I haven't seen any real comparisons that actually made sense to me.. So I am posting this information up to help others that might be thinking the same thing I was..
WOW and unlocked Samsung Note 3 The advert says 4G LTE... Well, that is not the case.. AT least with about 30hrs of searching I haven't found a way to make a 9005 LTE compliant since most LTE is 700 band 4, or 1700 Band 7?.. Anyhow here's my run down or take away..
Both of the following phones are Kitkat 4.4.2 One unlocked Model ATL (Spain Vodafone) 9005 and one ATT 900.
So I Bought an unlocked Samsung Note 3 9005 (SM-N9005ZKEATL).. This was before I did the research on LTE.. I've spent numerous hours pouring over info looking for LTE and the phones antenna just don't jive with ATT's or Tmobiles LTE service.. Of course this was after I bought the phone and used if for a couple of days only to find no ATT LTE
Now I can tell you on the 9005 that with ATT's sim I was getting a consistent HSPA+ signal and the UP/down times were decent but only 3G though the phone if used in Europe would be 4GLTE from what I have read..
Since I wanted to have an informed opinion I also bought a SM-N900 from ATT to see if there really is a difference between the 2 models with LTE and such..
The 900 when in active 4G LTE if all the stars align will offer speeds of up to 35mbps or even 50mbps but this is rare since I live out in the country. (I get a 4G signal 99% of the time) And in some cases like on the highway or such downloading music it would be handy.. But for Waze, internet searches, it's over kill since you don't need the bandwidth but if you are all ready paying for it.. It's nice to have..
The best I could get with the local area on the 900 is right around 5mbps to 7mbps.. The 900 4G LTE not offering any better signal or speeds vs the 9005 on HSPA+.
I did go to Tmobile in Worcester MA and had them install a sim to see what kind of network signal would be happening in case I switched to Tmobile.. It was very sad, after sim installed the APN information was setup: (the 9005 found the network just about right away after the sim was inserted) and then all the settings were verified. The best it would do is E.. This was in the Tmobile store.. I switched back over to my ATT sim and had instant HSPA+ back in the store..
As a side note.. The Samsung Note i717 ATT model always screamed at me for a Mobile Data toggle. Since I turn the function on/off often to conserve battery life while out Cycling. What a pleasant surprise it was to find the 9005 had a toggle with all the other ones as well as a few others the 900 doesn't have so back to the 3 button scroll functions just to turn it off.. vs the 1 on the 9005.
The other nice feature I like about the 9005 is when you hit the power button it brings up Device options for: Power off, Data network mode, Airplane mode, and Restart mode.. The 900 only has Power off, airplane mode and restart mode..
Battery life on the 9005 is much better than the 900.. 5 hr trip with Waze on, Data on, and a Triplog GPS mileage tracker app on and when I got back still had 87% battery life.. Very Impressive.
Today on the 900 2.5hrs with Waze on and the battery was at 75%.
Okay onto apps: 9005 no bloatware other than the standard Google apps and factory installed Samsung apps.
900 All ATT's bloatware and then some why they continue to put this stuff on the their phones if beyond me..
ON the Note 3's you can deactivate most apps now and even some of the google apps you can lock away.. Yeah...
Other thing is Samsung Kies 3 won't read the 9005 easily vs the 900 which backed up all the info that was in the phone when I tried it.. The 9005 when connected will only backup contacts and then times out..
As for Warranty info and registering the 9005 vs the 900:
I have a user account with Samsung and it recognized I had a 9005 and listed model # and serial number but offers no information.. It does offer some tags/links for manual, software and such but when I click it I am brought to a page that just says error with no working content..
As soon as I connected the 900, Samsung site recognized it and added it to my list of registered products and also had the correct info with Warranty, downloads, Updates and the usual stuff.. When I clicked the links I was immediately brought to the proper page with working content..
I'm not one to be able to offer any insights as to performance or screen info as I'm not schooled in these things.. But performance wise they seem about the same with Beach buggy blitz the 9005 seems to move faster as I crash more vs the 900 but it simply could be a placebo effect.
These screen shots of from the 900.
follow up screen shot: 3G
From the 9005.
HI there, I've seen some stuff in other forums and couldn't find anything through search on this forum (apologies in advance if it's there).
Big fan of the S6, especially since it supports the 700mhz band 12 for T-Mobile here in the states. Had a S6 Edge, but bought a 920F on Amazon for the cost savings. S6 Edge had amazing reception, especially in locations where previously I would have to rely on wi-fi. However, the 920F has horrible signal, often 2-3 bars less than other phones. To verify, I went to the tmobile store and got a new SIM card, and then when compared to other phone in the store my signal was 2-3 bars less than other Galaxy S6's there.
A quick google search found 1-2 threads on how AT&T restricts access to certain bands if not a registered IMEI. So, I called T-mobile and asked them to put a dummy IMEI, but that didn't change anything.
Any ideas if there is a way to improve signal on the 920F for T-Mobile via root + some flash?
Thanks!
When i use my G920i on T-mobile, it had same issue. When i stayed at home use lte, the frequency always stayed on Band 12, the speed is very slowly.
Thinking about importing Xperia Z5 to use on T-Mobile, however I'm not sure which model to use. Also does the Z5 support Band 12?
http://www.xperiablog.net/2015/10/07/usa-buyers-guide-sony-xperia-z5/
The Z5 supports Band 12 LTE. E6653 is the recommended model for US use.
Don't too sure. T-Mobile is asking OEMs to disable Band 12 on unbranded devices in the US because of the lack of VoLTE on non T-Mobile certified devices, because in some areas where band 12 is the only band available and you don't have VoLTE there is no fallback to 3G so you would have full signal but no calls and in emergencies in these rare cases/places it would be bad. Unless TMO certifies the device you will have issues.
I'm sure you can work around it but you won't have VoLTE, which is not too bad I guess.
abhinav.tella said:
Don't too sure. T-Mobile is asking OEMs to disable Band 12 on unbranded devices in the US because of the lack of VoLTE on non T-Mobile certified devices, because in some areas where band 12 is the only band available and you don't have VoLTE there is no fallback to 3G so you would have full signal but no calls and in emergencies in these rare cases/places it would be bad. Unless TMO certifies the device you will have issues.
I'm sure you can work around it but you won't have VoLTE, which is not too bad I guess.
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Click to collapse
Not likely to happen because the device isn't sold in the US (and Sony hasn't announced any plans to do so).
Sony is not going to disable bands on international devices because a US carrier asks them to.
I was only speaking of local sales in the future as I did say in the US. Having Band 12 but not being able to make calls when on that band is an issue regardless, for international models on TMO.
I'm kinda confused on this issue as well. Xperia Z5 is supposed to support VoLTE (which is the main reason certain lte band 12 phones wouldn't work on T-mobile) but as the Z5 is unlikely to come to T-mobile US, it's not likely to have undergone T-Mobile's specific certification. We'd have to check with someone who has the phone and lives in an area serviced by T-mobile US band 12 (ideally with no 2g/3g backup) and see if they can A) access data and/or B) make voice calls. The technology is there for it to be able to work, I just don't know if the real world case would match the theoretical.
shizenyasuya said:
I'm kinda confused on this issue as well. Xperia Z5 is supposed to support VoLTE (which is the main reason certain lte band 12 phones wouldn't work on T-mobile) but as the Z5 is unlikely to come to T-mobile US, it's not likely to have undergone T-Mobile's specific certification. We'd have to check with someone who has the phone and lives in an area serviced by T-mobile US band 12 (ideally with no 2g/3g backup) and see if they can A) access data and/or B) make voice calls. The technology is there for it to be able to work, I just don't know if the real world case would match the theoretical.
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what areas are going to have no 2g AND no 3g...that seems a bit extreme. are 2g and 3g networks on the same tower?
crazeazn said:
what areas are going to have no 2g AND no 3g...that seems a bit extreme. are 2g and 3g networks on the same tower?
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Doesn't band 12 LTE take over for previous EDGE on band 12? There are many areas (well mostly rural) where this could occur
sovanyio said:
Doesn't band 12 LTE take over for previous EDGE on band 12? There are many areas (well mostly rural) where this could occur
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Click to collapse
There are but there are still many many rural areas where a 2G/3G tower will have larger coverage than its LTE equivalent (I think). While I understand that the 2G is morphing over to Band 12 LTE, I don't think this includes all the 3G/HSPA/HSPA+. I'm still under the impression that you will have LTE/3G coverage somewhere....
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/t-mobile-upgrade-2g-edge-network-lte-coverage-push/2014-03-13
I have had the Xperia Z5 (E6653) for a week and I'd like to say a little about my experience in case it may help out anyone here.
1. The phone has all the T-Mobile bands except for one in the 3G/HSPA range.
2. It DOES connect to band 12 LTE. However, when a call is coming in, it will move down to a different band to allow you to pick up the call.
3. I've noticed that when I'm playing some games (PVZ2), if a call comes in, I press 'Answer' on the pop up notification but it does nothing. This also seems to freeze the phone app for a little while.
4. There is actually a mobile network setting for "Enable VoLTE" and you can enable/disable it. However, I guess this doesn't really do anything on the T-Mobile network and it will never pick up a call while on LTE.
Other than talking about bands and calling, the phone is basically a Z3 with a fingerprint scanner and a much better camera. However, the battery doesn't last as long as the one of the Z3 and if you are gaming, it will last MUCH less than the Z3 while getting much hotter. I love not having to take a flap out to access the USB port. One interesting thing I've noticed is that with the Z3 I used to get a lot of static when I connected an AUX cable to the headphone jack and was charging at the same time, and would hear a humming noise on every touch of the screen, probably because the two ports are next to each other on the Z3. I haven't experienced that on the Z5 and suspect it's because they are on opposite ends of the phone.
GersonT1000 said:
I have had the Xperia Z5 (E6653) for a week and I'd like to say a little about my experience in case it may help out anyone here.
1. The phone has all the T-Mobile bands except for one in the 3G/HSPA range.
2. It DOES connect to band 12 LTE. However, when a call is coming in, it will move down to a different band to allow you to pick up the call.
3. I've noticed that when I'm playing some games (PVZ2), if a call comes in, I press 'Answer' on the pop up notification but it does nothing. This also seems to freeze the phone app for a little while.
4. There is actually a mobile network setting for "Enable VoLTE" and you can enable/disable it. However, I guess this doesn't really do anything on the T-Mobile network and it will never pick up a call while on LTE.
Other than talking about bands and calling, the phone is basically a Z3 with a fingerprint scanner and a much better camera. However, the battery doesn't last as long as the one of the Z3 and if you are gaming, it will last MUCH less than the Z3 while getting much hotter. I love not having to take a flap out to access the USB port. One interesting thing I've noticed is that with the Z3 I used to get a lot of static when I connected an AUX cable to the headphone jack and was charging at the same time, and would hear a humming noise on every touch of the screen, probably because the two ports are next to each other on the Z3. I haven't experienced that on the Z5 and suspect it's because they are on opposite ends of the phone.
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Thanks for your feedback! If you don't mind sharing, what part of the US are you in covered by T-Mobile and Band 12 LTE? I'm in Chicago (no B12 for them here), but there's swaths of Michigan that T-Mo has B12 spectrum to provide coverage. If you're saying the Z5 somehow auto drops back down to non-LTE for calls, that's very interesting and encouraging since it didn't sound like other phones like Moto's were capable of that.
doclloyd said:
Thanks for your feedback! If you don't mind sharing, what part of the US are you in covered by T-Mobile and Band 12 LTE? I'm in Chicago (no B12 for them here), but there's swaths of Michigan that T-Mo has B12 spectrum to provide coverage. If you're saying the Z5 somehow auto drops back down to non-LTE for calls, that's very interesting and encouraging since it didn't sound like other phones like Moto's were capable of that.
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I live in NYC and there's band 12 in most places now. My Z5 is usually connected to band 4 LTE and band 12 LTE now. I've noticed all kinds of bands connecting though (Edge, 3G, H, LTE). I don't know if the H is HSPA or HSPA+.
doclloyd said:
If you're saying the Z5 somehow auto drops back down to non-LTE for calls, that's very interesting and encouraging since it didn't sound like other phones like Moto's were capable of that.
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All phones do this, unless they have VoLTE enabled. The issue was with CDMA phones, they would only have 1 LTE/3G antenna path, so it would drop down to 1X instead for casks, making no Internet while on a call.
Only time they won't is if LTE signal is availible but 3G/2G isn't obviously. This is why T-Mobile was/is limiting band 12 in phones. Their band 12 network in some places extends outside the range of their 2G network, giving no phone service even though you had 'signal' unless you have VoLTE, and the phone has to be a T-Mobile phone to be approved for VoLTE (with a few exceptions like the nexus).
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
This was very helpful, thank you.
Sent from my SM-N920C using Tapatalk
I've got the Z5 Premium and I live in the US. Band 12 works just fine. I did some testing and I've seen 2g/3g/hspa/4g/4g lte. I have also traveled a bit for the holidays and the phone has been perfect.
GersonT1000 said:
I have had the Xperia Z5 (E6653) for a week and I'd like to say a little about my experience in case it may help out anyone here.
1. The phone has all the T-Mobile bands except for one in the 3G/HSPA range.
2. It DOES connect to band 12 LTE. However, when a call is coming in, it will move down to a different band to allow you to pick up the call.
3. I've noticed that when I'm playing some games (PVZ2), if a call comes in, I press 'Answer' on the pop up notification but it does nothing. This also seems to freeze the phone app for a little while.
4. There is actually a mobile network setting for "Enable VoLTE" and you can enable/disable it. However, I guess this doesn't really do anything on the T-Mobile network and it will never pick up a call while on LTE.
Other than talking about bands and calling, the phone is basically a Z3 with a fingerprint scanner and a much better camera. However, the battery doesn't last as long as the one of the Z3 and if you are gaming, it will last MUCH less than the Z3 while getting much hotter. I love not having to take a flap out to access the USB port. One interesting thing I've noticed is that with the Z3 I used to get a lot of static when I connected an AUX cable to the headphone jack and was charging at the same time, and would hear a humming noise on every touch of the screen, probably because the two ports are next to each other on the Z3. I haven't experienced that on the Z5 and suspect it's because they are on opposite ends of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, your post is very informative. Thank you for sharing.
I have a question though.
I live in US (Seattle) and have just received the exact same phone (E6653).
My T-mobile connection keep dropping on my phone.
Watching youtube over mobile data has become so choppy even my crappy old LG Optimus F3Q wouldn't do that.
Is there any settings I need to deal with to get this phone to work well with T-Mobile?
Thanks.
misbehave said:
Hi, your post is very informative. Thank you for sharing.
I have a question though.
I live in US (Seattle) and have just received the exact same phone (E6653).
My T-mobile connection keep dropping on my phone.
Watching youtube over mobile data has become so choppy even my crappy old LG Optimus F3Q wouldn't do that.
Is there any settings I need to deal with to get this phone to work well with T-Mobile?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if there are any settings that will help you. Maybe if you go to network settings and set it to LTE preferred, or play around with the other options if you're in areas with spotty or no LTE. Besides that, maybe you could just turn on the BingeOn option on your T-Mobile account so that it streams faster (at 480 resolution).
I have Straight talk currently with Ascend Mate2, and I do enjoy LTE speeds as they are much faster and definitely more consistent than my old hspa+ phone. The allure of this screen size may make me want to change my mind though. Can anyone detail if this will worth with ATT HSPA+ network as (maybe what connections it can use on t-mobile as well)
Also a slight unrelated note, are there any phones this large or greater than 6.5/6.7 that work with US LTE or definitely going to be released in the US soon? I read somewhere the lenovo phab plus might be but only seen that in one article.
I have a DAV-703L variant of the p8max and can confirm HSPA+ working on at&t's network. No LTE but from my experience I have noticed any horrible slow downs since most people have upgraded to LTE phones so the network isnt as congested as it once was. Here is a speed test done inside my house during "peak" usage time in this area. Speed usually sits around 7-8mbps up but wanted to show a worse case scenario, but even with those speeds non hd youtube, web browsing, pandora have zero issues.
Can't configure hspa to work on T-Mobile maybe I should switch to at&t