocked, unfettered phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE is awesome, i have the skyrocket and Galaxy Note LTE versions. and they are super fast on the network, but i am bypassing the LTE and going the international SGS3 because i know that At&t is going to butcher this device stateside. not that it wont be fast.....but i want something un tainted by them......at least till the NOTE2 comes out, then i will all over that LTE phone....lol
mfratella said:
I have an i9100 right now and run data on the non-smartphone unlimited plan. I've only had the i9100 since October, but I'm thinking of eBay'ing it and getting the S3.
My question is, would I be better served to wait for the AT&T version so I could get LTE or just get the i9300, live with slower non-wifi speeds and enjoy a new, unlocked, unfettered phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE is great! But you need to weigh it against the cost of having it.
In no short order, to obtain LTE on AT&T, you must:
Give up the incredible Exynos quad.
Deal with ATT bloat.
Deal with ATT hard-branding.
Deal with ATT redesign (likely losing the physical home button).
Deal with ATT kernels/firmware and potentially locked down components.
Have less dev support (international versions always attract more devs-- myself included).
Be locked into using only ATT (or paying for a SIM unlock code).
Deal with (usually much) slower official OS updates and patches.
Know that you're "in the system" at ATT because they have your IMEI.
Deal with having no idea when the device is actually going to be released.
I'm sure I missed some.
So, how badly do you really want a faster cell connection?
Hopefully that helps you.
thebobp said:
AT&T prevented the One X from unlocking their bootloader; to me, that already says enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't agree more.
Plexicle said:
LTE is great! But you need to weigh it against the cost of having it.
In no short order, to obtain LTE on AT&T, you must:
Give up the incredible Exynos quad.
Deal with ATT bloat.
Deal with ATT hard-branding.
Deal with ATT redesign (likely losing the physical home button).
Deal with ATT kernels/firmware and potentially locked down components.
Have less dev support (international versions always attract more devs-- myself included).
Be locked into using only ATT (or paying for a SIM unlock code).
Deal with (usually much) slower official OS updates and patches.
Know that you're "in the system" at ATT because they have your IMEI.
Deal with having no idea when the device is actually going to be released.
I'm sure I missed some.
So, how badly do you really want a faster cell connection?
Hopefully that helps you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great points, makes me feel even better about importing the S3 esp since this will be my first time doing so.
Also, a few have mentioned you can downgrade your data plan to medianet and save $ since the Int. S3's IMEI won't be in the ATT database & it's not considered a "smart" phone.
I will be happy to have the "home" button back since using my ATT Note that lacks it.
MoJoePin said:
Great points, makes me feel even better about importing the S3 esp since this will be my first time doing so.
Also, a few have mentioned you can downgrade your data plan to medianet and save $ since the Int. S3's IMEI won't be in the ATT database & it's not considered a "smart" phone.
I will be happy to have the "home" button back since using my ATT Note that lacks it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you go with that media net plan do you still get 3G speed - Hspa speed ? Or what ?
Sent from my GALAXY.
manny05 said:
If you go with that media net plan do you still get 3G speed - Hspa speed ? Or what ?
Sent from my GALAXY.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and yes HSPA+ which is being called 4G but is not LTE. Have LTE on my Note and while it's fast it sucks the life out of a battery. Will not give up quad core just to be on a LTE Bloated devices.
I usually get 1 or 2 down and right around 1 up which is more than fast enought to stream videos, internet works great, etc. Not that it matters to me anyways because my LTE connection speed is zero, there is no LTE in my area and it appears it is still several years away. Makes it a no brainer really... lol
Once you go LTE its kinda hard to go back to HSPA+
if you have wifi constantly its a no brainer.
Able to surf the web and stream HD videos on the road is very satisfying.
that's why Im so torn if i should get the unlock or wait for the LTE version.
shinshoryuken said:
Once you go LTE its kinda hard to go back to HSPA+
if you have wifi constantly its a no brainer.
Able to surf the web and stream HD videos on the road is very satisfying.
that's why Im so torn if i should get the unlock or wait for the LTE version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can Stream HD video on my HSPA+
bbgt2 said:
Yes, and yes HSPA+ which is being called 4G but is not LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, if you want to go there, LTE is not true 4G either.
shinshoryuken said:
Once you go LTE its kinda hard to go back to HSPA+
if you have wifi constantly its a no brainer.
Able to surf the web and stream HD videos on the road is very satisfying.
that's why Im so torn if i should get the unlock or wait for the LTE version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree, personally. I had my Note LTE for a few months that I just sold last week and have since been using the HSPA+ Atrix until the S3 is released. The LTE was great, mind you, and sometimes I had speeds up to ~50 down. Honestly though, the HSPA+ speeds I'm getting now are noticeably slower, but only when I'm actually downloading something. Really, that's usually only podcasts and app updates anymore, and the speed difference in the end usually nets to an extra ~10-15 seconds of waiting. I have zero issues streaming HD video and music to my phone with HSPA+, so the LTE would literally do nothing for me in that case (except for perhaps consuming more battery).
With data caps, it's even less of an issue. You wouldn't want to be downloading any large files over the cell network in either case, so you'll end up on WiFi for that stuff whether you're LTE-equipped or not.
Furthermore, the LTE radios right now are so power-hungry that I wasn't very comfortable using it on my Note. You actually use a lot less power with your WiFi radio ON.
Put that all together and weigh it against the benefits of importing the international variant. For me personally, that's the "no-brainer."
To me its not for a couple reason, 1.) We dont have LTE where I live 2.) Only time I use data is to send picture/video messages otherwise I'm always wireless. Also agree with everyone else on the ATT front, they really do ugly the thing up. I'd also rather have a quad-core than LTE. I'm a hardware over network guy.
thebobp said:
Also, if you want to go there, LTE is not true 4G either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK
Hspa+ is 3.5G
LTE is 3.99g
All good now?
bbgt2 said:
OK
Hspa+ is 3.5G
LTE is 3.99g
All good now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Err, it's hardly 3.99G when 4G mandates 1Gbps and LTE can still fall into the "single digit Mbps".
Well were I live LTE is about 8mbs up/down on AT&T and H+ is 3-5mbs down and 1 up so no big deal for me. That non RGB 720p screen is, but I am still thinking about it.
I was on ATT before with 3G before, but not LTE and I haven't looked at their plan for a while. Can someone explain to me:
When you sign up for their LTE plan, do you get 3G also or no?
If no, can you also buy 3G and how much more is it?
If you can't have 3G free with LTE I think its not so good, especially if you are not living in a well coverage area, which 3G still has a wider coverage.
eksasol said:
I was on ATT before with 3G before, but not LTE and I haven't looked at their plan for a while. Can someone explain to me:
When you sign up for their LTE plan, do you get 3G also or no?
If no, can you also buy 3G?
If you can't have 3G free with LTE I think its not so good, especially if you are not living in a well coverage area, which 3G still has a wider coverage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your phone will toggle between 4gLTE -4G-3g-and Edge. but 85 percent of the time my Note is on LTE.
if your area has LTE why would WANT to buy 3g as well......lol
the2rrell said:
your phone will toggle between 4gLTE -4G-3g-and Edge. but 85 percent of the time my Note is on LTE.
if your area has LTE why would WANT to buy 3g as well......lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats my point, what if you have an LTE phone and your area don't have LTE, or you go out of town to an area without LTE, and you have no 3G plan. You'll be stuck with 2G.
Im looking at a att sg2 and im thinking about unlocking the sim to put it on straight talk or simple mobile or tmobile 30 plan. I know it can go on the two but tmobile i don't know about. If i unlock the sim will it work on tmobile network with there prepaid 30 plan?
Sent from my SPH-M930BST using XDA
derrickmd18 said:
Im looking at a att sg2 and im thinking about unlocking the sim to put it on straight talk or simple mobile or tmobile 30 plan. I know it can go on the two but tmobile i don't know about. If i unlock the sim will it work on tmobile network with there prepaid 30 plan?
Sent from my SPH-M930BST using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There must be a million threads on this
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
At&t phones will work on T-Mobile (or simlpemobile) network (calls, SMS, mms) but will not have 3/4G data. The modem hardware isn't compatible. You would get EDGE which is pretty slow.
If you use straight talk, you will get 3G data. You will have to buy a sim card online then get $45 refill card, and you would have unlimited everything.
I'm sure edge is faster than the 700-1000kb I'm getting from boost
Sent from my SPH-M930BST using XDA
derrickmd18 said:
I'm sure edge is faster than the 700-1000kb I'm getting from boost
Sent from my SPH-M930BST using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. its edge.
Not sure on exact, but quite a bit less than 700
MotoMudder77 said:
Nope. its edge.
Not sure on exact, but quite a bit less than 700
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think "dialup modem" class speeds. A bit faster - I think 200-300 kilobits/sec if you're REALLY lucky.
Right. EDGE is 2G technology. Not much good for web 2.0 stuff or streaming.
rangercaptain said:
If you use straight talk, you will get 3G data. You will have to buy a sim card online then get $45 refill card, and you would have unlimited everything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would the 3g data be HSPA+ and how good are the speeds? I have the GS2 on Sprint and my contract is up in September. I'm thinking about going to Straight Talk with a used ATT or TMO GS2. Just wondering which phone would be the best choice.
the 3g data is HSPA+ with straight talk. I switched over from a verizon galaxy nexus and i can say that the HSPA+ speed here is comparable to the Verizon 4g LTE speed, but the signal strength is not near as good.
If im outside, i get about 7 meg down and 1-2 meg up on my at&t i777 (straight talk) and i get 4-6 meg down and .7 - 1 meg up on my 4gLTE Gnex.
Indoors, my GSM signal suffers whereas my CDMA signal does not. Speed not that big of difference, just hard to keep a steady signal with my GSM phones.
Either way, a GREAT deal on straight talk... They say its unlimited but they will call you if you have excessive use (250-500'ish megs in a day or some say over 2gb in a month) and some have said they will deactivate your sim, but i havent had that issue yet.
Great info. Thank you. Somehow the guy at my local Sprint store got me a 25% discount last September when I bought my GS2 for being an employee of Boeing. Thing is I don't work for Boeing and never have. The 3g is horrible and I really don't want to sign another contract with Sprint. It's a decent deal now with the discount but if corporate catches on and takes that away, I'm stuck with it. I thought about the GSM Gnex for $350 from Google, but it really isn't the phone I want. I might wait until the next Nexus arrives. Rumors are we'll see one in early November.
Honestly, this thread should be a sticky. I'm sick and tired of people posting this same exact thing weekly!!!!!!!
I was going to purchase a Galaxy S3 from ATT and use it on the go phone plan. The rep at the store told me if I purchased the phone and it didn't work with my go phone sim I would be unable to return the phone. I asked if all I had to do was enter in the correct APN it would work. He said he'd seen other people try and not be able to get it to work. Is this guy full of crap? I understand I wouldn't be getting LTE but figured I would be able to get 3g. I was going to enter in the APN settings that I used on my unlocked tmobile galaxy s2 on the go phone plan.
Yah the guy is full of crap. It would be work but won't be using the phone to its full potential. Have you tried StraightTalk or Tmobile Monthly4G perhaps? I'm currently on Tmo's monthly 4G $30 plan and absolutely love it. I cant imagin myself being tied down to another 2yr contract ever again. I avg around 12-18mbps down with Tmobile btw.
babymatteo said:
Yah the guy is full of crap. It would be work but won't be using the phone to its full potential. Have you tried StraightTalk or Tmobile Monthly4G perhaps? I'm currently on Tmo's monthly 4G $30 plan and absolutely love it. I cant imagin myself being tied down to another 2yr contract ever again. I avg around 12-18mbps down with Tmobile btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information. T mobile has poor coverage where I am located. I currently have a go phone plan but have thought about using straight talk since it uses att towers and has unlimited data if you don't abuse it.
I see. StraightTalk's data speeds are actually pretty fast. But i've heard that even though it says its unlimited, they do cap you at only 2GBs.
babymatteo said:
I see. StraightTalk's data speeds are actually pretty fast. But i've heard that even though it says its unlimited, they do cap you at only 2GBs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I heard they don't so much cap you as they actually kick you off. I use less than 1 GB a month so it won't be so much of a problem.
I would look into Straight Talk for your needs. I suggest reading this thread for some good user feedback on ST(data cap, coverage, call quality, etc) on ATT http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1681307
Hello everyone!
I'm new here, and am in the process of buying my new phone. I was in the debate of the Samsung Galaxy S3 but I have decided to go with the Almighty One HTC Evo 4G LTE. I noticed it's special because of my own personal preferences, and due to the fact that its only available for SPRINT.
So my question is: Can I unlock this Almighty smart phone to be used on the AT&T carrier? I have AT&T and can't get out the contract until July of 2013.
Would I be able to use the 4G LTE on it and every other feature on the AT&T network?
Thanks
dreammaker23 said:
Hello everyone!
I'm new here, and am in the process of buying my new phone. I was in the debate of the Samsung Galaxy S3 but I have decided to go with the Almighty One HTC Evo 4G LTE. I noticed it's special because of my own personal preferences, and due to the fact that its only available for SPRINT.
So my question is: Can I unlock this Almighty smart phone to be used on the AT&T carrier? I have AT&T and can't get out the contract until July of 2013.
Would I be able to use the 4G LTE on it and every other feature on the AT&T network?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You cannot use the EVO LTE on AT&T because Sprint and AT&T use 2 different cellular technologies. Sprint is CDMA and AT&T is GSM. It won't work at all
sharky17 said:
You cannot use the EVO LTE on AT&T because Sprint and AT&T use 2 different cellular technologies. Sprint is CDMA and AT&T is GSM. It won't work at all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply, but how sure are you on this... I've come across links to UNLOCKing HTC Evo 4G LTE for AT&T. But I can't try it because I don't have the Evo on me.
Att is a gsm technology sprint uses CDMA. They don't mix, sharky is correct
om4 said:
Att is a gsm technology sprint uses CDMA. They don't mix, sharky is correct
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahhh dammit! lol..Aight cool..Thanks Guys!
dreammaker23 said:
Thanks for the reply, but how sure are you on this... I've come across links to UNLOCKing HTC Evo 4G LTE for AT&T. But I can't try it because I don't have the Evo on me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I am sure. Used to sell phones for all the major companies. There is always links on the internet that are lies. LOL. Sorry man.
The op may have stumbled across an old thread about the touch pro, I clearly remember it had gsm world capability and someone managed to crack it open for att/tmobile
om4 said:
The op may have stumbled across an old thread about the touch pro, I clearly remember it had gsm world capability and someone managed to crack it open for att/tmobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahhh...I think the EVO Design had a GSM chip in it too, except it was the frequencies for the over seas carriers, so it probably wouldn't work either.
I believe that was the Verizon variant that didn't have the ever awesome kickstand
If you can find a place to put a SIM card in in it, I'm sure someone could get it to work.... But there's no tray.
Don't say that, op might remove the card for lte lol
om4 said:
Don't say that, op might remove the card for lte lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, right. LOL
eXplicit815 said:
If you can find a place to put a SIM card in in it, I'm sure someone could get it to work.... But there's no tray.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not just having a place or connection for the SIM card though. You need the right radio chip in the phone and it does not have it.
I absolutely loved my touch pro and when they finally got the sim working I bought a prepaid sim and began dualbooting android to use both numbers lol
om4 said:
I absolutely loved my touch pro and when they finally got the sim working I bought a prepaid sim and began dualbooting android to use both numbers lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is awesome. lol
You know, when HTC makes a world phone they tend to get better reception lol
Yea I guess I will have to make the move to Sprint.
Thanks everyone!
dreammaker23 said:
Yea I guess I will have to make the move to Sprint.
Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People hate on sprint. But it's not too bad. Sure it has its low points (I've seen hellrizon 3G slower than sprints) but for the price and unlimited data... Can't beat it. Plus the LTE is boss (both phone and network) I pull 20mbs
Shifted from Outer Space
thronnos said:
People hate on sprint. But it's not too bad. Sure it has its low points (I've seen hellrizon 3G slower than sprints) but for the price and unlimited data... Can't beat it. Plus the LTE is boss (both phone and network) I pull 20mbs
Shifted from Outer Space
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice, 20 mbs! That's music to my ears..
I have about 5 years with AT&T with 4 lines. I been with them since the iPhone 3GS (Unlimited Data).
Now they are changing customers plans without there knowledge. I notice my plan went from Unlimited Data to 5GB Tethering Data.
I called to see what or who confirmed this change, they said they did the change because they notice that I was using to much data for my Unlimited data that they have to change it to 5GB Tethering & charge me $15 dollars extra for any additional GB use.
I was like WTF, isn't unlimited data suppose to be Unlimited? They had no say bu that I was using my data plan to tether my connection.
I quickly dis-agreed and told them i will be canceling my service.
About 2 - 3 weeks later my wife received a Message on her iPhone 4s that she is using to much Data on her phone. If she passes 3GB of her "Unlimited Data Plan since 5 years" they will have to Lower her data Speed from 3G to Edge.
She couldn't believe me when I told her At&T got me for a sucker and they getting her too.
I have a friend that works for AT&T, and she tells me that Corporate is being shady with their service.
I'm about to go to Sprint today and check out the phone and see what they can do for me to get the "Almighty HTC Evo 4G LTE"
While still paying for AT&T until April 2013.. If I do get my line connected with Sprint. I will disconnect the sim from my iPhone 4 and place it onto a Motorola pre-paid "Backup" phone I have. And use that to Disconnect the Data Plan from that line in AT&T and lower my monthly Mins to minimal.
Just to go with Sprint!
Well, that's All Folks!
dreammaker23 said:
Nice, 20 mbs! That's music to my ears..
I have about 5 years with AT&T with 4 lines. I been with them since the iPhone 3GS (Unlimited Data).
Now they are changing customers plans without there knowledge. I notice my plan went from Unlimited Data to 5GB Tethering Data.
I called to see what or who confirmed this change, they said they did the change because they notice that I was using to much data for my Unlimited data that they have to change it to 5GB Tethering & charge me $15 dollars extra for any additional GB use.
I was like WTF, isn't unlimited data suppose to be Unlimited? They had no say bu that I was using my data plan to tether my connection.
I quickly dis-agreed and told them i will be canceling my service.
About 2 - 3 weeks later my wife received a Message on her iPhone 4s that she is using to much Data on her phone. If she passes 3GB of her "Unlimited Data Plan since 5 years" they will have to Lower her data Speed from 3G to Edge.
She couldn't believe me when I told her At&T got me for a sucker and they getting her too.
I have a friend that works for AT&T, and she tells me that Corporate is being shady with their service.
I'm about to go to Sprint today and check out the phone and see what they can do for me to get the "Almighty HTC Evo 4G LTE"
While still paying for AT&T until April 2013.. If I do get my line connected with Sprint. I will disconnect the sim from my iPhone 4 and place it onto a Motorola pre-paid "Backup" phone I have. And use that to Disconnect the Data Plan from that line in AT&T and lower my monthly Mins to minimal.
Just to go with Sprint!
Well, that's All Folks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually it is possible.. google your best friend