Title says it. Contemplating purchasing this phone because I want a sick Android device but its plagued with bad 3g reception stories. Is it that big of a deal? Does anyone regret buying the device over it? Is it a design flaw as i have read or software?
mrbox23 said:
... Is it that big of a deal?
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No
mrbox23 said:
Does anyone regret buying the device over it?
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I don't
mrbox23 said:
Is it a design flaw as i have read or software?
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It is neither. It is the wireless networks you guys have here in the US that sucks... (At least in El Paso, TX)
I'm tired of people blaming the wireless network, because that's just plain wrong in most cases.
I am a big N1 fan but I will be the first to admit that there's a 3G problem. But here is what I've observed:
- The problem is less evident on the AT&T model, as 3G runs on the same frequencies as 2G, and in general AT&T uses 850/1900, which are lower frequencies (better penetration) than T-Mobile.
- If you're in a very strong 3G area (like on the streets of NYC), you aren't likely to have any problems no matter how you hold the device.
- If you're in somewhat of a sketchy 3G area, and use the T-Mobile version of the phone, it's very possible you're going to drop to edge, if you cover the bottom portion of the phone with your hand. If you have the AT&T version in a sketchy area (low signal overall), it's possible you'll kill your signal entirely if you hold the phone a certain way...but I would say this is very rare.
There's probably a combination of a software and hardware issue causing the 3G issue. With future updates to the radio firmware, I'm sure there will be some improvements, but I don't know if it's going to be as good as some of the other phones available (especially in the case of T-Mobile, where the G1 tends to be fair a lot better 3G wise).
Having said all this - do I regret purchasing an N1? Definitely not - everything else about the phone makes up for the 3G issues, and I still have hope for future improvements.
Reception isn't "deal breaker" bad, and you'll notice there are much less complaints from AT&T users about it. If you are normally in areas with good coverage everything will will be great, but fringe areas might be frustrating. Weak signals are the phones kryptonite.
My question to anyone on the fence is usually, "name a better GSM phone" and then when they say "iPhone" I call them a fanboi. There's nothing worse than being an Apple fanboi.
its not a deal breaker at all. I still hold by my theory that the signal bars are just calibrated less conservatively than other phones, cause I've made and held calls for 15 min with zero bars of 3g showing. even my nokias had trouble doing that.
Sent from my Nexus One using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
PrawnPoBoy said:
Reception isn't "deal breaker" bad, and you'll notice there are much less complaints from AT&T users about it. If you are normally in areas with good coverage everything will will be great, but fringe areas might be frustrating. Weak signals are the phones kryptonite.
My question to anyone on the fence is usually, "name a better GSM phone" and then when they say "iPhone" I call them a fanboi. There's nothing worse than being an Apple fanboi.
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Just cause they say the iPhone, doesn't make them an Apple fanboy.. people can have legitimate reason why they like the iPhone more than the Nexus...
There could be something to the theory that the phone just reports reception more conservatively. But then again I can easily drop a call in a low signal area by moving my hand around. This is the first phone I've had that does that.
Just cause they say the iPhone, doesn't make them an Apple fanboy.. people can have legitimate reason why they like the iPhone more than the Nexus...
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Spoken like a true fanboi.
PS: I was actually joking. I have a jailbroken iPhone as well and its also awesome.
PrawnPoBoy said:
There could be something to the theory that the phone just reports reception more conservatively. But then again I can easily drop a call in a low signal area by moving my hand around. This is the first phone I've had that does that.
Spoken like a true fanboi.
PS: I was actually joking. I have a jailbroken iPhone as well and its also awesome.
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see i have always had the same problem with my other phones in low signal areas, they would ALWAYS drop the call if i moved my hand over it. but they all had antenna in the bottom, like the nexus. i think if your previous phone had the antenna in the top, then you never would have experienced this before.
my nokia n95 was the last phone i had with a top antenna, it was internal at the top near the camera, and that thing was superb with RF.
but then i got the e71 and the bottom antenna dropped calls when i covered it. no service, all the time. i trained myself to hold at the top ever since.
so the nexus doesnt seem abnormal to me. i just thought it was common knowledge though...
PrawnPoBoy said:
There could be something to the theory that the phone just reports reception more conservatively. But then again I can easily drop a call in a low signal area by moving my hand around. This is the first phone I've had that does that.
Spoken like a true fanboi.
PS: I was actually joking. I have a jailbroken iPhone as well and its also awesome.
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I also hope you were joking about the fanboi thing, as the nearest I've come to owning and iPhone was using family members ones for a few hours. My previous phone was a G1, and your misconceptions of me (if your words were not taken out if context) for stating something that is quite true is quite sad.
As stated before, people can have legitimate reasons as to why they favor the iPhone more than the Nexus. If I was sucked in to the iPhone when it was released, I would probably also be an iSheep - luckily I was only 12 at the iPhone's release. Phone technology wasn't really all that interesting yet.. I didn't care about touch screens etc. Now though, I still don't care about the phone much - but it was definitely brought unneeded hate in the internet towards those who adore it.
I love my Nexus One. No 3G issues on ATT, this actually has much better reception than my HTC Tilt2 with the best custom radio rom for my area. Flashing the radio of your Nexus will help a ton if you experience any of these issues so if you plan on flashing your phone don't worry about it. I love my Nexus and I spend much less time screwing with how the phone works and a lot more time using it.
about nexous one
I have never had any 3g problems ever and i bought this phone right when it came out
i love it get it you will to
This is really simple.
1. Buy the phone. If you have bad reception,
2. Flash to the newest radio. If you still have bad reception,
3. Return the phone.
You most likely won't get to step 3.
The phone legitimately does not get great reception.
I lined up, side by side, my BB Bold 9000, my Motorola Milestone, and me Nexus One, all just sitting on the desk, all with Orange (France) 3G SIMs.
The Bold and the Milestone get about the same signal. The Nexus gets consistently -4 to -10 dBm worse signal in any given placement. Wrapping your hand loosely around the phone will cut the signal by from -6 to -10 dBm on the Nexus, and by around -2 to -6 on the other two.
HOWEVER, the statistics don't really matter - I still get good enough signal at my desk on all three of them to download applications, use GTalk/SMS/telephone/browser all day, etc. Yes, a speed test shows generally better speeds on the Milestone, but it is more than good enough on both Android phones.
AND the Nexus is much faster in day-to-day operation. It scrolls faster, loads faster, runs faster, etc. It is almost sure to get updates from Google faster, and the dev community really does rock.
If I was in the US, I would have to consider some of the other phones out there, simply because the other networks are better than GSM networks, but here in France, the Nexus is fine and dandy.
If I were you, I would consider the network as well as the product, because it makes such a huge difference in the US. But once past that point, if you decide Nexus: buy it, test it, if you don't like it, sell it or return it. Easy.
I carried around my iPhone 3G with me the last few days and any time I had bad or no reception with my N1 I would swap the sim card and try the iPhone and without fail the iPhone would alway have more than enough signal strength.
The phone's reception is simply not as good as other phones, but it not enough for me to want to return it. I just hope that HTC learns from this like they did with the recent change to the atmel touchscreen instead of the clearpad component. I'm sure they will.
I've never had a problem with dropping 3G signal exactly, just the occasional instance where it'll get stuck on "uploading." Not sure if that's a T-Mobile issue or a phone issue. Either way, it happens only rarely and lasts no more than 10 seconds or so each time, so not a dealbreaker.
Other than that, the phone is fantastic. Incredibly fast and customizable. People complain that Android isn't user-friendly, but I honestly find everything quite intuitive (with the exception of a few badly designed 3rd-party apps).
I get the same (even better in a few places) 3G reception on my Nexus then I did with my iPhone 3GS
The OP needs to take note of all the people complaining about reception issues have also NOT mentioned whether or not they have updated the radio.
Everybody sitting with the stock radio from the models released in January/early-February are going to have a lot more complaints than someone who has either updated their radio or bought a newer model that has the updated radio preinstalled.
i still say its just a conservatively calibrated signal meter! seems to match my other phones just fine even if the actual bars are showing zero bars, its still making the call and receiving the data. me thinks its just a software calibration difference...
gsvnet said:
I'm tired of people blaming the wireless network, because that's just plain wrong in most cases.
I am a big N1 fan but I will be the first to admit that there's a 3G problem. But here is what I've observed:
- The problem is less evident on the AT&T model, as 3G runs on the same frequencies as 2G, and in general AT&T uses 850/1900, which are lower frequencies (better penetration) than T-Mobile.
- If you're in a very strong 3G area (like on the streets of NYC), you aren't likely to have any problems no matter how you hold the device.
- If you're in somewhat of a sketchy 3G area, and use the T-Mobile version of the phone, it's very possible you're going to drop to edge, if you cover the bottom portion of the phone with your hand. If you have the AT&T version in a sketchy area (low signal overall), it's possible you'll kill your signal entirely if you hold the phone a certain way...but I would say this is very rare.
There's probably a combination of a software and hardware issue causing the 3G issue. With future updates to the radio firmware, I'm sure there will be some improvements, but I don't know if it's going to be as good as some of the other phones available (especially in the case of T-Mobile, where the G1 tends to be fair a lot better 3G wise).
Having said all this - do I regret purchasing an N1? Definitely not - everything else about the phone makes up for the 3G issues, and I still have hope for future improvements.
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Bro, you're entire post actually supports the claim that the carriers need to build out their networks more in this country! Obviously if the phone works great in an area like NYC or Chicago, but not so great in "sketchy" places like where I live (Toledo, OH), then IT'S THE NETWORK!
PrawnPoBoy said:
I carried around my iPhone 3G with me the last few days and any time I had bad or no reception with my N1 I would swap the sim card and try the iPhone and without fail the iPhone would alway have more than enough signal strength.
The phone's reception is simply not as good as other phones, but it not enough for me to want to return it. I just hope that HTC learns from this like they did with the recent change to the atmel touchscreen instead of the clearpad component. I'm sure they will.
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Well, I have had the exact opposite experience. I always have a better signal with my N1 than my wife does with her iphone in the same places.
My wife and I used to have identical Nokia handsets, and her signal was always significantly better than mine. Minute manufacturing variations in low power RF devices can make huge differences, and such manufacturing variations are a normal part of any manufacturing process, including cell phones.
Comparing one phone to another and declaring a problem exists with an entire line of phones is just silly.
Basically, there is no real evidence of a unilateral "Nexus One" 3G problem, even if some handsets have less than expected performance.
So if you want a Nexus One, get it, and chances are that if you are happy with your network, you will be happy with your Nexus One.
Related
Quick question. I have had my Tilt for almost a year now. I think its a great phone. I can do anything with it. But it doesn't seem to popular. I have never seen a commercial for it and I'm the only person I know that has it. Could I do better than the Tilt?
Honestly, just the Fuze. My opinion though is to hold out for something better than the fuze. Comparing the two you only gain what......... a higher resolution screen. Everything else is the same. Still 3G, Bluetooth, wifi, GPS,3Mp cam,ect.
I think the Tilt will hold me over until ATT goes 4G. Its not as far off as everyone thinks. Sprint already has 4G in my town and resells it under the name of Xohm ( a cellular technology that connects to a router at home for equal or better speeds compared to Cable internet....Interesting really)
Hope this helps you in making a decision.
http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/...why-consumer-reports-cant-recommend-iphone-4/
I hate to defend the iphone but....
Most phones have similiar issues. Even on the nexus we all love. I lose 3G/cell signal all the time when I cover the lower half of my phone. This is something common on all nexus unless you have 100% awesome signal.
I think this is why this has not been discussed on this part of the forum
1) This is supposed to be about the Nexus One, not the iphone
2) All of us N1 owners know the N1 also has radio problems.
That being said, I'll still say the nexus is the overall best phone there is.
jz9833 said:
I hate to defend the iphone but....
Most phones have similiar issues. Even on the nexus we all love. I lose 3G/cell signal all the time when I cover the lower half of my phone. This is something common on all nexus unless you have 100% awesome signal.
I think this is why this has not been discussed on this part of the forum
1) This is supposed to be about the Nexus One, not the iphone
2) All of us N1 owners know the N1 also has radio problems.
That being said, I'll still say the nexus is the overall best phone there is.
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I agree with everything you said, including the last part about the overall superiority of the N1.
table: -75dBm
hand in front of me: -85dBm
next to my ear: -79dBm
That's my N1
But the news is for iPhone not for Nexus so not relevant dor this part of the forum (or any else i guess)
I dont know why people keep saying "this is common among all phones"
No its NOT.
1. You are never in direct contact with the actual antenna on other phones.
2. It usually takes a full grip to replicate this on other phones. Even then loss is not as significant as you are still merely muffling a signal not physically shorting the antenna process.
The iphone merely needs the gap bridged for it to dramatically lose signal to the point of dropping calls almost instantaneously.
The issues the N1 had were getting and maintaining a fix on 3G signals. A far cry from dropping endless calls because you were holding it wrong.
xManMythLegend said:
The issues the N1 had were getting and maintaining a fix on 3G signals. A far cry from dropping endless calls because you were holding it wrong.
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No, there are plenty of reports of a dramatic drop in signal strength when you cover the back of the N1 with your hand. Not exactly the same thing as iPhone 4, but still a signal issue caused by antenna placement, so definitely in the same ballpark.
bigmout said:
No, there are plenty of reports of a dramatic drop in signal strength when you cover the back of the N1 with your hand. Not exactly the same thing as iPhone 4, but still a signal issue caused by antenna placement, so definitely in the same ballpark.
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Again, it's not even close to the same issue. On the N1, you can muffle the antenna a bit; on the iphone 4, you can actually electrically short it out.
MaximReapage said:
Again, it's not even close to the same issue. On the N1, you can muffle the antenna a bit; on the iphone 4, you can actually electrically short it out.
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This smacks of rationalization to me. People report dropped calls as a result of how they hold the phone. Whether it's because the antenna is "muffled" on the N1 or "shorts" on the iPhone, the result is the same from the user's perspective. In fact, the iPhone issue is arguably less of a problem because you can solve it with a case. I love my Nexus One, but I don't think we do ourselves any favors as consumers by rationalizing the phone's shortcomings.
Ummm...how is this related to Nexus One general?
jz9833 said:
I hate to defend the iphone but....
Most phones have similiar issues. Even on the nexus we all love. I lose 3G/cell signal all the time when I cover the lower half of my phone. This is something common on all nexus unless you have 100% awesome signal.
I think this is why this has not been discussed on this part of the forum
1) This is supposed to be about the Nexus One, not the iphone
2) All of us N1 owners know the N1 also has radio problems.
That being said, I'll still say the nexus is the overall best phone there is.
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Click to collapse
The issue with the iPhone isn't that it has signal attenuation when held normally. All phones do indeed have that problem. The issue is the amount of attenuation. The iPhone 4 loses about 20 decibels of signal when held normally, the N1 loses 5-10 decibels, which doesn't mean that the iPhone loses 4 times as much signal. Decibels are an exponential metric, 10db loss is a tenfold increase/decrease, 20db is a hundredfold increase/decrease. If you use the "death grip" on the iPhone, you might see a 30db loss, yeah that's 1000x. That's why a lot of people didn't even realize that phones did this until now, the iPhone is particularly bad at this phenomenon.
There's a workaround to avoid losing signal when talking, and it's applicable with ALL phone with antenna at the bottom:
Just hold the phone top part when talking and keep hand off the bottom, but it's not possible when doing internet or messaging, or email.
When holding the phone for messaging, try to spread out fingers.
Sounds like Apple is trying to start a new FAD LoL...hope it doesn't catch on!
mingkee said:
There's a workaround to avoid losing signal when talking, and it's applicable with ALL phone with antenna at the bottom:
Just hold the phone top part when talking and keep hand off the bottom, but it's not possible when doing internet or messaging, or email.
When holding the phone for messaging, try to spread out fingers.
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which is ridiculous and something a consumer shouldnt have to do. Its very annoying to not be able to hold my phone how it naturally feels to while watching/listening to anything streaming.
its really not that hard to fix this, just make a vertical antenna that way you address the heath hazard of an antenna next to your ear, and still not sacrifice much signal.
Wow, another feature that Apple will try to pass off as being first. HTC was the first to have dropped signal, dammit!!
(Tongue in cheek, guys. I realize the seriousness of the iP4's reception woes is much worse than the N1's.)
ATnTdude said:
The issue with the iPhone isn't that it has signal attenuation when held normally. All phones do indeed have that problem. The issue is the amount of attenuation. The iPhone 4 loses about 20 decibels of signal when held normally, the N1 loses 5-10 decibels, which doesn't mean that the iPhone loses 4 times as much signal. Decibels are an exponential metric, 10db loss is a tenfold increase/decrease, 20db is a hundredfold increase/decrease. If you use the "death grip" on the iPhone, you might see a 30db loss, yeah that's 1000x. That's why a lot of people didn't even realize that phones did this until now, the iPhone is particularly bad at this phenomenon.
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There are reports of a 20dBm loss in signal strength from the way you hold the Nexus One:
If you go to Settings -> About Phone -> Status you will see a display for "Signal strength". When my phone is sitting on the desk, the signal stays consistent. However, the second I touch my phone, the signal drops up to as much as -20 dBm. I am able to replicate this test every single time, whether the signal is incredibly strong or weak.
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Google's "solution" was basically the same as Apple's -- i.e., hold the phone differently.
Weird, my Nexus One is just fine...........................
WRONG FORUM. Who cares.
Thread moved to OT.
what i specifically want to know is WHY is the nexus' antenna so sensitive compared to other phones. all my nokia phones would lose signal too when covering the antenna, but it seems like nokia and other phones use a moving average to calculate signal strength, over a period of the last 10 secconds or so. so that when the signal is blocked, it takes a few seconds to even start to drop. but the nexus almost seems to give dBm in real time, with no moving average at all. cause the dBm can drop intantly when blocking the antenna.
this is why i try to say that HTC just uses different bars, but the signal reception is no worse than other phones. it just shows in real time.
anyway i was at ATT store yesterday, and all 4 iphone 4's drop from 5 bars to 1 bar just by touching the lower left side. not even squeezing, just lightly pressing it. all 4 units. so what are these new phones doing with antenna that causes them to be so sensitive?
also, about the nexus, we have to think that because the nexus is only 9mm thick, the internal antenna is only seperated from our hand by barely 1 mm or so. so we too are detuning the antenna. its not a short like iphone, but close to it.
Consumer Reports confirms iPhone 4 antenna problems
By Nilay Patel posted Jul 12th 2010 1:30PM
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http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/12/consumer-reports-confirms-iphone-4-antenna-problems-and-so-do/
Enough about the iPhone in the Nexus forum. Please!
I am beginning to lose my cool when it comes to reception and my Captivate.
At work I used to watch a lot of youtube on my Tilt2 and altough it some times went on a wont connect spree....most of the times youtube was a no problem.
Unfortunately the Captivate is like almost never connects or just a little bit and once again loses it.
Is this about the whole hspa thing?
Even at home when reception is better for both, South Park is a lagfest with the Captivate if I use 3G unlike the Tilt2 but then again that could also be Skyfire....in any case...is this normal?
I guess you have never used and iPhone???
I had an iPhone 3GS and it was a POS when it came to reception.
I'm sooooooo happy I'm finally able to have an android phone on AT&T.
It takes some getting use to compared to the iPhone. Just basic navigating through the phone is very different.
I don't mind dealing with some minor flaws of the Galaxy S because I know for sure this phone will be improved because it was released on all four major carriers, not to mention it was already out as the GT i9000.
anyway - just my thoughts
sorry - I know this didn't answer your questions but wanted to share
Never had an iphone and never will! lol
Its just that I love this phone so much that I just cant stand it that reception is hurting me this badly...I just need to be patient I guess.
Like on the weekend... instead of streaming a soccer game to my Android I had to ask my wife for the Tilt2 again to watch the game with some friends at the park...
No. My tilt2 got sligltly better reception too. It OK I love my captivate.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Man, you guys are killing me. I have a Tilt 2 with Energy ROM and for the most part I'm happy with it, but I'm just dying to upgrade to a Captivate, but I keep hearing about reception problems. On the other hand, if you Google any phone these days you hear about reception problems. If you guys are saying the reception is worse than my Tilt 2 I'm just not sure I can live with that though. I frequently work on drilling rigs where reception is pretty bad to non existent. I'm thinking about just swapping out my Tilt 2 for a new one since the keyboard is wearing out, but for $125 deductible, an upgrade sounds pretty good.
Reception is the same or better from my original Tilt.
Phytrax said:
Man, you guys are killing me. I have a Tilt 2 with Energy ROM and for the most part I'm happy with it, but I'm just dying to upgrade to a Captivate, but I keep hearing about reception problems. On the other hand, if you Google any phone these days you hear about reception problems. If you guys are saying the reception is worse than my Tilt 2 I'm just not sure I can live with that though. I frequently work on drilling rigs where reception is pretty bad to non existent. I'm thinking about just swapping out my Tilt 2 for a new one since the keyboard is wearing out, but for $125 deductible, an upgrade sounds pretty good.
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Click to collapse
I would upgrade if I were you.
As much as I liked my Tilt2 there is no way I would go back to it after being using the Captivate. The speed difference is just too much.
So much that I have gone from fancy Energy Roms on my wife's now tilt 2 to the simplest and fastest 2.1 ROMS I can get so it does not feel too slow.
Tilt2 has had numerous radio upgrades you can install since it came out
I would imagine when samsung releases some radio revisions we will have better luck with reception.
I really have not noticed the Captivate having significantly less reception than the tilt2. Now for battery low on the other hand.....
For me the difference is obvious even on stock tilt 2 radio.
For example watching you tube at work with my tilt 2 it was almost always a non issue but with my Captivate I get several disconnections and most of the times I have to go to low quality mode to get a decent experience.
Still, no way I am going back to the Tilt2 ...wish I they could finally get android running on it...that would make it a much nicer phone I think
I dunno, I've had noticeably worse reception on my captivate than my old blackberrt 8310
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
shaolin95 said:
I would upgrade if I were you.
As much as I liked my Tilt2 there is no way I would go back to it after being using the Captivate. The speed difference is just too much.
So much that I have gone from fancy Energy Roms on my wife's now tilt 2 to the simplest and fastest 2.1 ROMS I can get so it does not feel too slow.
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Click to collapse
See, this doesnt make sense to me. After all it is a PHONE first, everything else second. So you're willing to sacrifice reception ability for speed of user interface, etc? Why? In your post you were just complaining about how poor the captivate's reception is vs. the tilt 2, yet you'd recommend the captivate because it has a faster CPU or slicker UI than the tilt2? Why not just carry two phones, one to actually use as a phone and one as a toy? That makes about as much sense to me. JMO.
derek4484 said:
See, this doesnt make sense to me. After all it is a PHONE first, everything else second. So you're willing to sacrifice reception ability for speed of user interface, etc? Why? In your post you were just complaining about how poor the captivate's reception is vs. the tilt 2, yet you'd recommend the captivate because it has a faster CPU or slicker UI than the tilt2? Why not just carry two phones, one to actually use as a phone and one as a toy? That makes about as much sense to me. JMO.
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Click to collapse
Ok first I think someone forgot his pills this morning
First reception not extremely poor compared to the tilt2 just youtube freezes more often at work which is a hard place for every phone for some reason. The Tilt2 was better but I did had to switch radios from time to time like something will change then a new radio will do better for this month or so.
Second, this is only for video watching...phone calls I have zero issues in quality or connectivity so far...yes it is a phone so that IS the main reason to have it.
The main issue has been Skyfire but I got confirmation from the developer that this is indeed a matter of Skyfire on the Android not being quite up to par yet to the Windows version but they are of course working on it.
So, today for example, I have been connecting to the market and downloading stuff and even watching youtube quite smoothly.
So in my first post I gave the impression it was a huge difference it was based on SouthPark and Skyfire.
So if you are able to calm down a bit feel free to rejoin the conversation but if you are going to go off like that then by all means, there are more threads around.
Regards
Well I'm glad I found this thread. When first hearing about the Captivate I was not very interested due to concerns about the Samsung interface, reception issues and GPS issues. I was also really hoping for a 4.3" screen and possibly front facing camera and a flash.
Now after reading that the GPU is top notch, GPS issue is fixed, or will be soon, and reception is generally fine I'm very much leaning toward the Captivate. Samsung interface seems to be not as bad as I initially though, and the speed is plenty fast enough even without froyo. Also NewEgg has them for $79 with a contract renewal.
I have to say I really love the new MaxSense ROM's from Energy though. I hope I can make Android look that good once I take the plunge. I'm still worried about the lack of hardware keyboard too, mostly the fact that it covers half the screen when using it.
For what it's worth:
I've owned a Tilt2 for 3 months, tried out pretty much all the available radios, and have a pretty good judgement of it's reception. I've also owned a Tilt (Kaiser) for almost 2 years.
My Captivate gets much better reception than either phone: I get solid HSDPA reception in places where neither my Tilt/Tilt2 could. The trick is to just ignore the signal bar. I live in an area with poor reception, even after the 850 MHz upgrade, and at times my phone shows no bars, but gets good quality voice/data reception. So don't rate your impressions of signal quality based on the on-screen display, only how the device actually performs.
And as far as GPS goes, I've head-to-head compared it against my Tilt2 (which has a pretty decent GPS) and the hardware itself is more sensitive, and sees 3-4 satellites indoors in places my Tilt2 can't. There are definitely weird and inconsistent problems getting/holding a lock, but to me it feels like a kernel or other software issue. So hopefully a solution can be found (by Samsung or Devs).
Shammyh said:
For what it's worth:
I've owned a Tilt2 for 3 months....
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the input. That's good to hear considering I'm fairly happy with the reception on my Tilt2. I have to say the GPS is inconsistent though. Sometimes it won't even pick up outside. I'm thinking about heading to Best Buy this weekend to pick up the Captivate and give it a try. I'm really looking forward to the improved video performance, bigger screen, and a standard headphone jack.
Shammyh said:
For what it's worth:
I've owned a Tilt2 for 3 months, tried out pretty much all the available radios, and have a pretty good judgement of it's reception. I've also owned a Tilt (Kaiser) for almost 2 years.
My Captivate gets much better reception than either phone: I get solid HSDPA reception in places where neither my Tilt/Tilt2 could. The trick is to just ignore the signal bar. I live in an area with poor reception, even after the 850 MHz upgrade, and at times my phone shows no bars, but gets good quality voice/data reception. So don't rate your impressions of signal quality based on the on-screen display, only how the device actually performs.
And as far as GPS goes, I've head-to-head compared it against my Tilt2 (which has a pretty decent GPS) and the hardware itself is more sensitive, and sees 3-4 satellites indoors in places my Tilt2 can't. There are definitely weird and inconsistent problems getting/holding a lock, but to me it feels like a kernel or other software issue. So hopefully a solution can be found (by Samsung or Devs).
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Oh no, my impressions were not based on bars...in fact, you will see not a single comment about those I think. That is irrelevant to me.
Although as I mentioned on my previous post, without considering the differences between the Skyfire performance, the difference is not that big.
How are you getting HSDPA on that phone, I thought the hack was not working for ATT?
Phytrax said:
Thanks for the input. That's good to hear considering I'm fairly happy with the reception on my Tilt2. I have to say the GPS is inconsistent though. Sometimes it won't even pick up outside. I'm thinking about heading to Best Buy this weekend to pick up the Captivate and give it a try. I'm really looking forward to the improved video performance, bigger screen, and a standard headphone jack.
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I am sure you are going to love it.
I was afraid of going away from the keyboard but Swype is sweet too.
derek4484 said:
See, this doesnt make sense to me. After all it is a PHONE first, everything else second.
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If reception is primary concern I hear the Jitterbug gets good reception?
Seriously there has been a slightly weaker signal for me but we are talking less than 10%.
P.S. map your coverage if AT&T gets bad enough coverage maps from real use they will have to fix their coverage.
My reception has been great with my Captivate, it drops less calls than my iPones and Nexus One did....my Blackberry Bold is still the king though (always had great reception with it, and battery life was insane). I do however have issues with AT&T's network in the DC/Baltimore area...theres just so many people using data that everything I do lags and takes twice as long, and I've almost never been able to watch Youtube videos in Hi-Def while on 3G...on ANY of my phones while in a populated area, but it works fine at my parents house and when connected to our 3G microcell at home. I think the Captivate works great as a phone and the 4" screen seems like it sits right in the middle of being too large and too small, meaning its perfect for me. I owned a Tilt2 and couldn't stand it after owning iPhones and the Sprint Hero...I loved the keyboard but signal strength and the browser killed it for me, it only lasted 2 weeks before it went back. Give me the Tilt2 form factor with the Captivates screen and guts on AT&T and it'll be my next phone lol.
shaolin95 said:
Oh no, my impressions were not based on bars...in fact, you will see not a single comment about those I think. That is irrelevant to me.
Although as I mentioned on my previous post, without considering the differences between the Skyfire performance, the difference is not that big.
How are you getting HSDPA on that phone, I thought the hack was not working for ATT?
I am sure you are going to love it.
I was afraid of going away from the keyboard but Swype is sweet too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I understand, it's HSUPA (uplink) not HSDPA (downlink) that's the problem. Without HSDPA, we'd all be getting download speeds of less than 1 Mbit/s. And since the hardware supports it, it's only a matter of time before someone releases a working HSUPA radio.
It really is a great phone though. And for me, the biggest deal-breaker over the iPhone4 (and most other phones) is that I can simply drag-and-drop video files from my computer to my phone. From simple Xvid/Divx/OtherAVI files, to 720p HD MKV files. No transcoding, or other work required.
Don't buy it expecting it to be flawless though, the underlying hardware may be, but without XDA and the community to fix the software flaws, it wouldn't be nearly as appealing a phone.
Well I found a guy selling a Captivate on eBay for $400. My contract isn't due for an upgrade yet so I figured what the hell, if they come out with something amazing next year I could use my upgrade then. I'm definitely looking forward to the h264 decoding and "5.1" sound. I just hope I can find some widgets to make the interface look as awesome as my Energy MaxSense ROM on my Tilt2.
I've seen lots of complaints about the HD7's reception. With my DEFY I've gotten the best 3G reception ever on T-Mobile. HTC seems to have longstanding complaints about 3G reception and hearing about it with the HD2 and HD7 isn't encouraging.
So, Is the HD7 the best or worst you've had on T-Mobile?
Mine is not good, the signal is very weak. My other phone which is the Nokia N8 gets better signal on the same spot.
Overall I get pretty good reception as I did on any of my other phones, except in my living room. It is a total dead zone. Only that part of my house, out of anywhere I go, has a problem. Otherwise I get on average 4/5 bars. I am in Northern California if location is anything important to you.
As more Radio's become available to flash we should be able to get optimal signals hopefully. I personally haven't found it any different to my previous phone (TyTN II)
I've owned a mytouch 4g, g2 and hd7 all of which are htc made
It seems that these phones tend to have a bad reception in low signal area
however the hd7 tends to have the worse
wi-fi calling really works in handy for the mytouch 4g and g2 and i wish they would release this for Wp7
I also have a Defy as well as a HD7. The Defy was the forth phone I had with T-Mobile the others being a Moto Razr V3, T-Mobile Tab and Nokia Nuron. The Defy gets the best reception I've ever had and still does. Sitting in the same spot in my home the Defy gets full bars 3G while the HD7 only gets 2 bars 3G. Even the Nuron gets better reception.
Remember that the "bars" don't mean that much. A better test would be seeing which phone keeps a working signal (can make phone calls) the longest, as you drive away from a tower and into a dead zone. Then you can see which phone actually has the best and the truest reception.
ace10134 said:
Remember that the "bars" don't mean that much. A better test would be seeing which phone keeps a working signal (can make phone calls) the longest, as you drive away from a tower and into a dead zone. Then you can see which phone actually has the best and the truest reception.
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Agreed
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
I had one or two disconnections during my conversations but the reception has been OK.
Reception in North Texas is good. Went out to lunch with a friend on Saturday who couldn't connect to the internet on his fruit phone but we could on my hd7. Every place will be different.
Well it's kind of disappointing to hear the varying but mostly bad reports on the HD7's reception. I guess I'll have to wait for something from Samsung or Nokia, if I can't get my hands on one for cheap.
The reception is not that bad its only if you live in the middle of nowhere where I see even a remote issue
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
My reception has been just fine in places where T-Mobile has reception. That being said, after updating my phone's radios, reception and even data speeds have improved greatly.
Now that I have the No-Do update I'm sorry to say that reception on this phone is still really bad. I was hoping that T-Mobile or HTC would include some sort of radio update. Well, since they didn't is a way I can update my radio firmware without flashing a whole new rom?
I only know of two TMOUS (531) Radios...
1. RUU_Schubert_TMOUS_1.20.531.01_Radio_5.51.09.11a_22.31.50.09U
2. RUU_Schubert_TMOUS_1.54.531.02_Radio_5.51.09.29a_22.32.50.10U
I'm currently on the 2nd one... but I've also tried the newer European and Telestra ROM/Radios as well...
All of them have worse receptions than the HTC TP2 that I had... and it really sucks at my house where I loose data connections all the time.
My reception sucks! I came from Verizon where my reception at home was not the best but with this HD7 its awful. I did have TMO before with an MDA and the reception wasnt nearly this bad. I drop calls daily. However, in some of my clients homes where my old verizon sucked, this phone shines, go figure.
Reception is going to depend on where you use your device. Try it out for 30 and if it doesnt work for you take it back. This phone is amazing and worth the trial! Good luck!
TechJunkiesCA said:
My reception sucks! I came from Verizon where my reception at home was not the best but with this HD7 its awful. I did have TMO before with an MDA and the reception wasnt nearly this bad. I drop calls daily. However, in some of my clients homes where my old verizon sucked, this phone shines, go figure.
Reception is going to depend on where you use your device. Try it out for 30 and if it doesnt work for you take it back. This phone is amazing and worth the trial! Good luck!
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Sure but making a call in a weak signal area with the right phone can be the difference between holding it or constantly dropping it.
dzotx said:
I only know of two TMOUS (531) Radios...
1. RUU_Schubert_TMOUS_1.20.531.01_Radio_5.51.09.11a_22.31.50.09U
2. RUU_Schubert_TMOUS_1.54.531.02_Radio_5.51.09.29a_22.32.50.10U
I'm currently on the 2nd one... but I've also tried the newer European and Telestra ROM/Radios as well...
All of them have worse receptions than the HTC TP2 that I had... and it really sucks at my house where I loose data connections all the time.
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I'm currently using the 2nd radio listed above. I really like this phone but the dropped calls are making me crazy. Damn if only T-Mobile would just go ahead and release WiFi calling on this phone.
JamesDax said:
I'm currently using the 2nd radio listed above. I really like this phone but the dropped calls are making me crazy. Damn if only T-Mobile would just go ahead and release WiFi calling on this phone.
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But your DEFY performs better under the same conditions? Right?
I have found the opposite.
I had the Desire HD, Galaxy S, and my HD7.
The HD7 works in my gym while the Desire HD did not. I found the reception the same for the Galaxy and the HD7.
I'm using mine on Telus.
I am in the process of doing an upgade, I should be getting it in a couple weeks. However, when I was playing around with it at the store I had some issues with it.
1) LTE was a problem with the device, and from poking around these forums, I have noticed that other users are experiencing problems. With the demo device, the One was unable to get LTE / 4G, however the S4 that was sitting almost directly next to it was able to pick up 4G fine. Is this a big issue?
2) Does this phone support tri-band LTE? Since I know Sprint is moving to that (or already has moved to that) that would be ideal.
3) How is battery life in low signal areas for this phone? At home, even though we have an airave this only helps a very small area in the household. So in general, I am bound to be roaming or have 0 bars.
4) Design wise how is this phone? Everything I have heard it is sturdy, and when I was playing with it at the store it felt solid.
5) Any huge faults (other then the possible SIM/LTE Issue) that would be pointed out on this?
6) Do you have to do the HTC-Dev trick to unlock the bootloader? Coming from a S2 there wasn't really any need to do any of that trickery, just flash and be done.
Right now, I am trying to decide against the S4 or the One, and while the S4 has a removable battery and microsd, if the One has 32 GB of storage, that should be plenty for me as long as I can set up Folder Sync, or a tasker profile to sync images and files to my server.
I am not really a huge fan of the S4 from a Touchwiz perspective, and all the new "features" just seem sorta gimmicky to me, granted I have never really tried them but enabling them is just destined for drained battery usage. I have never really had a Google Experience Phone, I have the nexus 7, but that is a tiny bit differentm so I am not sure as to whether flashing the Google Edition Roms would be of any benefit for me.
At this stage, I am just trying to figure out the benefits of one phone over the other (apart from removable battery and microsd card).
Bump, would really appreciate some feedback.
GH0 said:
I am in the process of doing an upgade, I should be getting it in a couple weeks. However, when I was playing around with it at the store I had some issues with it.
1) LTE was a problem with the device, and from poking around these forums, I have noticed that other users are experiencing problems. With the demo device, the One was unable to get LTE / 4G, however the S4 that was sitting almost directly next to it was able to pick up 4G fine. Is this a big issue?
2) Does this phone support tri-band LTE? Since I know Sprint is moving to that (or already has moved to that) that would be ideal.
3) How is battery life in low signal areas for this phone? At home, even though we have an airave this only helps a very small area in the household. So in general, I am bound to be roaming or have 0 bars.
4) Design wise how is this phone? Everything I have heard it is sturdy, and when I was playing with it at the store it felt solid.
5) Any huge faults (other then the possible SIM/LTE Issue) that would be pointed out on this?
6) Do you have to do the HTC-Dev trick to unlock the bootloader? Coming from a S2 there wasn't really any need to do any of that trickery, just flash and be done.
Right now, I am trying to decide against the S4 or the One, and while the S4 has a removable battery and microsd, if the One has 32 GB of storage, that should be plenty for me as long as I can set up Folder Sync, or a tasker profile to sync images and files to my server.
I am not really a huge fan of the S4 from a Touchwiz perspective, and all the new "features" just seem sorta gimmicky to me, granted I have never really tried them but enabling them is just destined for drained battery usage. I have never really had a Google Experience Phone, I have the nexus 7, but that is a tiny bit differentm so I am not sure as to whether flashing the Google Edition Roms would be of any benefit for me.
At this stage, I am just trying to figure out the benefits of one phone over the other (apart from removable battery and microsd card).
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Click to collapse
I can't answer 1 or 2 because I don't have LTE where I live but I've been hearing that some people get through like five to six hours on screen time on a single charge but some don't. Design wise, this phone is probably the best looking and feeling handset out right now. It can compare with the iPhone and probably is better. Feels really good. And yes you have to do the HTC Dev thing. I would suggest getting the One over the S4 but that's just me. I got it because I was tired of using TouchWiz and absolutely hated it (came from S2 as well), didn't care if it had a SD card slot or not because 32 GB is plenty like you said and because the phone is just incredible. Feels really good in the hand and Sense 5 is great. Watch review videos on both the One and the S4 to see what they each offer. In a lot, if not all, of the videos I've seen of the HTC One vs S4, the reviewer chooses the One. Its just a really good device. I don't have a lot of first hand experience with it though. Played with it a few times and loved it. My One should be here in a few days and I am really excited
Sent from my Epic 4G Touch using XDA Premium
I'm not in a LTE launched area but I am in an area where LTE is spread all over and let me tell you, this phone struggles to hold LTE when you hit - 115dbm or greater. Where as other devices(my wife's s3 and my Note 2) Will hold onto 4G just fine.. And to keep a good LTE signal I have to practically fornicate with a cell site... If I could do it over again I wouldn't. Other things made me happy though such as the screen, stereo FF speakers, build materials etc...
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
My One holds LTE just as good as my S3, guess it depends on how good LTE is in your city. And every review I've seen they always choose the One over the S4. You can't go wrong with this phone.
Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 4 Beta
The LTE in my area has been pretty fast, and constant, but in some cases it does drop. As stated before, I guess it just matters how good the LTE service is in your area. The phone quality is excellent, but if you weren't going to use a case, the black version of the phone chips off if you were to drop it, leaving little white marks on the otherwise good looking phone. As for battery, mine usually lasts about 8 hours with a good amount of usage (a lot of music, internet, Twitter, texting, Youtube), and usually about 14 hours if I just check everything once in a while.
Still hard to tell for me about lte - it's my first lte phone too. It works well but most people complain it doesn't pick it up as well as others. The recent update sprint pushed seems to have resolved that but I'd look for others to chime I to confirm.
Edit: also there are no triband phones yet. Htc one doesn't support the triband network.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
syed239 said:
I can't answer 1 or 2 because I don't have LTE where I live but I've been hearing that some people get through like five to six hours on screen time on a single charge but some don't. Design wise, this phone is probably the best looking and feeling handset out right now. It can compare with the iPhone and probably is better. Feels really good. And yes you have to do the HTC Dev thing. I would suggest getting the One over the S4 but that's just me. I got it because I was tired of using TouchWiz and absolutely hated it (came from S2 as well), didn't care if it had a SD card slot or not because 32 GB is plenty like you said and because the phone is just incredible. Feels really good in the hand and Sense 5 is great. Watch review videos on both the One and the S4 to see what they each offer. In a lot, if not all, of the videos I've seen of the HTC One vs S4, the reviewer chooses the One. Its just a really good device. I don't have a lot of first hand experience with it though. Played with it a few times and loved it. My One should be here in a few days and I am really excited
Sent from my Epic 4G Touch using XDA Premium
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Yeah, I have been reading reviews and watching videos, and so far everyone I have seen is sorta on the fence, or they end up going either way. 32 GB is nice, but, if I accidentally wipe the storage space or something goes wrong with the phone, have that SD Card in there for me to save all my pictures too, is definitely a positive. Same with the removable battery. Because otherwise, you replace the entire thing. I have held the device (albeit with the anti-theft hardware on it that is the sprint store and such). I enjoy the feel, it feels solid, I would just have to wonder how hot it gets, compared to the S4. I know my S2 gets pretty hot at times. From the reviews I read about the camera, they also favor the S4 since the HTC One's algorithms for reducing noise seem to interfere with pictures in broad daylight as well. Which is a definite negative.
BrianBaker said:
I'm not in a LTE launched area but I am in an area where LTE is spread all over and let me tell you, this phone struggles to hold LTE when you hit - 115dbm or greater. Where as other devices(my wife's s3 and my Note 2) Will hold onto 4G just fine.. And to keep a good LTE signal I have to practically fornicate with a cell site... If I could do it over again I wouldn't. Other things made me happy though such as the screen, stereo FF speakers, build materials etc...
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Yeah, the dual forward facing speakers are a definite plus. It does indeed make the sound so much stronger/better. Like I mentioned above, the build felt solid in my hand.
McCullyCullen said:
The LTE in my area has been pretty fast, and constant, but in some cases it does drop. As stated before, I guess it just matters how good the LTE service is in your area. The phone quality is excellent, but if you weren't going to use a case, the black version of the phone chips off if you were to drop it, leaving little white marks on the otherwise good looking phone. As for battery, mine usually lasts about 8 hours with a good amount of usage (a lot of music, internet, Twitter, texting, Youtube), and usually about 14 hours if I just check everything once in a while.
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Click to collapse
I would be using a case, definitely. What is your average signal area? Full bars, medium signal strength, or low? I personally live in a low signal area at home, and at school I had 5 bars, though, I don't know if they have LTE there.
gk1984 said:
Still hard to tell for me about lte - it's my first lte phone too. It works well but most people complain it doesn't pick it up as well as others. The recent update sprint pushed seems to have resolved that but I'd look for others to chime I to confirm.
Edit: also there are no triband phones yet. Htc one doesn't support the triband network.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
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Hm, thanks for confirming that. I was hoping they would have supported it considering they are going to be moving forward with tri-band lte.
On another note, has anyone used the Zoe feature? Is it all that nice or is it more or less just really stupid? When I was talking to the sales rep, he was like "Yeah, I use the zoe feature all the time with my kids" and to be honest, I think he was just trying to sell the HTC one up. Does anyone know if there are applications developed by a third party that perform a similar function?
I know this may be out of the question, but have you considered t-mobile?
Their phone is also unbranded, but it is international, GSM, gets more support from developers, uses T-Mobile's blazing fast HSDPA+ (and soon, LTE), and should cost about the same...
Zoe is nice. But not for those who use 4.1.2. It stores 20 pictures and one 3 second video. The 4.2 update fixes that, saving only 1 picture and 1 video. You can still extract your stuff though.
For me, the 32 Gb is enough. I load this thing up with huge games and I take a lot if HD video, but I always transfer it to my HDD. If you are using this on vacation, I recommend using OTG. That way you can transfer all your pictures to the flash drives.
Battery life is subpar in my opinion. Not what I would expect from a "comeback" phone. I am never able to get more than 10 hours or so of normal use. However, the custom ROMs in here apparently are way more efficient and there are people getting like 60 hours of use.
The phone gets hot. Like 101 degrees Fahrenheit hot. And you feel it. Because the entire back if the phone is like a giant heatsink. But that's better than the S4. I'm sure it gets just as hot, but cooks the hardware instead letting the heat out.