I commented on AP about the Samsung Mega, I want a tablet with phone functionality, instead of having two devices. The two most common comments about using a tablet as a phone are:
1. "It would look SILLY NEXT TO YOUR EAR!" My response to this, is that I don't use a phone like that and haven't for years. I either use a wired Jlabs headset, or a Plantronics voyager bluetooth headset. Well, I don't hold it up to my ear unless I'm wearing my tinfoil hat, to protect me from all those cancerous cell phone rays.
2. "It won't fit in your pocket!" Ya, well, my phone now doesn't go in my pocket either. It goes either in my handbag or my backpack. So no problem there.
So, with those two problems/questions out of the way, what tablet will work for this task? From what I can find, only two tablets can accomplish that task. Both are available in the UK and I can import them. The two that I've found are the Note 8, and the ASUS Fonepad. Looking at the specs, the Note 8, is the stronger of the two, in almost every way.
I know the Note 8 can be the tablet I'm looking for. But can it be the phone I'm looking for? I'm not so much worried about data, as I am about cellular coverage. I already use my tablet (GT-3110 Galaxy Tab 7 2) mainly at work and at home on WIFI, and I occasionally take calls on my phone (GSM Galaxy Nexus on Straight Talk). I'd like to buy the international version of the Note 8 to use as a phone, but I'm really confused about data vs voice.
From what I understand (and tell me if I'm wrong), but the voice part of your phone is GSM and that runs on the 850MHz and 1900Mhz frequencies in the US. If that's true, I should be able to receive calls on T-mobile/ATT/Straight Talk on the GT-N5100 as it runs on the 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz frequencies, correct?
The LTE version, the GT-N5120 runs on GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz as well. Shouldn't I be able to recieve the same call quality from either tablet? Should be able to have the same clear cellular voice calls on ST that I have now on my Galaxy Nexus? If I'm right, it's only the data speeds that would be different?
If I get the same data speeds I get now, with my GN, I'd be happy. I can listen to Google Music, check email and surf just fine on my phone here in Madison. I usually get 3G and sometimes H+ on my GN, but that's usually more than enough data wise. I had a 4G phone on Verizon, and that was great, but it wasn't 35 dollars more a month great. I'm not watching Netflix when I'm on the bus. That's really the only plus I found to having 4G. Anyway, the data signal I'm getting from my ST account (at 45 a month on a T-mobile ST SIM) is more than adequate. But I'm trying to figure out if I'd have the same data signal and I don't want to spend $500 to figure it out. So...as data goes....
my interwebs research has pointed me to the fact that I might be stuck with edge speeds because as far as data goes T-mobile runs its 3G data on the AWS or 1700/2100 MHz frequency, and that is not supported on the Note 8. Correct? It only supports 2G/EDGE speeds because it only has support for the 19000MHz frequency which is what Edge/2G speeds run on unless your area has been refarmed, and according to this crowd sourced map, Madison has not) correct? It looks as if AT&T uses the 850/19000mz frequencies (PCS) for 3G speeds, so I could get 3G speeds on ST with a AT&T micro-sim, correct?
Just trying to figure out how to make this happen, if it's at all possible. Your thoughts?
Related
To those of you who've been brave enough to import the Touch HD, please enlighten the rest of us who are on the fence. I think we all know that the major issue is the lack of 3G for us in the states. Does EDGE work well enough for day to day mobile browsing? Is the lack of faster data speed a big enough minus to advise others against importing the phone? Are there other pitfalls that we may not be aware of at this point? Thanks for any information you guys can offer to the rest of us who may be considering buying The Touch HD for use with TMobile, AT&T, etc.
better wait
I am one of the people hesitating too. However I know I hate the EDGE speeds compared to the 3G network. In the my office the 3G reception is marginal and with my current HTC Trinity I change the E and H nets all day long.
What I hate about the E:
1. The phone is much more slow. by much I mean MUCH. browsing the internet on E speeds is amazingly slow.
2. If you happen to have the phone in a cradle like I do, and happen to have amplified speakers of the cheap kind , the one without magnetic protection, like most people will add to their office PC, spending few bucks, you will note how much interference is created by the phone while on the E network. Amazingly loud noise. While on the H network - quiet.
3. A co-worker of mine bought the Diamond before the US 3G version showed up. 3 months later the US version came out. It is different hardware so he will NEVER be on 3G with his over $500 investment.
4. I have consulted a reseller of the HD touch and he told me the chipset of the current HD touch will not support the US 3G frequency. it isn't that there will be a firmware or software tweak.
As much as I am eager to put put my hands on a new HD, I am waiting. If spending $850 will buy me a downgrade to EDGE networks, as good as reception is for me (Edge is working in a very nice coverage for me with AT&T in CA) I rather be patient. Either thee will be a US version, or maybe another phone. HTC already came up with 4G phone and Wimax support one, so I am sure they are not going to neglect the US market for long.
I personally believe as soon as they will finish milking the European market with 850 Euro per unit, it will have to appear here supporting US nets.
yeah...
I have one... cost me $710 shipped to me in two days from clove.
Edge is slower. 3G is faster.. some places more than twice as fast.
Depends on what you want... i absolutely love the phone... still having fun tweaking the heck out of it... the screen is to die for.. everyone wants to know what kind of phone it is.. i use slingplayer to watch shows at 350K on edge no problem... thats my highest bandwdith consumption piece. Side by side... my wifes iphone opens cnn in about 4 seconds less than my phone does it... i can give up 4 seconds for the goodness that is the Touch HD... really I can.. like i said.. some people will care more than others... me, Id do it all over again
K...
Well I had an Infuse (HSPA+) and as a lot of people have said, it has a weak antenna and I just sold it. I have a Nokia phone from T-Mobile (dumb phone; unlocked) and it pulls in such great signal. It's a 3g phone(?) though, but we all want/have 4g phones nowadays, right? (I know HSPA+ isn't real 4g, but I my point still stands) The Nokia was a Nokia N... something (can't remember... too lazy to look. ) and in some spots of my house, it easily pulls in five bars consistently and usually constantly stays on 3g while my Infuse was almost always on EDGE and even in some cases, GPRS. That's how bad it was. I'd get lucky to get three bars anywhere in my house with the Infuse, but with the Nokia, I can easily pull 3-5 bars. I know bars don't always mean everything, but with this phone, texts DO go through all the time (and quickly) and call quality is almost always perfect whereas the Infuse constantly dropped signal. The Nokia's kind of a 3g phone (I say that and there was a question mark early on in this post), but occasionally gets "3.5g" (which is most likely HSPA+). Normal 3g is HSUPA while enhanced (HSPA+) 3g is HSDPA. My question is can HSPA+ phones connect to AT&T's HSUPA towers? Or are the 3g towers all one tower? This sounds so basic even to me, but I'm just checking because I'm supposed to be getting a Galaxy S2 soon and I'm hoping its signal is almost (if not, the same) as good as the Nokia phone I'm using. And will I know if it's on HSUPA? The Nokia was usually on 3g, but occasionally said 3.5g and that must mean I don't have a lot of HSPA+ coverage in my area, right? AT&T's maps SAY I'm supposed to have a lot of HSPA+ coverage here though. I trust that the Galaxy S2 will have stronger signal strength?
Tl;dr: If I were to get a SGS2 or even a LG Thrill or Nitro (Definitely not getting them... they're just examples. No one has ever really said these LG phones have weak antennas along with the SGS2 save for wifi, but I don't really care about that.), would they get good HSPA+ signal like how the Nokia N- something gets good 3g signal or what? Not sure if this makes any sense still...
Other unimportant crap and thoughts to self: I used to think AT&T had horrible coverage (because I'd get lucky to get a decent signal with the Infuse), but after using this Nokia, it's the only reason I've convinced myself to get a different phone instead of switching to Verizon, which I KNOW is reliable. I was very impressed with the signal I was getting in the Nokia phone and was quick to decide to sell the Infuse and use the nokia as a temp until I get a SGS2. I saw some SGS2 vs Infuse vids and the SGS2 always had better signal. A lot of people have also said the Infuse had a weak antenna and the SGS2 was only weak on wifi, which I really don't care about at all. Definitely can't wait to get the SGS2 though.
We know how much you like to stream, ahem, "videos", and so cellular data is mega-important. Rate this thread to express how you think the Huawei Nexus 6P's LTE performs. A higher rating indicates that it's fantastic: throughput is excellent and signal strength is top-notch.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add.
Using on AT&T, signal strength is good. And it has band 30 which will be good in the future when they get that rolled out.
Using on Verizon. With my old Note 3 and also my work iPhone 6 Plus, at work where the signal is terrible, it would switch to 3G periodically. With the 6p, i haven't had a single instance where it switched to 3G. Just for kicks, i put in my coworker's T-mobile sim card. He has iPhone 6 Plus and he gets 1 bar on his iPhone and i saw 3 bars
LTE on T-mobile - good strength compared to my Nexus 5 - can get LTE in some areas where I did not before. Shows full bars though LTE discovery shows different strength levels on band 4. Waiting for band 12 support to see full impact and hopefully with carrier aggregation to give better throughput.
pipnmike said:
Using on Verizon. With my old Note 3 and also my work iPhone 6 Plus, at work where the signal is terrible, it would switch to 3G periodically. With the 6p, i haven't had a single instance where it switched to 3G. Just for kicks, i put in my coworker's T-mobile sim card. He has iPhone 6 Plus and he gets 1 bar on his iPhone and i saw 3 bars
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup same here. this thing gets better signal at work (in a 12 story building) than my Note 4 on VZ. just to be sure it isn't a software bs thing. I tested speedtest and it pulls 7-8 mbs vs 1.5-3 mbs before (note4). So not sure which of the two VZ freq it pulls from normal or XLTE but the radios/antenae seems stronger than the note 4. in any event, I am quite happy and satisfied with my signal!! (orange county, calif)
T-Mobile signal at my desk at work has been inconsistent with my past two phones (Moto X 2014 and G4), but the 6P manages to hold on to LTE more often than the other two did. It also seems to switch back to LTE from HSPA+ quicker.
The biggest difference is HSPA+ performance. With both the Moto X and G4, HSPA+ performance was always awful, to the point that I just figured T-Mobile's HSPA+ spectrum was too saturated to provide decent results. The 6P manages to get much better data throughput in these conditions, so I am loving that.
LTE performance seems to be on par with the other phones, but with so many changes in the network, I never know if it's the phone or new things going on in the network.
I noticed that the signal strength is far superior than what i was getting on my S6 Edge. The 6P gets signal in places my S6 didn't so im a very! very! happy camper.
Cell reception has been pretty bad on mine so far...
Could anyone check if covering the visor area with your hand affects cell signal? (You will inevitably cover part of it when holding the phone horizontally with both hands or just the left hand) On my phone, just loosely covering the visor area with my hand lowers signal by one to two bars, and lowers data transfer rate from ~16MBps to less than 10MBps..
Of course it does. Every phone has an area or two that allow you to really hurt the signal by covering them with your hand.
WIthout a doubt the cell signal is far superior to that of the Nexus 6 that I replaced. This was easily seen driving down the road which with the Shamu would have areas that there was no signal at all, yet with the 6P I had at a minimum 2 bars all the way up and down the road. Even in my house where I had to switch to WiFi calling because of so many trees , I also get a good LTE signal throughout the house.
WiFi performance itself is amazing as it is literally faster than my $4k gaming laptop. This is what I got on my 300 connection
http://screencast.com/t/dHcAt6FuxN6
http://screencast.com/t/2Vn4MF5Iw
pipnmike said:
Using on Verizon. With my old Note 3 and also my work iPhone 6 Plus, at work where the signal is terrible, it would switch to 3G periodically. With the 6p, i haven't had a single instance where it switched to 3G. Just for kicks, i put in my coworker's T-mobile sim card. He has iPhone 6 Plus and he gets 1 bar on his iPhone and i saw 3 bars
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope this is the case for me too! I have the Nexus 6 and lose LTE occasionally... it irritates me too, because i can toggle Airplane Mode and LTE pops back up. So hopefully this is the case for me as well.
collinjm01 said:
Hope this is the case for me too! I have the Nexus 6 and lose LTE occasionally... it irritates me too, because i can toggle Airplane Mode and LTE pops back up. So hopefully this is the case for me as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to see this with my Nexus 6 and G4 all the time. I had to use LTE Discovery and its Auto Cycle feature to stay on LTE longer at work. With the 6P, if it does drop out of LTE, it recovers a lot quicker than all the other phones.
Coming from my Nexus 6, I have much better reception everywhere in the Phoenix Valley
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
I am on AT&T and I am finding myself getting better LTE reception than ever before. My previous phone was an Xperia Z3 and the 6P is definitely superior.
Way better signal than the Moto X 2014 or Oneplus One!
I'm on Verizon and have not had a chance to test it in my fringe areas. I do have a Wilson signal booster in the house and my Note 4 would typically show a signal strength of -84 to -86db. The Nexus 6P is consistently in the mid -70s. (Lower is better)
My cell reception is amazing.. Texts in and out of the depths of where I work.. Voice quality was muffled at times but seems better with root
I have a Nexus 6 & ordered a 6P using it on Verizon. Is the reception about the same? The 6 was my first moto phone & had much better reception than my LG G2 (previous phone). Will I lose call quality?
On t-mobile for the most part I am getting good signal. But....
I am noticing that many times I drop my LTE connection and just get HSPA and or 3g....
I am also loosing my LTE signal and a point that the cell site is close by so it is not because of weak signal.
I looked at coverage maps and used an app called LTE discovery I don't see the new T-Mobile bands here in Atlanta yet... Maybe that will help..
LTE has been great for me here in Irvine CA, got 84 Mbps download. WiFi speeds are good too, but WiFi range is much worse than my nexus 5. Bluetooth range isbworse too. My n5 keeps my WiFi signal down at my street corner, 6p loses thebwifi half way there. Same with Bluetooth, it loses bt signl half distance that my n5 does.
I still get no bars or signal, CDMA roaming or 3G, the same as with my Note 4. Well I was told that the Note 7 has Sprint LTE Plus which penetrates buildings and trees better, aggregates and conebeams signals or some ****, where I am supposed to get way better speeds, bars, and connections. Meanwhile WHEREVER I go, my kids with AT&T and friends with T-Mobile and Verizon all get 4-5 bars and I can't even get a ****ing signal right next to them? WTH? Should I return this and get another Note 7 from a carrier that actually has useable data bars? Hell I don't need 100mb/s or anything, but NO signal in all buildings, houses, and even outside in suburban areas is ridiculous. Any help if there is some secret settings I need to do to enable these LTE Plus stronger signal would be appreciated. So far I see nothing better about this note 7 than my note 4 other than smoother 3D games (which I rarely play). The galaxy 7 line is supposed to have much better reception with Sprint, so what the hell is going on? And YES my areas on the map all show I am in good LTE Plus areas. I can literally cross the street and get LTE speeds and full bars and walk across the street back to my house and have no bars.
Inside my apartment
is there anything you had to change to make that happen? I changed my mobile settings to preferred LTE/CDMA and still badconnection.
We know how much you like to stream, ahem, "videos", and so cellular data is mega-important. Rate this thread to express how you think the OnePlus 6T's LTE performs. A higher rating indicates that it's fantastic: throughput is excellent and signal strength is top-notch.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add.
Ran a speed test this morning and hit 151Mbps dl and 31.5Mbps ul. (On TMo) I don't even know what to do with that.
I ran one this morning, got 192 dl and 47.7 ul on T-Mobile. Left att last week and am loving the coverage and speed so far! Also, it's almost half the price of att, and that was with my 28% discount from my employer for att!
cswee1932 said:
I ran one this morning, got 192 dl and 47.7 ul on T-Mobile. Left att last week and am loving the coverage and speed so far! Also, it's almost half the price of att, and that was with my 28% discount from my employer for att!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where do you live?
Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk
I'm in upstate NY.
nite2k said:
Where do you live?
Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting around 40 mbps Dl at home, but 135 mbps in the city (Memphis) . That's better than my Pixel 3 XL got. It was more around 30-35 at home. I never really tested it in the city.
I live in the UK and use Vodafone, Im getting full service, my XS Max has 3 bars. The speed on the 6t is 62 mbps DL and 17 UP. On O2, service is the same, with a speed of 22 DL and 20 UP.
cswee1932 said:
I'm in upstate NY.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More specifically, is was in the Schenectady, NY area delivering to a local college, a few miles away at home, I get around 20-30 up and 5-10 down.
cswee1932 said:
More specifically, is was in the Schenectady, NY area delivering to a local college, a few miles away at home, I get around 20-30 up and 5-10 down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in upstate ny too and have been getting great speeds. I went to a concert last night and had terrible data speeds while in the arena.
Hopefully it was a one time thing
How are speeds on Verizon.
In India, on Vodafone-Idea connection. If it switches from 4G to 2G (Edge) due to poor signal strength, it doesn't recover to 4G in area of higher signal strength. It remains on Edge. I had to enter the testing menu (*#*#4366#*#*) and then select preferred network as LTE Only. Then it switched to full strength 4G.
Verizon Speeds are very nice so far
Overall internet speed is satisfying but the antenna in OnePlus 6T is weak I think. At work my friend sitting next me has an Iphone 7 Plus and he gets the signal and I dont. We are both on T-Mobile and both phones support all the T-Mobile bands. The only way for me to get signal at work is to use wifi calling option. According to OnePlus: Even if a device supports some or all of the required frequencies for this carrier, it will not be able to connect unless the device is approved for this network. So that means my OnePlus 6T supports all the bands but T-Mobile dont have them enabled for my phone? I purchased mine directly from OnePlus
pk-air said:
Overall internet speed is satisfying but the antenna in OnePlus 6T is weak I think. At work my friend sitting next me has an Iphone 7 Plus and he gets the signal and I dont. We are both on T-Mobile and both phones support all the T-Mobile bands. The only way for me to get signal at work is to use wifi calling option. According to OnePlus: Even if a device supports some or all of the required frequencies for this carrier, it will not be able to connect unless the device is approved for this network. So that means my OnePlus 6T supports all the bands but T-Mobile dont have them enabled for my phone? I purchased mine directly from OnePlus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is certainly something that I would like to know more about. As while I am at work my LG G5 does not have signal, while my IPhone work phone does have signal. Also, while driving home my LG G5 drops calls, while my work IPhone does not drop calls. Both phones are through Verizon.
I really want a phone that gets a strong signal/reception. I am concerned that I will have the same problem with the 6T as I have with my current LG, compared to my work IPhone.
As far as speed/throughput on Verizon, the OP6t blows my Axon 7 out of the water. at my house, in an area where i was lucky to have 200kb/s on my back porch, i get substantially better speeds and connections. two factors are at play. One- on Verizon, the OP6t is used as a 'cdma-less" device which means the phone/radio only is focusing on LTE signal instead of tying to switch from 3g to LTE and back, etc.Two: glass back. People list this as a qualm with the device bc of no wireless charging being present, but its for radio transmission/reception, not Qi wireless. glass is so much better than metal in this regard.
I now get service everywhere i did with Axon 7, but also in places where the Axon had spotty connections at best, the One Plus 6t gets respectable connections/speed. Case and point, i used to miss calls from work when i had been on call (medical) and with OP6T in the same location/times/etc i get flawless coverage. The speed is not brag worthy at my house, but blows that 200kb/s crap out of the water. a side note, i have the slowest/cheapest single line unlimited plan Vzw offers, so YMMV if you have a premium data plan. this phone has reminded me why i live verizon coverage and speeds. I had Tmobile for a couple of months and where i live in Upstate SC, Verizon is unbeatable for reliability as i am all over the upstate for my work and never hit a dead area until i crest the Appalachians. then its topography and physics, not the phone or network.
could not be happier.
mjnoles1 said:
This is certainly something that I would like to know more about. As while I am at work my LG G5 does not have signal, while my IPhone work phone does have signal. Also, while driving home my LG G5 drops calls, while my work IPhone does not drop calls. Both phones are through Verizon.
I really want a phone that gets a strong signal/reception. I am concerned that I will have the same problem with the 6T as I have with my current LG, compared to my work IPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought my OnePlus 6t from OnePlus it's on Verizon and I have no issues whatsoever and I'm all over to the Appalachians
planbbobby said:
I bought my OnePlus 6t from OnePlus it's on Verizon and I have no issues whatsoever and I'm all over to the Appalachians
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If a Pixel 3 gets say 230 Mbps download speed from my local Verizon cell tower do you think the 6t will match that.
bcltoys said:
If a Pixel 3 gets say 230 Mbps download speed from my local Verizon cell tower do you think the 6t will match that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it was surpassed that pixel...I could be wrong but one plus is always been at the top of the game when it came to uploads downloads and just all-around quickness thay are amazing phones for the price..,. And I'm a fan of the Google phones, but I think the OnePlus it smoke it's boots....... This is one way to look at it, look at one plus on eBay used. You could sell it a week after and you're not going to lose Harley anything for money..look at the phones that are a year old how much they still are they keep their value and are great phones... And this is just my honest opinion. And I played with a lot of flagships
One thing I've noticed with the device is the rf performance shows poorly in the signal department compared to other devices. However, a big difference is not just the numbers, say -117dBm vs -110 dBm on my s8+ but how the device performs at those numbers.
As an example.
My s8+barely gets service around -115dBm but my one plus at -120dBm will still work, all be it a bit slowly.
This is the first device I've noticed working at levels like that.
bcltoys said:
How are speeds on Verizon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dont even want to talk about the verizon speed im in miami i also have the 6t on tmobile and its speed is great