Ridiculously slow 4G speeds in Cali - T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II SGH-T989

I got my GS2 yesterday and I'm not doing so good with it. my speed is between 1 and 3 megs down and 1 to 1 and a half up. basically it's the same speed as my 3 g vibrant. I've driven all over town and it's the same story every where in my area. I've seen other t mobile phones test at over 9 and the demo in the store tested at 6.
I've been a TMo customer for 11 years. and I've used samsung phones exclusively for the last 8.
I really could use some advice guys. is there any way to turn this boat anchor into the race horse it's supposed to be?

did you update your SIM card to the one that came in the box?

my 4G connection DROPS after about 3-5min after doing these:
1) rebooting phone
2) Turn on/off flight mode
3) manually switch from Edge to 3G/4G
basically my 4g connection is highly unstable every since i bought my SGS2 on Magenta Day (nov 19). i came from a vibrant and had to use my g1 for 3 excruciating days after my vibrant's screen cracked internally.
data is perfectly fine if i switch to Edge ONLY ,but connection drops on 3G/4G.
-_____-
and yes i did switch to the new SIM provided in the box.
EDIT: also read that there was an east coast data outage on magenta day.

Yes, I did use the new sim. (Could that cause a speed issue if I hadn't?)
Plus I have an update. My slow speed tests seem to have nothing to do with the number of bars showing. 1 bar... 4 bars, the results are similar.
HERE'S THE KICKER... I found 1 spot where I got 9-10 mb down. (ran it 3 times there. I had 3 bars.) I don't get it. I have the TMo signal booster coming. Will keep testing in the meantime.
Other than the speed problem, I love this phone. I really wanna keep it. Please save me from the big red monster!

What phone did you have prior? Did/do you have the Android internet plan?
____________________
Deebo took your bike too?

Have you checked w/ anyone else w/ tmobile for comparison in your area? Tmobile in phx sucks, they haven't updated their servers yet here, & depending on the time of the day I get anywhere from 8mb/s to 2 download, depending...
Deebo's got my bike for sure.

^used the vibrant for about. year until it broke. went back to my g1 for 3 days before upgrading to the SGS2. data was working perfectly for me until i bought the sgs2 and switched my acct to the new SIM provided in the box.

I get 1/2 Mbps down... less up.. I'm in full 4G territory outside Atlanta... all my buddies are pulling 10+... what's the heck is up? Is there some way to tweak this?
Sent from my Beastly SGS2!

does it make a difference if I used the sim that came in the box? I've always used the old sim for years now and just popped it in when I got my phone and I've been getting around 13mbps and sometimes 22mbps. If switching sims to the new on in box means getting 22mbps which is what I'm supposed to get here in houston then I will

Seme here 1 week ago i was getting 6-10 mbps in my work place in midtown now its crap like 35kbps- 350kbps. When i go to queens it works perfect 10-15mbps. I THINK THEY SOLD THEIR ANTENNAS TO AT&T
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

I just switched from my "2g" sim card to the newer "3g/4g" sim card that came with the phone in the box and ran speed test before and after and saw no difference in speed. It was actually slower for some reason with the new one...the rep did say it takes a couple hrs for everything to settle in so we'll see how that goes

Update: I found the problem...
So...
I went back to the TMo store and there, I get 7 - 12 mb DOWN but upload speeds are just stupid slow. 50 - 350 KILObytes!!! (Ookla speed test)
This is in the TMo store parking lot in the strongest signal zone in my area. The upload speed is horrendous!
So I checked the store demo: Same result. I took a pic with it (3.2mb file size) and it took 4 1/2 minutes to email it!
Then, I checked 2 other high end TMo demo phones: The HTC Amaze and LG GX2. SAME RESULT!!! WTF???
The problem is T-Mobile! There IS NO 4G upload in this area, period. (I suspect this is true for all areas of TMo 4G) Wait. It gets better...
So I called TMo & told them I'm bringing the GS2 back & unwrapping the deal (It's been 2 days since the "upgrade".) They told me "You can return the phone BUT NOT THE CONTRACT. You are locked in here for 2 more years no matter what."!!! (Before this "upgrade" to "4G", I was 15 months into my previous contract.)
I explained to them that a contract is a 2 WAY deal and they weren't keeping up their end of the deal with .04 mb upload speeds on 4G and had therefore breached the contract. Their response was "We don't have to adhere to any speed standard, and no, you can't go back to the previous contract from 2 days ago if you return the phone"
T Mobile has gone from tops in the industry to a lying low life.
I went across the street to Verizon & checked several of their 4G phones with the same ap. All of 'em ran at 22-31 mb down and 10-11 up!!!
Desicion made: I went to Amazon's One Cent for ANY PHONE sale & bought a Verizon Rezound for a penny. (and a 'double the data' plan that is $15/mo more than TMo's. If TMo insists, I'll pay their divorce fee and take it back in small claims court.)
I would urge any friend on TMo 4G to check their upload speeds and decide if they feel they're getting burned. Raise hell if you do. I sure will miss the old T Mobile.

Sam here in NYC. Speeds are all over the place. They were very consistent and fast when I got the phone 3 weeks ago, then it just tanked.

The truth is I don't really care much about the upload speed. I don't ever recall T-mobile advertising their upload speed, just their d/l speed.
As I've said before in another post. Speeds varies depending on area and time of day you are using it/testing it. if you get great speed at 8am on monday and then do the same test at 8am on tuesday, you might or might not get the same speed due to other variables (e.g. 200 more people in the same area using their data at the same time on Tuesday).
But the 2 year contract lock thing is stupid cause I had something similar. I renewed my contract for 2 years to get this phone and they messed up my order and I said I am refusing the phone, so I will go back to my out-of-contract state. But they said NOPE. You're locked in for 2 years, but we'll fix your phone order and give you $10 off per month...LOL...i said, ok.

That is interesting that they said no to removing two year contract for returning your phone. either they changed their policies or whomever you spoke to was misinformed. I worked there a year ago and when people return their phones as part of a two year upgrade, it is part of that contract. By returning a phone in your case, they are required to undo that contract and return you or at least bring you back to your previous plan. I would just go straight to the store you bought it from and ask for a manager or lead.
hellcatrydr said:
So...
I went back to the TMo store and there, I get 7 - 12 mb DOWN but upload speeds are just stupid slow. 50 - 350 KILObytes!!! (Ookla speed test)
This is in the TMo store parking lot in the strongest signal zone in my area. The upload speed is horrendous!
So I checked the store demo: Same result. I took a pic with it (3.2mb file size) and it took 4 1/2 minutes to email it!
Then, I checked 2 other high end TMo demo phones: The HTC Amaze and LG GX2. SAME RESULT!!! WTF???
The problem is T-Mobile! There IS NO 4G upload in this area, period. (I suspect this is true for all areas of TMo 4G) Wait. It gets better...
So I called TMo & told them I'm bringing the GS2 back & unwrapping the deal (It's been 2 days since the "upgrade".) They told me "You can return the phone BUT NOT THE CONTRACT. You are locked in here for 2 more years no matter what."!!! (Before this "upgrade" to "4G", I was 15 months into my previous contract.)
I explained to them that a contract is a 2 WAY deal and they weren't keeping up their end of the deal with .04 mb upload speeds on 4G and had therefore breached the contract. Their response was "We don't have to adhere to any speed standard, and no, you can't go back to the previous contract from 2 days ago if you return the phone"
T Mobile has gone from tops in the industry to a lying low life.
I went across the street to Verizon & checked several of their 4G phones with the same ap. All of 'em ran at 22-31 mb down and 10-11 up!!!
Desicion made: I went to Amazon's One Cent for ANY PHONE sale & bought a Verizon Rezound for a penny. (and a 'double the data' plan that is $15/mo more than TMo's. If TMo insists, I'll pay their divorce fee and take it back in small claims court.)
I would urge any friend on TMo 4G to check their upload speeds and decide if they feel they're getting burned. Raise hell if you do. I sure will miss the old T Mobile.
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Click to collapse
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

I remember back in the vibrant days you could mess with the build.prop and tweak things to get better signal . any ideas?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

i'm happy as long as i get good download speed
upload speed varies between certain areas in the city

I am happy too. I use wifi 90% of the time and when I'm out driving (Salem, Oregon.) I get good speeds.
AllGamer said:
i'm happy as long as i get good download speed
upload speed varies between certain areas in the city
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Click to collapse
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

Well, I admit I'm surprised that people, especially here, don't place the importance on U/L speed that I do. Just something about 5 minutes to send 1 pic really made me start to question... and then when I saw the LTE phones perform, yeow!
Will update the thread with what happens w/ the contract when I return the phone.
BTW... The Amazon 1 cent for any phone deal is for real.
No 'sales tax for the full $800 price' BS added.
No sales tax at all!
No PITA rebate! YAY!!!
They actually billed my card a total of .01! For an $800 phone. My first purchase from them.

Hey really look into asking for a manager or lead. Your phone upgrade is part of the contract upgrade. Your return, IS part of the reversal let the contract . No if, and,., or buts.. You should not be stuck on contract because you "chanced your mind" specially if you are within buyers remorse.
hellcatrydr said:
Well, I admit I'm surprised that people, especially here, don't place the importance on U/L speed that I do. Just something about 5 minutes to send 1 pic really made me start to question... and then when I saw the LTE phones perform, yeow!
Will update the thread with what happens w/ the contract when I return the phone.
BTW... The Amazon 1 cent for any phone deal is for real.
No 'sales tax for the full $800 price' BS added.
No sales tax at all!
No PITA rebate! YAY!!!
They actually billed my card a total of .01! For an $800 phone. My first purchase from them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

Related

Spint woes

Even though I'm posting in the Evo section of a mainly rooting community, I was hoping someone could provide a little insight onto my situation. Perhaps there is a Sprint representative on these forums who can better assist me as well.
So I purchased a new Evo June 20th after coming from 3 years of using the iPhone. I love the phone, but I've had nothing but issues with it. It's less the phone itself and more the companies surrounding it - Radio Shack, Sprint, etc.
So like I stated before, I got my Evo on June 20th. After using it a few days I noticed I had terrible signal at home. Normally if I was using the phone for personal reasons only, I could live with it, but I do work 1-2 days per week from home so not having voice service is a pretty big deal to me. After about 7-9 of fighting with the signal loss while walking around my home looking for a sweet spot (Also while on the phone with Spring customer service) They told me it was probably my home or area and that they couldnt guarantee coverage everywhere. My issue with this is, I've test all the carriers in my home. ATT, Tmobile, and Verizon get a minimum of 3 bars in my house. I dont like out in the middle of nowhere, I live in the suburbs of Houston. All other carriers penetrate into my home just fine, except Sprint. Well after arguing with Sprint reps over and over, I finally decided to take it to the Sprint store.
After waiting in a terribly long line (45 min), I was finally speaking to a Sprint rep. I told them about my issues and asked if there was anything I could do. He stated there was a booster that was $99. I flat out denied this as I thought it was ridiculous I had to pay more money just to get voice signal (something that was shown to be EXCELLENT coverage in their computers). He played with the phone for a second, then stated that an update would be coming out shortly that would improve the Wifi, 4G, and radio of the phone. The rep suggested that I was still within my 30 day cancellation period and that I should wait for the update and see if that improved anything.
So, a few short days later I got the OTA message on my phone. Well, this turned out to be a huge mess because I ended up being one of those unfortunate people who had their phones bricked. So at this point I'm phoneless and very frustrated. I take the phone back to where I purchased it, Radio Shack, and they tell me they've seen other customers who had this problem and will gladly exchange the phone for me. The manager of the store states it should be here on Friday, so I say thank you and leave.
Well, the phone didnt come Friday. It didn't even come the next Friday. Yep, it came THREE Friday's later - almost 3 full weeks later. So after not having a phone for two and a half weeks, I finally get my new phone in. The radio shack rep applied the update for me in the store and I left.
Well the weekend went by and I didn't notice any dropped calls, but I wasn't using my phone heavily. Then yesterday I was working from home and my phone was finally getting put to its full use. Call after call dropped and I couldn't even hold a signal for more than 10 minutes. I eventually had to run next door and borrow a neighbors phone to finish up my convo with a client. Normally I could live with this issue for personal use, but for work it was becoming a serious problem.
So I called Sprint and explained the situation. Eventually after sitting on the phone for an hour and talking to person after person I spoke with a manager who basically said either buy the $100 booster or pay $200 to cancel your contract and leave. At that point I was furious - I didn't understand why I should be forced to pay more for something when I was already paying for signal. I explained that I originally had planned on returning the phone earlier, but that had held off at the advice from a Sprint rep I talked to, and that my phone had been broken for over 2 weeks of my 30 day trial period. She continued to iterate that there was nothing she could do. She instructed me to contact Radio Shack and see if they would accept the phone back after 30 days (I'm on day 34 right now).
I just spoke with Radio Shack but they stated I'll need to call back when the manager is in the store - which will be 3-4 hours from now. I suppose maybe I'll get lucky and I'll be able to return the phone - but I'm worried about what will happen if they refuse. I'm going to be stuck with a phone that is unusable for work, while forced to either pay $100 for a booster, or shell out another $200 for the ETF (screwing me out of $400 total).
Anyways, maybe there is nothing that can be done, maybe I'm just an idiot for not testing the phone more aggressively sooner. I'm just sharing my experience on here with the hopes that someone has come across a similar situation or perhaps someone with a Sprint customer service background.
TLDR - got an evo, noticed bad signal, Sprint said OTA would fix the issues, OTA broke phone, waited 2 weeks for replacement, tested phone, reception still suck, Sprint says im stuck.
Wow, that sucks. Sorry to hear that.
I'm curious...you do get to keep the phone if you pay the ETF, right?
If you do, I would pay the $200 ETF and sell the phone on ebay or craigslist because I really doubt the $100 booster is going to help much and with the EVO in short supply, I'm sure someone is willing to buy it.
PS: If you do, just be sure to do a factory reset so all information is erased from it.
Maybe try the Verizon PRL, I looked briefly but cant seem to find the post. It is here somewhere though. Might work for you.
Yea PRL would work, but I don't want to use up my 450 anytime minutes nor do I want to switch back and forth between PRL's. I get great service at work and other places, it's just a dead zone where I live.
Airave?
Is the signal issue only at home? Airave hooks into your broadband service and then you can make phone calls via airave and it routes the calls like Vonage. And if your service really sucks sprint will give you the device for free if you complain the right way. I have had mine for 2 weeks and have had no dropped calls at home. This won't help you outside of your house though....Just my $.02
Really?
Really for free? Sprint was adamant that I would have to purchase one. They said over and over they would not wave the fee since their computers show I'm in excellent coverage area.
I too have been with Sprint for sometime now and I have the booster and it has worked wonders for me at home my office is in my basement so I spend a great deal down there and dint get service upatairs I got 3 bars but now I can make a call anywhere and it doesn't drop or anything well worth the 100 dollars if you can't get them tk give you one for free
Are those boosters provider specific?
I was thinking about getting one for the basement, but we have Sprint and Verizon Androids in the house. Don't want to have to buy one for each carrier.
I can confirm that if your a new customer with sprint they will do absolutely nothing for you, except sell you more stuff. I just went through a very similar situation and after offering me the airwave twice for free only to double back and say no sorry its 100 bucks.
BTW if you get the airwave for free they extend your contact back to 2 years, might be worth it for some.
I'm rocking the verizon prl's now and well its decent enough to stick with it, the phone rocks.
I also got an Airave for free when I was having issues. The only problem it would have is not supporting 3G data, but I suppose if you are at home, you can use wi-fi. The best benefit I saw was paying $10/mo and getting unlimited calls while on the device since I don't have unlimited minutes.
Sprint gave me an Airave for free, waived the fee for 2 years, and didn't touch my contract. But I also have 5 towers within 1.9 miles and they compete for signal...
The thing is, while I don't drop calls within range of the Airave, it doesn't hand off to a tower like it is supposed to so it drops when I walk out of range. :/
I'm pretty pissed at Sprint right now... They had a 2 1/2 outage that affected ALL of Colorado (voice and text - data worked fine in most areas) and just gave me a 25 dollar bill credit for it - couldn't even dial 911 and when people called me phone, it was just dead air - not even voicemail. BIG NO NO! Then on top of that, the subpar 3G speeds (900kbps max, 600 average compared to 3Mbps/1.7 on at&t in the same area), I've had two data outages (another two 25 dollar bill credits) and they charged me an activation fee on my corporate liable line through Comcast which was supposed to be free so I'm fighting to get that waived.
I love the phone. Hate the service.

Screwed for iPhone 4GS rant

WE have been duped by Sprint people. Go to their website and you will notice the announcement of the iPhone 4Gs. You can even pre order it. This privilege was not given for the Samsung Galaxy S 2 ET4G.
Why...was this you say...it's obvious that Sprint knew it had made a deal to buy a **** load of IOS devices to secure this deal with Apple.so they didn't promote the galaxy ET4g. Now they have a big announcement tomorrow. They are going out of their way to let you pre order the iPhone as well.
Sad, and yes I feel they used us to get this deal, by canceling all perks, while giving us crappy service. My Photon has a red circle and no service, and I don't have a ET4G yet. Service has been terrible most of the summer all over NY and in mid town NYC.
If service was being interrupted to better service I may stick around, but not getting signal, failed messages, and paying for it and no credit with lies is unacceptable. Not being able to pre-order the phone I wanted because they made a deal with Crapple is also unforgivable. Price isn't the only thing that matters in a business relationship. It's I pay for service and expect to have it when I want it, not when you decide to give it.
Hell I was told by a customer service rep that I should be happy because I have had a lot of usage on my line. I then said yes that is true, but when I need my service to work it failed to deliver....I missed important calls. and meetings with people because of failed service.
People were telling me when they called the phone rang 3x's and hung up no message was able to be left. Others told me that they would get a network busy message please try again later. One rep verified this condition of calling me, and could not get through. The phone rang 3x's and the line just went dead when they called. I have been to tech centers, and have made many battery pulls, and software reboots, and finally I was told that there was a net work issue and they did not know when it would be cleared. Now when I call to talk about it they put me on hold no music and never come back to talk.
I just don't see it getting better, and when the next generation of phones IE Prime or what ever hits Verizon, and this is not cleared I am gone. When I feel I have to beg for service, or a credit for not receiving service after paying my bills for 15 years, and at one point having a $300 a month phone bills for business it's time to go.
My bill analysis shows that I average 240 msg a month, and average about 2g of data a month, and since I use my phone mostly for calls a Verizion 69.00 phone plan with 10 data, and 10.00 for data equals what I am paying now. So if this doesn't clear with the loss of perks I am outta here.lol
My service is better than ever...by far too. I never saw over 8Mbps download speed in Los Angeles on 4G and now....
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Enjoy the larger bill on Verizon. It fast and rather reliable
Life is too short to complain on services you are not happy about. Great thing about America is that we have three major carriers
The sprint network can't compete with Verizon in "most" areas,
Can I have your phone when you leave? I've got a line with no phone....

			
				
care cup \__/
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
When sprint cancelled premiere the writing was on the wall. It was on your august bill statement. In addition, sprint raised the admin fee by 50cents which invalidated every contract. Also on your bill statement.
Then sprint raised ETF from $200 to $350. Then they changed 30 day phone trials to 14 days. All this in september.
I am here on this board with an E4GT because of these changes - I had to get my final premiere upgrade prior to 10/2/2011. Otherwise I was fully planning on just waiting another month for nexus prime.
Now the E4GT has serious radio issues. Like OP, I had calls go to voicemail for hours at a time. Others have LOS, dropped calls, no signal bars, phone refuses to roam, etc.
Sprint's CEO said that 54% of sprint customer churn is due to not having an iphone. Thats a pretty hard fact to not pay attention to.
It is clear sprint is putting all eggs in one basket - the iphone basket. Sprint has lost money for 15 straight quarters. This will either save sprint or ruin sprint.
I've been with sprint 10 years now, and im no iphone fan. THe writing is on the wall: We'll let you keep your android devices and stay on our network, but we really don't care about you now. Of course I knew all this over a month ago and I was still willing to sign a 2 year contract in september for the Epic 4g touch. That was before all the LOS issues arose.
We'll see what the next 2 years brings. But the days of customer loyalty perks, retention plans, etc are clearly over.
I just switched from verizon to sprint, so I can give you a good preview of what to expect.
First of all, the service is top notch, and the lte speeds were incredible - I regularly got over 20 mbps in my area, many times close to 30. Of course, keep in mind that their lte service is fairly new, and at the time they only had 3 expensive phones that could use it, so that will likely change as more people upgrade and the network gets saturated.
So why did I leave this awesome service? Price. Everything across the board is way more expensive - service and phones. I paid $50 more for a Droid Charge than I did for my E4GT, and that phone isn't even in the same league. For our family plan with unlimited text, only 700 minutes, 2 data plans and 2 other phones, it was $230 a month. Our kids wanted smartphones too, but to add 2 more data plans would have put our bill up to $300. I'm not broke, but not rich either, and that cost is pretty hard to justify.
Also, keep in mind that all those policies Sprint just changed are the same policies Verizon has - 14 day return, $350 etf (even after being way overcharged on the phones up front), and no more New Every Two program.
The only carrier I've found with good pricing and great coverage (in my area) is Tmo, and I almost jumped to them, but no way in hell I want to risk being an att customer again.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
txmikester said:
I just switched from verizon to sprint, so I can give you a good preview of what to expect.
First of all, the service is top notch, and the lte speeds were incredible - I regularly got over 20 mbps in my area, many times close to 30. Of course, keep in mind that their lte service is fairly new, and at the time they only had 3 expensive phones that could use it, so that will likely change as more people upgrade and the network gets saturated.
So why did I leave this awesome service? Price. Everything across the board is way more expensive - service and phones. I paid $50 more for a Droid Charge than I did for my E4GT, and that phone isn't even in the same league. For our family plan with unlimited text, only 700 minutes, 2 data plans and 2 other phones, it was $230 a month. Our kids wanted smartphones too, but to add 2 more data plans would have put our bill up to $300. I'm not broke, but not rich either, and that cost is pretty hard to justify.
Also, keep in mind that all those policies Sprint just changed are the same policies Verizon has - 14 day return, $350 etf (even after being way overcharged on the phones up front), and no more New Every Two program.
The only carrier I've found with good pricing and great coverage (in my area) is Tmo, and I almost jumped to them, but no way in hell I want to risk being an att customer again.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perspective ftw!
This is called "grass is greener" syndrome. You're gonna love it at first. Then 6 months later you're posting the same crap in another forum.
AbsolutZeroGI said:
Perspective ftw!
This is called "grass is greener" syndrome. You're gonna love it at first. Then 6 months later you're posting the same crap in another forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all comes down to service.....ETFs, and other fees are basic...it's about service when I want it....I am worn out this summer by Sprint's evasive bull**** regarding the service issues that we are experiencing. Collecting my money for inferior service, and lying about is bad business practice......
Piece out!!!!
QWIKSTRIKE said:
It all comes down to service.....ETFs, and other fees are basic...it's about service when I want it....I am worn out this summer by Sprint's evasive bull**** regarding the service issues that we are experiencing. Collecting my money for inferior service, and lying about is bad business practice......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amen. I am tired of flipping on Roam Control and dealing on 1x every time I enter a building. What good is unlimited 3g if it is slow as molasses, and 4g which is spotty and hardly ever works indoors? At this point, I am off contract and if Prime comes to VZW and is not full of bloat I may be gone.
dohturdima said:
Amen. I am tired of flipping on Roam Control and dealing on 1x every time I enter a building. What good is unlimited 3g if it is slow as molasses, and 4g which is spotty and hardly ever works indoors? At this point, I am off contract and if Prime comes to VZW and is not full of bloat I may be gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
I was told that the unlimited everything plan for the IPhone will be $20 a month more than ours..
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium
I like android and I never want a I-PHONE.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
Feel free to kick me in the Jimmy if I ever buy an iAnything.
Sent from my extra sensory space modulator while performing the slippery cricket
dohturdima said:
Amen. I am tired of flipping on Roam Control and dealing on 1x every time I enter a building. What good is unlimited 3g if it is slow as molasses, and 4g which is spotty and hardly ever works indoors? At this point, I am off contract and if Prime comes to VZW and is not full of bloat I may be gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't really matter if it has bloat where cause you can root the stock rom and use titanium backup to remove it all. Its super easy to do
dohturdima said:
Amen. I am tired of flipping on Roam Control and dealing on 1x every time I enter a building. What good is unlimited 3g if it is slow as molasses, and 4g which is spotty and hardly ever works indoors? At this point, I am off contract and if Prime comes to VZW and is not full of bloat I may be gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not just talking 3g/4G.....I get a red circle with a line almost daily. I have been missing calls. getting network busy try back later errors, and not receiving calls for hours a day. I missed getting calls with 4-5 bars in mid town Manhattan, and people told me the phone just rang 3 times and stopped ringing with no option to leave a voice mail. Others were told to "try back later network busy". This can only get worse if iPhone is coming. I am not the only one experiencing this issue the Sprint online community is filled with this same complaint.
JohnCorleone said:
I was told that the unlimited everything plan for the IPhone will be $20 a month more than ours..
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, it is the same price. You can go on and pre-order to see the pricing.

Tonight was the first time I considered leaving sprint

I've been with Sprint for 7 years, mainly because of cost (I'm on Sero) and phones. That and I've always considered CDMA to be superior to GSM with regards to coverage. (in the US) But tonight I second guessed myself.
In my apartment, which is half underground, I need an airwave to get a decent signal from sprint. My girlfriend is visiting and for ****s and giggles I did a speed test on her atnt HTC inspire. Now I had heard people mock atnt's 4G network for not being true "4G," but with one bar of signal this phone is pulling 25mbs down and 6mbs up. Most of the time in my area I only get 3G and when I travel to the city next to mine the 4G is around 2mbs down.
I went to atnt's website and priced a plan similar to mine and it would end up costing me around $100 per month to get from atnt what I get for $60 from sprint. And thats not technically accurate since sprint gives us unlimited data. For that price difference I can't justify switching yet.
This phone is awesome and looks like it will be enough to hold me over for some time. (time as defined by a cell phone addict) The upcoming galaxy nexus may have a nice screen, but its raw power seems lacking compared to the SGS2. Which makes sense. The galaxy S series is samsung's flagship, the nexus series is google's flagship provided by samsung, who would get the better hardware? The only phone I see on the horizon right now that is a challenger (besides the S3 ofc) would be the samsung note. Now if I was going to go through the trouble of importing a phone (note will be only international initially it seems) and getting it to work on one of the carriers here, atnt would be the easiest option. If they made a CDMA international version with the right radio I could probably figure out or find/pay someone with the appropriate knowledge of CMDA workshop to get it working on sprint, but the alternative would be easier. I am an admitted sprint fanboy, but tonight is the first time in a while I actually priced out other options. I will probably stick out the rest of this contract (about two years obviously) and see how network vision and the LTE rollout pans out; however if things aren't looking much better I'm jumping ship or getting a second phone.
Anyway I apologize for the extremely random rant. I was shocked by atnt's "4G" network performance. Thats something I would've expected from a verizon LTE phone, but apparently the stereotypes I've held onto about the different networks are incorrect. Or the tower her phone is connected to is extremely uncongested, who knows. Like I said, I'm a sprint fan and a share holder, but if something doesn't change, my opinion will.
/endrant
TL;DR
Sprint's network blows worse than I thought compared to others
25mbs down and 6mbs up? Amazing!
Nothing like downloading a movie in under ten minutes... better be a good movie though since that uses up a good chunk of the 2GB you get per month.
Sorry, but it has to be about more than just raw speed.
This is like saying "I have a Lamborghini! But I can only drive in 40 miles a month"
The real question is, does 2mbit/s do it for you?
Because I don't know one thing you can't do on a phone [from stream music to streaming video] at 2mbit/s.
These aren't servers, they're phones.
mattykinsx said:
25mbs down and 6mbs up? Amazing!
Nothing like downloading a movie in under ten minutes... better be a good movie though since that uses up a good chunk of the 2GB you get per month.
Sorry, but it has to be about more than just raw speed.
This is like saying "I have a Lamborghini! But I can only drive in 40 miles a month"
The real question is, does 2mbit/s do it for you?
Because I don't know one thing you can't do on a phone [from stream music to streaming video] at 2mbit/s.
These aren't servers, they're phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Win.
Sent from my SPH-D710 Galaxy S II [suck it]
mattykinsx said:
The real question is, does 2mbit/s do it for you?
Because I don't know one thing you can't do on a phone [from stream music to streaming video] at 2mbit/s.
These aren't servers, they're phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are very correct. If I got a consistent 2mbit/s I'd be very content, but the only time I get that is on wimax when I make a trip to best buy in the city adjacent to me. If its night time, and I'm outside, I'll get 1.5mbit/s. Daytime outside 500-600kbit/s, most of the time I'm inside so that drops to 200-400. The building I work in has wifi and when I used my Evo it wasn't an issue, but with the epic touch's horrible wifi reception there are times when my 3G signal is present and the wifi isn't x.x
Furthermore when driving around I can't even use pandora without a good 20 seconds between songs due to lag. Now maybe the same thing would be true with atnt or verizon 4g, I can't be sure since my test was isolated to one spot, but I have a good idea it would be better.
What phone are u saying is international only?
Sent From My Evo Killer!!!
musclehead84 said:
What phone are u saying is international only?
Sent From My Evo Killer!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
samsung note, but it might be coming to atnt here
Never mock the marketing names. Only mock the actual experienced speeds.
How much would it cost to go family plan on your GFs account?
Verizon's got 20mbps LTE in my house, but I'm with Sprint because they pull 2500 kbps on 3G and it's unlimited.
yeah, I think about this constantly...and it's not even the price that keeps me anymore, it's the unlimited. My use can vary between 1.5gb a month to 20gb a month depending on where I go and what I do. I don't even want to know what that would cost me on ATT or Verizon...and T-Mobile is just a non-starter due to even worse coverage than Sprint.
But lets say I get some of that ATT or Verizon 20-40mbps action. I can peg that for minutes before burning through my limit of data...that's scary. Now, okay, even sticking to my same usage pattern...no, honestly I can't even gauge that. If I didn't get cut off or lagged to death I would almost certainly consume tons more data.
Is this fear enough to keep me? Not for much longer. Do you hear that Sprint? A lot of us are thinking very seriously a bout switching. Sure, 20-40mbps is on the 'ideal-to-high' side for HDSPA+ and LTE but I would jump ship for half of that, or even a reliable quarter of that. DO YOU HEAR THAT SPRINT? I WOULD PAY MORE MONEY FOR A TIERED PLAN THAT PROMISED TO DELIVER MY DATA AT SPEEDS THAT THEIR NETWORK WOULD CONSIDER 'CONGESTED' Meanwhile we're over here on Sprint praying to get 1/16th of those speeds and failing to get even that. Sure, promise us unlimited data and then fail to provide a speed that would even allow half of us to hit the limit of the equivalent plan on Verizon or ATT...
I'm very seriously considering leaving Sprint after more than a decade. This service is bad and just getting worse. Now we have the iPhone. Big fncking deal. I hope it was worth it to Sprint, cuz it certainly wasn't to me.
Galaxy Nexus...nice phone...a slightly bigger slightly higher res version of this phone (essentially, lets not nit pick here) except it's not only on Verizon's awesome 3G network (which I'm roaming on right now), but also Verizon LTE network.....for $10 more a month and watching my data usage a little I never have to worry about getting hosed with 250-500kbps service on a constant basis....hmm, not too bad.
daneurysm said:
yeah, I think about this constantly...and it's not even the price that keeps me anymore, it's the unlimited. My use can vary between 1.5gb a month to 20gb a month depending on where I go and what I do. I don't even want to know what that would cost me on ATT or Verizon...and T-Mobile is just a non-starter due to even worse coverage than Sprint.
But lets say I get some of that ATT or Verizon 20-40mbps action. I can peg that for minutes before burning through my limit of data...that's scary. Now, okay, even sticking to my same usage pattern...no, honestly I can't even gauge that. If I didn't get cut off or lagged to death I would almost certainly consume tons more data.
Is this fear enough to keep me? Not for much longer. Do you hear that Sprint? A lot of us are thinking very seriously a bout switching. Sure, 20-40mbps is on the 'ideal-to-high' side for HDSPA+ and LTE but I would jump ship for half of that, or even a reliable quarter of that. DO YOU HEAR THAT SPRINT? I WOULD PAY MORE MONEY FOR A TIERED PLAN THAT PROMISED TO DELIVER MY DATA AT SPEEDS THAT THEIR NETWORK WOULD CONSIDER 'CONGESTED' Meanwhile we're over here on Sprint praying to get 1/16th of those speeds and failing to get even that. Sure, promise us unlimited data and then fail to provide a speed that would even allow half of us to hit the limit of the equivalent plan on Verizon or ATT...
I'm very seriously considering leaving Sprint after more than a decade. This service is bad and just getting worse. Now we have the iPhone. Big fncking deal. I hope it was worth it to Sprint, cuz it certainly wasn't to me.
Galaxy Nexus...nice phone...a slightly bigger slightly higher res version of this phone (essentially, lets not nit pick here) except it's not only on Verizon's awesome 3G network (which I'm roaming on right now), but also Verizon LTE network.....for $10 more a month and watching my data usage a little I never have to worry about getting hosed with 250-500kbps service on a constant basis....hmm, not too bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I say you set the font size to 7 so Sprint can really hear you.
Oh wait, XDA is not a Sprint forum...
If your service doesn't do what you need it to, switch to one that does instead of making empty threats on a hacker forum that can't help you.
Guess I'm not the only one with insomnia at 4am...
Sent from my SPH-D710
I have to say I'm also thinking about jumping ship from Sprint. I love my ET4G but the network speeds are complete crap. I'm in Los Angeles, only 15 minutes from downtown and I get CRAP speeds everywhere I go in Los Angeles County and in Tucson. Sprint's network just plain sucks. I get slow 3G speeds and rarely even connect to 4G and 4G speeds are usually about the same as my 3G speeds if it stays connected.
I've been with them for a decade now and get pretty good pricing but I want good data now more than ever. As soon as they change from 5GB cap on data service for phones I'll be able to dump my contract without an ETF and I'll go to Verizon. Sprint's prices are only a deal if you get comparable service to other providers. http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/1...ost-iphone-launch-45-pages-of-complaints-bad/
mattykinsx said:
I say you set the font size to 7 so Sprint can really hear you.
Oh wait, XDA is not a Sprint forum...
If your service doesn't do what you need it to, switch to one that does instead of making empty threats on a hacker forum that can't help you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, did I hit a sensitive spot? Slow speeds gettin' ya down? LTE envy?
To think that someone from Sprint doesn't keep an eye on this place is outright stupid....though it likely isn't someone who could help. I think it's even more idiotic to think that Sprint would listen to one lone complainer when they haven't listened to hundreds of thousands yet. Hell, on their own forum they can just delete the dissenting comment.
A thread full of impotent rage is surely more useful than a dump-truck full of deleted comments.
Besides, do you think Sprint would prefer to be the discount third-rate network? If they could snap their fingers and come up with the capitol to say "make it so" and have the network be competitive I'm sure they would. They can't. I could email everyone one of the top brass at Sprint, fax it to them, have the message hand delivered to everyone that mattered and it wouldn't be any more effective.
Here I am among a group of peers who share many of the same issues, at least here my comment can't be deleted by the company it criticizes. I'm bouncing ideas around, thinking out loud, commiserating. Sometimes "just talking about it" can be cathartic and be enough to relieve the frustration...or perhaps lead to solutions.
If this thread doesn't have only messages that you like switch to one that does instead of leaving *****y replies on a hacker forum that can't help your either?
....This is the /General forum, that's why...a thread about considering leaving Sprint no less. Seems the perfect venue to me. What else did you think you'd find in here?
That said this is no empty threat. If things don't start turning around soon it's going to be pretty hard to stick around here once that LTE Nexus Galaxy comes out...I've got a couple 'outs' on my contract like a dead-spot that an air-rave couldn't fix. The Verizon signal there is fantastic and I hear it's an LTE tower too.
Overstew said:
Verizon's got 20mbps LTE in my house, but I'm with Sprint because they pull 2500 kbps on 3G and it's unlimited.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
/Rant/
holy cow. I wish i could just get over 200kbps in my area....
I have to drive like 8 miles to just get 800-1000kbps in Tucson. BUT if i go DEEP into tucson by the university and everything else ill get about 1600kbps - 1900kbps.
Sprints towers in my neighborhood have been on and off since August 21st. Ive dropped more calls in those few months then with the 8 years ive had them and keep roaming and at times wont even get my texts and calls.
I also have been getting a call from the same Rep every tuesday asking if signal is any better and i give the same response and he puts out a trouble ticket.
just this bs alone makes me want to get verizon (my GF has a Droid Inc 2 and she gets 2000kbps in my house. ) But the 2gb cap and the fact that for the family of smartphones with discount is $264 and alot more than i pay now.
I know its not just my phone, its every sprint phone that is in my area.
/End of Rant/
daneurysm said:
-- snip --
Besides, do you think Sprint would prefer to be the discount third-rate network? If they could snap their fingers and come up with the capitol to say "make it so" and have the network be competitive I'm sure they would. They can't. I could email everyone one of the top brass at Sprint, fax it to them, have the message hand delivered to everyone that mattered and it wouldn't be any more effective.
-- snip --
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now now lets look at what Sprint has bet the entire farm on. They have betted over 20 BILLION dollars just to accomodate the IPHONE and iphone alone. Yes you read that right 20 Billion dollars. What about the rest of the other phones in their lineup.
I am not knocking a thing here just saying that is Sprint can bet the farm aka 20+ Billion just for the iphone then they can put some cash toward supporting the other phones.
I am now looking at Verizon and will be pricing a plan that compares to what I have with Sprint and if its not too much more money then well sorry Sprint I am gone.
Here in my hometown Verizon is rock solid and with 4g. Sprint sucks the big arse big time and the speeds I am getting is 200K down and about 170K up. Its so bad and has gotten worse in the last year that I have to use my TWC internet connection just for data uses on my Epic 4 g touch. I am paying that extra 10 bucks a month just because of the phone and for what crap service.
Again if Sprint can bet the farm and shell out over 20 Billion dollars just for the iphone then they can invest in the rest of us. If not then maybe its time to find another provider.
Wizard220 said:
Now now lets look at what Sprint has bet the entire farm on. They have betted over 20 BILLION dollars just to accomodate the IPHONE and iphone alone. Yes you read that right 20 Billion dollars. What about the rest of the other phones in their lineup.
I am not knocking a thing here just saying that is Sprint can bet the farm aka 20+ Billion just for the iphone then they can put some cash toward supporting the other phones.
I am now looking at Verizon and will be pricing a plan that compares to what I have with Sprint and if its not too much more money then well sorry Sprint I am gone.
Here in my hometown Verizon is rock solid and with 4g. Sprint sucks the big arse big time and the speeds I am getting is 200K down and about 170K up. Its so bad and has gotten worse in the last year that I have to use my TWC internet connection just for data uses on my Epic 4 g touch. I am paying that extra 10 bucks a month just because of the phone and for what crap service.
Again if Sprint can bet the farm and shell out over 20 Billion dollars just for the iphone then they can invest in the rest of us. If not then maybe its time to find another provider.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Granted, to stay competitive, I think they had to do whatever it took to get the iPhone... does that give them a fighting chance? At best. This wasn't capitol either, it was a promise of future sales. This, honestly, all looks terrible for Sprint in the short term and uncertain, at best, in the long term. Have you seen what their shares have been trading at?
Meanwhile I have seen the once ass-kicking network where with my LG Lotus I could pull down 2mbps on a regular basis tethered (for only $15 more than my $69.99 plan) only ~2 years later I can barely hit 500kbps for $10 on top of my $69.99 plan...and then the onslaught of iPhone users comes in to gobble up the rest. So I'm paying $5 less than I was ~2 years ago for 25% of the speed and 25% of the availability...My connections time out so much that I have to hit 'reload' so many times it's absurd. Pop on 00001.PRL to see what the other side lives with....1.5mbps all day every day, even in my apartment where I routinely get 150-500kbps. Randomly, except during peak hours (noon, give or take 6 hours) where I'm lucky to even get a connection. I absolutely need to use Opera Mini to even load a non-mobile version of a web page....how fast is it going then? Who knows, the speedtest app hangs at 'finding server'.
Things did seem to be picking up in the weeks leading up to the iPhone launch, but, that phone has made any gains moot. If in the next month I don't see some real action it's over...I'm going *sigh* Verizon. Paying too much for data you do get is preferable to paying anything for data you don't get.
I've wanted to switch for 6 or more months now. The only thing keeping me is the Google Voice/Sprint integration. Being able to check and answer all my texts and calls online regardless of where I am geographically or what state my phone is in is huge for me.
I'd easily leave and tolerate a 2GB cap that I actually have the capacity to reach, than deal with poor service even in the midst of an AirRave. I too am experiencing abysmal network speed in a decent sized American city.
I'd also love to tap in to the international developement base as far as having a popular unlocked GSM phone like the (original) GSII goes.
dmexs said:
I've wanted to switch for 6 or more months now. The only thing keeping me is the Google Voice/Sprint integration. Being able to check and answer all my texts and calls online regardless of where I am geographically or what state my phone is in is huge for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just port your number out to Google Voice. I did that with my last phone when I got out of contract for free. It cost $20 and took 3 days. They still haven't gottem MMS straightened out yet but in the past week they made it a priority...currently Sprint-to-Sprint MMS works. But I just sent a mass-text to everyone that would even send me MMS (few people, honestly, 8 or 9 maybe?) and told them to send MMS to the new number. So now I get that same integration no matter where I go. So now all voicemails and text to that number go to my phone, web browser GV tab and my tablet. It's insanely handy and totally worth the $20 and minor hassle.
I myself was thinking about going to Verizon for the Nexus Prime...and they still have month-to-month plans if you buy the device outright. That way if Sprint happens to get their **** together and fixes this network up--or if the tiered data plans end up being too much to deal with--I can just bail.
EDIT: I just looked into Verizon:
450 Minutes : $39.99
250 Messages : $5.00
2GB Data : $30.00 = $74.99 a month
or 5GB Data : $50.00 = $94.99 a month
...not to bad if I can keep it under 2GB, palatable for 5GB plan.... I'm not thrilled about it, at all. But, to get usable data on a month-to-month plan I'll just might take it.
T-Mobile:
Unlimited Everything + 2gb "full speed" = $79.99 a month
Unlimited Everything + 5gb "full speed" = $89.99 a month
...not too shabby, but, they have no compelling phones right now and even though I hear their 3G and "4G" (aka 3.5G) is pretty damned fast I'm not so sure about their coverage
AT&T:
450 Minutes : $39.99
2GB Data : $25.00 = $64.99 a month
4GB Data + tethering: $45 = $74.99 a month
though they don't seem to have any txting packages except the $20 unlimited, which is ridiculous. that's fine for me, I use GVoice, but, how to MMS count, just data? Their coverage around here ain't bad and their data speeds are very fast from what I hear.
hmmm
And lets not forget, Sprint has taken the "first" step toward teired data plans. Yes if you have mobil plan with them ( not cell phone ) you now have a teired data plan. before you pay a flat rate and got unlimited.
To me this is the last step before teired data plans comes to us cell phone users. With all the changes that Sprint has done this will be the final nail in its coffen. If Sprint does roll out teired data plans there will be zero reason to stay with them. Why because you can pay about the same price maybe just a little more and get solid service, solid data rates.
If sprint losses unlimited data I'd be gone. My 3g is miserable in Toledo 200-300 kbps. i'm never off wifi anymore.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App

Comprehensive list of differences between T-Mobile and Sprint Galaxy S2

Pro's for T-Mobile Galaxy S2:
Generally better data speeds
Generally cheaper plan
GSM, so can use internationally
True Android-native infrastructure tethering after root
No Loss of Service (LOS), a problem afflicting Sprint GS2
No Sound Pool bug, a problem that crashes games afflicting all Exynos GS2
NFC
Wifi calling
USB Host (USB on the go)
Noise cancellation microphone
Con's for T-Mobile Galaxy S2:
Generally less coverage around the country (especially on non-roaming prepaid plans)
Screen suffers from blotches on low-brightness
Slightly slower CPU/GPU
Worse front-facing camera
Runs hotter
Less dev support
No notification LED
Capped data that throttles after plan limits
Edit: This thread was originally about me considering switching from a Sprint GS2 to a T-Mobile GS2. I've now done so, but figured since I drew up such a comprehensive list of differences, might as well keep it around for anyone else that might be curious
read thought this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1320942
talltexan said:
read thought this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1320942
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, I saw that, weird and disappointing. That's why I have "slightly worse screen" in my list of cons.
manekineko said:
I
GSM, so can use internationally, but only at EDGE speeds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's not correct
it can get 3G/4G at any GSM internationally
that's the beauty of this version of SGS2 Hercules
manekineko said:
No LOS, a problem afflicting Sprint GS2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is LOS? Line of Sight? Left over soup?
I just switched over from Sprint as well. Their 3G has been totally pathetic and borderline unusable for the last 6 months. My T-Mobile speeds are 10+ times faster. I don't know what the SERO plan is, but T-Mobile doesn't have free mobile to mobile calling like Sprint. They only give you free calling from T-Mobile to T-Mobile and their nights and weekends are more restrictive than Sprint.
AllGamer said:
that's not correct
it can get 3G/4G at any GSM internationally
that's the beauty of this version of SGS2 Hercules
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that is big for me. Thanks for the tip, I hadn't heard the Hercules also has the AT&T bands.
Splaktar said:
What is LOS? Line of Sight? Left over soup?
I just switched over from Sprint as well. Their 3G has been totally pathetic and borderline unusable for the last 6 months. My T-Mobile speeds are 10+ times faster. I don't know what the SERO plan is, but T-Mobile doesn't have free mobile to mobile calling like Sprint. They only give you free calling from T-Mobile to T-Mobile and their nights and weekends are more restrictive than Sprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Loss of Service. It's a problem that comes from the fact that Samsung kind of sucks at making CDMA modems. Sometimes the Sprint GS2 will just lose cell service, and it won't come back until you reboot. I haven't gotten bit by it yet, but it's widespread enough that I feel it's just a matter of time.
The Sprint speeds drive me nuts. In the middle of Manhattan, I see download speeds on 3G of as low as 100kbps on Speedtest.
I'd be going to the T-Mobile $30 prepaid 5GB 100 minute plan, so I wouldn't get any nights and weekends or mobile to mobile I think. The plan's a big downgrade from the numbers I had on Sprint, but the speed improvements and lower monthly fee would balance it out for me. Plus, talking is probably the feature I use least on my phone.
manekineko said:
Loss of Service. It's a problem that comes from the fact that Samsung kind of sucks at making CDMA modems. Sometimes the Sprint GS2 will just lose cell service, and it won't come back until you reboot. I haven't gotten bit by it yet, but it's widespread enough that I feel it's just a matter of time.
The Sprint speeds drive me nuts. In the middle of Manhattan, I see download speeds on 3G of as low as 100kbps on Speedtest.
I'd be going to the T-Mobile $30 prepaid 5GB 100 minute plan, so I wouldn't get any nights and weekends or mobile to mobile I think. The plan's a big downgrade from the numbers I had on Sprint, but the speed improvements and lower monthly fee would balance it out for me. Plus, talking is probably the feature I use least on my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your paying $79.99 for sprint tmobile has the same plan for $79.99 with contract 2 gig cab though. if you want 5 gig cap its $89.99. 10 gig cap is $99.99
All those plans have unlimted minutes and texting.
Killbynature said:
If your paying $79.99 for sprint tmobile has the same plan for $79.99 with contract 2 gig cab though. if you want 5 gig cap its $89.99. 10 gig cap is $99.99
All those plans have unlimted minutes and texting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I pay 49 for unlimited talk/text and 2 gigs data. Not sure about 79.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
my wife works for tmobile and ill tell you that if you live in a good area then tmobile is definitely worth it and is the best bargain out there , if you travel alot then i dont recommend them,all depends on your lifestyle, most major cities get pretty good tmobile service
mikeyinid said:
I pay 49 for unlimited talk/text and 2 gigs data. Not sure about 79.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Classic or Value if you don't get subsidize it is much cheaper.
For me:
1. Sprint Galaxy S II phones do suffer from loss of signal. I have noticed this on both Sprint Galaxy S II phone I have. Very very annoying.
2. T-Mobile's version suffers from poor display.
3. T-Mobile's version suffers from poor front facing camera.
Maybe all of these problems can be fixed with a software update. And Samsung will take the time to make this happen. There are no assurances however.
For its part, Sprint has acknowledged the loss of signal problem and has promised a fix. T-Mobile has not yet acknowledged problems with their unit.
Walmart piggybacks off Tmobil.towers
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
I dunno what everyone is talking about with the front camera, it's the same resolution as sprint's.
kabuk1 said:
I dunno what everyone is talking about with the front camera, it's the same resolution as sprint's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might have missed this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1326314
Yes, I definitely missed that post. Damn :/
Hopefully it's just a software issue.
Killbynature said:
Classic or Value if you don't get subsidize it is much cheaper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on a value plan. 99 a month for 2 lines. And I'm in an excellent coverage area. But, 2 gigs is definitely not enough. I blew through half of that on Friday listening to Google music beta
First time I missed sprint since I switched a few months back.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Has anyone tried USB on the go to plug in a USB stick on the T-Mobile GS2?
They disabled it on the Sprint version for some reason, and am wondering if this is another pro I could add to the list.
Another question that I thought of.
Has anyone experienced lots of random crashing to home screen while playing games? Both the Sprint and international Galaxy S2 suffer from a bug in their sound system that causes certain games to crash all the time. If the T-Mobile one doesn't do that, it'd be a huge advantage.
Former sprint to tmo customer.
as a former sprint customer recently switched over to T Mobile in the NorCal area...
SWITCH TO TMOBILE.
holy ****. i ing hate sprint. i got the evo 3d from them, and right out of the box the first unit was bunk. started power cycling directly AFTER i set everything up and linked my contacts. The 3vo being my first android phone, i didn't know that a randomly restarting phone meant LEMONLEMONLEMON so i hung onto it for a couple days, hoping the issue would fix itself or something.
Called IN ADVANCE when the phone first began having issues to talk to the guy who sold me the phone. Brought it in a week after, after trying everything someone rational would, i.e. battery pull, factory reset, etc. and when i brought the device in i was told by the associate, (yes this is a quote) that he couldn't exchange it but that he could do a "hard hard reset" for me, (after i explained to him it had already been reset every way possible) and send me on my way.
Bear in mind sprint store is 35 minutes away in the next town over, and so this is now taken 2 hours of driving, and still no fully functional phone.
i get home, set everything up again, and boom. Literally as i drag the last icon into place it starts power cycling again.
i call corporate at this point to see if i can ensure an actual replacement on my next trip. i get a vague "probably-ish." sorta answer from them.
when i arrive the next day, there's an associate who was obviously told to expect me as he becomes instantly friendly when i tell him my name and he reads some memo on his screen. I give him my phone, and he hands me the power cord and charger, winking at me and goes "this is for your wasted time. keep it, as a thirty dollar value"
now, like all of you, i'm aware a usb cord and adapter is not worth 30 dollars. However, i was appreciative of the gesture, and i know that sprint really will try to charge you 30 bucks for one of those cords.
After a little wait i'm told the technician got my phone in front of him, and it power cycled in his face. so they replaced it. (finally)
as i'm checking out, back with the original associate who i got the dude phone from 2 weeks before, he's being SUPER surly. Won't look me in the eyes or answer any of the questions i have with more than a grunt or mumble. As he's switching out the new phone with the old, he takes the new charger cable and tosses it in the old box and slides it away from me.
i interrupt him and say "hey, the guy i checked in with said i could keep that."
not even bothering to look up, he shrugs, PULLS IT OUT OF MY HAND, tosses it into the box and closes it and says "nope."
i'm a bit taken aback at this point. incredulously i say, "i was told i would be given that for my wasted time. i was already told that i could have that."
to which he says, still not looking up "htc policy we return em."
at this pont, i'm just ing done dealing with this dude. So i just ask him where the other associate is, so i can work it out with him instead, to which he replies "he went to lunch."
"well...when will he be back"
"dunno."
at that point i walked out. I called about the issue and was given a run around.
anyways. thats ONE of my stories with sprint, in the ing 3 months i was with them. i have MANY MANY more. and their corporate branch is just as bad as the stores, i've been told so many contradicting things by sprint associates on the phone that i have literally found myself saying to them in barely hidden anger "HOW CAN ONE OF YOU TELL ME ONE THING AND THEN THE NEXT GUY AFTER THE TRANSFER SAYS THE OPPOSITE?! are you people even working for the same company?!"
anyways, i've had t-mobile since the release of the galaxy s2, and called in several times to change my features and they have been nothing but friendly informative and helpful. I've heard a bunch of **** talked about how the Tmo version of the GS2 is inferior to the others, but i have faith in the good people on these forums to correct most of those inferiorities which i believe are mostly software issues arising from the Tmo version having a different processor than the other versions.
so yeah sorry for the ungodly long post, but i am another sprint customer recently gone to tmobile and just wanted to share a little bit of my experience. here's a short list of ADDITIONAL pros, and the cons.
PROS.
1. WAY faster data, at least in my area. Went from CRAWLING 3g, and no 4g to being able to torrent via my tether when my cable went out. Achieving 9mbps according to speedtest app, never tested on sprint, but it was browsing speeds, AT BEST. took youtube videos AGES to load. Tmo 4g is about half the speed of my home wifi connection, which is impressive.
2. PRO/CON: better service in populated areas, but service does cut out earlier whenever you drive out into middle of nowhere parts. Also, much more continuity between service and data connection. With sprint, lots of service. Mobile data cuts out LOTS. Tmo data pretty much works until you have no service whatsoever, or at least close to that point.
CONS.
1. QUALCOMM processor instead of the one samsung meant for this device. LOTS of info about what this means as far as detrimental effects on device performance ALL OVER this particular forum.
2. Screen Issues...also, look in this forum.
3. No truly unlimited data plan (best you can get is 5 gb then down to EDGE speeds...which suck.)

T-Mobile Note2 Vs

So I finally checked out a Note2 in person at a T-Mobile store on Saturday & liked what I saw even if it doesn't have all the features that would have made it a more instant buy for me including the split-screen-multitasking- multi-view, screen recorder function, video maker app & higher capacities than 16GB (~10.9GB internal on this one). For the bezel I would have preferred black & the rest could be grey or white. The contrasting of the AT&T One X's black core bezel is nice.
I did notice the less alluring plasticky Samsung feel of it but will 99% likely put a case on it anyway & followed this video that did make it seem quicker The screen did not look so huge to me as it was noticeably narrower than the original Note1 & I seemed to be able to use it with one hand without issues except when using the S-pen obviously but it was in one of those central vise gripper holders sadly so I couldn't properly test it & pocketability yet. The central vise gripper holder did make the handset look larger & I admit I'm still curious to see the 5" 1080p HTC handset coming to Verizon soon but I think I prefer the versatility of the Note2's S-Pen functionality & large removable battery.
I liked the ability to change the screen mode to more natural etc & the speaker was thankfully strong but Note 3 should still go for stereo higher fidelity speakers & a brighter perhaps even full 1080p screen. The screen on the Note2 seemed just bright enough at max brightness but I did not get a chance to test it under sunny conditions. The camera & camcorder seemed great but not quite as amazing as the HTC OneX although the software features go a long way. I do hope a future update would be able to bring audio to slow motion video at 1080p however.
I installed Flash easily but did not seem to get the 1080p options on the desktop version of youtube.com & didn't have the time to look into it further there so while the "HQ" Iron Man 3 HD trailer looked good-my own 1080p video capture was noticeably sharper. My non 720p EVO does HQ, so shouldn't the Note2 play better HD youtube than "HQ"?
When I started using-drilling the Note2 at full brightness-full volume etc the battery was ~33% & I was able to shut it down in ~ 2 hours, doesn't that sound low?
I was also quite surprised by T-Mobile prices because according to online articles I wasn't expecting such a compelling case for T-Mobile but the HSPA+ speeds on the speedtest app were consistently impressive at over 20 Mbps down & ~ 2 Mbps up (although this store's location had excellent coverage compared to where I would use it most ~ 5 miles away with significantly more spotty map coverage (Verizon has best coverage here) with individual T-Mobile value plans starting at $50/mo (for 500whenevermin-unlimited text-unlimited plus data with 2GB high speed data-to unlimited everything for $20 more/mo. The Note2 was priced there at $250 + $20/mo for 20 months to pay off its $650 pricetag. Since currently the vast majority of the time I seem to have fast Wi-Fi access & I don't need more than 500 whenever min I think I should get by on that $50/mo plan & if I notice higher usage could go up to other plans depending on data & hotspot needs. I'm still evaluating the AT&T & Verizon plans but I don't see why I should put up with slow Sprint any longer when T-Mobile is flexible & fast but my use case coverage remains to be tested.. Thoughts on T-Mobile vs other carriers or my rambling comments above?
Time for more storm-prep here in NY metro area..
Nice lil' writeup.
I am not sure if the $250 + $20 a month extra is a good deal, but that's what I went with. They also gave me a $100 rebate, so... Hard to argue with that.
I figured being on WiFi most of my time, I'll just get the minimum minutes and dataplan I can get. Ends up being a bit cheaper than the $100+ I was spending with VZW.
Glad I made the move to T-Mobile even if the network here in Denver isn't as good as VZW.
Be safe out there!
Hey Smart.....
Don't put too much faith in T-Mobile's wi-fi calling app..... Although I have 100% wi-fi signal strength at home (same room as router), wi-fi calling only works about 50% of the time (doesn't let you answer calls.... even though phone is ringing, or you make a call and you cannot hear them but they can hear you, etc.). Per T-Mobile tech support, I've changed my SIM card twice now but that hasn't fixed any problems... Finally, the last tech support person I spoke to tells me, "Yeah, our Note's wi-fi calling app is buggy"
Sent from my SGH-T879 using xda premium
craighwk said:
Nice lil' writeup.
I am not sure if the $250 + $20 a month extra is a good deal, but that's what I went with. They also gave me a $100 rebate, so... Hard to argue with that.
I figured being on WiFi most of my time, I'll just get the minimum minutes and dataplan I can get. Ends up being a bit cheaper than the $100+ I was spending with VZW.
Glad I made the move to T-Mobile even if the network here in Denver isn't as good as VZW.
Be safe out there!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you get a $100 rebate?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
Interesting to hear about the WiFi. It's been pretty great for me so far, although sometimes I can hear the echo of my voice coming back to me a second after I stopped talking, but so far so good.
As for the rebate? I have no idea. They just said it was eligible for $100 mail in rebate. They took care of the paperwork there, submitted it, and they said all I have to do is just wait for the check in the mail. We'll see about that too.
craighwk said:
Interesting to hear about the WiFi. It's been pretty great for me so far, although sometimes I can hear the echo of my voice coming back to me a second after I stopped talking, but so far so good.
As for the rebate? I have no idea. They just said it was eligible for $100 mail in rebate. They took care of the paperwork there, submitted it, and they said all I have to do is just wait for the check in the mail. We'll see about that too.
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Click to collapse
Ilk he have to see them because they didn't offer any rebates to me and I have the same deal. I assume you have the value plan?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
craighwk said:
Nice lil' writeup.
I am not sure if the $250 + $20 a month extra is a good deal, but that's what I went with. They also gave me a $100 rebate, so... Hard to argue with that.
I figured being on WiFi most of my time, I'll just get the minimum minutes and dataplan I can get. Ends up being a bit cheaper than the $100+ I was spending with VZW.
Glad I made the move to T-Mobile even if the network here in Denver isn't as good as VZW.
Be safe out there!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thnx I lived in beautiful Boulder a couple years..:highfive:..what kind of speeds are you getting out there? I'll ask about any rebates but their pricing seems reasonable & flexible assuming service isn't significantly inferior for the user. I didn't ask about their return policy yet but Sprint is down to 14 days before ETF I think kicks in..? The manager also mentioned that she just got back from a meeting where NY could be getting LTE by March (won't hold my breath there but the in store HSPA+ downloads speed tests seemed great already unlike Sprint) & Note2 will get enabled for their LTE deployment.
I wonder if Skype+online# at $60/yr is better than T-Mobile's Wi-Fi calling in how posters here describe it? I've set Skype online # + unlimited world subscription up for family traveling abroad & while certainly helpful they still manage to complain about its imperfections..:fingers-crossed:
I think I jinxed myself with WiFi. As soon as I posted that, I got a call from Dad that went straight to voicemail. Didn't hear the phone ring. Called him back and the call dropped immediately. He called me back and he couldn't hear me when I said hello. Went into settings, disabled Wifi, and everything was perfect. Oh well.
Speeds here aren't crazy or anything I checked two days ago and I was getting about 5 Mbit/sec when I was getting 9 with VZW. I guess that's not too bad considering this isn't true LTE, right?
As for the rebate I got, yes, I selected the value plan. Apparently it's because I ported a phone number over. I'm looking at the rebate and it says "Mountain Plains Port in Online Promotion". $100 rebate card mailed to me 4-6 weeks.
craighwk said:
I think I jinxed myself with WiFi. As soon as I posted that, I got a call from Dad that went straight to voicemail. Didn't hear the phone ring. Called him back and the call dropped immediately. He called me back and he couldn't hear me when I said hello. Went into settings, disabled Wifi, and everything was perfect. Oh well.
Speeds here aren't crazy or anything I checked two days ago and I was getting about 5 Mbit/sec when I was getting 9 with VZW. I guess that's not too bad considering this isn't true LTE, right?
As for the rebate I got, yes, I selected the value plan. Apparently it's because I ported a phone number over. I'm looking at the rebate and it says "Mountain Plains Port in Online Promotion". $100 rebate card mailed to me 4-6 weeks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha. I ported mine a month ago so I dont think I qualify. Thanks for the info and sorry to the OP for changing the subject of his thread.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
craighwk said:
I think I jinxed myself with WiFi. As soon as I posted that, I got a call from Dad that went straight to voicemail. Didn't hear the phone ring. Called him back and the call dropped immediately. He called me back and he couldn't hear me when I said hello. Went into settings, disabled Wifi, and everything was perfect. Oh well.
Speeds here aren't crazy or anything I checked two days ago and I was getting about 5 Mbit/sec when I was getting 9 with VZW. I guess that's not too bad considering this isn't true LTE, right?
As for the rebate I got, yes, I selected the value plan. Apparently it's because I ported a phone number over. I'm looking at the rebate and it says "Mountain Plains Port in Online Promotion". $100 rebate card mailed to me 4-6 weeks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know about the relative unreliability of T-Mobile's Wi-Fi calling. It's happened with Skype setups too going to voicemail after not really ringing, video calls almost seem more reliable at certain times perhaps because everyone is using some kind of computer (includes smartphones).. Hey 5 Mbps is fast enough to stream quality video right..can't say that with Sprint's 1Mbps avg 3G here..Vs my 75 Mbps dwnld / 35 Mbps upload FIOS network connections
I wouldn't be surprised if Google disrupts internet telephony beyond their Google Voice eventually..too bad they had to cancel flights to the NYC Android event tomorrow because of this frankenstorm forecast that I'm still hoping will not really happen or at least not really affect up to 60 million:fingers-crossed: Got an emergency call from local gov warning of possible power loss for up to 7-10 days which would obviously suck & to secure property before tonight
I'd ask about any porting promotion but by that cited name it may be regional.. Any ETA for a similar update that brought the intl model split-screen-multitasking- multi-view? People otherwise happy with their Note2 on T-Mobile?
SMARTPHONEPC said:
Any ETA for a similar update that brought the intl model split-screen-multitasking- multi-view? People otherwise happy with their Note2 on T-Mobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No ETA on the multiview feature. I'm quite happy with mines . Battery life if phenomenal... had a 50 minute skype call last night (with video on wifi at 70% brightness) and my battery only dropped 17%... that would've been the end of my Sensation.
Oh, one issue with Samsung... they need to get more accessories in stock on their site... I can't buy anything with my 50% off coupon... =.=
craighwk said:
I think I jinxed myself with WiFi. As soon as I posted that, I got a call from Dad that went straight to voicemail. Didn't hear the phone ring. Called him back and the call dropped immediately. He called me back and he couldn't hear me when I said hello. Went into settings, disabled Wifi, and everything was perfect. Oh well.
Speeds here aren't crazy or anything I checked two days ago and I was getting about 5 Mbit/sec when I was getting 9 with VZW. I guess that's not too bad considering this isn't true LTE, right?
As for the rebate I got, yes, I selected the value plan. Apparently it's because I ported a phone number over. I'm looking at the rebate and it says "Mountain Plains Port in Online Promotion". $100 rebate card mailed to me 4-6 weeks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Craig, you might want to check your router settings. I was having problems with my Wifi Calling too, but since I played with some settings, it works perfectly now (both on my Sensation and my Note II)
Geo411m said:
How did you get a $100 rebate?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My local TMO store offered only a $50 rebate. I'll have to press him harder.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
I think you're right on the money. IMO, the Tmo Note II on value plan is the best option for any phone lover right now. That is assuming of course you have decent reception where you need it. I'm in SoCal and Tmo gets great reception here. I "only" get 12-16mbps down here so far, but feel that LTE will light it off pretty good next year. While I'd love a 1080p display, I wouldn't love an HTC so the Butterfly variants are out. Plus, the expandable memory and tremendous battery life are great. Lastly, Touchwiz on this phone is pretty decent. This is my first TW device, but compared to Sense or even Vanilla, I gotta say I like what Samsung has done here.
farfromovin said:
I think you're right on the money. IMO, the Tmo Note II on value plan is the best option for any phone lover right now. That is assuming of course you have decent reception where you need it. I'm in SoCal and Tmo gets great reception here. I "only" get 12-16mbps down here so far, but feel that LTE will light it off pretty good next year. While I'd love a 1080p display, I wouldn't love an HTC so the Butterfly variants are out. Plus, the expandable memory and tremendous battery life are great. Lastly, Touchwiz on this phone is pretty decent. This is my first TW device, but compared to Sense or even Vanilla, I gotta say I like what Samsung has done here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great answer, I switch from sprint to tmobile and never looked backed over 2 years ago. I really enjoy my gn2 I bought and my wife the gs3 and switched my plan to the value plan. Saving about 80 dollars a month. I can go a whole day with out charging my phone even though I keep my charger around my neck as a habit from previous phones. I can live with out some features that tmobile gn2 has left out. When they'll come I'll update as for now, I'll waite. Half of the people don't use half of the features some phones have anyway.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
farfromovin said:
I think you're right on the money. IMO, the Tmo Note II on value plan is the best option for any phone lover right now. That is assuming of course you have decent reception where you need it. I'm in SoCal and Tmo gets great reception here. I "only" get 12-16mbps down here so far, but feel that LTE will light it off pretty good next year. While I'd love a 1080p display, I wouldn't love an HTC so the Butterfly variants are out. Plus, the expandable memory and tremendous battery life are great. Lastly, Touchwiz on this phone is pretty decent. This is my first TW device, but compared to Sense or even Vanilla, I gotta say I like what Samsung has done here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm good with HSPA+... I get 24mbps on a good day, and average 15 mbps around town. Considering that T-Mobile has DC-HSPA that goes up to 41mbps, if that saturate that network, then I'm fine. Heck, 15mbps is faster than the home internet of at least 75% of the nation.
I don't mind the touchwiz, but the 5x4 icon layout is just plain dumb. it's an ENORMOUS waste of space, other than that, no real gripes here.
achusaysblessyou said:
I'm good with HSPA+... I get 24mbps on a good day, and average 15 mbps around town. Considering that T-Mobile has DC-HSPA that goes up to 41mbps, if that saturate that network, then I'm fine. Heck, 15mbps is faster than the home internet of at least 75% of the nation.
I don't mind the touchwiz, but the 5x4 icon layout is just plain dumb. it's an ENORMOUS waste of space, other than that, no real gripes here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's what I was thinking!! Why the heck would Samsung give us a 5x4 layout in a 5.5in screen-_- I'm positive they could of managed a 5x5. Besides that I'm in looooove. Just want that Damn multi Window feature already!

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