So I've been using the Galaxy S4 for a little over 3 weeks. I'm coming from a Thunderbolt which was rooted and updated with its radios.
I travel a lot for work and go to the same locations (different days) every now and then. I've noticed that I lose my 4G connection and go to 3G when I USED TO have a 4G connection at the same site with my Thunderbolt. Has anyone noticed this occuring with their S4?
I feel like I'm not getting the signals I'm supposed to be getting.
I had a Razr HD before the s4 that i have now and the HD was known for its very good radios. To my surprise, the S4's radios are on par or even better than the Hd
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
itsdubai said:
I had a Razr HD before the s4 that i have now and the HD was known for its very good radios. To my surprise, the S4's radios are on par or even better than the Hd
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from Mot Razr Maxx...worrying most about radio performance in buying the S4. The S4 does better in every regard......contrary to my old samsung phone experience (very old). I live in a fringe area with 1 bar or so.....on both phones. The S4 holds on to calls very well too.
zilla. said:
So I've been using the Galaxy S4 for a little over 3 weeks. I'm coming from a Thunderbolt which was rooted and updated with its radios.
I travel a lot for work and go to the same locations (different days) every now and then. I've noticed that I lose my 4G connection and go to 3G when I USED TO have a 4G connection at the same site with my Thunderbolt. Has anyone noticed this occuring with their S4?
I feel like I'm not getting the signals I'm supposed to be getting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes!!!! i came from a gnexus and then an iphone 5, and ive noticed that the radios arent as good. I was also able to customize the radios on the nexus the way i wanted to for 3g and 4g... but it seems to be worse on the galaxy s4
i dont know if radios came out for the GS3, but im hoping that with time, some will come out for this thing... and not the fm radios that i keep seeing
short rrespear
jt25741 said:
I came from Mot Razr Maxx...worrying most about radio performance in buying the S4. The S4 does better in every regard......contrary to my old samsung phone experience (very old). I live in a fringe area with 1 bar or so.....on both phones. The S4 holds on to calls very well too.
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Click to collapse
It could be carrier specific.....for VZW this has been my experience.
jt25741 said:
It could be carrier specific.....for VZW this has been my experience.
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Click to collapse
ehh, ive been on verizon for over 15 years.... and at my specific work for 7 years. I'd say i got the best cell signal with the iphone 5 (dont shoot me), but the gnexus is a close second.
i work in the middle of my building where there is barely any signal, so i kind of know what its like to move the phone an arm length up and finally send a text
theidoctor said:
ehh, ive been on verizon for over 15 years.... and at my specific work for 7 years. I'd say i got the best cell signal with the iphone 5 (dont shoot me), but the gnexus is a close second.
i work in the middle of my building where there is barely any signal, so i kind of know what its like to move the phone an arm length up and finally send a text
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Click to collapse
Interesting.....good to know. I guess this means these Motorola phones really didn't have good RF performance after all (despite reputation).....compared to iPhone etc.... All is relative I guess -- LoL
jt25741 said:
Interesting.....good to know. I guess this means these Motorola phones really didn't have good RF performance after all (despite reputation).....compared to iPhone etc.... All is relative I guess -- LoL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hahaha... not compared completely to iphone. I mean, in all honesty, i was able to get that one text message without having to worry; but noticed it when my messages weren't going through.
ON the other hand, my friend with a motorola can get a text message the next seat over which is only an armlength away
I had a thunderbolt, an it would always show 4g until I went to use it, then I would get no connection, and eventually it would drop to 3g. I think this phone just hands of the connection faster and smoother than the thunderbolt, and thats what you're seeing.
Schoat333 said:
I had a thunderbolt, an it would always show 4g until I went to use it, then I would get no connection, and eventually it would drop to 3g. I think this phone just hands of the connection faster and smoother than the thunderbolt, and thats what you're seeing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was also the case for me sometimes with the Thunderbolt. But then again, most of the time I was showing 4G at most locations.
I've seen just the opposite, I've got the S4 and my wife has the Razr Maxx, and she's usually got one to two bars better then I do. It's pretty often when in a building I get bumped down to 3G but the Razr is still hanging on to one or two bars 4G. I haven't been too surprised as this is almost exactly the same signals as what I was seeing with my Galaxy Nexus.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2322975
I get significantly better signal with the S4 than I did with the S3. In my house, I can have great phone calls and decent 4G data speed on the S4 (2 bars). On the S3, I had slow speed on 4G and an occasional breakup on phone calls (1 bar). On the Galaxy Nexus, it couldn't connect to the phone network at all from inside the house (x on the signal strength)... A friends RAZR MAXX gets 2 bars and has the same performance as the S4. My bosses Note 2 gets the same experience as my S4...
jeffreycentex said:
I get significantly better signal with the S4 than I did with the S3. In my house, I can have great phone calls and decent 4G data speed on the S4 (2 bars). On the S3, I had slow speed on 4G and an occasional breakup on phone calls (1 bar). On the Galaxy Nexus, it couldn't connect to the phone network at all from inside the house (x on the signal strength)... A friends RAZR MAXX gets 2 bars and has the same performance as the S4. My bosses Note 2 gets the same experience as my S4...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had an S3 also and while at work I would lose 4G all the time. With my S4 I have never lost 4G at work.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda premium
Related
Hope it has improved signal over the S3 and no dreaded Message Not Sent when I in full 3g/4g coverage..
I'm hoping the global radio in the Note 2 is outstanding... as this maybe my next phone.
Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD
Its Samsung so I'm sure the signal will still be lacking compared to moto and HTC. I hope they figured it out as this looks like an awesome phone. Going to wait and see how it ends up before buying.
It probably won't be as good as a Moto phone, however, it may be similar to HTC phones and other Samsung phones. And for anyone saying HTC has a much better signal than Samsung, I've had 3 Samsung phones now, and I have had service places that a DInc2 showed service but couldn't do anything, and have also had reported signal as good as other HTC phones in the same location. I would imagine that the service on the Note 2 would be similar to the SGS3 on VZW.
Agreed hope its improved over the S3
imnuts said:
It probably won't be as good as a Moto phone, however, it may be similar to HTC phones and other Samsung phones. And for anyone saying HTC has a much better signal than Samsung, I've had 3 Samsung phones now, and I have had service places that a DInc2 showed service but couldn't do anything, and have also had reported signal as good as other HTC phones in the same location. I would imagine that the service on the Note 2 would be similar to the SGS3 on VZW.
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Click to collapse
You're all over the note 2 forums imnuts! Does this mean you will be picking one up? :thumbup:
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
magneticzero said:
Hope it has improved signal over the S3 and no dreaded Message Not Sent when I in full 3g/4g coverage..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never had a problem with by reception at all. I usually always have full bars on 4g if not 3 bars
Tap'n
techgov8 said:
I've never had a problem with by reception at all. I usually always have full bars on 4g if not 3 bars
Tap'n
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Click to collapse
Same here. I've been incredibly surprised by the good reception I've had with the S3. It's not quite up to Motorola standards, but it's pretty close to HTC and much better than any other Samsung phone I've had on Verizon. My only complaint has been that it tends to stick with 3G in weak 4G areas more than my recent devices from Motorola and HTC. But I'm guessing that was done on purpose in an attempt to avoid drops when switching back and forth.
I'm always hoping for an improvement, but if the reception is as good as the reception on the S3 has been for me, I'll be happy.
mypantsaretorn said:
You're all over the note 2 forums imnuts! Does this mean you will be picking one up? :thumbup:
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I have three stipulations, but it pretty much all hinges on one, and that is the phone must be unlocked. Without that, I don't really care about to much else.
imnuts said:
I have three stipulations, but it pretty much all hinges on one, and that is the phone must be unlocked. Without that, I don't really care about to much else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All other Verizon LTE devices with global capabilities have been unlocked for GSM use, as well as for LTE use (although Verizon's LTE bands aren't widely used). I'd expect the Note 2 will be the same.
Anyone knows of a review or reviews comparing Samsung radio receiver sensitivity?
I had never found one, it seems like reviews are written by by newbie reviewers with master degree in English, Communication, or Comp-sci. None of them ever worked with front end radio receivers even just for once in their whole life and completely ignorant of them.
This is a huge problem that I have with my GSIII, I get terrible reception, I'm currently living in the country and my friends with the RAZR Maxx get 4g while I can barely hold onto 3g and going into the basement is absolutely zero service. It's terrible. I had better reception with my Galaxy Nexus than I do with the GSIII. I wish something could be done.
AndrewH05 said:
This is a huge problem that I have with my GSIII, I get terrible reception, I'm currently living in the country and my friends with the RAZR Maxx get 4g while I can barely hold onto 3g and going into the basement is absolutely zero service. It's terrible. I had better reception with my Galaxy Nexus than I do with the GSIII. I wish something could be done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you have a defective unit as I haven't heard of anyone that got worse reception with the SGS3 than they did with the Galaxy Nexus.
imnuts said:
Sounds like you have a defective unit as I haven't heard of anyone that got worse reception with the SGS3 than they did with the Galaxy Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I bought the phone from a friend, he bought it and decided he preferred Motorola phones, so I got it cheap. Not sure if Samsung would still honor the warranty or not? And yes, I got way better signal with the Nexus in generally every place I frequently go, much more consistent. That's my ultimate worry about the Note II, if it's just like the GSIII then I'm not sure I want it.
AndrewH05 said:
Unfortunately, I bought the phone from a friend, he bought it and decided he preferred Motorola phones, so I got it cheap. Not sure if Samsung would still honor the warranty or not? And yes, I got way better signal with the Nexus in generally every place I frequently go, much more consistent. That's my ultimate worry about the Note II, if it's just like the GSIII then I'm not sure I want it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do you think your friend sold it cheap..ha ha jk. Sounds like a defective one. Or you may need a new SIM card. Sg3 signal is much better than gnex. Good luck
AndrewH05 said:
Unfortunately, I bought the phone from a friend, he bought it and decided he preferred Motorola phones, so I got it cheap. Not sure if Samsung would still honor the warranty or not? And yes, I got way better signal with the Nexus in generally every place I frequently go, much more consistent. That's my ultimate worry about the Note II, if it's just like the GSIII then I'm not sure I want it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also wanted the new Samsung note mainly for the screensize and I also noted the problems you encountered which is very common with Samsung phones.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4686/samsung-galaxy-s-2-international-review-the-best-redefined/11
"In addition, Samsung makes the mistake of going with a signal bar visualization with very compressed dynamic range. Since the whole iPhone 4 debacle, I’ve seen something of a trend towards a strict linear scale (which makes more sense), but SGS2 definitely doesn’t go that route. It’s not a huge deal however, just something to be aware of. I’m willing to overlook that issue considering that getting the real story on connectivity is no harder than dialing *#0011# and looking at the real number."
The quoted note above meant the the reviewer had little experience with signal processing and didn't know typical "compressed dynamic range" signal processing usage.
In the last 30+ years "compressed dynamic range" signal processing is use to bring actual usable dynamic range above spurious background noise for processing. ie, typical hacks avoiding the problematic spurious background noise instead of fixing unwanted spurious background noise problems causing lack of sufficient signal sensitivity.
Droid Life came out with a full review today. The battery life is quite good according to them (average life of 21 hours), but surprisingly he reported some 4G drop issues and said the camera wasn't that great. I'm hoping the signal was just a fluke, but it seems to be since other big reviewers have said it's top notch.
http://www.droid-life.com/2012/11/19/htc-droid-dna-review/
I saw it, and though meh on the 4G drop. It could have easily been in his area. Of all the reviews I've seen he was the only one to have that issue. I also thought the photo samples he had were really not as bad as he described them to be either.
As much as I want to jump on this phone, the only issue I seem to have now is storage space. It's this or the GN2. I still don't know?
8192 on Quads! Thanks sick!
Damn it when will Wednesday get here??!??!!!?!?!!
I actually experience the 3g/4g drop often on my galaxy nexus and I live in the bay area. Definitely sucks my battery to oblivion. Since HTC is said to make better radios I hope the drops would be less frequent.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
foolie said:
I actually experience the 3g/4g drop often on my galaxy nexus and I live in the bay area. Definitely sucks my battery to oblivion. Since HTC is said to make better radios I hope the drops would be less frequent.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't worry about it, when I got the GNex I my thunderbolt up and running for a couple days and the radios are noticeably stronger and more stable on the Thunderbolt. Side by side I'd get solid 4g on the bolt where the GNex was spotty at best. My house isn't the in the strongest 4g area, but the Tbolt wouldn't drop off the signal no matter where in my home I was. The GNex I get 4g outside or by windows and that's it, with 3g speeds. The tbolt would pull a solid 12-15up 3-5down sitting right next to it.
Not to mention the GNex isn't exactly known for its radios.
flaring afro said:
Droid Life came out with a full review today. The battery life is quite good according to them (average life of 21 hours), but surprisingly he reported some 4G drop issues and said the camera wasn't that great. I'm hoping the signal was just a fluke, but it seems to be since other big reviewers have said it's top notch.
http://www.droid-life.com/2012/11/19/htc-droid-dna-review/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The review doesn't talk about any drops in the traditional sense, but rather that the phone was "dropping back" to 3G in weak 4G areas:
I constantly found the device dropping back to 3G, even when other devices were maintaining a 4G connection, albeit a poor one at that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is something that is done on purpose in order to maintain a more reliable connection without as many actual drops when switching between 3G and 4G. With my Rezound, Galaxy Nexus, and RAZR MAXX, when I would be out on the edge of a 4G area, the phone would jump back and forth between 3G and 4G, resulting in actual drops in service and a drain on the battery. My S3 does what the DNA does - opts to stick with 3G in weak 4G areas. The result is a far more stable connection with less drops in service and much less battery drain.
bsweetness said:
The review doesn't talk about any drops in the traditional sense, but rather that the phone was "dropping back" to 3G in weak 4G areas
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that's what I meant. Only dropping down from 4G. He said that you can't disable 4G though, but I'm guessing there will be a non-stock way of doing it.
WilliamStern said:
I also thought the photo samples he had were really not as bad as he described them to be either.
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Click to collapse
I thought the pictures looked great, but I'm also comparing them to my 2.5 year old Incredible so pretty much any high end phone, besides maybe Motorolas, will look great to me lol
flaring afro said:
Yeah, that's what I meant. Only dropping down from 4G. He said that you can't disable 4G though, but I'm guessing there will be a non-stock way of doing it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
man i really hope there will be a way you can disable 4G whenever you want. that'd be so useful if i needed to conserve battery and i'm in a spotty 4G area
flaring afro said:
Yeah, that's what I meant. Only dropping down from 4G. He said that you can't disable 4G though, but I'm guessing there will be a non-stock way of doing it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much every LTE phone released on Verizon over the past several months hasn't had the option to disable LTE in the stock settings. Even some phones that used to have the option have had it removed in updates (such as the RAZR and RAZR MAXX). But with all of these phones, there have been ways of putting the phone into 3G only mode without root via an app or through settings that can be accessed through the phone's dialer.
For those of you have it already how's the reception? Is it any better then the s3?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
pyaa said:
For those of you have it already how's the reception? Is it any better then the s3?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let people use it for a while. They haven't even had for more than 12 hours.
computingwarren said:
Let people use it for a while. They haven't even had for more than 12 hours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, technically it shouldn't take more than a few seconds. Put the phones in the same spot, and check the signal strength in dBm.
I agree, those that have it the rest of the world is dying to know!
How is the signal? Is it the same radio that's in the GS3?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Curious to know from those who upgraded from HTC Thunderbolt with frequent LTE disconnects if the issue remains, which points to network issue, or eliminated but it'll probably require at least a week to confirm.
Coming from GNex, plz let it be better then that :fingers-crossed:
I'd like to think it is slightly better because the size of the device means the antenna can be farther from anything that will cause noise or something. Guess we'll find out tomorrow.
IamPro said:
Coming from GNex, plz let it be better then that :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really hope it's got a better radio than the GNex. I've been limping along with that thing for the last year. I'll go from a 20 megabit connection to no data without even moving locations.
I kind of hated ordering the Note2 blind, but I've been waiting for a note to arrive on verizon since the note1 came out. If the radio is lousy, well at least I can draw with it.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
another curious verizon customer. Been on htc devices since joining verizon and samsung's cdma woes are well documented. I want the note 2, but need reception.
pyaa said:
For those of you have it already how's the reception? Is it any better then the s3?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Much better than the GS3 I had, even when I was using all the different types of radios that were available.
Data connection is faster too. Most likely as a result of NOT using a piece of $hit snapdragon SOC.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium
mzahiri said:
Much better than the GS3 I had, even when I was using all the different types of radios that were available.
Data connection is faster too. Most likely as a result of NOT using a piece of $hit snapdragon SOC.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think my rezound has a snapdragon SOC, and it has no problems with reception or data speeds. Get up to 40 down and 15 up on it.
Samsung has a history of bad radios on Verizon. It's really the only potential negative of this device.
nrfitchett4 said:
I think my rezound has a snapdragon SOC, and it has no problems with reception or data speeds. Get up to 40 down and 15 up on it.
Samsung has a history of bad radios on Verizon. It's really the only potential negative of this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
great reception. i also think this has to do with no only better hardware but more landscape inside the phone offers better attenna replacement.
over all phone is awesome, im having no issue one handing it
mi7chy said:
Curious to know from those who upgraded from HTC Thunderbolt with frequent LTE disconnects if the issue remains, which points to network issue, or eliminated but it'll probably require at least a week to confirm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I upgraded to the DNA and I haven't had a single data drop, unlike my Thunderbolt which had them several times a day.
BlueHarford said:
great reception. i also think this has to do with no only better hardware but more landscape inside the phone offers better attenna replacement.
over all phone is awesome, im having no issue one handing it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cool, going to head over to verizon store and play with it and dna and look at signal strengths. I only get 1-2 bars in the hospital so if its worse, I might not have signal.
The rezound had good 4g reception but average 3g reception; the galaxy s3 had good 4g reception and below average 3g reception. Anyways I hope folks provide good feedback and 4g, 3g and cellular reception for the note. Very interested in this phone (though it is bigger than I would like). To be honest I would go with the DNA if it had a large battery. Don't take me wrong I think the note has a lot of nice unique feature I just wish it was a bit narrower.
BlueHarford said:
great reception. i also think this has to do with no only better hardware but more landscape inside the phone offers better attenna replacement.
over all phone is awesome, im having no issue one handing it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have my galaxy nexus and my note 2 side by side and signal strength is the same with a slight edge to the note 2. I am looking at the signal strength in options and not the bars.
I have notes 2 and DNA side by side at the possibly worst corner in terms of cell signal.
Note 2 is extremely unstable. keep on switching between LTE to 3G to no signal (the round circle with a cross over the center. usual stop sign)
while DNA has a full bars for CALL. and 1x for data. It is slow, but it is stable and usable.
SHAME ON YOU SAMSUNG. Why put such a stupid radio chip on such a good device otherwise.
randpost said:
i have my galaxy nexus and my note 2 side by side and signal strength is the same with a slight edge to the note 2. I am looking at the signal strength in options and not the bars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only matters when you are in weak signal areas. If you're seeing -70 to -80 DBMS or lower you're in a decent area. What the Gnex couldn't handle was the weaker areas. Where my rezound was -85 or so the Gnex was -100 or worse. I'll post something when I get back to my office. I'll do a compare and post it. If the Note 2 is anything like the Gnex it will end up the same way with me. Returned! I don't care how cool the phone is.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
jiwengang said:
I have notes 2 and DNA side by side at the possibly worst corner in terms of cell signal.
Note 2 is extremely unstable. keep on switching between LTE to 3G to no signal (the round circle with a cross over the center. usual stop sign)
while DNA has a full bars for CALL. and 1x for data. It is slow, but it is stable and usable.
SHAME ON YOU SAMSUNG. Why put such a stupid radio chip on such a good device otherwise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not what I wanted to hear
Do you have dBm readings that you could post for a comparison? The data switching between 1x, 3G, and 4G could be fixed in an update hopefully.
geoff5093 said:
Not what I wanted to hear
Do you have dBm readings that you could post for a comparison? The data switching between 1x, 3G, and 4G could be fixed in an update hopefully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the dbm on N2 was jumping from -120 to -98 to -75 and the data connection is ON and OFF. That is frustrating.
My location (my cubicle) here now is like a stress test case in terms of cellphone cell strength in a weaker environment.
IN good coverage, everyone is happy. Both phones are -75dbm and stable.
In weaker ones, N2 can't hold on to a data connection.
I really want to love it, but in this checkbox, there is no competition.
It does perform well in battery category tho.
And by the way, refer to your other post, the screen is not brighter than DNA screen. even put to full brightness. It is just so pathetic putting them side by side to compare.
I will continue test until this evening. If the data connection weakness is confirmed, I have to take N2 back to store. I feel it will make my wife crazy to see me carrying both giant 5 inch phones each costing more than 600 USD combining all costs...
Hey guys while I don't get terrible signal on my s3.how is the note in somewhere like the country? I sometimes drive through the country to visit my friends, and sometimes I don't even have signal in some of the areas I drive through.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
outside of 4g lte the note 2 shines! I never had much trouble with my s3 in 4g territory but 3g was spotty and would occasionally get some data drops...not a huge deal, but I have not had one data drop with the gn2 where I had them with the s3.
Thanks, definitely will be looking into maybe getting a replacement since I have such a long winter break!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
droidstyle said:
outside of 4g lte the note 2 shines! I never had much trouble with my s3 in 4g territory but 3g was spotty and would occasionally get some data drops...not a huge deal, but I have not had one data drop with the gn2 where I had them with the s3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second this.... Getting 4g in places I didn't with the s3
Sent from my Unlocked & Loaded Beast!
pschatz12 said:
I second this.... Getting 4g in places I didn't with the s3
Sent from my Unlocked & Loaded Beast!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My experience has been the opposite. I live in a rural(ish) area. The drive between my house and the city large enough to warrant a 4G market is about 30 minutes long and involves intermittently picking up 4g about 3 times before it locks in as you get closer to town.
My S3 was quick to pick up 4G, but would briefly drop data and voice coverage in the "holes". The N2 is slower to pick up the 4G towers, but makes the transitions without interruption. The N2 has a much better radio IMHO.
((Important Note)) I ran the S3 stock for the first couple of weeks and then moved to Synergy Nightlies most of the time with occasional stabs at CM10. I flashed new basebands on the S3 as soon as they were leaked. The N2 was purchased on 12/12/12 about ten minutes after I learned of Adam Outler's team and their unlock hack. So none of my very unscientific opinions have anything to do with a stock S3 vs. stock N2 experience.
Anyone here who switched from a Verizon S3? I work in an office with people who have the Verizon RAZR and Verizon iphone with no problems but my Verizon S3 says no signal and dies by 3PM. I've switched it out and it still sucks for reception but I like most other things about it.
I typically use 2000-3000 minutes a month so reception for voice is EXTREMELY important to me.
I either will move to the HTC DNA or One if the S4 has the same reception issues I had with my Samsung Galaxy and S3 on Verizon. If your S3 never gave you any reception problems that is wonderful for you but PLEASE feel free to start another thread saying how great your reception is or for you to tell me I must have gotten 4 defective phones and SIMs. This thread is aimed at helping me decide which phone to get.
To be clear, this isn't a thread about iphone or DNA or RAZR, Sprint S3, Tmobile S3 or ATT S3 reception or how you never had reception issues on your S3. This survey is specifically targeted to find out if people who had reception issues with the S3 got any relief with the S4.
Please do not check "yes this is a question" as all Qs get moved to Q&A. If you post a poll put POLL in the title instead.
Edited
FNM
From what I have read, the CDMA S3 had a poor CDMA chip/radio so that's why lot of them have issues on Verizon/sprint. If the Sprint S4 is any thing like the verizon one voice/CDMA wise then it should be way better than the S3 and even better than the ONE.
I know you said this wasn't about the RAZR, but I have had two of them and both of them had very bad signal issues holding 4G. The first one even had a hard time holding 3G or any thing for that matter. I got a S3 from Verizon for free in the end due to the issues just getting worse and worse along with Flash player not working on update 4.0.4 even though Flash player should work just fine on ICS.
4ktvs said:
From what I have read, the CDMA S3 had a poor CDMA chip/radio so that's why lot of them have issues on Verizon/sprint. If the Sprint S4 is any thing like the verizon one voice/CDMA wise then it should be way better than the S3 and even better than the ONE.
I know you said this wasn't about the RAZR, but I have had two of them and both of them had very bad signal issues holding 4G. The first one even had a hard time holding 3G or any thing for that matter. I got a S3 from Verizon for free in the end due to the issues just getting worse and worse along with Flash player not working on update 4.0.4 even though Flash player should work just fine on ICS.
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I'm much much much more concerned about call reception than 4G. I work with someone who has the Verizon razr and they never have reception issues at the office. I can't make or receive calls on my Verizon S3 at the office.
boe said:
Anyone here who switched from a Verizon S3? I work in an office with people who have the Verizon RAZR and Verizon iphone with no problems but my Verizon S3 says no signal and dies by 3PM. I've switched it out and it still sucks for reception but I like most other things about it.
I typically use 2000-3000 minutes a month so reception for voice is EXTREMELY important to me.
I either will move to the HTC DNA or One if the S4 has the same reception issues I had with my Samsung Galaxy and S3 on Verizon. If your S3 never gave you any reception problems that is wonderful for you but PLEASE feel free to start another thread saying how great your reception is or for you to tell me I must have gotten 4 defective phones and SIMs. This thread is aimed at helping me decide which phone to get.
To be clear, this isn't a thread about iphone or DNA or RAZR, Sprint S3, Tmobile S3 or ATT S3 reception or how you never had reception issues on your S3. This survey is specifically targeted to find out if people who had reception issues with the S3 got any relief with the S4.
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I had terrible S3 reception. The DNA has a solid Radio.
I'm hoping the S4 has a really good one too, or else, i'm sending mine back, the only thing that sucks with the dna is theres no root, and theres no way of s-offing it currently.
I am curious as well as samsung has a history with bad radios and hoping they finalyl figured it out, otherwise I will have to pass.
4ktvs said:
From what I have read, the CDMA S3 had a poor CDMA chip/radio so that's why lot of them have issues on Verizon/sprint. If the Sprint S4 is any thing like the verizon one voice/CDMA wise then it should be way better than the S3 and even better than the ONE.
I know you said this wasn't about the RAZR, but I have had two of them and both of them had very bad signal issues holding 4G. The first one even had a hard time holding 3G or any thing for that matter. I got a S3 from Verizon for free in the end due to the issues just getting worse and worse along with Flash player not working on update 4.0.4 even though Flash player should work just fine on ICS.
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Yep, the S3 has bad 2g/3g but real good 4g. Weird.
ericerk said:
I had terrible S3 reception. The DNA has a solid Radio.
I'm hoping the S4 has a really good one too, or else, i'm sending mine back, the only thing that sucks with the dna is theres no root, and theres no way of s-offing it currently.
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The DNA is a sweet phone. I came VERY close to buying one, but the lack of SD card slot (and only 16G) and non-removable turned me off. Other than that a very sweet phone!
elucid said:
The DNA is a sweet phone. I came VERY close to buying one, but the lack of SD card slot (and only 16G) and non-removable turned me off. Other than that a very sweet phone!
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I was close to getting the DNA as well but Sense seems a little sluggish on it compared to wiz and the battery was a bit underpowered for my needs. I can be on the phone with a client or tech support for hours at a time. There are rumors the One will have a larger screen on Verizon which should cover my issues.
If anyone has the Verizon S3 and the Verizon S4 it might be helpful if you showed network db side by side in an area with no reception or bad reception on the S3.
I just received my S4 today, hoping like hell that the reception was better than my S3. I travel A LOT and know every area in my 200+mile drive, that I have reception issues in. I haven't been able to use my S3 in my house, since I moved here 2 months ago; I believe its a combination of the metal roof and ****y phone, so I upgraded one of my lines to the S4.
I am finally able to walk thru every part of my house and talk without any.issues. I used to have no service in my kitchen, now I have 2 bars with crystal clear reception. I'll know tomorrow if its fixed the issues in the other areas I have issues in, but for now I'm excited.
I did active my old droidX a week ago to see if I could use it in the areas I always have problms, and I could, which means its the ****ty S3.
One other thing to note is the battery life. I've read that its horrible etc: I charged my phone to 100% before activation and I'm still running with 51%, 6 hours later and I've uploaded everything and been playing with the new features the whole night. I did have a 43 minutes call in there as well, so the battery life seems extremely compatible with my S3. I also ordered 2 spares with a charger from Amazon and I'll see how they stack up with the factory battery over the next few days. I'm a phone abuser for work; 5000+ text, 3000+ minutes and probably 10,000+ emails a month, so it will be put thru the paces for certain. I'll update my overall impression with the reception tomorrow night.
Sorry, I know this was long but I wanted to tell how I'll be comparing and already have been, to show a major improvement so far.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
GS4 has been noticeably better then my GS3
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using xda app-developers app
jlangleyrn said:
I just received my S4 today, hoping like hell that the reception was better than my S3. I travel A LOT and know every area in my 200+mile drive, that I have reception issues in. I haven't been able to use my S3 in my house, since I moved here 2 months ago; I believe its a combination of the metal roof and ****y phone, so I upgraded one of my lines to the S4.
I am finally able to walk thru every part of my house and talk without any.issues. I used to have no service in my kitchen, now I have 2 bars with crystal clear reception. I'll know tomorrow if its fixed the issues in the other areas I have issues in, but for now I'm excited.
I did active my old droidX a week ago to see if I could use it in the areas I always have problms, and I could, which means its the ****ty S3.
One other thing to note is the battery life. I've read that its horrible etc: I charged my phone to 100% before activation and I'm still running with 51%, 6 hours later and I've uploaded everything and been playing with the new features the whole night. I did have a 43 minutes call in there as well, so the battery life seems extremely compatible with my S3. I also ordered 2 spares with a charger from Amazon and I'll see how they stack up with the factory battery over the next few days. I'm a phone abuser for work; 5000+ text, 3000+ minutes and probably 10,000+ emails a month, so it will be put thru the paces for certain. I'll update my overall impression with the reception tomorrow night.
Sorry, I know this was long but I wanted to tell how I'll be comparing and already have been, to show a major improvement so far.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
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THanks! This is exactly the sort of info that is helpful. Someone who has an S3 that can't work in some areas and then using an S4 in those same spots.
jlangleyrn said:
I just received my S4 today, hoping like hell that the reception was better than my S3. I travel A LOT and know every area in my 200+mile drive, that I have reception issues in. I haven't been able to use my S3 in my house, since I moved here 2 months ago; I believe its a combination of the metal roof and ****y phone, so I upgraded one of my lines to the S4.
I am finally able to walk thru every part of my house and talk without any.issues. I used to have no service in my kitchen, now I have 2 bars with crystal clear reception. I'll know tomorrow if its fixed the issues in the other areas I have issues in, but for now I'm excited.
I did active my old droidX a week ago to see if I could use it in the areas I always have problms, and I could, which means its the ****ty S3.
One other thing to note is the battery life. I've read that its horrible etc: I charged my phone to 100% before activation and I'm still running with 51%, 6 hours later and I've uploaded everything and been playing with the new features the whole night. I did have a 43 minutes call in there as well, so the battery life seems extremely compatible with my S3. I also ordered 2 spares with a charger from Amazon and I'll see how they stack up with the factory battery over the next few days. I'm a phone abuser for work; 5000+ text, 3000+ minutes and probably 10,000+ emails a month, so it will be put thru the paces for certain. I'll update my overall impression with the reception tomorrow night.
Sorry, I know this was long but I wanted to tell how I'll be comparing and already have been, to show a major improvement so far.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
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You Sir, Have Given Me hope.
You guys have all given me hope. When I read the op, I seriously thought I wrote it or my wife did. I too have problems using my s3 at work after switching from a Droid Razr to the s3. Everyone at work has an iPhone and have no issues with making calls.
Based on everyone's input, I'm almost willing to try an s4 out before I'm forced to switch to an iPhone 5 (those are the only options for work this time around).
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
boe said:
If anyone has the Verizon S3 and the Verizon S4 it might be helpful if you showed network db side by side in an area with no reception or bad reception on the S3.
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i get my s4 later today, ill get some screens of the network db side by side and post to see what my results are. Ill have 2 s3s and a s4 so I can see them all side by side. I have a few places on my way to my house the s3 wont pick up so we will see how the s4 does
boe said:
Anyone here who switched from a Verizon S3? I work in an office with people who have the Verizon RAZR and Verizon iphone with no problems but my Verizon S3 says no signal and dies by 3PM. I've switched it out and it still sucks for reception but I like most other things about it.
I typically use 2000-3000 minutes a month so reception for voice is EXTREMELY important to me.
I either will move to the HTC DNA or One if the S4 has the same reception issues I had with my Samsung Galaxy and S3 on Verizon. If your S3 never gave you any reception problems that is wonderful for you but PLEASE feel free to start another thread saying how great your reception is or for you to tell me I must have gotten 4 defective phones and SIMs. This thread is aimed at helping me decide which phone to get.
To be clear, this isn't a thread about iphone or DNA or RAZR, Sprint S3, Tmobile S3 or ATT S3 reception or how you never had reception issues on your S3. This survey is specifically targeted to find out if people who had reception issues with the S3 got any relief with the S4.
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I'm with you 110% Boe. For those of us who have bad reception issues with the S3 it can be a tough road getting people who are happy with their S3, to understand exactly how irritating it is to have a phone that does a lot very well, but can NEVER be trusted as a telephone. I am really looking forward to seeing the responses in this thread. I'm on Verizon.
dweezle said:
I'm with you 110% Boe. For those of us who have bad reception issues with the S3 it can be a tough road getting people who are happy with their S3, to understand exactly how irritating it is to have a phone that does a lot very well, but can NEVER be trusted as a telephone. I am really looking forward to seeing the responses in this thread. I'm on Verizon.
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Yeah for some reason they insist on posting things like I never have problems with my S3 (perhaps they never use it as a phone) or you must have gotten a defective one (all 4 times I replaced my phones and sims at difference Verizon stores throughout the country - amazingly bad luck).
i have a galaxy nexus and can say without a doubt that the s4 radios are better by far. way better. i keep a 4g signal everywhere my galaxy nexus would drop to 3g or 1x, matter of fact i have yet to lose 4g anywhere but in an elevator.
gps locks are also way faster.
very impressive.
BzBz said:
i have a galaxy nexus and can say without a doubt that the s4 radios are better by far. way better. i keep a 4g signal everywhere my galaxy nexus would drop to 3g or 1x, matter of fact i have yet to lose 4g anywhere but in an elevator.
gps locks are also way faster.
very impressive.
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I picked up the s4 this morning. Reception so far OK. I'm in the office where I frequently get no signal. For whatever reason today my S3 and S4 are getting signal. However, both are reading about 100db on average - no real difference between the two so i'm as yet, unconvinced this is an improvement over the S3. I'll be going to yet another place I frequently can't make calls on my S3 later today and we'll see how the S4 does. Clouds, lack of clouds etc can all impact reception so I'll need more testing to know anything regarding this phone's reception.'
Foxfi doesn't seem to work on the S4 but does on my S3 so I'll have to find another sharing program if I decide to keep this phone.