yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kolyan:
i call BS on this. my buddy lost 50% in 3 hours while using phone and data on LTE
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Smokeey:
I must say, my LTE gets damn better battery life than any other LTE device out there and damn better speeds. I'm actually considering replacing my home net with it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] player911:
Verizon does have great coverage. LTE is an option for faster downloads. It doesn't give you any other benefit. So if your not downloading then why have it on? I don't keep my GPS, WiFi, NFC, or Bluetooth on all the time... why is LTE any different?

LTE Google Galaxy Nexus! - Stock

Asus Transformer - OC/UV
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kolyan:
that would be 100% true if I could get at least 2mbps speed on cdma, but I hear it can be as slow at 500kbps, switching back and forth is not really an option because u loose service while doing it, and on top of it cdma doesn't support data and voice at the same time.

that said I am leaning toward Verizon more because assholes at t-mobile don't want give me ANY discounts on service or new phones.....even thou I have 2 lines and 6 years of service....and they will lose 2 customers

I already dumped Comcast because they were assholes as well charging me $140 per month......and i get free service now because they forgot to disconnect me :)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] tommyz2kool:
tmo is ok if you live in a big city and never go anywhere. Even then, the hspa coverage is uneven. IMO, i get better LTE coverage than I did with tmo and the speeds are consistent.

Sprint is easily the worst. Dont know much about ATT, its been a few years since I've had service with them.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] nabzilla1990:
I mostly get 3g only on Verizon so no data while on a call and I can't live with that

Already packed up the Verizon nexus can't wait to get an unlocked one again
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kolyan:
yeah 3g sucks. my friends said every time u get sms or a call data streaming gets interrupted.... I stream music a lot in car.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] AirBaker:
I've had an HSPA+ Nexus on AT&T (and tried it on T-Mobile for a day with a temporary SIM). I now have an LTE Nexus on Verizon. I'm one of the few who can make a first hand comparison of several days with both.

1. The thickness is about the same, with the LTE version being barely thicker (but noticeable to the eye at the top of the phone). I prefer the heft of the LTE phone, but it is definitely noticeably heavier.

2. Coverage is about the same in my area with AT&T.

3. LTE is definitely (significantly) faster, but anything above 5 Mbits/s isn't really noticeable on a phone, even when streaming video. My LTE Nexus averages 10-25 Mb/s down and 5-15 Mb/s up. My HSPA+ on AT&T Nexus averaged 3-8 Mb/s down and about 1 Mb/s up.

So why did I switch if they seem basically equal and AT&T's coverage was actually better? Because Verizon's LTE/CDMA network is better equipped to deal with density. AT&T suffers from what I call the "football game effect". Every time you go to a football game with an AT&T (or any other GSM) phone, you're lucky to get any data through at all. I couldn't even check scores at the games I went to this year, yet my girlfriend's Verizon phone was blazing at 10 Mb/s.

AT&T also has this problem downtown during the business day. During the day, I couldn't get more than 0.5 Mb/s down in my office downtown. At night, I could get 6 Mbits from my office. That's a huge difference. For the record, with Verizon, my speeds are pretty consistently 15 Mbits/s in my office.

This is where people are wrong for asking "what can you do with LTE that you can't do with HSPA+ because both are fast?" It's not max speed I'm looking at -- instead, it's what speeds you get in crowds or in poor coverage that matters.

Even Verizon's (admittedly slow) 3G network gets more consistent data speeds for me downtown than AT&T.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kolyan:
What kind of battery life are you getting on LTE ?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] AirBaker:
I was generally getting 11-13 hours on the HSPA+, depending on use. I can't really comment on the LTE yet as this is my first full work day with it (I had half days off Thurs/Fri), and I am using the extended battery. I will say that battery seemed absymal until I performed the "turn off touch sounds and lock sounds" tweak that's floating around here, but that seems to have helped.

I can report back later in the week with full stats if you want, but right now I'm at 71% after 3 hours on battery. Screen time is 36 minutes. I'm guessing I'll get around 11-13 hours. Considering LTE and bluetooth are both turned on, I suppose that isn't so bad.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rubiconjp:
Yes I always had the "football game effect" with my at&t phones during NFL games inside of stadium. I'd always thought that the NFL was blocking the 3G signal to prevent broadcasting of game action via a smartphone. Interesting to know that Verizon phones work so well during games. If so, at&t even sucks more now IMHO.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Do you think its smart to make your cell phone buying decision based on how you're able to use your phone during a football game, rather than how you're able to use your phone the other 99% of your time?

I attend a lot of soccer games. I experience the same thing during games (trouble sending texts, etc.) with T-Mo. But okay, I'm never going to choose my carrier based on that. I don't live, work, or commute in a sports stadium.

---------- Post added at 11:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:45 AM ----------

The most annoying thing is when you're tethering over 3G and you get texts/calls. That's really the time that simultaneous voice/data matters. It was one of the reasons why I dropped my Evo and Sprint (lol @ WiMax coverage, too).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rexdog1888:
For the people saying its not really as fast as we say:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] AirBaker:
If it was only during football games, sure. I called it the football game effect, but it applies equally to any area with high population densities.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] hotleadsingerguy:
This thread should already be obvious...but I'll bite.

T-Mobile's HSPA+ 42Mbps service: Spotty, at best. Doesn't come anywhere near the speeds in real-world testing. Even the testing that T-Mobile suggested (by telling reviewers the optimal addresses to test at) doesn't get more than around 22Mbps. The average most people can expect is around 8-10Mbps. On top of that, T-Mobile has very customers compared to Big Red which makes many people wary of going with them (because getting free calls to other customers is a big deal).

Verizon's LTE: Much better coverage, much better speed. On average I hit anywhere from 20-30Mbps around the Cleveland area and I've broken 40 (on my Galaxy Tab 10.1). Having faster speed doesn't mean you use *more* data...that's not correlative. I use my phone the exact same way on 4G as I did on 3G. On top of it, Big Red has way more customers meaning most of my calls are free. Obvious downside is battery drain...but if you manage things correctly it's really not a problem. I keep my phone in 3G mode unless I want to actively use the internet. For syncing and other stuff 3G is fine.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] milan03:
Ok. I'm gonna stop you right there before you continue to spread the nonsense.

First off, LTE Category 3 UE is capable of 100mbps down and 50mbps up.

However, that is limited by Verizon's 10Mhz channels to 73.6mbps down and 26.8mbps up.

Those are theoretical speeds on Verizon's LTE network at the moment.

REAL WORLD speeds are not far off, as I've personally seen

peak speeds of 70mbps

on HTC Rezound here in NYC. Still waiting on LTE Nexus to arrive.

See the screenshot:

On the other hand, GSM Nexus is capable of 21mpbs/5.76mbps speeds in theory, in real world usage I'm looking at 15mbps on my GSM Nexus and T-Mobile here in NYC:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] melterx12:
serious verizon hater here. you're ignoring everything that's good about verizon, focusing only on the bad, and you're ignoring everything thats bad on T-Mobile, and focusing only the good.

I live in NYC as well, and I have never gotten anywhere close to those speeds for either verizon or T-Mobile, respectively. What part of NYC do you live in? 70mbps is just insane...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ccpotato:
Nail on the head here.

I'll be happy with ANY carrier if they can GUARANTEE 5/1Mb service.

in Houston, T-mobile is good on HSPA... but there are places where i've been stuck on EDGE which is practically UNUSABLE... for example around Specs liquor store DOWNTOWN
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] milan03:
That's from Upper West Side location. The point is, LTE's maximum theoretical speeds aren't 299mbps as you said earlier, they are 73.6mbps on Verizon's LTE 2x10Mhz network.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bguzmanz2:
What about data

I'm in the same boat as OP, I am on Tmobile but was thinking of jumpin ship to Verizon. The only thing stopping me is the data plans are expensive. I would be paying $30 more per month on Verizon. If the unlimited data was still available i'd get it ASAP. =)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Everyone knows the good and bad about both. We know Verizon has good coverage but is super expensive. We know T-Mobile has lower coverage and is much cheaper.

That has nothing to do with what I said. CDMA has the serious limitation that when you're using 3G, you can't use simultaneous voice and data. I was responding and agreeing with what OP posted last page.

I don't hate Verizon specifically. I hate CDMA lol. And I disagree with (but understand the predicament of) Verizon's LTE strategy. And I severely disagree with LTE fanboys that like to brag about 70mbps speeds on their

smartphones

.

But you know what? That's your choice. There are barriers to changing, but if anyone wants to switch carriers there's nothing physically holding them back. I chose mine, you choose yours. No **** I'm going to think I made the better choice.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Matterhorn:
T-Mobile speeds 7.8 download 1.8 upload, not bad.

Why I like T-mobile:

1) I have a monthly plan (no contract), unlimited data, text, calls, and tethering. Data throttles back to 2g after 5gb. Price $70. I think I'd have to pay a lot more for this kind of service on Verizon or ATT. The price of the phone is covered after a little over a year depending on what kind of service you have.

2) The GSM Galaxy Nexus works everywhere in the world, CDMA won't.

That's enough for me.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] milan03:
It has nothing to do with bragging, it has everything to do with educating. The fact that you saw my post as bragging reveals your obvious dislike or jealousy towards Verizon's LTE.

Once you actually get the LTE handset, you're look back in embarrassment. The stuff that you can do on an LTE device probably doesn't even cross your mind since as a HSPA user you're used to depriving yourself from any rich media experiences that you would normally wait to get home and do it on your computer.

Well, that entire mindset has changed thanks to Verizon's aggressive LTE deployment.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kolyan:
Was waiting for wife at Natick mall, 20 min from Boston....tested Nexus and Razr at Verizon again. This time LTE on Nexus pulled only 5mbps and CDMA was ridiculously slow at 200-700kbps. Razr CDMA was a bit faster over 1mbps (tested many times by the way). My T-Mobile pulled about 1.5-2mbps at the same location on 3G.

Now this is what I hate about Tmobile.....We entered Macys store and my phone lost signal completely. It took me about 30 minutes to find my wife inside the store ! Also if CDMA is 200-500kbps.....2G on Tmobile simply doesnt even work....inside one store i pulled a whole 57k on EDGE.

I also switched back and forth from LTE to CDMA.....at one point it took about good 2-3 minutes to lockin to Verizon Network. I dont think switching is really an option for me.....this isn't like wifi which doesnt effect the signal and simultaneous data and voice
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Lol I can ensure you I am not whatsoever jealous of LTE. Really.

As I brought up a few pages ago, can you give me some examples of what you're doing on LTE that can't be accomplished on HSPA+? Because I'm having trouble finding a list of things. Especially considering that even when I tether to my laptop, the experience is 99% the same as I get on home cable (plenty of browsing, 720p streaming, etc.).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kolyan:
I am also wondering .... if I get 2-3mbps on Tmobile 3G, does it mean I will get same 2-3mbps on 4G ? because i know that my 3G device is capable of 7mbps speed.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Facing the same issue right now. Visiting my parents for holidays, I get 3 bars of HSPA out in the street, and spotty EDGE inside the house. Good thing I have WiFi calling :D

The handoff is REALLY slow unfortunately.

---------- Post added at 03:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:49 PM ----------

So T-Mobile's "4G" is just HSPA+. Phones with 7mbps radios are just HSPA (like the Nexus S, for example). Phones with 14.4mbps to 42mbps radios (and then 84mbps, etc.) are HSPA+. They seem to get noticeably faster speeds as you get higher in the theoretical radio speed. People end up saying to expect around 50%-60% of the theoretical modem speed in real-world speed (21mbps radio? expect ~12mbps max). Of course there is huge variability in this (sure the 21mbps radio can do 21mbps lol).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kolyan:
thanks. there was no tmo store for me to test out my 3g vs 4g devices.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] hotleadsingerguy:
Wait...what? Verizon isn't "super expensive". It's exactly the same as AT&T and barely more expensive than T-Mobile...A plan with 500 minutes, unlimited text, and 2GB of data is $90 on Verizon and $70 on T-Mobile. Add in the fact that anyone can get a 15% discount on Verizon and suddenly it's $76.50 and $70. Oh, and don't forget that you get double the 4G data for the same price right now...so then equivalent plans are $76.50 and $80. Now, you can save $10 a month if you buy your own phone with T-Mobile...but the price difference is the same.

As for the LTE thing...what about the "strategy" do you disagree with? I'm guessing that means they haven't brought LTE to your city? I *normally* get 20-30Mbps on LTE, and I've easily broken 40Mbps before. Compare that to the 6-8Mbps that T-Mobile gets around the Cleveland area and you're left with a *very* large margin.

Sounds like LTE wasn't actually working in that location...even at the lowest signal levels LTE doesn't go under around 8-10Mbps. If you're see under that there's a good chance there's something wrong with the tower you were connecting to...which would also explain the exceptionally slow 3G.

Only sometimes. Sometimes it'll take 10-15 seconds to switch over, sometimes it switches almost instantaneously. It should never take more than 30-45 seconds.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] milan03:
Think again. What if I was downloading a large bin or HD movie in the background, while I'm watching a HD netflix video, or simply remotely logging into my server using remote desktop and all at super low latency. All that probably done in less than 15minutes, when at that point I could do something similar once again, or many more times while on the go. I'm not limited on any extent anymore, and I'm not depriving myself from PC like way of enjoying everything that internet has to offer.

On my HSPA Nexus I wouldn't even consider doing such a thing simply because that kind of multitasking would take forever, and it's simply "ridiculous" to even think about it. The connection is simply unstable and the experience suffers when heavily multitasking.

See I have been doing all that on my LTE phones since March 2011. And with the new phones the experience is just getting better Look forward to be able to keep maximizing my workflow for years to come.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
You just used your data cap in one day. Remember what this thread is about. OP choosing to drop T-mobile and move to Verizon. He will not have unlimited data.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] hotleadsingerguy:
Download full HD movies, download albums quickly, using streaming without delays, etc...

The thing is if your connection is 10Mbps and mine is 40Mbps it will almost always be a better experience. My streaming videos and music start playing much faster (almost instantaneously), albums and large apps download much quicker, and uploads don't hamper the device for long either. I can upload a video to YouTube or Facebook at 2-3MB/s...that's a big deal when you're uploading a 500MB file.

I guess my problem with posts like yours is you're making the assumption that there's some massive tradeoff for the speed. As if the speed is nice but has huge drawbacks...does it? If the complaint is that the LTE radio uses more power...is that really a huge problem? If you don't have a place or time to plug in the phone to charge it, how are you going to have enough time to *use* that battery? Plug it in while you're driving, or at work, or sleeping, or...fill in the blanks.

I've never, once, had a problem with my battery going dead. Why? Because I plug it in when I'm in the car, it sits in a dock while I'm at work, and it charges overnight every night. I don't find myself stranded in the woods often, and if I knew that might happen I would turn it to CDMA mode...which nets me, easily, more than a day of battery life.

I guess I just always see non-Verizon people complaining about the battery usage of LTE...but I don't understand those complaints. It's really not as big a problem as people make it seem.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] milan03:
No data cap for me. Sorry to disappoint you. $30 for Unlimited Data, with my 50% off that's $15 a month.

Thank you very much.

And I'm responding to you not the OP so remember that fact in the meantime.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] player911:
Well anywhere you can get LTE, you'll probably get good 3G coverage. I typically get 2-4mb. Really no different from Tmobiles 4g here in my city... or anywhere else.

Plus if your on a call, you won't be streaming music. And I know SMS isn't data and know for a fact I get messages while on a call. SMS goes over the voice network. MMS is data.

One scenerio would be video chatting. Sometimes I've found voice quality to be poor, so we'd mute the video chat app and call each other. Again your typically in a place with WiFi, or just use the voice of the video chat app. Rare occasion where I would just enable WiFi or LTE. Boom.

I have a large mp3 library on my phone because I travel a lot and streaming just isn't up to par on the road or airplanes. Plus I see it as a pure battery waster compared to just listening to music locally off the device.

Sure there are times I listen to Pandora at home but that's on wifi.

I have LTE disabled and for the past 2 weeks on Verizon, I haven't noticed any difference compared to being on T-Mobile. Sure LTE is great and its nice to know its there when I need it but day to day, I don't.

I've been on AT&T and T-Mobile my entire life so this Verizon LTE is new to me. It gets some hella great speeds but I don't need the LTE radio to grab push mail and Facebook/twitter updates or XDA.

-Galaxy Nexus

-Asus Transformer
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] hotleadsingerguy:
OK, if the problem is that, by choosing LTE, you'll hit your data cap much more quickly...I'd consider that a non-issue; also, it's a perfectly horrible argument point. You're basically saying that you wouldn't pick Verizon because you would hit your cap earlier. That's completely unsound logic.

If we're talking about data caps and how they make sense to the OP...figure this in: On Verizon if you want to use more data than your plan provides, you can add more data onto the account (so you want to use more than the monthly 4GB? It'll add another 2GB for another data fee). You want to use more data on T-Mobile? Well, no. You can't. Or you can...but you won't want to.

Passing up your data plan on T-Mobile slows your data speeds down to EDGE...which caps out somewhere around 225Kbps...horrifically slow speed (or great, if you're an optimist and live in 1998). There's no other recourse.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
I pay $70.00 after taxes+fees for T-mobile (no contract, btw). The comparable plan on Verizon is $90 +taxes+fees (so now we're at $105/month). That's easily a $35/mo difference. Aka $420 a year, or $840 / 2 year contract. I surely cannot get a discount on Verizon (I've asked, don't have a work etc affiliation for a discount).

I'll also add that there are even cheaper plans available at T-Mobile (all the way down to $30/mo if you only want 100 voice minutes).

Verizon's strategy is forcing people into LTE before its battery life and reliability is up to par because EVDO speed is laughable and can't stand up to the speeds HSPA+ is doing right now (or even UMTS for that matter). Its the exact same thing Sprint did, but Sprint didn't even have a chance at succeeding. Verizon at least has the money to build it out and won't let it die like Sprint did.

Like I said. I see why Verizon has to do it, and I know LTE is where the industry is going for the future. But that doesn't mean I agree with it being the best choice right now.

---------- Post added at 04:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:33 PM ----------

I'm not saying you shouldn't pick Verizon because you'll hit the cap earlier. I'm saying you can't argue how fantastic the speed is if it still comes with the same cap as Verizon's 3G. You're saying its awesome because you can download an HD video and stream another HD video at the same time. How is that an argument for your choice, when you just used most of your data cap to do that (presumably download was 2gb, stream was another 1gb)?

Why wouldn't you want to? Yes, you can buy more data. You can pay extra and go to a 10GB cap on T-Mobile.

And remember. On Verizon its not "if you want more data you pay for more". Its if you go over you cap, you

must

pay more or shut off your data. At least on T-Mobile you have the option to not pay any extra, and get EDGE speeds for the remainder of the period. Keep using your phone, you get your e-mail and push alerts from Twitter, G+, etc. (just no fast browsing/streaming). You have the choice! Verizon is pay for more data, or turn off data all together.

---------- Post added at 04:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:40 PM ----------

Did you not read what you quoted? I said I'm talking from the new customer perspective. I know some people have unlimited data. That can't be an argument for getting people to switch

to Verizon

. They won't have unlimited. The same goes for convincing people to switch to AT&T or to T-Mobile. There are most definitely many people that have grandfathered unlimited data on all of the carriers. That doesn't mean a new customer will get it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] player911:
Really it all ultimately depends on everyone's unique requirements. I travel by car and plane all over the US. I need a reliable data signal. I've always had a Verizon work dumb phone along with T-Mobile smartphone. But when I consolidated I had to pick the network that works everywhere. As long as I can get several mb downloads I'm good. T-Mobile would leave with nothing a lot of times but it was cheap and decent in my home city... and I had a Verizon work phone to fall back on.

If you don't travel and T-Mobile or AT&T have a really top notch network around you then you may not need anything other then $30 a month plan.

-Galaxy Nexus

-Asus Transformer