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Contract is (sorta) up...deciding between MT4g and EVO

I am going to post this in both forums. I think it will be an interesting read for each. haha
I'm on sprint. My Premier account is up and I can get a phone upgrade. I currently have a Hero and was going to get an EVO on Monday.
Because of the pro-rated ETF fees from Sprint, I can cancel my account for $120.
I watched several reviews for the My Touch 4g and was really impressed with the phone. The quadrant scores were cool to see. I realize that isn't the be all/end all but from the couple days of research I did on the phone, I am liking what I'm seeing.
I've read up on the EVO for several weeks now. I'm familiar with the phone and realize the amount of user support it has. I am 'pro root' so I would be looking for the root option in the future.
Price wise, T-Mobile and Sprint with WI-Max would be about the same cost to me each month.
With choosing to stay with Sprint I'd lose the Premier account status. I would have to sit with the MT4G for 2 years or buy out of pocket.
I'd be buying an 'older' phone but one that has a great user community. I'd probably be happy with the Evo until my next Premier renew date.
I'd have the Wi-Max network to use.
I'd have a better screen? I don't know yet as I haven't tried the MT4G at a store.
With choosing to go with T-Mobile I'd be getting a newer phone for the same price as I would pay for the Evo (ETF of $120 and I've seen the MT4G for sale for $80). Next gen processor.
I'd be losing screen real estate and the look and feel of the Evo which I've come to like.
I'd be losing the xda community support or the amount. I am sure the MT4G community will grow.
I'd be committed to T-Mobile for 2 years. I wouldn't be able to upgrade after 12 months.
***Coverage-wise, it's a tossup. I live in Minneapolis and have Wi-Max and from what I see on T-Mobile, HSPA+ is here too. A concern of mine is that when we travel back home (to eastern wisconsin) the coverage for T-Mobile is extinct. the website shows it using a different carrier. Sprint back home is 3g.
Not sure what I want to do. My friend who has an Evo looked at the MT4g and said he wouldn't switch based on looks. He hadn't investigated the phone in depth. Guess looks are important but I'm thinking a few other things that should weigh into the equation.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. I'll probably get fanboys from each forum but I'm sure there will be enough objective info to glean.
Thanks folks!

As you can see from my sig, I've had a decent amount of phones over the last couple years, and I can honestly say that the MT4G is my favorite of them thus far. Yes, even over the favored Nexus One. If the MT4G had "fastboot oem unlock" it would be perfect lol.
The big differences between the EVO and the MT4G is obviously the size and the newer hardware in the latter phone. Software can be swapped out at will, so if you don't like the mySense UI, give it some time and you can have your regular Sense or something like CM6. Hardware, on the other hand, can't be adjusted so if you pick the EVO you will always have the older Snapdragon and less memory. The screens on both of the phones are identical(as far as hardware is concerned), I believe, aside from the obvious size difference. The argument still rages whether or not the MT4G has SLCD or regular LCD(like the EVO). According to some reviewers, it's one. According to others, it's another. So, as far as hardware specs go, the question you need to ask is this: Do you want a bigger screen, but older internals? Or do you want a smaller screen(in comparison), but the latest and greatest?
On the topic of WiMAX: There was an article I read the other day saying that Clearwire, the provider of Sprint's 4G network, is cutting 15% of it's workforce to save money. This doesn't necessarily mean the company is in trouble, and most people speculate it's just Clear cutting costs to plan for the future. Your mileage may vary, but most reviews I have read have the HSPA+ of T-Mobile providing faster speeds than the WiMAX of Sprint.
On the topic of Community: Don't let the fact that the MT4G has a small community right now fool you. The phone hasn't even been out for a month, and we just achieved root the other day. When I moved from my G1 to the Motorola Droid, I was pretty unhappy with the tiny community that was supporting it and that was one of the (many) reasons I moved to the Nexus One as soon I was able. Now, the community is thriving. The same thing will happen here as more developers start getting this phone.

Thanks for responding. You brought up some stuff that I was thinking about but forgot to post. The Wi-Max thing is more about cost than anything. I've never had it and I don't like having to pay more a month for a phone that has it. My friend says that Minneapolis Wi-Max is about 8-8.9mb down. I don't expect that to be the same for me (I live about 15 miles away from where he works).
The cost of the plan with Wi-Max is the same as the cost of the HSPA+. Do I pay the extra money for Sprint or T-Mobile. Sprint's been good to me but it's not like they've been the most successful mobile communications company the last several years.
Another thing I thought of was that if I needed or wanted to get a different phone, the sprint CDMA choices are limited compared to the GSM T-Mobile phones (I'm talking on ebay).

daryllh said:
Thanks for responding. You brought up some stuff that I was thinking about but forgot to post. The Wi-Max thing is more about cost than anything. I've never had it and I don't like having to pay more a month for a phone that has it. My friend says that Minneapolis Wi-Max is about 8-8.9mb down. I don't expect that to be the same for me (I live about 15 miles away from where he works).
The cost of the plan with Wi-Max is the same as the cost of the HSPA+. Do I pay the extra money for Sprint or T-Mobile. Sprint's been good to me but it's not like they've been the most successful mobile communications company the last several years.
Another thing I thought of was that if I needed or wanted to get a different phone, the sprint CDMA choices are limited compared to the GSM T-Mobile phones (I'm talking on ebay).
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My recommendation to you is to stick with GSM carriers. They're much easier to work with. If you end up not liking the phone, and decide to sell it (or trade it), it's as simple as taking your SIM card out and putting the new buyer's in. When I sold my Droid, both me and my customer spent half a day on the phone with Verizon trying to convince them to let her activate it. They kept trying to tell us they couldn't release the phone from my now inactive account until the billing cycle was done, which was two weeks after I sold the phone.
I'd invite your friend over for a beer and borrow his EVO and see what kind of speeds you get out where you live. Speaking of, if for some reason, you actually don't have WiMAX where you live/work, you end up still paying the extra money for it regardless.
If you're worried about getting stuck with a phone you may not like for two years, why not buy it off contract? Yes, the upfront cost is higher but typically you end up spending less over a two year period than you would on contract. For instance, T-Mobile's "prepaid" packages are around $20 less than the postpaid. If you really end up not liking the service or the phone, throw it up on CraigsList or something similiar and try the other.

HSPA+, and T-mobile coverage in general, is a hit or miss in Minneapolis while Sprint is not too bad as far as I know. I mean, you will always have your voice connection but may be dropping to Edge quite often for data.
My suggestion: Start a new account with T-mobile, pick up MT4G with a different number and try it out for 2 weeks. If you like it - port your number to T-mobile. If you don't - return the phone and you won't loose much money.
Good luck.

Speaking as someone who broke his Sprint contract and sold his Evo (actually two of them) to switch to T-Mobile for the MT4G, I couldn't be happier.
That being said, the main driver for my decision was that Sprint still doesn't have WiMax in Indianapolis, and T-Mobile does have HSPA+. Sprint's 3G varies wildly here, and the places I was the most (work/home) had the worst signal/data speeds. Another thing about Sprint is it broadcasts on the 1800mhz channel which is known to have a problem penetrating walls.
I did love just about everything on the Evo. It's dev community is AMAZING. No Wimax or HDMI out on CM6 did suck though. And the gpu on the first gen snapdragon left a lot to be desired (like 27-29 fps on neocore).
Another thing to remember about Sprint is there is no data cap, whereas T-Mo has a 5GB softcap after which they limit you to a snail's pace.
I am very happy about my MT4G. The biggest differences for me are the improvement in network speeds (significant for me) and the increase of the gpu (the MT4G gets a 57-58 on neocore). Battery life is much better too.
I will say if I had WiMax in Indianapolis I would probably still be a happy Evo owner on Sprint, but they dropped the ball on that one.
Another point that might help, I recently read that after 3mpbs any increase in speed doesn't have a noticeable difference on webbrowsing unless you are downloading large files (maybe HD movies). What does matter is the pingback.

Myt4g all the way I know several people with the evo and myt4g runs laps around it. No joke google mytouch 4g vs evo and see for yourself
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

My father and brother both have the evo. Myself and a couple of co-workers(by my request) all have mt4g's. The mytouch is far superior. Sure, you're not getting a huge screen, but it seems to be the perfect mix of size and portability(read: pocketability), and there's no hdmi output(which I would never use), but come on....WIFI CALLING! How can you top that? You get service anywhere you can connect to a wifi access point. And that's on top of being super fast with the latest cpu offering from qualcomm. Everything about it is fantastic, even more so now that it's been rooted. I've been faithful to t-mobile for 8 years, and it's paid off. Their value can't be beat, and their devices just keep getting better. Did I mention the wifi calling?

Just get an evo
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

Placed the order for the phone today. Will get it Wednesday.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App

welcome to the family!

I think you'll be very pleased with the MT4G.
Also obligatory run download from the market and run aLogcat after you get your phone to try and snag the update link for the rest of us!

My mom has the ego and now I have the my touch 4G so I have used both quite a bit.* If you are stuck on screen size, get the evo, though I think it is too big and that the mytouch or vibrant are perfect screen size wise.* But in my opinion screen size is the only plus of the evo.* The mytouch looks better physically imo.* Plus the mytouch version of sense does everything the evo version does plus more, and it looks nicer van that just bar at the bottom of the original sense.* So I would go with the mt4g.* Plus Sprint has terrible customer service and tmo is great.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

Sprints customer service is actually pretty good because they are trying to make up for years of sucking
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk

Tmo still has the longest standing #1 rank customer service record of any wireless carrier by far!
Both in continuous years running AND in total years...
Food for thought
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Just put my evo up on ebay, tried out the myt4 for a week , got similar data speed, not regreting
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

My friend has a g2 and he's getting 9-10 dl speeds around downtown Minneapolis.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App

daryllh said:
My friend has a g2 and he's getting 9-10 dl speeds around downtown Minneapolis.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
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I think I've worded myself wrong. Speeds are fine, the coverage is spotty.
My drive to work is less then 15 min (Hopkins to Bloomington/Richfield area) and I like to stream music on the go. My connection drops 2-3 times in that period every day. Every summer we go to Goose island on Minnetonka Lake. AT&T streams music fine there, all I get is Edge.
I could list many more examples but you get the idea. You have nothing to worry about though, you have 14 days to get back to Sprint in case you're not satisfied, I'm stuck with T-mobile for a long haul (4 lines, started service in 2001) since no other carrier can even touch what I pay now.
YMMV. Good luck.

I guess I can do that. I'll have to read up on what to do for you guys.
How come this download link is hard to come by? Wouldn't it have been logged already by somebody?
unremarked said:
I think you'll be very pleased with the MT4G.
Also obligatory run download from the market and run aLogcat after you get your phone to try and snag the update link for the rest of us!
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Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App

daryllh said:
I guess I can do that. I'll have to read up on what to do for you guys.
How come this download link is hard to come by? Wouldn't it have been logged already by somebody?
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
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All you need to do is download aLogcat from the marketplace, set it to periodically save to your SD card(under Menu > Settings on the app), and let it run! Once you get your update, you can remove your app and send me the log in PM. It doesn't record any private information such as contest of text messages or emails or passwords so don't worry about that; rather it logs the background processes that runs the phone.
I know on my first device, I was caught up in the excitement of rooting and the idea of "Ah someone else will get it." On my new one, I've been running it since last Wednesday but haven't received my update yet. Once we have the link, everyone will be able to manually update if they have to change devices or don't feel like waiting for the OTA.

returning phone :( T-mo sucks!

I love this phone, but t-mobile sucks. I can't take the ****ty service anymore. I've had more dropped calls in the past 2 weeks than I've had with Att, sprint, and Verizon over the past 10yrs.
I originally thought I'd be able to use att towers, but we all know that isn't yet possible.
Not sure what carrier and phone to go with now. hmmmm....

What is Tmo's coverage map look like in your area? If it was bad to begin with, then you should be expecting this coming in.
If not, then you may just have a bad device.

not sure about dropped calls, but T-mobile signal coverage does suck

You meant to say Tmobile sucks in you location because it doesn't suck in mine (Baltimore) but you know who's service does suck in my area. ATT and Sprint. My wife's iPhone gets multiple dropped calls though out the week and there data speeds suck. Sprints WiMax is laughable and always gets static on the line. Tmobile however has insane 4g speeds where I live and I average 8mbs DL and 3mbs UL in and around Baltimore. Not to mention I haven't had a dropped call since I can remember. I don't even remember the last time I went without service. In the end there is no point for me to pay more and get less. A post like yours is all subjective depending on where you live and in the end, this thread is idiotic. Nobody wants to hear you high about carrier service in a forum dedicated to a device.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App

eagercrow said:
I love this phone, but t-mobile sucks. I can't take the ****ty service anymore. I've had more dropped calls in the past 2 weeks than I've had with Att, sprint, and Verizon over the past 10yrs.
I originally thought I'd be able to use att towers, but we all know that isn't yet possible.
Not sure what carrier and phone to go with now. hmmmm....
Click to expand...
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Try here.

mikett26 said:
What is Tmo's coverage map look like in your area? If it was bad to begin with, then you should be expecting this coming in.
If not, then you may just have a bad device.
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It shows as covering everywhere. I wouldn't have gotten the phone if the coverage maps were accurate. I get 3g att coverage on my company phone when I have 0 signal with tmobile.
Driving my kids to school 8 miles away I have NO service for 80% of the drive, never had issues with any other carrier. I can pretty much count on ONLY getting service if I'm at or near a city center.

In my area I have great t-mobile coverage and I had att before which was very bad.
So go for the network which works best for you. No point in cribbing here since I guess no can help you. All it does is a flame war.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App

I'm just frustrated cause I like the phone so much. Don't need to get your panties in a bunch.

I get great service in my area (Indianapolis) with T-Mobile 4g damn near all day hardly ever drops to 3g and 4 bars everywhere I go..NO DROPPED calls ever I've been with T-Mobile since 2005
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

After being with att, Verizon,and sprint, T-Mobile is by far the coverage for me on my area of Dallas TX, I sit at 1 bar with Verizon in the house if I'm lucky, sprint is always no more than 2 and att is the 2nd best for me.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App

I'm having a fair amount of problems with lost signal, and all I did was upgrade from my Nexus 1. Still live in Chicago, still drive the same routes, but before where it was not an issue it is now. Which forces me to conclude it's either SW that still needs improvement, or hardware a la Apple's infamous antenna problems.

eagercrow said:
I love this phone, but t-mobile sucks. I can't take the ****ty service anymore. I've had more dropped calls in the past 2 weeks than I've had with Att, sprint, and Verizon over the past 10yrs.
I originally thought I'd be able to use att towers, but we all know that isn't yet possible.
Not sure what carrier and phone to go with now. hmmmm....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sprint=over priced/behind the curve (4g?!?!?)
At&t = big bill/****ty network and customer serivce (in my area... i was a customer for 4 years)
verizon= jacked up plans/high prices no customer loyalty or service..... (good service tho in my area)
T-mo= great customer service/decent service (my area) and i got a free g2x from them so suck it
/thread go get a trac phone
stop making useless threads how your gonna get better phones/service NO ONE CARES rant about it on your myspace page
KTHXBYE

I love your threads today...Stop making me laugh. It hurts when I laugh.
I have to say though that I think the I'm leaving posts have their place. If I'm researching a potential phone, I'm interested in disgruntled customers and their rants. They helped me decide on this phone for instance.
While there are a few(I'm leaving posts) for the G2X, there are not that many. And when someone is leaving for a bs, unenlightened, not ever gonna be satisfied reason, it's usually pretty apparent. But go to Androidforums and see all the complaints about the Indulge. There are legions of users who are unhappy. If one person is detered then the people who've posted have helped.
Thank Zeus for the forums. An educated consumer is a powerful one. You have to have a lot of opinions to make an informed decision. Even the redonkalous ones LOL.

I drive between NJ and PA around 70 miles to work everyday. Never dropped a call even while on drive all the way. Tmobile coverage is very good. It sure hops between 2g and 4g, but that is due to the software. AT&T is not at all good in my area.

eagercrow said:
It shows as covering everywhere. I wouldn't have gotten the phone if the coverage maps were accurate. I get 3g att coverage on my company phone when I have 0 signal with tmobile.
Driving my kids to school 8 miles away I have NO service for 80% of the drive, never had issues with any other carrier. I can pretty much count on ONLY getting service if I'm at or near a city center.
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8 miles to school!!! damn. Must not be in the city
Tmobile works well in the cities but not so much in-between. I travel and it sucks sometimes. Airports are the worst. ALL AIRPORTS SHOULD HAVE GREAT COVERAGE ON ALL CARRIERS... but they don't. With AT&T and Tmobile I'm often left with little to no cell signal. Verizon has the best coverage and is the most reliable. AT&T is second with Tmobile last.
90% of the time I am within the city and get great 4G data speeds and a reliable network.

I am always amused by how people are so easily affected my the media machine. BMW is the ultimate driving machine, Verizon is the best, Mercedes never break, blah blah blah...
I have Tmo in SoCal...I've had ATT, Sprint and Verizon. I would not trade Tmo's customer service for any or all of the other 3's claims. Sprint and ATT's data speeds are laughable here. Verizon is good but not worth 3x the price. ATT I think spends all their time trying to make their automated phones menus more torturous. The last time I needed to call ATT, I spent 2 hours calling number after number and never got my issue resolved. I cancelled all my ATT services at that point...took nearly all day to do it but boy do I feel good about it now.

jrwingate6 said:
You meant to say Tmobile sucks in you location because it doesn't suck in mine (Baltimore) but you know who's service does suck in my area. ATT and Sprint. My wife's iPhone gets multiple dropped calls though out the week and there data speeds suck. Sprints WiMax is laughable and always gets static on the line. Tmobile however has insane 4g speeds where I live and I average 8mbs DL and 3mbs UL in and around Baltimore. Not to mention I haven't had a dropped call since I can remember. I don't even remember the last time I went without service. In the end there is no point for me to pay more and get less. A post like yours is all subjective depending on where you live and in the end, this thread is idiotic. Nobody wants to hear you high about carrier service in a forum dedicated to a device.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
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Same in baltimore with good service.

eagercrow said:
I love this phone, but t-mobile sucks. I can't take the ****ty service anymore. I've had more dropped calls in the past 2 weeks than I've had with Att, sprint, and Verizon over the past 10yrs.
I originally thought I'd be able to use att towers, but we all know that isn't yet possible.
Not sure what carrier and phone to go with now. hmmmm....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you feel better now?
I live in Kansas City, location of the Sprint World Headquarters, and can't recieve a Sprint signal in my house.
Do you have a point?

Try complaining to AT&T for not carrying the G2X...problem solved.

Tmobile is great in my location and wifi calling will not go against minutes pretty soon. You simply cannot beat that at all .
Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk

How is AT&T's network in central NJ and NYC?

I'm currently trying to decide which carrier to go with for the Galaxy S4. I'm leaning towards Verizon, but I'm also considering AT&T because their non-shared family plan is cheaper if you go with less minutes. But I'm worried that their service might still suck, because we were with them until a few years ago and there were a lot of dropped calls, delayed text messages, etc. They also get rated poorly in Consumer Reports and other surveys. So I'm wondering if it's worth giving it a shot and hoping their service has improved, or if I should just go with Verizon.
There are three areas specifically that my family is at the most: Princeton, NJ and Brooklyn, NY and Flushing, NY. I'd love to hear from anyone with recent experience with AT&T in or around those three areas. Any experiences from people in the general tri-state area and New York City would also be great.

..

xavierfox42 said:
I live in Brooklyn and am running a SGS3 I9300 on AT&T's GoPhone service. Since it's the international version it doesn't have 4G LTE, but the 3G network is decent enough. I usually get around 2000Kb/s download when I run the Speedtest.net app.
I really don't like using AT&T though, but it's the only carrier that will work with the I9300's wireless bands, so I'm basically forced to use them or only get 2G. My next phone will be bought in the US and thus I'll be able to switch to T-Mobile or Simple Mobile or another reasonably-priced carrier. I would drop AT&T in a heartbeat if I could. I think they're easily the most evil of all the telecom companies (except maybe Comcast).
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
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Do you have any problems with dropped calls or other issues like that?

No, the service is fine. No real problems to speak of. As expected for a major carrier in an urban area.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

verizon vs tmobile

I've been with verizon since 2000 and never really had an choice to change since they always had the best service in my area. I've never liked at&t and the rep for tmobile has been its known for prepaid and shotty service. Thing is now, I see more and more people moving over to tmobile and are loving it. Its cheaper per month than verizon and service in my area in NJ is pretty much the same as verizons. Plus there are some features like the wifi calling, the hspa+ coverage, lte. that make it pretty attractive. But the kicker on whats making me consider the change is the phone selection. Verizon seems to always be lagging behind and I'm tired of having to wait for new phones to hit verizon and for updates to be released. Has anyone else thought about a move?

topaz330 said:
I've been with verizon since 2000 and never really had an choice to change since they always had the best service in my area. I've never liked at&t and the rep for tmobile has been its known for prepaid and shotty service. Thing is now, I see more and more people moving over to tmobile and are loving it. Its cheaper per month than verizon and service in my area in NJ is pretty much the same as verizons. Plus there are some features like the wifi calling, the hspa+ coverage, lte. that make it pretty attractive. But the kicker on whats making me consider the change is the phone selection. Verizon seems to always be lagging behind and I'm tired of having to wait for new phones to hit verizon and for updates to be released. Has anyone else thought about a move?
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I'm probably going to switch to their pre-paid service when my contract is up. I want a Nexus.... Verizon doesn't seem to be getting another any time soon.

I would definitely go with Tmobile for better phone selection & price, but the service in my area is below average. Hopefully LTE rolls out to my area then I'll jump ships.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I have to jump ship Verizon breaking my bank bad got to pay a fortune to keep service . I gotta switch back to my iPhone I know -_- and go to T-Mobile prepaid because they have the 1900 MHz support in my area
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

If you go to a T-Mobile store they might be able to help you pay for your ETF fee, at least that's what they did for me. I would have to pay Verizon 150, but the rep just credited my T-Mobile account 100$ when I switched. He told me that this is something every store has a budget for. It's definitely worth a shot just asking the rep. It's saved me quite a bit of money so far (even if coverage isn't perfect)
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I had T-Mobile and really liked 'em. They were NOT cheaper, I'm able to get on VZW's Old Fart Plan and it was just $5/mo more than the T-Mo plan I had.
CS is about equal with both except for T-Mo's prepaid which gets you people who speak no intelligible English, with postpaid you get good CS.
Coverage, very close to zero with T-Mo, everywhere I went. Only spotty coverage in the largest cities, VZW has 3g or better everywhere I travelled.
A phone that can't make a call until you find a Starbucks with free WiFi isn't useful to me.
Have your car break down on California 371 in the middle of the Cahuilla Indian Reservation? You're 50 miles from ANY T-Mo signal and you've got 2 - 3 bars with Verizon.
I really liked T-Mo but it wasn't usable for me.

for those that had coverage issues how long ago did you have tmobile? I heard coverage recently got better and that they are aggressively expanding to more towers across the country.

I don't like Verizon's pricing, phone selection, and the hassle required to unlock their phones for international use.
That being said, I switched from t mobile to Verizon in 07 for one reason: coverage. I use to live in Philadelphia in an 5 floor apartment with a T-Mobile store like three blocks away. No coverage in my apartment unless I kept the phone by the window.
Now I live and work in north nj and Verizon is the only reliable wireless carrier (by word of mouth). Not sure how much has changed in six years but I would leave Verizon if anyone had coverage close to the theirs

topaz330 said:
for those that had coverage issues how long ago did you have tmobile? I heard coverage recently got better and that they are aggressively expanding to more towers across the country.
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I tried 2 weeks ago, just to test their service and see how it was since I haven't been with them for 1 year and a half and its still sucky. They do have 4G (HSPA+) in my area now but I get 1 bar of it and when it dont get a strong signal it'll go to Edge. I hear a nearby area "might" get LTE in late June so that means my area "might" get it late 2013. I'm just waiting to see what happens...my contract is up in November for Verizon

My buddy has tmo and hates the service. He doesn't get service with his phone and winds up using his Verizon work phone 90 percent of the time to make calls.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

I had Verizon before I switched to T-Mobile. T-Mobile is cheaper, has just as good of support and a good selection of phones. However, Verizon does have better service so if you travel frequently expect some dead zones.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

I used to have T-mo and I loved it! The reception in my area was incredible. I moved to verizon and it's still in the same category in satisfaction. T-mo is a lot cheaper than verizon, so I would give it a try. You're not going to regret it. Sim cards are the best.

I recently jumped from Verizon to T-Mobile and pretty much all comments thus far are justified.
topaz330 said:
for those that had coverage issues how long ago did you have tmobile? I heard coverage recently got better and that they are aggressively expanding to more towers across the country.
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They've added -some- sites in recent times, but the "re-farm" you seem to have heard about is primarily a massive equipment refresh for about 85% of the existing WCDMA sites. Unlike Sprint's Network Vision or AT&T's "add an LTE panel to an 8 year old WCDMA site" rollout, T-Mobile is doing a -complete- equipment refresh on said sites using either Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Base Station solutions or Ericsson's Antenna Integrated Radio setups. For the sites that get the new equipment, coverage could see a 10-15% improvement in coverage and in-building penetration due to each of the NSN/Ericsson setups having the radio at tower-top.
T-Mobile will do you well if you are a city-rat. The lack of rural expansion pre-AT&T failed merger was due to the cost of infrastructure and backhaul when the only spectrum you have is high-frequency (PCS/AWS). Even in areas of excellent coverage, there's still a few limitations: Deep inside buildings, attenuation -will- eat the signal. Terrain is another big one that affects all carriers... if you happen to be in a place where terrain blocks your line of sight, you're not gonna get a good signal. Now, the equipment refresh is to facilitate LTE, as both setups are capable of LTE-A out of the box. T-Mobile had to sit on their hands for 18mo and not do any proactive system/coverage upgrades due to the AT&T merger debacle, but it was a good thing as now that they have the money and spectrum from both the merger fallout and MetroPCS plus new equipment, they're good to go. So, depending on where you live, work, and play, T-Mobile could potentially be great...
but...
bbqsfire said:
My buddy has tmo and hates the service. He doesn't get service with his phone and winds up using his Verizon work phone 90 percent of the time to make calls.
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MiG8GT said:
I had Verizon before I switched to T-Mobile. T-Mobile is cheaper, has just as good of support and a good selection of phones. However, Verizon does have better service so if you travel frequently expect some dead zones.
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Unfortunately, when all you have is high-frequency spectrum to use and a network that hasn't seen significant expansion since 2009, this is going to happen. As with all carriers, one man's perfect signal might have a crap signal from another carrier in the exact same spot. Happened to me: with Verizon, could pull 30mbit LTE from bed, but at work I could kill an entire charge with light use because the phone had crap signal on all 3 services (1x EVDO and LTE(whose average speedtest at the desk was 2-3mbit down)). Meanwhile, terrain eats T-Mobile's WCDMA signal at my house(edge only), but I pull 3x the speeds on T-Mobile because of a near perfect signal than I could with Verizon at work.
If you have a friend with T-Mobile, treat'em to lunch and ask them to take a ride around town with ya to see how the service is where you go. Another option is to borrow someone's unused, unlocked T-Mobile phone and grab a sim, sign up for the $30 100min/unlim data&text online and carry that around with you for a bit.
For someone like me who -rarely- leaves metro areas when I travel, T-Mobile is great. For you, it could be different, just take the "ZOMG SPOTTY COVERAGE TMO SUCKS" with a grain of salt, and understand that no carrier is perfect everywhere, even if those comments for that individual are justified.
Forgot to add: T-Mobile won't see any WCDMA expansion for the foreseeable future since their current focus is on the equipment refresh on existing sites. The next round of expansion will come after the 600MHz auction next year.
Shoot me an IM/PM if you have any more questions.

Opposite for me, since Tmo coverage is awful for even making calls in a lot of areas where I live. I agree that they are easier to deal with, but lack of coverage in a lot of areas in Kentucky and Ohio nix them for me.

rushless said:
Opposite for me, since Tmo coverage is awful for even making calls in a lot of areas where I live. I agree that they are easier to deal with, but lack of coverage in a lot of areas in Kentucky and Ohio nix them for me.
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yes, I have Vzw, for two reasons, one they have good coverage nearly everywhere in the us and two data speeds are good. important if you need t use Google Navigator.

topaz330 said:
for those that had coverage issues how long ago did you have tmobile? I heard coverage recently got better and that they are aggressively expanding to more towers across the country.
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I have a T-Mobile S3 and Verizon Z10 for work, Verizon Bionic and TB for personal.
I get better coverage and internet speed on my Verizon devices than my T-Mobile.
I'm in Chester County, PA.

coverage
You could always do a bit of research for your expected area to see what the coverage is like across the various carriers.
www dot opensignal dot com
As if the captchas and relogins aren't enough, I can't friggin post links either.

I've started to take a hard look at T-Mobile and seriously thinking of switching when my contract end on Verizon. I live in southern NH and work in MA. There are T-Mobile 4G towers close to my house and work, but my commute would be mostly 2G.
Comparably, Verizon is mostly 4G in the area, a strong 4G signal at work, but at home I rarely get a 4G signal and half the time the phone will drop because of poor signal strength. There are 3G spots and some bare areas on my commute.
My step-son has T-Mobile and he get a strong 4G signal at our house. He also says he mostly has phone service in the area(drop spots) and data is mostly 2G. When you get closer to the highways or bigger tows / cities there is better service.

Verizon
T-Mobile is awesome, if you live in a coverage area, work in a coverage area, and/or go to school in a coverage area. Also, if you DO NOT EVER plan on traveling, or, at least, taking your phone with you when you go.... Their coverage is horrible compared to Verizon, but their prices are nicer, the packages are more appealing, and prepaid is way better. Really, it's just all up to you, and what you want.

I never had any problems while traveling with t mobile service I have gone from one end of the country to another with mine when I had them before and I'm looking to switch back only switched because I wanted to give Verizon a try not liking them way to pricey and crappy phone selection
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[Q] Verizon vs T-Mobile vs Sprint vs AT&T

So my dad wants to get out of Big Reds contracts and prices. He thinking about switching to T-Mobile because it would cost about half of what he's paying now, and he'd be able to get everyone in my family smart phones. He's (and I) are unsure if T-Mobile is the best option since we don't know much about the coverage and speed (and everyone we know uses Verizon).
Now before you say "go use the search option" or "google it", I have. Most of what I found was over a year or two old. A lot has changed since then so I can't really use what I've found as "valid" results.
Thanks for the help everyone and please feel free to explain your answer!

I'm in Long Island, NY and I have T-Mobile, I'm on their $30 5GB 4G with 100 min of calling. The coverage is pretty good and speedy with H+ and I've rarely encountered any "no signal" or edge speeds. But then again I just go to school, movies, ya know a typical teen lol If you know anyone that lives close to you, ask them how the coverage is.

I'm in California and tmobile coverage are horrible.
Since I am on a budget I don't mind. Tmobile work better on newer phone with better and more bands, otherwise go with att.
Tmobile are way affordable. I don't get any signal at work. And quiet horrible at home sometime.
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Check t-mobiles site for their coverage in your area, my friend has t-mobile and their is good coverage in his area, I'm on Verizon and would love to switch, the coverage just isn't there in my area yet, can't beat the plans from T-Mobile for sure
sent from my AOSPA 3.96 beast Gnex