So I have the S4 on sprints network in the wonderful NYC. I'm curious what other people experience has been in their areas, because while I love the phone and unlimited data. Sprint network on this phone leaves a lot to be desired.
I came to this phone on from the S2 and I swear I got much better reception even on 3g.
Is the 3g for this phone different than on the S2, because I could be sitting in the one area and my S2 would get perfect signal but the S4 is only get 1 or 2 bars if any at all (this was done with both phones said by said, before I gave the phone to my brother) . I don't mention lte, because I know it's not officially released yet in my area.
So I'm curious about your 3g reception on the S4.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium
I didn't have the S2 but had the S3 and people said the S3 had much better signal than the S2. My S4 has great signal. I still have the S3 and its usually same amount of bars or one less than the S4. Dunno if that helps at all. :/
Sent from my SGS4. Go Blue!! Buck the Fuc keyes!!
I think its better than the S3 and the Note 2 I get better speeds and I always have crappy service in my APT but its 70%better with S4. And when on LTE I get great coverage as well, I'm in Tampa FL.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app
Seems much improved from the s2. I get good data in places my s2 would roam. I do notice the signal indicator is weird. Mine would hit 1 bar and stay there unless I toggle airplane mode. Or if I wait long enough it corrects it self
I'm typically disappointed by Sprint's coverage and signal no matter where I am and no matter what phone.
That said, what part of NYC? I find that on the streets in Manhattan, it's hard to get a good signal because of all the buildings. Better on-street signal in Brooklyn and Queens, but it still can get pretty weak inside buildings in those areas.
Signal seems to be weak in NYC for most carriers. I read somewhere about ground level towers for sprint to be rolled out in large downtown cities with lots of highrise buildings.
Building penetration usually is poor. I've found my sprint S4 to have better lte signal than my girlfriends Verizon S4. But her phone has been having issues but others have reported the same thing. Once LTE on Sprint's 800 band is up and running, building penetration will be even better.
@budde2 you posted the same screenshot twice, was that an accident or on purpose?
Sent from my SGS4. Go Blue!! Buck the Fuc keyes!!
I am not in NYC but where I am I never got 4g with my Evo3d. As soon as I activated my S4 - Boom 4g!
In NYC I used to get real fast 4G on my 3D though (Manhattan area).
Never had an issue with calls either.
Are you saying your reception got worse?
budde2 said:
I think its better than the S3 and the Note 2 I get better speeds and I always have crappy service in my APT but its 70%better with S4. And when on LTE I get great coverage as well, I'm in Tampa FL.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in Tampa also....do you get LTE? I cant tell because my s4 only shows 3g all the time.
So, I am figuring that it I'd just that Sprint is "sucking" in the NYC area until lte is fully deployed.
I am visiting Houston Texas right now and lte is just about everywhere and the reception on the phone is great. Even the 3g in areas that don't have lte.
It also seems like wimax is still strong in Houston as well.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium
I had a S2 and got the S4 (skipped the S3) and reception on the S4 is much better than the S2 in my experience.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
tenaciousj said:
I had a S2 and got the S4 (skipped the S3) and reception on the S4 is much better than the S2 in my experience.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've owned the s2, s3 , and s4 and I can tell you they have the same.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Related
So I just bought a galaxy skyrocket for my wife. I'm in an LTE area. It is TEN TIMES FASTER on the skyrocket than the Note. Literally 10x. Used SpeedTest. Averaged 12800 download and 12200 upload. That's faster than my wifi. My note gets 1380 download and 380 upload. Horrendous!
I couldn't believe it. Now I realise why LTE is so good. Of course there aren't many people using LTE yet in NYC but still. That's unreal.
I have continued to test the Note v the Skyrocket and I think its not just LTE. I switched the sim but the lte sim didn't work on the note. However the note sim worked in the skyrocket and it still showed 2-3 x the note speed in a non LTE location. I cant get more than 1800 download when the skytocket shows 7000 in the same location same network. I tried the apn setting from the skyrocket but it doesn't work on the note. On wifi the skyroxket also showed double or more speed. Its very odd.
Anyone got any ideas?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
ekerbuddyeker said:
SpeedTest. Averaged 12800 download and 12200 upload. That's father than my wifi. My note gets 1380 download and 380 upload. Horrendous!
I couldn't believe it. Now I realise why LTE is so good. Of course there aren't many people using LTE yet in NYC but still.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not going to say LTE is slower than HSPA+, because it should not be.
BUT, what I can tell you is HSPA+ can be really fast, and it usually never is a matter of the cellphone, but the network.
My Note, in a random speedtest I did yesterday:
That's pretty much 9Mbps down and 3Mbps.
That reduces a lot the diference to what you can get with LTE.
I would choose for improving a lot HSPA+ networks before starting with LTE...
By the way, during busiest hours of the day I can always get 5-6Mbps down and 2-3Mbps up.
At night, it is easy to see 11+Mbps
My network is Vodafone Spain, which here it is HSPA+ 14.4Mbps. And the tests I make are in Valencia, Spain.
I used to have the T-Mobile Galaxy S2 same hardware as the ATT skyrocket just no LTE.
I use to pull down 16-18Mbps on their 4G network, super fast almost matching my home cable internet.
Unfortunately the Note doesn't support T-Mobile's 4G so I had to switch to AT&T, now on average I get about 1.5-3Mbps, and most I've seen is peak to 7Mbps.
On T-Mobile I paid $20 a month for 5GB of data, now I'm paying AT&T $25 a month for 2GB! Too bad T-Mobile wasn't able to run my note on full data speeds or else I'd never switch.
wierdly side by side with the skyrocket in a Non LTE area the skyrocket still gets double the speed on H. On wifi it does the same.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
ekerbuddyeker said:
wierdly side by side with the skyrocket in a Non LTE area the skyrocket still gets double the speed on H. On wifi it does the same.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speed on a smartphone literally means squat. Those super fast speeds on the ****rocket are almost never utilized because of its crappy Snapdragon chipset.
The speed advantage that LTE phones have is almost never seen when browsing or anything because the Snapdragon is a piece of trash chipset. It's laggy, unreliable, but its the only chipset that works on LTE phones.
Thats why Im NEVER buying an LTE ****phone till they find a SoC that can outperform the 1.4ghz Exynos and put it in an LTE phone.That won't happen for a long long time. 12 months min.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
@ eker - it must be your APN - i get about 3-3.5k down and 1.2k up
but I also get a MUCH better reception than my inspire 4g (in same spots that inspire barely got any reception, I get 2-3+ bars, and the whole thing just seems faster. I used standard APN settings - same as I used on my Inspire.
I'm in Boston area - and we got this retard heaven - Brookline, where they banned cell tower - so I used to not get any reception in many spots - now I do, and it's somewhat faster (internet speed that is) - in youtube for example
That's a lot of anger. Its just a phone... anyway in side by side tests with the note, loading web pages running maps or Google earth... actually every app, the phone speed is about the same. Have you actually tied the skyrocket????
I am happy with the note but trying to figure out why, in non LTE and side by side in wifi, the skyrocket is still significantly faster than the note. It feels a generation faster which is weird.
xAnimal5 said:
Speed on a smartphone literally means squat. Those super fast speeds on the ****rocket are almost never utilized because of its crappy Snapdragon chipset.
The speed advantage that LTE phones have is almost never seen when browsing or anything because the Snapdragon is a piece of trash chipset. It's laggy, unreliable, but its the only chipset that works on LTE phones.
Thats why Im NEVER buying an LTE ****phone till they find a SoC that can outperform the 1.4ghz Exynos and put it in an LTE phone.That won't happen for a long long time. 12 months min.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
Slow speeds?
On at&t. I know they have a huge r&d operation in Israel but not Dubai
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
This thread is simply voting which data you use and why.
I personally am using 3G (HSPA+ 21) even though I could use 4G (I live in Canada), mainly because of the poor battery like I'm experiencing with this device if used on 4G.
So what are you using? And why?
Using 3G+ (42) because the 4G frequency in Australia doesn't work with the N4, or most phones unless a special model comes out like the 4G version of the S3
Just plain ol' 21/42 MBps H+
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
3G, no choice, if 4G was an option I'd probably give it a shot but if I noticed extreme battery drain I would go back to 3G as well.
Edge
i live in canada too, but i did several tests, using 4g makes the voice call quality really bad. so i stick with 3g now
I use both... I get pretty decent speed on DC-HSPA about 20mbps down easy... I use lte mainly so i can stream youtube in hd instead of hq!
Sent from my iPhone 5
HSDPA. 1 operator is just beginning to roll out 4G in the major cities here in Belgium, so no choice
And I don't think the LTE chip works here anyway.
I used Edge at work. it streams better for me. Always has. Since iphone 3g. I think its the building I work in. Soon as I leave it, H+ works like it should.
At home I use Wireless and 4g
Soooooo I'm not the only one who is preferring 3G over 4G? Yay lol
I would barf in my mouth before I use 3g.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Faux G aka HSPA+ (21.1 and 14.4) w/EB here as well.
My Provider has just HSPA+ 15 but I mostly hav HSPA+ 10. But that's no problem at all, because I'm used to it. At home (on Computer) I get just about 7 so I'm totally happy.
3G is broken... Once this thing connects top umts or hspa 10 there's no data transmission until it finds hspa+15 again...
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
3g in Canada. 4g decimates my battery, which is already kind of disappointing personally.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
A mix of EDGE, 21, and 42 depending on where I am during my day.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
GPRS/EDGE by preference, no point wasting battery power attempting to connect to crappy 3G signal!
3G for me. I've tried 4G and while I like the speeds, my battery takes a considerable hit.
I live in Canada as well. I've only just started using 4G for the past few days (Rogers) and I think I'm going to be sticking with it. Data speeds have improved significantly. I don't seem to have that decrease in voice call quality that someone else mentioned and my battery life is actually not that much worse compared to 3G.
Technically, there is not a network in the US that's adhering to the actual 4G standard. Verizon's LTE may offer slightly better latency, and a better upload speed than T-Mobile, but your wallet will be taking a huge hit, and you'll only have 2GB of data for $110 after taxes and FCC fees. Is LTE really worth more than $100 a month? I don't think so.
I'm using T-Mobile's network and I'm very happy with the speeds. If T-Mobile is prevalent in your area, and you don't travel very often to remote areas, their $30 prepaid plan is definitely worth it. I'm witnessing over 22Mb down on the 42Mbps towers, and I'm averaging roughly 10Mb down everywhere else. I'm about 35 miles from a major urban city, btw.
I myself have an HTC EVO LTE and love the (almost) all metal construction that HTC did with the phone. The one thing I do not like however, is the LTE performance. 3G is great and on par with other devices, but as we all know metal does not play nice with cellular siganls, especially LTE.
Which leads me to my question/request......
Can someone tell me (or better yet show me) what the HTC One compares to lets say a GS3 or other LTE device with regards to LTE reception. Really what I would like to see is the RSRP (dBm) values of each device sitting side by side. I know most of the International folks don't have LTE so they wouldn't be able to test this but with the U.S. launch dates approaching there might be some review units floating around for ATT and Sprint that someone could use for a quick LTE comparison.
Thanks in advance!
I'm sure they tested the device and LTE works. Plus there's videos when the device was announced that talks about the signal straight from HTC......
No one has a device to tell you the signal strength,
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
expertzero1 said:
I'm sure they tested the device and LTE works. Plus there's videos when the device was announced that talks about the signal straight from HTC......
No one has a device to tell you the signal strength,
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We are about 2 weeks away from the official launch on sprint and at&t. I'm sure people will start receiving their phones soon and could test this.
And its not that the LTE won't work..... Its that I don't want to have another EVO LTE with weak LTE radios compared to other phones like the GS3.
Syph3r said:
We are about 2 weeks away from the official launch on sprint and at&t. I'm sure people will start receiving their phones soon and could test this.
And its not that the LTE won't work..... Its that I don't want to have another EVO LTE with weak LTE radios compared to other phones like the GS3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looked at the Phonedog and pocketnow reviews of the Sprint version and it didn't look good for LTE signal
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G LTE ....
I pick up LTE by my house when I go to the store, which is about half a mile away. When I'm outside that store, my HTC one shows full bars 4G, my girlfriend's iPhone 5 only shows 3G, when I leave the store I still get full bars until I drive under an overpass, then it just randomly turns to full bars 3G.
That doesn't really make sense, I got excited the first time I spotted 4G in that area, thinking that I should also have it inside my house, since it would be faster than my home internet
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
I've read several times people saying the bars don't reflect your LTE signal strength but calling signal strength. You could be in the bare minimum fringe of LTE and pick it up and saturated cdma and have full bars and spotty 4g.
Also, the antennas in phones can vary in efficiency and quality. One phone may pick up better than another.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
IPhone 5 bars represent data signal.. The One shows 1x voice.. The One does not hold very good 4G in fringe areas. Wait for the area to launch then start to pinpoint the issue.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
i hope i get 4g soon..i heard by next week
BrianBaker said:
IPhone 5 bars represent data signal.. The One shows 1x voice.. The One does not hold very good 4G I'm fringe areas. Wait for the area to launch then start to pinpoint the issue.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sense Roms always show voice signal as bars. You are right. If you install an AOSP Rom on your One the signal bars will be of your data. That's why my wife's old NS4G always seemed liked it had worse signal than my old EVO 3D.
DruoGaby said:
i hope i get 4g soon..i heard by next week
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is the possible bad news: The HTC One uses the Snapdragon 600 which does not support the 800 band of LTE that Sprint has been deploying. I'm currently in Chicago and I can tell you that the 1900 band in a market that is nearly at 100% is spotty at best. The 800 band will travel farther and get better building penetration. The only way to to use the stronger transition band is to switch to a Snapdragon 800 phone when they come out in Q3.
Birdemani said:
Here is the possible bad news: The HTC One uses the Snapdragon 600 which does not support the 800 band of LTE that Sprint has been deploying. I'm currently in Chicago and I can tell you that the 1900 band in a market that is nearly at 100% is spotty at best. The 800 band will travel farther and get better building penetration. The only way to to use the stronger transition band is to switch to a Snapdragon 800 phone when they come out in Q3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I don't think Sprint will do much LTE on 800 for a while. They are still shutting down IDEN through the end of the 2013.
undrgrndchemist said:
But I don't think Sprint will do much LTE on 800 for a while. They are still shutting down IDEN through the end of the 2013.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The last day Sprint will be supporting iDEN across the country is June 29th. The 800 band has been testing in Chicago in spots already, especially out in the suburbs. In a market like this where it's the most completed of any NV rollout, the 800 LTE and 800 1x will be live in late Q3.
Check out s4gru.com for all info on LTE deployment for Sprint. There are apps like Sensorly that can show you actual data strength. Your bars do show voice not data strength though, unless you are on a AOSP ROM, they show data strength.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
gk1984 said:
I've read several times people saying the bars don't reflect your LTE signal strength but calling signal strength. You could be in the bare minimum fringe of LTE and pick it up and saturated cdma and have full bars and spotty 4g.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have heard this 2. Bars and 3g/4g icon have nothing to do with each other. Bars is phone reception, 3g/4g icon is current data connectivity.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
Having returned the T-Mobile N900T Note 3 due to signal issues, preferably with LTE, I am quite disappointed with the AT&T variant. My AT&T Note 3 sits on -98-105 dbm, where the iPhone 5S sits on -93dbm signal strength. If I take my iPhone 5S to a lower level of my home, the signal decreases, but does not drop LTE. The Note 3 switches to HSPA. While this isn't a huge concern, as we have wifi, I am still left uncertain with the Note 3's signal strength. In places with weak AT&T LTE, the Note 3 struggles. It seems to be about 5-10dbm off, compared to the iPhone.
This is running the latest NB4 update. I'm gonna probably put the phone away for a while until it gets kitkat to see if anything improves then.
Nobody has had a poor experience with the Note 3's LTE signal strength?
Well considering that you had and returned the T-Mobile Variant for signal issues, and now are complaining of the same exact thing on the AT&T variant...
have you considered that it might not be the providers fault?
Maybe it is the area you live in. You never did specify what network you are using the iPhone on.
It could be the devices themselves... Rather unlikely, but possible. So blame the manufacturer
You are also not clear at all what service provider you were using with the T-Mobile or the AT&T variants. That can be changed.
So... Ultimately this thread is completely useless because it really provides no information for anyone to base a response on.
Sent from my SM-N9005A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
i have an AT&T Note 3 and an iPad Mini both on my plan, and i do feel that the iPad consistently displays a stronger signal. when i check, they are either equal or the iPad shows stronger, but almost never does the Note 3 show a stronger signal. hard to say which actually works better, and it could be just the way that the 2 OS's report signal strength, but i kind of feel the iPad will load data better when i'm in a weaker signal area. Nothing real empirical here but just a feeling..
i haven't taken notice of comparisons when dropping from LTE to HSPA.
graydiggy said:
Well considering that you had and returned the T-Mobile Variant for signal issues, and now are complaining of the same exact thing on the AT&T variant...
have you considered that it might not be the providers fault?
Maybe it is the area you live in. You never did specify what network you are using the iPhone on.
It could be the devices themselves... Rather unlikely, but possible. So blame the manufacturer
You are also not clear at all what service provider you were using with the T-Mobile or the AT&T variants. That can be changed.
So... Ultimately this thread is completely useless because it really provides no information for anyone to base a response on.
Sent from my SM-N9005A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, I do need to be more clear. When using the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3 on AT&T, my LTE signal was very poor in areas where the iPhone 5S on AT&T would be average to strong.
When using the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3 with T-Mobile's service, I found LTE to be fine.
When using AT&T's Note 3 with AT&T service, I find the LTE signal to be about 10dbm off from using the iPhone 5S on AT&T's service. In places where my AT&T LTE signal was about -90-105dbm, the AT&T Note 3 using AT&T's service would sit at about -100-110dbm; considerably a weaker signal.
For what its worth, I do not have HSPA+ issues using AT&T Note 3. HSPA+ signal is always stronger.
MattMJB0188 said:
You are right, I do need to be more clear. When using the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3 on AT&T, my LTE signal was very poor in areas where the iPhone 5S on AT&T would be average to strong.
When using the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3 with T-Mobile's service, I found LTE to be fine.
When using AT&T's Note 3 with AT&T service, I find the LTE signal to be about 10dbm off from using the iPhone 5S on AT&T's service. In places where my AT&T LTE signal was about -90-105dbm, the AT&T Note 3 using AT&T's service would sit at about -100-110dbm; considerably a weaker signal.
For what its worth, I do not have HSPA+ issues using AT&T Note 3. HSPA+ signal is always stronger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about adding some speed test results of different devices in different locations of your home.
YrrchSebor said:
i have an AT&T Note 3 and an iPad Mini both on my plan, and i do feel that the iPad consistently displays a stronger signal. when i check, they are either equal or the iPad shows stronger, but almost never does the Note 3 show a stronger signal. hard to say which actually works better, and it could be just the way that the 2 OS's report signal strength, but i kind of feel the iPad will load data better when i'm in a weaker signal area. Nothing real empirical here but just a feeling..
i haven't taken notice of comparisons when dropping from LTE to HSPA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I have noticed this as well.
440bro said:
How about adding some speed test results of different devices in different locations of your home.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely. So your telling me that you get perfect reception with LTE on your note 3? Even the device at the store had a lower LTE signal than my iphone 5S.
A lot can contribute to bad reception.
Area of service, land size and shape, being inside or outside, poor antenna on the device, the radio on the device, interference from other devices, peak hours, possible physical damage to the device, etc. Not every device is the same and each device will report differently.
For instance, my wife has the Note 2 on AT&T her signal never fluctuates from 2 bars while we are at home. She has OK LTE strength. On my Note 3, jumps from 2 bars to 4 bars with about the same speeds on LTE. If we walk right down the road out of the neighborhood, we both have full signal, but my phone smokes hers in speed tests.
Sent from my SM-N9005A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
graydiggy said:
A lot can contribute to bad reception.
Area of service, land size and shape, being inside or outside, poor antenna on the device, the radio on the device, interference from other devices, peak hours, possible physical damage to the device, etc. Not every device is the same and each device will report differently.
For instance, my wife has the Note 2 on AT&T her signal never fluctuates from 2 bars while we are at home. She has OK LTE strength. On my Note 3, jumps from 2 bars to 4 bars with about the same speeds on LTE. If we walk right down the road out of the neighborhood, we both have full signal, but my phone smokes hers in speed tests.
Sent from my SM-N9005A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know all of that. I think you are missing the point though. Why would one phone get considerably less signal strength in the same location? Why does my iPhone 5S hold onto an LTE signal with -115dbm, while the Note 3 on AT&T only gets HSPA+ in the same spot? Its generally weaker.
MattMJB0188 said:
I know all of that. I think you are missing the point though. Why would one phone get considerably less signal strength in the same location? Why does my iPhone 5S hold onto an LTE signal with -115dbm, while the Note 3 on AT&T only gets HSPA+ in the same spot? Its generally weaker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because the 5s has more antennas and also has a aluminum frame so it boosts the signal a lot.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
jetlitheone said:
Because the 5s has more antennas and also has a aluminum frame so it boosts the signal a lot.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm, I didn't think of that. But the GS4 pretty much got the same signal as my iPhone 5S. Weird.
MattMJB0188 said:
Hmmm, I didn't think of that. But the GS4 pretty much got the same signal as my iPhone 5S. Weird.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's strange the note 3 has newer antennas than the s4 so definitely weird. I get amazing signal with mine. much much better than the nexus 5 I sold it for and almost equal to the 5s I had before
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk