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Hi all, Just wanted to contribute to this wonderful community as it has given me so much. I was having signal issues, very weak 4g...Constant switching from 4g to E. I read about people who didnt have the right 4g service applied to their contract from T-Mobile.
Mine was a $25 a month data service which did not benefit my phone like it should. The guy who helped from t-mobile showed me that indeed my phone should have been running the $30 4g service which replaces the one I had. Once I had the switch done my service went from E - four bars to 4g - three bars instantly.
Go check your contract and make sure you make the switch if you have a 4g phone. Good luck. I'm running the eagleblood 1.02 and its perfect, Never had any freezes, Reboots etc...A little screen bleeding but overall best phone I have had.
I have also removed the blue tape behind the cover for the heck of it. NOt sure if it has had any effect but definitely check your services.
I have the 4G Data on my plan, and I still have the same issue. Thanks Anyway
This is NOT true. My very good friend works in the tech support side for T-Mobile and he told me the only difference between the 4G plan and my plan is 5$. The 4G plan is only a computer code for pricing and does nothing for your service. I should know because I had it on my phone and after he took it off for me, guess what.....I still got the same service and download speeds.
The problem with this phone is low signal strength. It seems to have problems with low signals, 1-2 bars and then loses connection intermittantly. If your 4G keeps going down to 2G do a hard reset to clear the settings. It should keep the 4G regardless of the signal after. For me I lose the signal at home especially if I hold the phone from the bottom with my palm to the back, I can watch the bars go away then when I remove my hand it raises up. Antenna is in a bad place I think. LG messed up!
I'm still on the MT3G $24.99 a month unlimited data + 400 texts plan, my phone gets great 4G speeds, (at least as great as T-Mo's "4G" is capable of) definitely faster than the same plan on my N1.
ETA: I'm in Seattle, T-Mobiles U.S. base of operations. I dunno for sure, but it makes sense that the data coverage here would be a little better than in a lot of other areas.
ashton4life said:
The problem with this phone is low signal strength. It seems to have problems with low signals, 1-2 bars and then loses connection intermittantly. If your 4G keeps going down to 2G do a hard reset to clear the settings. It should keep the 4G regardless of the signal after. For me I lose the signal at home especially if I hold the phone from the bottom with my palm to the back, I can watch the bars go away then when I remove my hand it raises up. Antenna is in a bad place I think. LG messed up!
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I'm suddenly having IPhone 4 flash-backs!!! Sheesh.. For what its worth I was having the same issues with low to no signal, but I recently (last night) installed the 2.3.3 GB Rom and I must confess that I have all the bars and no WIFI sleeping issues.. YMMV..
They didn't change the radio firmware but apparently my phone likes the GB ROM better I guess.....
Good Luck
dlammons said:
I'm suddenly having IPhone 4 flash-backs!!! Sheesh.. For what its worth I was having the same issues with low to no signal, but I recently (last night) installed the 2.3.3 GB Rom and I must confess that I have all the bars and no WIFI sleeping issues.. YMMV..
They didn't change the radio firmware but apparently my phone likes the GB ROM better I guess.....
Good Luck
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So do you think the Gingerbread update may help the low signal issues? I returned my phone today and now I have to wait for them to send me my deposit back. I may just wait a month or so and buy it again if others see a difference also. The Tmobile 2.3 update is suppose to happen some time this month.
I got my unlimited 4g with 5gb cap for $20/month,u got ripped off
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
bobthq said:
I got my unlimited 4g with 5gb cap for $20/month,u got ripped off
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
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It doesn't matter if you have the 4g plan or the regular plan. The speeds stay exactly the same. Anyone who thinks the 4G data plan has anything to do with your data speeds needs to delete there screen name and stop fallowing this website.
The plan doesn't affect the speed or the fluctuation issues of 4G/2G/EDGE. It basically just comes down to your coverage area.
I was having absolutely no issues with 4G signals since I bought the phone, but when I went to Dallas last weekend I was having weak signals, slow downloads, etc. Went back to Austin and signal was fine like before.
I'm still on the old G1 unlimited data plan and speeds are faster than when I was on my G1.
g2x signal weaker then g1 signal
My G2x gets a weaker signal then my G1 does in the exact same spots. My G1 can be 3g when my G2x is EDGE in the exact same spot. Walking from an EDGE spot to 3g/4g coverage area my G1 bumps up 100-500 feet sooner the the G2x. Nobody at LG or t-mobile would do anything about it. Returned the g2x on day 14 but they had to pry it out of my hands because other then having a sucky signal I loooooved the phone.
I was told by a customer service rep that works for sprint that 4G for Tmobile only works if you switch to Sprint and put the sim card in the Sprint phone. Then you will have to get some foil and wrap your phone in it and hold it 91 degree from the angle of the sun.
I got my G2x a few days ago and was having some serious signal issues. Half of the time it was on emergency calls only. T-mobile suggested I swap my SIM that I had for 3 years, saying they had reports of older sims not working with the upgraded HSPA+ 42 towers. It immediately fixed the issues everywhere except at home where they are having problems upgrading that tower.
If you have signal issues, try swapping out that old sim. Also check if you are in a market that is getting upgraded
lokibtm said:
I got my G2x a few days ago and was having some serious signal issues. Half of the time it was on emergency calls only. T-mobile suggested I swap my SIM that I had for 3 years, saying they had reports of older sims not working with the upgraded HSPA+ 42 towers. It immediately fixed the issues everywhere except at home where they are having problems upgrading that tower.
If you have signal issues, try swapping out that old sim. Also check if you are in a market that is getting upgraded
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Same here. Apparently my old SIM card was only good for Edge whereas I got a free 3G (works with 4G) sim card replacement at a T-Mobile store.
My observations....
When i was using my Nexus One as my main phone... i could tell the day hey turned on HDSPA+ in my area...i was getting about 5mb down and 1.5 - 2 MB up almost consistently for about a few weeks ...then it dropped down to regularly 2-3 down and about 1.5 up. Which is about what i was getting up until i ot my G2x. Now my top speeds are about 7MB down and if i am lucky i hit 1mb up otherwise it is almost always a hair below 1mb up. Yes i know the Nexus one was not 4g HSDPA+...but like i said i could tell they day they turned it on. When i got the Nexus One i switched from Blackberry and I never switched my actual plan until i got the G2x. So to me it seems there is some type of throttling involved somehow. Just think about it... if you go over your 5GB limit with the so called unlimited plan.... they throttle your speed right? hit has to be done automatically.... so why can't some type of computer coding error be wrong on someones phone/account an only giving them 3g or less speeds?
Also is anyone getting terrible upload speeds like me? Before you say upload speeds do not matter unless you are uploading... consider that even when you download...a data packet has to be sent back (Uploaded) to say give me the next set of data packets for download... and the faster your upload is...you would see increased/faster downloads also. Think T1 vs aDSL at the same speed. It seems that our data is not "unlimited" and it is aDSL as well. Sorry i am rambling LOL anyway i would much rather get steady 3MB down and 1.5 up if it got better battery life. I did notice when i had my nexus one it would only kick in the high data when you went online like opening a web browser etc.. otherwise it throttled it down. (yes i saw it change by quickly going back to the settings are for status and watched it change back and forth) which was done in a fix that helped battery life... by increasing the idle time.
As far as switching 2g (edge) to 4G and never showing 3g..i read a few posts that said that LG was aware of this and would be fixed in the next patch update or/ Gingerbread update. So perhaps this is also effecting people phones as well.
Sorry if i strayed from topic... i just tried to paint a bigger picture about throttling speeds based on plan or phone type. Maybe it does not happen to everyone...but it could happen to some.
In my home I get very weak signals with any phone, whether its GSM or CDMA but when I tried the G2x it continuesly disconnected and lost signal. This happened more on the G2x then any of my previus 5 phones. I was forced to return it. I would have kept it but this was a big problem. I believe that this phone does definetly have reception problems plus it loses the signal just holding the phone from the bottom with my palm to the back, basically just holding it normally. If I raised my hand to the top it got better.... I really liked it. I'm back with my old LG envy2 and it never loses signal any where in my home. I may just try the Sensation when it comes out and pass on the G2x getting fixed.
I've noticed that my g2x regularly gets about 10 db less signal strength than my mt4g in the same locations. Although, in places where my mt4g couldn't get signal or would drop in and out, the g2x can grab a 1-2 bar signal.
Is this just me? I had another g2x for a while which I noticed was the same as my current one.
Sent from my G2X running Bionix 2
The signal strength of my G2x is on par with the G2 in the locations, but for sure G2x (and G2) are much worse than any flip-phone that I've had before. And this includes: Nokia, Sony, and Samsung
Ive also noticed that holding the phone in my left hand causes the cell signal to drop which is pretty annoying. Ive had quite a few replacements due to various issues but all of them were effected by this.
mine gets better signal than my vibrant. signal problems are prolly a hardware issue with some devices.
My phone works in my house, where my G1 did not have signal.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
Phone looks great, but i figure with the antenna's on the back of hte phone like that there's bound to be some "death grip" issues.
I see one thread on this forum about this issue, but since the community has grown since then i figured i'll ask again.
Compared to my previous phone (Galaxy S), the reception is better in all regards except for wifi. Although wifi is comparable, covering the antenna with your hand causes an instant and noticeable degradation in signal strength. If you're not close to your router, this signal loss is enough to drop the connection.
smacman said:
Compared to my previous phone (Galaxy S), the reception is better in all regards except for wifi. Although wifi is comparable, covering the antenna with your hand causes an instant and noticeable degradation in signal strength. If you're not close to your router, this signal loss is enough to drop the connection.
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Damn, that's a little messed up..
I dont use wifi that much, but still....
any other opinions?
My girlfriend had just got her sensation yesterday and usually I'm the one to get all the new gadgets I've had the mytouch 4g, g2 4g the evo 4g and now shift and we live in a apartment and all the tmobile phone I've ever had sucked but that phone has the best connection I've ever seen or used in my house for some reason she's getting way faster speeds and of course she wouldn't let me flash anything to it like new radios or anything lol oh yea and she's also using the phone without a case
Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk
smacman said:
Compared to my previous phone (Galaxy S), the reception is better in all regards except for wifi. Although wifi is comparable, covering the antenna with your hand causes an instant and noticeable degradation in signal strength. If you're not close to your router, this signal loss is enough to drop the connection.
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This. This describes the reception perfectly.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
All the reception on this phone is amazing for me. Way better than my G2 and Nexus S! Especially data and Wi-Fi reception. I never lose a 3G/4G connection and at work where I don't have signal I really on Wi-Fi calling and it works perfectly for me (My G2 used to always cut off and drop calls).
GSM reception is excellent. Better than HTC of the past. The G2/MT4G have atrocious reception especially on 4G. GSM reception is better than my Galaxy S, 3G/4G seems to trade off with the Galaxy S picking up on a weak HSPA signal more often.
WiFi reception is horrible in landscape. Fine in portrait with no hands over the top half.
zoltrix said:
any other opinions?
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I have to concur with my peers. GSM is great here in southern California, but even as I type this...I'm in portrait because landscape will cause my WiFi to drop. This only happens when I'm not next to my router...so pretty much dies all the time. I already went through 3 phones all with the same death grip, which HTC is just looking into the cause. That's what one rep told me from their USA tech support. Hope this helps
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G
Everything has been fine for me. I haven't noticed any death grip issues with WiFi in portrait or landscape.
Cover the top of the phone and I lose WiFi, cover the bottom and I lose 2/3/4g. Thus when I hold the phone sideways I lose almost all signal.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Thus far I have not had any deathgrip issues like most others complain about however compares to the BlackBerry I came from the radios receive much less signal side by side. Don't get me wrong I love the phone and features but signal is poor in my opinion and with my job I am around cell sites all day so I know what I should expect
Mine's just really bad when it comes to receptions -___- I get no wifi at all no matter how close I am to my router, once I cover it when on landscape mode. && how I see these people having reception when I'm on Bart(underground) I use to have full bars with my cliq down at bart, but with my sensation I don't get any service at all down there.
Jimx2 said:
Mine's just really bad when it comes to receptions -___- I get no wifi at all no matter how close I am to my router, once I cover it when on landscape mode. && how I see these people having reception when I'm on Bart(underground) I use to have full bars with my cliq down at bart, but with my sensation I don't get any service at all down there.
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Sounds like you have a bad device
s
cellsitetechstl said:
Thus far I have not had any deathgrip issues like most others complain about however compares to the BlackBerry I came from the radios receive much less signal side by side. Don't get me wrong I love the phone and features but signal is poor in my opinion and with my job I am around cell sites all day so I know what I should expect
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Click to collapse
Blackberry uses a different scale to determine the amount of bar, the -dBm reading goes all the way down to -120. Android only goes down to -113 even though the actual signal can be lower than that, to -121dBm. A Galaxy S with Touchwiz can show you the real -dBm reading after -113 on Android (no bars) with it's field test mode.
yeah fortunately i do not rely on my phone for field testing we use test sets working on the antennas and lines. and we work with a remote test center that runs NRPM testing for diversity issues. (we work primarily AT&T UMTS technology work in the midwest)
wifi issue is the worst, drops in and out constantly from wifi to mobile network. dont ever use a case in your house you will lose wifi 90% of the time. dont listen to these fan boys
Hamsteriel said:
Cover the top of the phone and I lose WiFi, cover the bottom and I lose 2/3/4g. Thus when I hold the phone sideways I lose almost all signal.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
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I was having the same issue for a while, but it seems to have worked itself out.
I've not had a problem with Bluetooth or WiFi, but the 2g and 3g reception is erratic wherever I go. This is on Vodafone UK.
Have tried my sim in my old HD2 and I get a much more stable signal.
just went to Bell to talk about the HTC Sensation. I asked if the lady heard anything about reception issues with the Sensation because of its design.
She said she hasn't heard of anything but she likes the new galaxy s 2 because, and i quote: "the pixels are faster even though they're the same speed"
I said "oh yea? " and left.
the responses in this thread seem to be 50/50. i guess ill need to hold one myself to test
anyone want to have input on this vs the sgs2?
so long story short I am looking at ditching sprint where I have an EVO LTE. Trust me when I say I am used to crap reception and data speeds. I was reading the thread full of other people who have came from sprint and most seem happy but... I read a lot of comments from long time Verizon users saying things like " I have to contort like a monkey to get a message to go through". Are these just spoiled Verizon users that don't know how good they've got it? Or is coming from sprint a waste of my time? Thanks for any and all input.
PS: Verizon has LTE all over my area, sprint has not announced any LTE anywhere near me. Is the LTE utilized for voice and text? Will this help?
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
Im sure others have problems, but mine has been great. Not a single issue to speak of. Been running CM10 for 2 months now.
Gordon Ramsay said:
so long story short I am looking at ditching sprint where I have an EVO LTE. Trust me when I say I am used to crap reception and data speeds. I was reading the thread full of other people who have came from sprint and most seem happy but... I read a lot of comments from long time Verizon users saying things like " I have to contort like a monkey to get a message to go through". Are these just spoiled Verizon users that don't know how good they've got it? Or is coming from sprint a waste of my time? Thanks for any and all input.
PS: Verizon has LTE all over my area, sprint has not announced any LTE anywhere near me. Is the LTE utilized for voice and text? Will this help?
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
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NO radio problems here.... I think a lot of people with problems may be on the border of having coverage where they are...? I have FULL bars no matter where I go in Michigan (except in Walmart) LOL I have LTE coverage too and it's been a solid performer and I may drop a call here and there but nothing out of the norm... Just my personal experiences...:good:
My .02
Go to a verizon store, put a rezound side by side to a samsung galaxy s3 and compare the dbm and asu and u will see how terrible the signal is . My phone is constantly at least 20 dbm less than the rezound .
It feels like i am back to sprint or tmobile since i got my device, constant data drops, phone call break ups and 4g/3g handing off is terrible .
Btw this is my 4th sim and second samsung galaxy s3 trial now , still reception in comparison to any htc phone is horrible.
Htc put their 4g antennas on the back cover which i think makes them practically immune to low signal issues.
Its a pretty phone , but if u want a device that actually communicates with satellites and cell towers, then get a real phone . not this one .
waiting for htc dlx
Mine has been completely fine.
Currently not being productive on my S3.
I came from Sprint at the beginning of the month. On Sprint it had gotten so bad that I was on 1 bar 90% of the time in the middle of the New Orleans area. I gave up waiting for it to get better and installed Roam Control so I could force it to roam on Verizon. Forced roaming only gets you 1x data, but it gave me full signal which prevented dropouts and draining the battery.
Now I'm on Verizon with the S3 and have no signal issues. I don't think I've ever seen less than 3 bars. The signal starts might be lower than other phones based on other people's experience but I wouldn't know because I haven't had any problems to make it worth checking. I think it really depends on your area. If your current phone is rooted, you could try Roam Control to get an idea of what the signal strength will be like, although you'll be stuck on 1x data.
I too was scared by the reports in various threads that these devices have horrible radios. We switched to Verizon from ATT because ATT doesn't work at all at my office (searching for reception).
I haven't been looking at dBM or anything but from a functional standpoint I haven't had any issues. There are some areas where before I was getting 4-5 3G bars on my ATT iPhone4 where the SGS3 bounces between 1-3 bars 4G LTE. It's always disturbing when you see 1 bar of reception, but the phone operates well even getting 4-5Mbps in speedtest. If you look at bars (I know not really accurate) and whether or not I can browse, call, etc. the SGS3 compares favorable to the wife's iPhone5. In fact there were a couple places where I was getting 1-2 bars 4G and the iPhone5 dropped to 3G.
Her are some screen shots of my signals after an update last night. These are the best I've gotten on both and better than anything I saw on my Rezound.
Currently not being productive on my S3.
Never had an issue with signal on my S3. You also need to realize that the most vocal people are those that have an issue. For every 1 person posting about an issue there a dozens that have no problem at all.
Signal on my s3 is great its 100 times better then gnex was and about on par with my old droid RAZR.
dwyw42 said:
I came from Sprint at the beginning of the month. On Sprint it had gotten so bad that I was on 1 bar 90% of the time in the middle of the New Orleans area. I gave up waiting for it to get better and installed Roam Control so I could force it to roam on Verizon. Forced roaming only gets you 1x data, but it gave me full signal which prevented dropouts and draining the battery.
Now I'm on Verizon with the S3 and have no signal issues. I don't think I've ever seen less than 3 bars. The signal starts might be lower than other phones based on other people's experience but I wouldn't know because I haven't had any problems to make it worth checking. I think it really depends on your area. If your current phone is rooted, you could try Roam Control to get an idea of what the signal strength will be like, although you'll be stuck on 1x data.
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This doesn't work, each manufacturer measures it slightly differently. You have to use a third party app to compare phones that are not the same model.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Yes, it is. My GS3 consistently drops in places where my Rezound and iPhone work without a hiccup.
I actually just switched from Sprint to Verizon last week and love it. My gs3 has great reception and the network is very fast. I get a consistent 30 mbps down all over my area. With Sprint I was lucky to get 500 kbps
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
The Nexus was the worst for reception. The S3 is a close second. It seems to be people in some parts of the country don't notice the issue - possibly because they don't use their phone much or because they have towers that use different technology than the towers in the areas I travel. I spend a lot of time in Los Angeles, Vegas and Dallas. I can be at 4 bars one second and no bars (drop the call) and go back to 4 bars the next.
I was on Sprint and the HTC EVO 3D had that same issue even though the EVO didn't. I did always get crap data speeds on Sprint though. Some phones get great signal like the Motorola - so the question is - which is more imporant to you - the PDA or the phone. I use about 3000 minutes per month so I notice quickly when there are issues with a phones reception. My data speeds on the S3 are much better than I had on Sprint.
No the radios are not bad.
Excellent service, all the time here. In fact, I've never seen my phone with less than 3 bars, anywhere I go. And I travel a lot.
Yes the radios are very bad.....although improving. With the HE radio I finally have seem -99 dbm at my house although most of the time it is around -105. This is much improved compared to the original radio where I saw on average -110. I still drop calls in areas where I never have before. The poster that stated that HTC's have better signal are definitely correct. My wifes old rezound normally saw -80 to -85 at my house and never dropped calls anywhere. My old Thunderbolt was the same. Funny thing is that no matter what direction I go from my house, once I am a minute away I get full reception.....no matter what way I go. The radios don't do a good job of reaching out for the signal. The range is bad. Those stating that they are happy with their radios are probably in areas that don't have any weak spots. I'm holding out for newer radios cause every release seems to be a small step in the right direction.
ercDROID said:
Yes the radios are very bad.....although improving. With the HE radio I finally have seem -99 dbm at my house although most of the time it is around -105. This is much improved compared to the original radio where I saw on average -110. I still drop calls in areas where I never have before. The poster that stated that HTC's have better signal are definitely correct. My wifes old rezound normally saw -80 to -85 at my house and never dropped calls anywhere. My old Thunderbolt was the same. Funny thing is that no matter what direction I go from my house, once I am a minute away I get full reception.....no matter what way I go. The radios don't do a good job of reaching out for the signal. The range is bad. Those stating that they are happy with their radios are probably in areas that don't have any weak spots. I'm holding out for newer radios cause every release seems to be a small step in the right direction.
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Same exact thing here! You took the words directly out of my mouth.
Sent by one of my many Anthromorphic Personifications
Here are the results of a real world test that I just did with a co-workers HTC Thunderbolt compared to my SG3:
Both phones on 4g and side by side
HTC dBM -66
SG3 dBM -92
I think the results are pretty clear. Nothing else really needs to be said about the quality of the SG3 radio......it is not as good as the competition. If it was close by a few dBM then it would not be of concern to me. A 26 dBM difference is huge!
Because of this difference in signal strength he was able to have much faster download speeds. I was 17 down compared to his 27 down.
Anyone else on sprint have frequent data drops? For example, I'm holding my wifes N5 and mine while driving, and I swear, over the course of 1-2 miles, my 3G dropped 3 times, and heres never dropped from what my eyes saw. She was even on LTE for a mile and I was on 3G.
I'm trying to make sense of it all, if its a carrier thing or a phone defect. So I'm looking to see what other people have experienced. (Metro Detroit Area, if that helps)
Thanks in advance guys.
chugger93 said:
Anyone else on sprint have frequent data drops? For example, I'm holding my wifes N5 and mine while driving, and I swear, over the course of 1-2 miles, my 3G dropped 3 times, and heres never dropped from what my eyes saw. She was even on LTE for a mile and I was on 3G.
I'm trying to make sense of it all, if its a carrier thing or a phone defect. So I'm looking to see what other people have experienced. (Metro Detroit Area, if that helps)
Thanks in advance guys.
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Click to collapse
I have horrible connectivity on Sprint as well - the Nexus 5 seems to have pretty bad cellular connection, while my 2nd line with the EVO LTE (and my older S4) would have a MUCH better connection at the exact same spot/time.
(Dallas, TX)
I even changed my N5 (got a replacement from Google) - no difference.
Connectivity is better in buildings in Chicago with tri-band.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I'm going to return mine... LTE speeds are terrible, especially inside. My s2 on wimax was faster!