I am considering sending back my G2 in the next few days dues to awful reception which is causing multiple problems. The speaker phone I find is not very good although the call volume through the device is not too bad. I am hoping that those of you who have the MT4G or have played with one extensively could share what the call clarity and volume status are like, along with the speaker phone volume and clarity is like. Also most importantly what type of reception you are getting and whether the signal fluctuates wildly like the G2. Any and all responses are appreciated.
Less than that of my Vibrant (same story with the G2). It was switching to EDGE next to my Vibrant with 1-2 bars of 3G. Poor reception is an HTC thing like poor speakerphones. I didn't get to test the myTouch but ask around, poor speakerphones have been a long standing complaint for HTC's phones.
I just switched from a G1 to the Mytouch and am pleased with the reception difference. I've always had problems in my house with the G1 and I seem to get more bars on the MT4G. As for the speaker? UGH... I tried to listen to Slacker radio on it and it was H O R R I B L E. I mean, to the point that I was surprised at how bad it sounded compared to my G1. Very tinny sounding. The speakerphone's volume is good and the clarity is decent. Just don't plan on hearing great tunes on it...
I have the g2 and mytouch 4G right now. The 4G is leaps and bounds superior to the g2 when it comes to reception. My g2 will never hold a 3g signal......just goes straight to edge. The mt4g Wlll drop from H to 3g and hold the 3g.
I get reception in my downstairs no problem with the mt4g but not with the g2.
All the g2 phones I've had have done the above as well as drop calls, cut in and out during calls etc.
Overall if you can get past the brick of a phone the g2 is (drove me nuts having such a thick phone to lug around), the only other problem for me was the reception.
For me the myt4g is the clear winner simply because the most important part of the phone works ........ the phone. Without the core of the device working properly what good is the hard keyboard???
Jmo from a guy who has and uses both.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Great reception here, but I'm coming from AT&T so I don't have another TMobile phone to compare against. There's always wifi calling with the MT4G as well, which works great for me.
As mentioned, the speaker is almost useless. It is really, really bad. I use speakerphone so rarely it's not a concern for me. Earpiece volume & clarity is excellent.
Ill be honest, I am deeply dissapoimted in the external speaker on the mt4g. Compared to my mt3g it sounds cheap and the trebel is way to high. However im willing to bet that you coukd adjust the frequency ranges and it will sound fine. Reception is great for me though
My sister has complained of the speakerphone quality nonstop. She loves the phone, just hates that. Apparently its ridiculously quiet. Over Qik she had to use earbuds to be able to make out what I was saying. Apparently Pandora is really quiet too. At least mic is fine tho I could hear her loud and clear over my Evo. Despite the speakerphone quality, videocalling across the country from 2 different phones is awesome.
My speaker is loud but tinny.... but most HTC phones over the years have had ****ty speakers.... come to terms with it long ago... but they defiantly destroy every other phone manufacturer in every other aspect....
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Reception is pretty good...no real complaints there, though in my area I get either H or EDGE, very rarely do I see 3G.
The speakerphone is touch and go...mostly go. I've had a couple of calls that were plenty loud (though tinny - treble sucks), and a few that were just barely audible. I think it also has to do with the other party's reception and phone. The quality definitely isn't great, but if it's loud enough then it's sufficient.
Regular call reception & clarity is just fine.
Beyond that, the MT4G is a [email protected] phone in all other regards...I wouldn't even consider the G2 in comparison unless you just HAVE to have a physical keyboard. There's no other phone in TMob's lineup that can hold a candle to the MT4G, or hardly any other phone in the market, period.
The speaker quality being sub-par is a small price to pay for everything else this thing can do.
My sentiments exactly...
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
One other thing I've noticed is the head set volume seems to be very low. I've tried apple ear buds and the ones that came with the phone- both are horribly low and lack any depth.
Maybe a set of nice headphones with a volume slider would help??
Anyways.. like others have said. The problems with this phone are minute compared to what it has to offer.
I think that the reception on this phone for data is the pits. I had the same issue with the G2, so it's not the phone, but the carrier. I have a AT&T Blackberry for work (data only) and it has signal in lots of places where the MT4G has nothing. I like the phone, but the reception stinks. Also the wireless reception is really bad. In my house it can't hold on to a signal very well (i.e. places my Macboook has full signal, the phone has maybe 1 bar or less) I guess there's a reason why T-Mobile isn't the #1 carrier. I work in midtown NYC, so it's not like I work in the boondocks, and I live about 30 miles north of NYC, so it's not like I live in the middle of nowhere. T-Mobile's coverage maps show full strength at both my work and home addresses. Coverage == FAIL.
dorqus said:
I think that the reception on this phone for data is the pits. I had the same issue with the G2, so it's not the phone, but the carrier. I have a AT&T Blackberry for work (data only) and it has signal in lots of places where the MT4G has nothing. I like the phone, but the reception stinks. Also the wireless reception is really bad. In my house it can't hold on to a signal very well (i.e. places my Macboook has full signal, the phone has maybe 1 bar or less) I guess there's a reason why T-Mobile isn't the #1 carrier. I work in midtown NYC, so it's not like I work in the boondocks, and I live about 30 miles north of NYC, so it's not like I live in the middle of nowhere. T-Mobile's coverage maps show full strength at both my work and home addresses. Coverage == FAIL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC = Mediocre reception. The G2? = HTC. myTouch 4G? = HTC.
Now if you want a phone with BETTER reception, you need to look into a MOTOROLA.
Related
I just got the Inspire 4G the other day at an HTC conference. (Work related)
For years I've used an iPhone for my primary device. I'm no stranger to Android. I've had a Nexus One and a Samsung Captivate. The inspire in the best android phone I have used yet.
The Captivate is an aweful phone. A GPS that works when it wants to, FoYo that never arrived....etc... I installed a custom ROM (Cognition) and it brought new life to the phone and was a better experience, but I am of the opinion that I shouldn't have to use custom ROMs to make the phone work the way it is supposed to or to have the latest software when it should have already been available. Who knows when FoYo does come out for the captivate if it will be any good or will it still be better to use a custom ROM. On the Inspire I feel as if I don't need to run a custom ROM because it is great the way it is.....so far.
Two issues I did notice with the Inspire that I have verified that others I know with the phone are having as well.
1) The call quality is horrible! It's very treblely and just sounds terrible.
2) The external speaker is definately not loud enough. That seems to be a trait of HTC phones and cheap, low quality speakers.
For example on point #2. I have my own customer ringtones and sound effects for text and emails, which are the same ones I used on my iPhone. I wear my phone in a leather pouch on my belt. I can hardly hear when I get a text or the phone is ringing. Thankfully I have it set to vibrate at the same time, and if I didn't feel it vibrate I would never know I am getting a text or a call. That is very annoying. Especially when it is worn on my belt, I should be able to hear it. I don't know if this can be fixed via a software upgrade or if it is just cheap parts.
On my iPhone, if my phone is downstairs and I am upstairs, I can clearly hear loudly when I get a text or call. The iPhone has a much better speaker.
The Inspire is a very fast phone as far as the OS goes. The internet is also faster, it seems like the phone is connecting to AT&T's imitation 4G service. The battery life isn't that great though.
I am disappointed that AT&T decided to remove the front facing camera. Also it seems like the phone isn't as thick as the EVO, although it does have some good weight to it. It definately does NOT feel cheap.
The Hot Spot feature works pretty good, although I just briefly played with it.
Well that's my brief opinion for the moment. The phone is really nice, but the external speaker volume issue might force me to go back to my iPhone for primary use and knock my Inspire back to secondary play phone.
Awesome, I can't wait.
hmmm i have read a few reviews that said call quality is awesome, Mobiletech review and infosync come to mind, maybe its just some handsets
AndreaCristiano said:
hmmm i have read a few reviews that said call quality is awesome, Mobiletech review and infosync come to mind, maybe its just some handsets
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dunno, maybe they have hearing issues. But many people I've talked to that went to the same conference that I did that also got phones made the same comments I did. Bad call quality and dretful speaker volume.
Also on a a differnet note, I used to date a girl from Manapalan years ago. I would have done anything for her back in the day. Something about Jersey girls.
chocodough said:
I dunno, maybe they have hearing issues. But many people I've talked to that went to the same conference that I did that also got phones made the same comments I did. Bad call quality and dretful speaker volume.
Also on a a differnet note, I used to date a girl from Manapalan years ago. I would have done anything for her back in the day. Something about Jersey girls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really how old are you?? LOL small world!
chocodough said:
I am disappointed that AT&T decided to remove the front facing camera. Also it seems like the phone isn't as thick as the EVO, although it does have some good weight to it. It definately does NOT feel cheap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This model (Desire HD) never had a front camera... wasn't AT&T's doing.
I just cant decide if I wanna give up my i4 for this. I wanna buy outright but sometimes I just cant justify that price when I think of other things I could buy for that amount of money. The front facing camera doesnt bother me because I have had an i4 since launch and used it maybe 4 times. I just worry about size and the speaker volume. I know that overtime with roms that can be fixed so not so worried about that. My options now are to sell wait for someone to sell and the get a new itouch for the ios fix. Sorry but imo itunes just works for me, the only phone I've used as an audio device would be my iphone. I just really like android and flashing and always having the latest on it and have been back and forth since the g1. I just sometimes dont like all the time it takes away from life having to read up all the time or keep up with the latest. Anyways enough rambling just my thoughts.
cmstlist said:
This model (Desire HD) never had a front camera... wasn't AT&T's doing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only time I've used my front camera is to see if there is food in my teeth, so I don't think I'll miss not having a front camera.
Great input. I have a Captivate running a custom ROM. It was trash til I did so. Now call quality, gps, speaker and camera are great. And bigger battery. It all works bit I miss Sense.
Do you think the inspire is a better device all round when compared to a flashed captivate?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
No worries on the low volume problem, TEST THIS ON YOUR DEVICES AND COMMENT PLEASE
An easy fix for the low external speaker volume is this app, created by the infamous Meltus from xda.
Its a must if indeed the speaker is low:
---->> http://www.androlib.com/android.application.com-automod-jmiC.aspx
or
DSP Manager
---->>> http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/android-apps-games/134633-dsp-manager-equalizer-android-2-2-a.html
ekerbuddyeker said:
Do you think the inspire is a better device all round when compared to a flashed captivate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I definately think it's a better device. Sure the Captivate is a good device when using a custom rom, but I'm of the opinion that you shouldn't need to run a custom rom to make the device work the way it is ment to. Plus when you run a customer rom is just has the feel of being pieced together from various parts and not really a complete experience.
HTC sense does make a world of difference. It is more than just an overlay like Touchwiz or Launcher Pro...etc... I used to be a diehard pure stock android experience, but Sense won me over. It adds so much to the device.
But the two issues I originally mentioned are a problem though. The tinny call quality and the low external speaker volume are things to take into consideration. It's terrible when you can't even hear the phone ring when it's on your hip. So far I've missed calls and SMS if my phone is in one room of my house and I am in another, whereas I could hear my iPhone even if I am upstairs and my phone is downstairs.
Today I emailed our area HTC rep and told her the problems that I and others are having and she is passing the info up the ladder. I said to her that I find it odd that HTC's quality control didn't notice the crappy speaker on the device and that I couldn't recommend the phone to my customers at this time until I hear of a resolution to the problems.
So although I love the Inspire and think it's a very good phone, I would hold off buying it until there is a bug fix or something to the speaker problems. I might have to go back to my iPhone 4 for the time being until HTC fixes the phone.
Before anyone makes a decisions on buying it, you might want to wait until the Motorola Atrix comes and compare the two.
After spending a day with the Inspire I promptly ditched my iP4. I also have a Captivate running Cognition and it just gets destroyed by the Inspire. I haven't been able to test battery life, but I know what I'm in for in that department.
The Inspire is quite simply very fast. Ran Quadrant to compare to other phones I've had this year as well. My Captivate running Cognition gets about 1500, while the Inspire was around 1900 each time. I've never used a phone that blew through that benchmark so fast. Neocore got around 57fps so that's very solid as well. GPS connected quickly, but I only tested it outdoors as that's where I would generally use it. Speaker is a bit weak, but sound is pretty fantastic through headphones. YouTube video played smooth and looked amazing. It's a much better YouTube experience than the iP4 imo.
chocodough said:
it seems like the phone is connecting to AT&T's imitation 4G service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously? No carrier is using true 4g. HSPA+ is considered 4g now; Just look at T-Mobile.
Can anyone compare the speakers to a nexus one? Same question for battery life, granted it may be a little early for that.
substance12 said:
Can anyone compare the speakers to a nexus one? Same question for battery life, granted it may be a little early for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to have a Nexus One last year, and always thought the external speaker was horrible on that also, but it was a bit louder than the Inspire.
Although I didn't think the call quality of the N1 was bad. The call quality is horrible on the Inspire, whether through the earpiece or the speaker phone.
HTC Inspire 4G vs Motorola Atrix 4G
chocodough said:
I just got the Inspire 4G the other day at an HTC conference. (Work related)
For years I've used an iPhone for my primary device. I'm no stranger to Android. I've had a Nexus One and a Samsung Captivate. The inspire in the best android phone I have used yet.
The Captivate is an aweful phone. A GPS that works when it wants to, FoYo that never arrived....etc... I installed a custom ROM (Cognition) and it brought new life to the phone and was a better experience, but I am of the opinion that I shouldn't have to use custom ROMs to make the phone work the way it is supposed to or to have the latest software when it should have already been available. Who knows when FoYo does come out for the captivate if it will be any good or will it still be better to use a custom ROM. On the Inspire I feel as if I don't need to run a custom ROM because it is great the way it is.....so far.
Two issues I did notice with the Inspire that I have verified that others I know with the phone are having as well.
1) The call quality is horrible! It's very treblely and just sounds terrible.
2) The external speaker is definately not loud enough. That seems to be a trait of HTC phones and cheap, low quality speakers.
For example on point #2. I have my own customer ringtones and sound effects for text and emails, which are the same ones I used on my iPhone. I wear my phone in a leather pouch on my belt. I can hardly hear when I get a text or the phone is ringing. Thankfully I have it set to vibrate at the same time, and if I didn't feel it vibrate I would never know I am getting a text or a call. That is very annoying. Especially when it is worn on my belt, I should be able to hear it. I don't know if this can be fixed via a software upgrade or if it is just cheap parts.
On my iPhone, if my phone is downstairs and I am upstairs, I can clearly hear loudly when I get a text or call. The iPhone has a much better speaker.
The Inspire is a very fast phone as far as the OS goes. The internet is also faster, it seems like the phone is connecting to AT&T's imitation 4G service. The battery life isn't that great though.
I am disappointed that AT&T decided to remove the front facing camera. Also it seems like the phone isn't as thick as the EVO, although it does have some good weight to it. It definately does NOT feel cheap.
The Hot Spot feature works pretty good, although I just briefly played with it.
Well that's my brief opinion for the moment. The phone is really nice, but the external speaker volume issue might force me to go back to my iPhone for primary use and knock my Inspire back to secondary play phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Based on your experiences so far, how would you rank the Inspire 4G to the Motorola Atrix? I'm waiting to make up my mind on my next upgrade. The battery life and front facing camera are really hard for me to get past, but I'm not a major fan of Motoblur either (although I know the Tegra 2 processors should handle that ok).
Great write-ups guys, that's good information to hear. Concerning the speeds compared to other phones, remember that you're using a new phone and comparing it to other phones that are bogged down by applications and data files.
Back a few weeks ago I thought my captivate was fast Oced at 1.2. I rooted to install a newer version of the ROM, master cleaned it, and it was even faster stock than it was OCed before.
Exactly my worry. We've put all the work into the Captivate only to buy an inferior phone out of the box...
ekerbuddyeker said:
Great input. I have a Captivate running a custom ROM. It was trash til I did so. Now call quality, gps, speaker and camera are great. And bigger battery. It all works bit I miss Sense.
Do you think the inspire is a better device all round when compared to a flashed captivate?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depressing. Unlike many people, I value excellent call quality above being able to get a 5m gps fix in 10 seconds. The captivate does have the former going for it...
chocodough said:
I used to have a Nexus One last year, and always thought the external speaker was horrible on that also, but it was a bit louder than the Inspire.
Although I didn't think the call quality of the N1 was bad. The call quality is horrible on the Inspire, whether through the earpiece or the speaker phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've only made a couple of calls on mine, but they sounded just fine. Certainly not horrible.
It looks like every aspect on G2x is far superior than MT4, but one thing I still worry about is the calling quality.
Optimus T and Virgin don't have good call quality and the earpiece has some strange behavior, so this raises my concern. In addition, I'd like to know how is the speakerphone. It's poor on MT4, but speakerphone is exceptional on NS (this is a reason why I use NS more than MT4).
Now I'd like to know should I shell out $500 and get G2x and sell the "no defect" MT4?
I have both and the call quality is identical. The G2x beats the MT4G in all aspects.
djunio said:
I have both and the call quality is identical. The G2x beats the MT4G in all aspects.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree! but i prefer built quality on MT4G, but G2X is beast on speed and we all know that!
The G2x has either equal or better build quality. Its just as solid as anything on the market.
I also have both and the build quality is great on the G2X. I never liked the buttons on the MyTouch 4G. I own the G1, BB9700, MyTouch 4G, NEXUS ONE and now the LG G2X, this is without a doubt the best device I every owned. I have always been a big fan of the Nexus One and use it every day. I tried Verizon and the Thunderbolt and after using it for about 5 days I found the LTE speeds were just fantastic but when it comes right down to practical use the web pages didn't download any faster then they did on T-Mobile's HSPA+ Network. I was getting around 13,000 DL on Verizon and about 5200 DL on T-Mobile and as I said the speeds don't make the user experience much different besides the lousy battery life on the Thunderbolt. I gave the Thunderbolt back and went back to the Nexus One. I like the ability to change sim cards on a daily basis and change my phones, can't do that on Verizon. Sorry for the ranting on but I just think if you are in a T-Mobile area there is no better Carrier to be with. Best plans, prices and the speeds are pretty darn fast.
I agree Thunderbolt is nice but even compared to my Nexus S, running on 3G, website pages were almost identical. The question for me is whether to get the G2X coming from a Nexus S. This is a good problem to have, either way its a win win
mingkee said:
It looks like every aspect on G2x is far superior than MT4, but one thing I still worry about is the calling quality.
Optimus T and Virgin don't have good call quality and the earpiece has some strange behavior, so this raises my concern. In addition, I'd like to know how is the speakerphone. It's poor on MT4, but speakerphone is exceptional on NS (this is a reason why I use NS more than MT4).
Now I'd like to know should I shell out $500 and get G2x and sell the "no defect" MT4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a 3 week old MyTouch that I just wiped clean (minus gfree root) that I plan on selling since I got my G2x. I was skeptical at first because I love my MyTouch 4g. I really thought that I'd end up selling the G2x, and staying with my MyTouch, but within two hours of getting the G2x, I had changed my mind.
The speaker phone is crystal clear. The speakers sound good when playing games, or video. If you have anymore questions, let me know.
WorldWide60 said:
I have a 3 week old MyTouch that I just wiped clean (minus gfree root) that I plan on selling since I got my G2x. I was skeptical at first because I love my MyTouch 4g. I really thought that I'd end up selling the G2x, and staying with my MyTouch, but within two hours of getting the G2x, I had changed my mind.
The speaker phone is crystal clear. The speakers sound good when playing games, or video. If you have anymore questions, let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How's the call quality? Do you use BT, if so, any connections problems with it.
jlevy73 said:
How's the call quality? Do you use BT, if so, any connections problems with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I don't use BT, and the call quality is fine. Haven't had a dropped call.
oh yea, mine will be here today when I get off work.
How is the microphone quality. I've noticed the noise cancellation features of the Nexus One were not as well incorporated into the MT4G and it struggles with using Voice compared to my N1. How is the G2x? I'll find out myself soon enough.
I am so psyched to get this phone. Today I sold my G1 on Craigslist and bought an Optimus T for my new "backup" device. Boy that thing is faster than the droid. Anyway, my only problem will be that I was able to treat my G1 and now this Optimus like **** and not care. I'm going to baby this G2x so much, I prob wont even take it to work with me for the first week! lol
I may be getting rid of my g2 for the g2x. Radio Shack will give me $160 for my g2 to put towards the g2x at $499 retail price. Wonder when they will get some in stock?
xguntherc said:
oh yea, mine will be here today when I get off work.
How is the microphone quality. I've noticed the noise cancellation features of the Nexus One were not as well incorporated into the MT4G and it struggles with using Voice compared to my N1. How is the G2x? I'll find out myself soon enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it doesnt have noise cancellation but the call quality is great
Just got in the new Samsung Nexus S from Sprint and I've noticed some major issues in reception versus the HTC Evo from Sprint as well. I'm seeing a 2+ bar difference in the exact location sitting next to the Evo on the same Sprint network.
Is anybody having this issue? Or does anybody know of a fix.
I have the latest firmware (suggested fix by Sprint) and have seen several complaints about it on other less developer friendly forums.
If I can't come up with a solution soon, I think I'll have to get an Evo. But if you guys can understand, I'd prefer to keep the phone that will get timely updates.
Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions!
You can't compare signal across different devices based on "bars". Check the actual signal strength in Menu > Settings > About Phone.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
I know you need dB... As soon as I can get the Evo next to me again for a comparison, I will post.
I'm a tech savvy guy, run a computer building company and build websites. I even develop some entry-level apps for a few clients (yes entry-level).
If one googles "spring nexus s reception," they'll find that this issue is quite common. I'm just curious as to whether it's hopeless or not.
I know I can petition for the Airave with Sprint and can at least get decent service at home.
It just seems peculiar to me that Google would endorse an inferior product. I live in a major Metropolitan area (DMA has it as a top 25 market - for those who aren't in the media business, that means it's one of the top 25 sized cities in the country). And this phone gets dismal reception.
Fact is, Evo does great in my house, Nexus S does not. I've heard some pretty bad reviews with the Galaxy S line of hardware so I'm figuring it's worth moving to the Evo.
To be honest, this phone is far superior (at the moment) with responsiveness and usability but if a phone can't operate well at being a phone, it's a waste of money. Especially if the hardware is inferior (phone-wise) to most of what HTC released a year ago. I love having a mini-computer in my pocket but I did aim at having a working phone.
Thoughts? Suggestions? School me? I will post the exact numbers when they again are available, until then, please only offer up friendly advice or questions. I am willing to try anything before taking this thing back.
You have not really described your issue. Do you have dropped calls or what?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
I'm having issues with the Sprint Nexus S reception as well. Although my home location on Sprint's coverage map lists my area from medium to strong with 4G available right around the corner from my house I have dismal reception with the Nexus S. I had a trial EVO for a few weeks and reception was much better in the same area. If I try to call the Nexus S I often go right to voicemail, I'm told calls out (when I can) are choppy, data signal is often listed as 1x as opposed to 3g. Is it just this particular phone? Should I go to a Sprint store to have it tested?
There is atl least one thread over at the Sprint Message boards about bad reception on the Nexus S.
At work we have a repeater and the signal still only shows at one or two bars most of the time but data speeds seemed fine to me and I had no problem with making and getting calls.
No one else is having this issue?
This isn't the first post about this subject. I understand and agree. I'm not 100% sure about this when it comes to cell phones but different companies with different radios will give you different signals. If this is the same as two way radios, there's no standard on say how much signal equals one bar on the meter. Even the programs that give the signal strength in numbers, aren't universally accurate. When it comes to received signal, its how you can hear it, not really what the meter says. That number can easily be manipulated. A receiver sensitivity can be adjusted too but there are things that are thrown out too. Crank up the receive and you get more noise than distinguishing signal and adjacent frequency rejection goes to crap. You can work the receiver to have good rejection and sensitivity but you are making it more deaf too.
What I'm getting at is don't always go by what the signal meter says and take it as 100% truth. It is a good indicator of signal but not absolutely 100% accurate.
I am sitting about twenty feet from my router and yet the meter is telling me 50% signal which I know is bull****.
are you up to date?
Yobye, are you on 2.3.4? I have heard the update fixes some people's signal/radio issues.
yobyeknom said:
I'm having issues with the Sprint Nexus S reception as well. Although my home location on Sprint's coverage map lists my area from medium to strong with 4G available right around the corner from my house I have dismal reception with the Nexus S. I had a trial EVO for a few weeks and reception was much better in the same area. If I try to call the Nexus S I often go right to voicemail, I'm told calls out (when I can) are choppy, data signal is often listed as 1x as opposed to 3g. Is it just this particular phone? Should I go to a Sprint store to have it tested?
There is atl least one thread over at the Sprint Message boards about bad reception on the Nexus S.
At work we have a repeater and the signal still only shows at one or two bars most of the time but data speeds seemed fine to me and I had no problem with making and getting calls.
No one else is having this issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto on this. Have all the latest updates. Think it may be time to trade in for the Evo.
I am on 2.3.4. I brought home another Sprint phone from work - a Sanyo Taho and got about the same terrible reception despite the fact I'm in a Sprint Best Coverage area on their map. I miss and drop calls and can't get voice or data connection - send mms, etc from my home. I've contacted Sprint about the tower strength in my neighborhood.
Even though I love my Nexus, I am thinking of calling the Sprint people for a replacement. Here's why I think it is defective hardware:
- Poor 3G Connection Speed (50-150 Kbps)
- NO 4G connection in "In Building" region of Chicago (I'm outside)
- VERY poor voice calls, drops out about 1/2 of calls
- 1 bar of WiFi about 5ft from router.
Do I have a case/ any hope?
OH, I have also reset the phone 3x, "activated" 2x, and updated profile 4x. All to no avail.
Sounds like you have a bad device. Mine doesn't have any of these issues.
Although not all ns4g have these problems, it is common. I had 2 different ns4g's and they both had these problems; though it could be a mixture of hardware design and my local network. I would be really surprised if sprint would exchange phones based on that argument though.
Its a breath of fresh air coming to a GSM ns; minus the data cap of course!
Sent from my Nexus S
All the points except two are "normal" for me. This is true with other 4g phones I've had too. The wifi, I can look now 90° to my left, and through the clear of any obstructions sliding glass door I can see my router maybe 10 to 15 feet from me and I'm only getting 75% signal. Dropped calls I haven't experienced except for one place. On my way home, there was always one spot that the phone would drop when one tower is handing me over to the next one. It stopped doing that recently so I guess the problem was fixed on their end. If you're getting those speeds during the weekdays, that's not bad considering that's usually when the network is busy.
alanthemanofchicago said:
OH, I have also reset the phone 3x, "activated" 2x, and updated profile 4x. All to no avail.
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Maybe try another radio, some have bad signal.
I have both. They are good at different things. I carried the Evo for 9 months and the nexus for about 2 months so far. Probably won't go back to the Evo anytime soon.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App
I am in the same boat except that I jsut bought my NS4G last weekend so I am still in grace period. I am working with a rep. from sprint to figure out why I get no 3G coverage in my house when I am in the second tier of excellent, good, fair, and poor coverage. I really love my NS4G and don't want to let it go.
The Evo definitely has better signal, more features, bigger screen, maybe better support/Development. I like my ns4g because it's fast and simple. Easy to root, beautiful screen. Plus personally I don't need or use most of the features on the Evo.
Hell, I would consider selling it if the price were right, but I will never sell this Nexus. Unless it is toward upgrading to the next Nexus.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App
I gotta vent. It's driving me nuts! My girl has my Droid DNA - and just like me when I had it, she gets at least 3 bars of LTE at home. I'm lucky to get ONE BAR of 1X on my M8!!! It's ridiculous! I can barely send text messages from home. They sit there for several minutes with the 'sending' icon. It's so choppy, people are even receiving double or triple text messages. How can one HTC phone have such incredible signal and a newer one have such terrible signal!?
When I get a chance, I'll take a look at the actual signal dB numbers. Regardless of the numbers, though, this phone's service sucks. Other than that, I absolutely love this phone.
aol8mydog said:
I gotta vent. It's driving me nuts! My girl has my Droid DNA - and just like me when I had it, she gets at least 3 bars of LTE at home. I'm lucky to get ONE BAR of 1X on my M8!!! It's ridiculous! I can barely send text messages from home. They sit there for several minutes with the 'sending' icon. It's so choppy, people are even receiving double or triple text messages. How can one HTC phone have such incredible signal and a newer one have such terrible signal!?
When I get a chance, I'll take a look at the actual signal dB numbers. Regardless of the numbers, though, this phone's service sucks. Other than that, I absolutely love this phone.
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It's much better than my GNex, but that's not saying much (it had notoriously bad reception). I've only noticed going down to 3G once, which is great for me.
aol8mydog said:
I gotta vent. It's driving me nuts! My girl has my Droid DNA - and just like me when I had it, she gets at least 3 bars of LTE at home. I'm lucky to get ONE BAR of 1X on my M8!!! It's ridiculous! I can barely send text messages from home. They sit there for several minutes with the 'sending' icon. It's so choppy, people are even receiving double or triple text messages. How can one HTC phone have such incredible signal and a newer one have such terrible signal!?
When I get a chance, I'll take a look at the actual signal dB numbers. Regardless of the numbers, though, this phone's service sucks. Other than that, I absolutely love this phone.
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I think the signal on M8 is much worse than on the DNA (I have access to both), but only at certain angles of the M8.
M8 has a complete solid metal back, which is completely opaque to microwave and radio waves. When you turn the M8 correctly, it gets a better signal. Not by very much but better.
I get the same service I've always had. Full LTE and AWS. Something is wrong with either something that you may have flashed or your phone is defective. Send it back.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using xda app-developers app
You may want to exchange your device, my reception is on par or even better than the Note 3 that I just sold.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Coming from a sgs3... The reception is awesome.
Sent from my HTCM8
My service seems the same if not slightly better in some areas as my old razr HD and razr that my girlfriend has.
sfreemanoh said:
It's much better than my GNex, but that's not saying much (it had notoriously bad reception). I've only noticed going down to 3G once, which is great for me.
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Im with you man. I also came from a GNex, and it seems like a lot of other have too.
Its crazy how much better the reception has been with the M8. I had trouble getting any 3G or 4G in my new house with my GNex, even outside. With my m8, I get an average of 3 bars of 4G. And the difference is like that everywhere I go including work. I don't know how I lasted that long on the GNex. I guess I just got used to the crazy bad reception.
That being said, I have always heard that most Motorola phones have some of the best reception. And this was always the case with my older motorola flip phones (E815) also. But I stopped buying motorola phones after the original Droid X bootloader was locked down like Fort Knox, and they said all their newer phones were gonna be like that.
EDIT:
To the person that just sold the NOTE 3. That phone is just like the GNex was. Awful reception. My dad had the phone for two days and returned it. We looked up reviews and saw tons of people complaining about the reception. Which is funny because the Note 2 had a solid reception. My brother uses it and gets great service, as well as all the reviews. Samsung must have dropped the ball on the Note 3 antenna.
I agree with the OP. This handset has noticeably lower signal strength than my old HTC Rezound, and the one my wife currently uses as her personal phone. My M8 is only slightly better than the GNEX she has as a company-provided work phone. Disappointing, actually, as the M8 is a phenomenal device in most other regards.
To be honest though, I've not experienced a single dropped call, as of yet. But, I see data switching to 3G quite regularly. I'm still on the stock ROM, only S-OFF and rooted.
Just to add that coming from the DNA to the M8, I have been extremely happy with reception.
My DNA would consistently drop out at certain points in the city (minneapolis) but my M8 has been solid.
To be honest, I really don't pay a lot of attention to bars, so I couldn't say if I have the same, more or less bars with the M8, but I haven't had any issues with connectivity.
Freedom First said:
I agree with the OP. This handset has noticeably lower signal strength than my old HTC Rezound, and the one my wife currently uses as her personal phone. My M8 is only slightly better than the GNEX she has as a company-provided work phone. Disappointing, actually, as the M8 is a phenomenal device in most other regards.
To be honest though, I've not experienced a single dropped call, as of yet. But, I see data switching to 3G quite regularly. I'm still on the stock ROM, only S-OFF and rooted.
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If your M8 is only slightly better than a gnex, you have a defective M8. G-nex has the worst reception of any phone I've ever owned, by FAR.
For me in New Jersey, where LTE practically covers the entire state, the M8 gets good reception but my DNA definitely got better reception.
At work in Newark..And I work in a glass building...DNA would be between 96-98 dBm and my M8 is between 102-105.
I'm assuming that's the aluminum casing. Don't get me wrong, reception is great but in marginal signal areas like at home in my basement, dna would hold LTE where M8 will drop to 3g and sometimes 1x
hxdrummerxc said:
Im with you man. I also came from a GNex, and it seems like a lot of other have too.
Its crazy how much better the reception has been with the M8. I had trouble getting any 3G or 4G in my new house with my GNex, even outside. With my m8, I get an average of 3 bars of 4G. And the difference is like that everywhere I go including work. I don't know how I lasted that long on the GNex. I guess I just got used to the crazy bad reception.
That being said, I have always heard that most Motorola phones have some of the best reception. And this was always the case with my older motorola flip phones (E815) also. But I stopped buying motorola phones after the original Droid X bootloader was locked down like Fort Knox, and they said all their newer phones were gonna be like that.
EDIT:
To the person that just sold the NOTE 3. That phone is just like the GNex was. Awful reception. My dad had the phone for two days and returned it. We looked up reviews and saw tons of people complaining about the reception. Which is funny because the Note 2 had a solid reception. My brother uses it and gets great service, as well as all the reviews. Samsung must have dropped the ball on the Note 3 antenna.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, my mom's GS3 had similarly crappy reception to my GNex, and Samsung's radios have never had the best reputation, but I heard they've gotten somewhat better. But I guess maybe they reverted back to their old ways with the Note 3...
Don't forget though, while the DX had a locked bootloader (I had a DX as well, it was actually my Android gateway device), it also had a great development community. So with some awesome dev's, even a locked bootloader doesn't mean the device won't be awesome.
Coming from multiple devices such as the Gnex, DNA, Note 3 and now the M8, I think there's more to it than just moving from one phone to another. Yes, HTC is known for better radios than Samsung and having the Note 3 before the M8 I personally witnessed the M8 produce better reception. But I think the issue also stems from the added LTE frequencies that have been added to newer handsets. For example my Note 3 before the AWS roll out performed very good, but once the roll out hit NYC and I started to check if I was connected to band 4 in my handset I began to notice my service between LTE, 3G and 1X fluctuate a lot. At work where I was constantly connected to LTE band 13 before and don't ever remember having 3G, the phone began to connect only to 3G.
Purchasing a new phone such as the M8 that has support for AWS but is weaker may be the result. The Droid DNA only supported Verizon LTE Band 13.
When I'm at work where my DNA had great LTE reception, my M8 seems to be OK - only slightly less signal. I think the problem is worse when the LTE signal is marginal like at my home. It seems that's when the difference is very noticeable. At home, I'd be lucky to get LTE on my older phones (Thunderbolt and Rezound) but the DNA was awesome. LTE all the time at home. I think I was spoiled.
You probably got a defective device, because mine gets signal everywhere I couldn't before.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
Signal
I went from a GNex to an X, and noticed a great signal reception different. I thought the X had great reception, and held with Motorola's reputation for good radios. My M8 has a lot better reception than the X did, far none. Spots where I would have ~1 to 2 bars of 3G, I now have at least 3 at all times. The 4G radio boundary seems to be a lot better than the X had as well. I would agree with what was previously stated, and say you have a defective unit.
Coming from a g2 I consistantly see -5 db better with this device in the same locations.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
The M8 appears to have similar signal reception to the S4. My son loves the M8, so no chance of an objective view there. The new device pixie dust is too strong
I find the following based on comparing:
DNA > i5s > M8/S4 Both the DNA and iPhone 4s have better reception than than the equal M8 & S4. Still not tested the S5 and will not unless they get a 32gb model. That would be my phone.
The worst phone recpetion device I ever owned was the Nokie N600. It was AWFUL and made the GNEX seem like a DNA on steroids. I grew to really "hate" Nokia after that device. Their Windows Phone love solidifies the "hate".
Something quite a few people here are not taking into account is that the M8 is utilizing Verizon's AWS band, whereas the Rezound/DNA are not. Your M8's signal bars are more than likely displaying AWS signal(assuming your area has AWS this will be the case). On a Rezound, your signal bars reflect your 1X signal...which will always be extremely high in most areas. On a DNA you will be seeing the normal LTE band.
If you're trying to compare to older devices like the Rezound, you need to launch a voice call on your M8 before even giving a second thought to the signal bars. To address the DNA...you won't really be able to compare the two devices since the DNA doesn't support the AWS band at all...unless you live in a non-AWS area.
If you do the appropriate comparisons, the M8's signal is great. I hope this helps clear up a lot of the misunderstanding going on in this thread. :good: