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hey guys, first post around here and I have a question for the masses. Currently I'm on AT&T with the Captivate but we are going to have to switch off Ma Bell due to coverage issues at our house (we are going cell-only). My decision to get the Captivate earlier was easy: I had to stay with AT&T and it easily the best phone they had. And I actually like the phone now that I've gotten a Froyo build and the GPS works. But now that we are out of contract I'm unsure where to go and what phone to get (or to wait).
I know that T-Mobile and Verizon get the best coverage at our house and those are the two carriers I'm considering. As far as Android phones are concerned, if I'm coming from the Captivate, which phone do you think I would be most satisfied with? Droid 2? G2? MyTouch 4G?
Or should I wait for this Nexus S to come out? Having quick updates is huge and as a former iPhone owner, its nice to not have the carriers put their grubby mitts on them.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
nexus one, droid 2 or vibrant if you like the galaxy s series, but thats my opinion
T-Mobile has WiFi calling as well and that's a great asset to have. If you're 100% positive that T-Mobile has the coverage you need you should go with them and get a G2 or myTouch 4G.. the DEFY is nice but it's more mid-range. I would wait for FroYo before getting the Vibrant. Then you have Windows Phone 7 if you're looking at one of those.
See if T-Mobile is offering "4G" speeds in your area. If they are, you might want to grab the myTouch 4G or the G2. The G2 looks awesome IMO.
BTW, I used the GPS on a G2 and it was flawless
G2
motorola droidx
HTC EVO
Agraceffa said:
hey guys, first post around here and I have a question for the masses. Currently I'm on AT&T with the Captivate but we are going to have to switch off Ma Bell due to coverage issues at our house (we are going cell-only). My decision to get the Captivate earlier was easy: I had to stay with AT&T and it easily the best phone they had. And I actually like the phone now that I've gotten a Froyo build and the GPS works. But now that we are out of contract I'm unsure where to go and what phone to get (or to wait).
I know that T-Mobile and Verizon get the best coverage at our house and those are the two carriers I'm considering. As far as Android phones are concerned, if I'm coming from the Captivate, which phone do you think I would be most satisfied with? Droid 2? G2? MyTouch 4G?
Or should I wait for this Nexus S to come out? Having quick updates is huge and as a former iPhone owner, its nice to not have the carriers put their grubby mitts on them.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
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Click to collapse
I vote for waiting on the Nexus S and at least see what it's about. If you get a phone and discover the Nexus S is a much better phone, you'll be kicking yourself for the next two years.
T-Mobile -G2
Verizon - Droid 2/ Droid X (depending upon the keyboard want/need. I'd go D2)
Sprint - Evo
I personally love Android, and at this point in time, can't imagine using another smartphone OS.
Get a Microcell
If it is just a coverage issue, get an AT&T Microcell. No contract required, just uses your existing minutes and internet connection. I have one at work due to zero signal...works like a champ!
second the microcell.
call ATT and politely tell them that you plan on leaving because the coverage inside your house is not up to par. when they send you to retention services, tell them that you'd stay if the coverage was better IN YOUR HOUSE and most likely they'll offer you a microcell for free
Sprint ---> EVO
Verizon ---> Droid X or 2 depending on your stance on QWERTY
T-Mobile ---> G2 or HD7 depending on your stance on WP7
AT&T ---> Cry
I like this option to start, I never thought of complaining to AT&T as a first step. Since I have other options, whats the worst that could happen, right? That broadband pipe is going to get some serious traffic . . .
For the other phone, I was thinking Droid X or G2. I love the design of the Cappy and in my opinion, the myTouch 4G and the Vibrant/Fascinate seem to be a step down. Most likely it will be the Droid X or waiting until the Nexus S "issue" is resolved. I'm a little skeptical of the G2 hinge after seeing it in store.
If you go with t mobile you can use your captivate until you figure out what phone you want. (if you unlock it)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
sblees said:
If you go with t mobile you can use your captivate until you figure out what phone you want. (if you unlock it)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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true but no 3g service, right?
Agraceffa said:
true but no 3g service, right?
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Click to collapse
Well that I'm not sure about.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
T-Mobile exclusively uses the AWS 1700/2100 MHz frequency-band. Not compatible with other 3g services in the U.S.
mikegy2002 said:
T-Mobile exclusively uses the AWS 1700/2100 MHz frequency-band. Not compatible with other 3g services in the U.S.
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that's what I thought. Same as using an iPhone on T-mobile. It'll work but you'll just be stuck on Edge like speeds.
Ok so I have a question for all you Sprint users. My wife and I recently switched to Sprint for our phone carrier. (By recent I mean last night). I picked up the Evo 4G as my phone of choice. But I am wondering if I made the RIGHT choice. What are the better performance phones offered by Sprint?
P.S. In case anyone is wondering what I mainly use my phone for, it would be Games, Music, and a bit of streaming video/music. Thank you all for your time.
I just came to sprint too and got the samsung nexus S. The Samsung Epic touch just came out its the galaxy S II. There's no question thats the phone to have. 4.5 inch screen and thinner than the iphone with the unlock button on the side so its easy to unlock. 8mp camera on the back 2mp camera on the front. Dual 1.5 core system for your gaming. I'm going to go get it tomorrow.
I love my nexus, never getting another non developer phone again.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium
Performance wise, nothing can touch the epic 4g right now. It is the best phone in the world at this particular point in time.
With Sprint, and I've had it with E4GT battery issues since ICS, but hooked on Jelly Bean from AOSP ROMs
3g is very spotty in Cincinnati, but 4G works pretty well. No LTE in my area for probably a year, so I need something with 4G to buy time, no sense in paying up for a GNEX that will only have 3G speeds. I don't do any gaming or streaming, just need JB smoothness with as little LOS as possible, and stable data connection. Are these issues with the Sprint Nexus S, and would the S be a big step backwards due to single core given my needs?
How is it in general with JB for those that have gotten the update?
tia
btrcp2000 said:
With Sprint, and I've had it with E4GT battery issues since ICS, but hooked on Jelly Bean from AOSP ROMs
3g is very spotty in Cincinnati, but 4G works pretty well. No LTE in my area for probably a year, so I need something with 4G to buy time, no sense in paying up for a GNEX that will only have 3G speeds. I don't do any gaming or streaming, just need JB smoothness with as little LOS as possible, and stable data connection. Are these issues with the Sprint Nexus S, and would the S be a big step backwards due to single core given my needs?
How is it in general with JB for those that have gotten the update?
tia
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Hell no. I just got rid of my ET4G and got a Nexus S 4g. Its a great phone. I hated touchwiz sense I bought the ET4G. Sprint offered me this phone. Screw the specs. The nexus s 4g is much smoother then the et4g.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
Bump
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
Creepy, i was just reading your other thread and came back to this one to reply, and you are already here...
So did you get your NS4G from sprint through TEP? I stopped at a couple stores and called the SERO people this morning, everybody felt that ebay or craigslist would be the only way to track one down. Don't mind doing that, but would love to have an official channel for less BS.
I'm due for an upgrade, but anything new has LTE, which won't come to my area for at least a year, but 4g is pretty solid. No sense in paying top $$$ for a phone that is only 3g due to geogrpahy. NS4g looks ideal to buy me some time.
btrcp2000 said:
Creepy, i was just reading your other thread and came back to this one to reply, and you are already here...
So did you get your NS4G from sprint through TEP? I stopped at a couple stores and called the SERO people this morning, everybody felt that ebay or craigslist would be the only way to track one down. Don't mind doing that, but would love to have an official channel for less BS.
I'm due for an upgrade, but anything new has LTE, which won't come to my area for at least a year, but 4g is pretty solid. No sense in paying top $$$ for a phone that is only 3g due to geogrpahy. NS4g looks ideal to buy me some time.
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I just told sprint that ever sense the ICS update on the et4g my battery life went from 20+ hrs down to 3-4 hours and sense it was software related and not hardware they offered me a Motorola photon. Samsung captivate. Or the Nexus S 4G. I took the nexus and never looked back. I freaking love this little phone.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
in a store or over the phone? did you trade in your e4gt?
btrcp2000 said:
in a store or over the phone? did you trade in your e4gt?
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No they took my f**ked up ET4G. They include a pre paid shipping label to send the ET4g back. You keep the Nexus S 4G. All this was done over the phone. When you get customer support. Ask for Tier 2 tech support. Make sure you tell them you have done multiple factory resets and battery life is horrible compared to gingerbread. Also tell them you OTA'd to FF18 then a week ago you got another OTA update to FH13. If you don't tell them this they will make you go to a sprint store.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
Bump
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
I had an Epic 4G (the original, single core keyboard) and switched to a Nexus S 4G because I didn't use the keyboard and didn't like the size. I am now dumping the Nexus S 4G for a Photon or E4GT or Evo 3D or ANYTHING with dual core 4"+ screen. I have a Tegra 2 based tablet and that thing flies, with way more installed on it, compared to my Nexus S 4G. I know you said you didn't do gaming, but if you do a lot of multitasking (for example, jumping between a reading app, to a web browser, to a text message, back to a reading app) - the speed difference between a Nexus S 4G and something with a dual core CPU is pretty substantial.
Pulled the trigger, will update later this week. At first glance, I'm pretty happy. I don't mind the smaller screen, actually kind of like it. Tiny stock keyboard stinks, but Swype works fine. Both 3g and 4g speeds are back where they belong, haven't seen that since June/July pre-ICS.
First thing it wanted to do was update to JB, even before I had confirmed it was activated (it was connected to wifi). This was my problem, having seen JB, I couldn't go back to GB on the ET4G, which is apparently necessary for mine to survive a day. Too soon to say anything about battery life, aside from when I went to bed around 11 it was at 60%, woke up it was at 25%. It had wifi connection, and it had just been hard reset (stock rom for now) and activated, so surely there was a lot of settling going on. That would have killed my e4gt in an hour or so.
I do notice a bit of lag jumping from one app to another, but not enough that it bothers me. Apps and homescreen themselves are very smooth. Chrome seems a bit slow to get up and running, but works fine. All google apps want to update themselves now, maybe that will help.
Need to figure out how to wifi tether, but haven't started that yet
So far so good, will report again
For the last 12 years, I have been a Sprint customer. I haven't had any serious issues with them until they started rolling out the tower updates to LTE. Since then, I have not been about to get satellite locks or use their web network without becoming absolutely frustrated. After a bit of web searching, I decided it was time to make the move to Verizon, since I need the web, on the road, for work. I made the choice of the Galaxy S III. It's a great looking phone and the specs speak for themselves. But, I got terrible service in and around my home. Every phone call in my house was breaking up and dropping. I figured it must be Verizon because this phone was a step up from my Sprint Epic 4G touch and even from the same manufacturer. I made calls to customer service and they wrote up a ticket to check service in my area. My nextdoor neighbor came home with his new iPhone (I will never buy an iPhone or any mac product) and showed me that he had almost full bars. I asked him to come to my house and see if he still had great service. No change in or around my home. This caused me to think there was something faulty with my device. I immediately went to the Verizon store with my device for troubleshooting. I told the service rep what had happened and that I wanted to get my phone tested and possibly get a replacement. She told me that the problems I was experiencing were common with Samsung phones because they have weak antennas. She mentioned that the best phones for reception are going to be the iPhones and the Motorolas. I believe this to be true because in my pre-smartphone days, I had a sanyo flip phone and my work partner had the latest samsung doohicky that looked sweet but, where he would have little to no service, I would have full bars. Until I got my first smartphone, I stuck with sanyo phones from Sprint and never had any issues.
Now the lineup of Verizon phones is pretty much last year's model for the top of the liners. So, I've gone back to Sprint until the Razor Maxx HD arrives. It looks to be a beast of a phone that surpasses the galaxy S III and is sure to have a good antenna/radio to go along with it. I just hope it doesn't take very long.
And you made this thread why? Are you asking something of the community? If not, this thread should be deleted
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hopesrequiem said:
And you made this thread why? Are you asking something of the community? If not, this thread should be deleted
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
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I don't think the thread should be deleted (but that's just me). I didn't know Samsung phones had this issue and its always good to know general info. Thanks to the OP for it. Next time an issue like this happens with me or any of my friends and if they have a Samsung phone, I would know at least one more variable to take into consideration.
I agree 100%, my service is terrible. My og Droid always had great reception, this phone (although no calls dropped) Fluctuates a lot. I love this phone though, and have no intentions of changing. I just wish it was a bit better is all
I don't see how the RARZ Maxx surpasses the S3. It is a nice phone but doesn't bring anything new to the table that the S3 doesn't already have except the large battery but, battery is not an issue with the S3 anyway.
I'm on Sprint and thinking about switching to Verizon so this is helpful to think about. I might not have considered a Motorola but now I think I'll at least give them a closer look.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda app-developers app
Not sure of the issues or rumors about their radio or antenna, but at least my Galaxy S III has been connecting as well as my old feature phones - by which I mean, solidly.
4G is sometimes less available than I want - e.g., there's a space of 3 blocks nearby where it's dead (odd) - but that's the only issue.
- ooofest
motorola phones are well known for getting exceptional reception.
if you live in an area where the signal strength is poor, i can understand when people end up hating certain phones.
in my case, i have never had any issues with the gs3 when it comes to reception.
BEFORE PEOPLE START BASHING TO OP, HE/SHE ISN'T SAYING THE GS3 IS A BAD PHONE FOR ITS HARDWARE (except the antenna). Yes, it is a beast of a phone.
But at the end of the day, it's still a phone and if you can't send/receive phone calls.. well, it should be replaced.
A relationship without trust is like a cell phone without service ... all you do is play games
I am a diehard Motorola guy but I went ahead and tried the SGS3. What the OP is stating is true, the Samsung radio sucks in comparison to Motorola. I am now fortunate enough to have strong enough Verizon signal at my house so I was able to keep my SGS3. Now I get 3 bars at home when with my Motorola DroidX was always full. I looked at the Droid RAZR MAXX hard and heavy, kept trying to talk myself into it, but ... it just didn't feel right in my hand. I am satisfied with my SGS3 but I still hope Motorola comes out with something good for my next upgrade.
I agree, I think this post is fine for the Verizon Galaxy S III General section of the forum!
Future modem updates will surely remedy the issue. It was the same way with the Fascinate, crappy until the radio got a couple updates.
Sent from my Galaxy S III using Xda Premium
I get good reception at my house with the S3, but my territory at work is 920ish square miles of rural area. I've noticed areas where I had 3G before switching to Sprint 3 years ago when I had a Motorola phone I do not now that I'm back with Verizon. If anything, I would have thought in the 3 years it would have improved. Like the OP, I believe it to be the phone, not the service as other guys at work don't have that problem and don't have skips when streaming music like I do on the same roads.
I'm also waiting for the Razr HD Maxx to release. Our local retail agent has their demo already so they suspect it to be within a month or so. I'm eBaying this S3 as soon as it is released since I'm outside my window to return it.
In the meantime, hopefully the latest OTA helps reception.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Future modem updates will surely remedy the issue. It was the same way with the Fascinate, crappy until the radio got a couple updates.<br />
<br />
Sent from my Galaxy S III using Xda Premium
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Hope you're right. Sometimes I wanna go back to my rezound.
Gs3
I have the same problem. Switched from Sprint to Verizon. GSIII. Unless the signal is nearly full strength, calls are unusable and data is inconsistent, and texts won't send. It's definitely the phone's fault, not the network.
Might be good for some folks here to call Verizon and submit a complaint, etc. When I called about a networking issue a couple months back, they told me a wi-fi and other reception/signal related issues were planned for an October update (which they called the second update from Samsung, so that seems to mesh with our getting the current OTA in September), but maybe those plans or the update contents have changed.
And, since the OTA, they can more easily diagnose issues with your phone remotely .
- ooofest
Am I the only one that's satisfied with the GS3's signal strength? I came from a droid incredible and now I seem to have better signal across the board.
I've noticed that the phone manages signal poorly rather than the radios themselves being poor.
Example: If I use phone info and manually set my phone to 4g only or LTE w/ CDMA I will lock onto 4g and have a solid signal. If I rely on the default setting (LTE/EVDO/CDMA) to manage networks automatically I will end up with a weak 3g signal (with full data drops) despite medium/strong 4g being available.
Hopefully the future OTAs will take care of the network selection logic.
Div033 said:
Am I the only one that's satisfied with the GS3's signal strength? I came from a droid incredible and now I seem to have better signal across the board.
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One more fully satisfied customer here.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
When I compare this phone to a Razr Maxx or my old Droid X2, the difference in dbm is about -5. I live in an area with good coverage so I really haven't had any issues. What this phone SUCKS at is sticking with 4g and the hand off from 4g to 3g. It switches to 3g too quickly...should hold on to 4g. When it switches there's a pretty good lag during the switch so you lose data briefly.
The modem update gave me an additional 1-2 bars in my house at times (Still fluctuations, but it would anyhow here). I can't say it's any worse than my Droid Inc.
As for Verizon having a "poor phone choice"... Meh. It goes in cycles. Sometimes they have all the good phones, sometimes AT&T does. It's all variant as to when you are looking to buy.
lets be honest here. No company is 100% stable in all areas. Theres always a tradeoff, and as our lives change, as well as our residences, places of work, and hangouts, our choice of company may change to meet our new needs. In my area Verizon meets my needs best, but my neighbor might have a different story.
I think its unfair to judge a carrier in absolutes unless you're talking about a very densely populated area like a major city. If you set foot in the middle of manhattan and have 1 bar, I think that's an appropriate time to speak in absolutes.
And on the topic of smartphones, I think its an exercise in futility. My S3 is the best phone I've ever owned, despite the small glitches and imperfections. Did I buy it because it was the best phone out there? Absolutely. Did I know at the time of purchase it could be obsolete by the time I reached my car? I counted on it. Am I boring you all by answering my own rhetorical questions? Undoubtedly.
As long as you're happy with your phone and it meets your needs, good for you. If you're unhappy do something about it. But be warned, if you spend time comparing your phone to another one already out or soon to come out, you'll almost never feel good with the results.
I am a new verizon customer and have the GSIII. I get about 2 bars max in my house and can barely make a call in my basement. Most of the time it hangs around 1 bar though. So i've been reading through the threads and can't seem to find anyone that has posted a fix for this. Is there one? It seems like there have been quite a few people with this issue. I expected to have better service when I switched to Verizon, but am slightly dissappointed so far. Hopefully it is just the phone.
1) Is there a fix?
2) Can I exchange my phone (it has only been 2 days).?
3) What is the best phone with Verizon? (i'm not an iPhone fan)
Thanks for your input!
We can't fix poor radio and antenna design. You can flash different radios to find the best one for you that's about it for this phone. Your other options are to call verizon and tell them to send you that micro cell tower that plugs into your modem and acts as a personal tower. Other choice is to switch phones. From what I hear motorola is supposed to have the best signal
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cell128 said:
We can't fix poor radio and antenna design. You can flash different radios to find the best one for you that's about it for this phone. Your other options are to call verizon and tell them to send you that micro cell tower that plugs into your modem and acts as a personal tower. Other choice is to switch phones. From what I hear motorola is supposed to have the best signal
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
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He can also flash the ROMs ported from other carriers as those seem to have improve signal strength. I have tried Wicked Sensations,Goodness and Darthstalkers ROMs all have had an increase in signal strength.
irl5fan said:
I am a new verizon customer and have the GSIII. I get about 2 bars max in my house and can barely make a call in my basement. Most of the time it hangs around 1 bar though. So i've been reading through the threads and can't seem to find anyone that has posted a fix for this. Is there one? It seems like there have been quite a few people with this issue. I expected to have better service when I switched to Verizon, but am slightly dissappointed so far. Hopefully it is just the phone.
1) Is there a fix?
2) Can I exchange my phone (it has only been 2 days).?
3) What is the best phone with Verizon? (i'm not an iPhone fan)
Thanks for your input!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you just got your phone, I'd trade mine for the newer DNA. Samsung phones are notorious for not working well on Verizon's network. If you don't need your phone as a phone they are great but if you need a PHONE to be a PHONE you should switch while you can. There is always going to be someone here saying they have great signal so you must have gotten a defective one or you aren't using it correctly (?) but the truth is if you don't get good signal now - you won't a week from now. Switch to a better PHONE for Verizon's network which is good.
While the DNA is not perfect it works as a phone well which the S3 does not. The Motorolas seem to have much better phone reliability than the S3 (I just don't like the Motorolas as smartphones for some reason).
If you look through this forum you'll find tons and tons of posts about bad signal, weak signal, dropped calls, choppy calls and you'll also find tons of posts by people saying they don't have that problem. I travel a lot and use my phone about 3000 minutes a month so I can pretty much tell when a phone is good or bad. The S3 isn't the worst I've ever had - the Nexus was the worst and the EVO3D ranks just a little better than the S3 but all were bad as phones for making phone calls. I'm probably posting on craigslist to try and trade my S3 for the DNA as I don't think I can tolerate the crappy call quality on the S3 any more. I know my phone is bad because I have traded my phones with a friend or colleague to complete a call and they are on Verizon and while the S3 sucks, their phone will work fine.
Thanks for the input all! I contacted Verizon today and they did a soft reset, seemed to help a little bit. Still not quite the service i was expecting after making the switch from Sprint. I think i'm going to look into the DNA phones or something else and see how that works out.
My signal is as strong as wife's iPhone 5, FWIW. Eons better than what I had with Sprint, although Verizon has its share of dead spots.
You have 14 days. Never switched s phone out but I would try as many as possible to get the best one for me. Good luck.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
boe said:
If you just got your phone, I'd trade mine for the newer DNA. Samsung phones are notorious for not working well on Verizon's network. If you don't need your phone as a phone they are great but if you need a PHONE to be a PHONE you should switch while you can. There is always going to be someone here saying they have great signal so you must have gotten a defective one or you aren't using it correctly (?) but the truth is if you don't get good signal now - you won't a week from now. Switch to a better PHONE for Verizon's network which is good.
While the DNA is not perfect it works as a phone well which the S3 does not. The Motorolas seem to have much better phone reliability than the S3 (I just don't like the Motorolas as smartphones for some reason).
If you look through this forum you'll find tons and tons of posts about bad signal, weak signal, dropped calls, choppy calls and you'll also find tons of posts by people saying they don't have that problem. I travel a lot and use my phone about 3000 minutes a month so I can pretty much tell when a phone is good or bad. The S3 isn't the worst I've ever had - the Nexus was the worst and the EVO3D ranks just a little better than the S3 but all were bad as phones for making phone calls. I'm probably posting on craigslist to try and trade my S3 for the DNA as I don't think I can tolerate the crappy call quality on the S3 any more. I know my phone is bad because I have traded my phones with a friend or colleague to complete a call and they are on Verizon and while the S3 sucks, their phone will work fine.
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BOE how does your DNA phone do on battery life?
irl5fan said:
BOE how does your DNA phone do on battery life?
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Hello,
I haven't traded mine out yet for the DNA.