[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Rich3077:
Okay so after months of complaining about service and one FCC complaint Sprint is letting me out of my contract. My service is beyond poor, and from all the research I have done it seems to affect everyone in my area, (Detroit) You would think Sprint would do a little better in a major city. I have until September 15th to find a new carrier.

Now, I love my S2, it is my first high end Android and I will only buy high end phones from now on... I am hooked.

Now being in Detroit my options are (4g is a must)

Verizon (LTE)

ATT (HSPA +)

T Mobile (HSPA+)

And to further complicate matters

MetroPCS (LTE)

Now,... not certain but I suspect that part of my reception issues with Sprint are caused by the less than stellar radio in the 4g touch. My first reaction was to buy a Verizon S3 but then I started having second thoughts because Motorola and HTC are known for better radios... damn.

I am currently running the hacked Verizon PRL allowing me to get Verizon 3G, it still pretty much sucks for me but still 10x faster than Sprint. I get from 100 to 500 Kbps. (But also get better voice and no dropped calls)

Now.. my whole point of wanting a fast internet connection is so I can browse the web and stream video at work.. and I work in a large industrial building made in 1940 with REAL bricks and stuff. None of that plastic modern crap,

From what I understand LTE signals have a hard time penetrating buildings... so it should have twice as much work to penetrate mine.

I have been playing with EVERYONE'S phone I know at work so I can test there internet speed... I think people at work think I lost my mind.

Unfortunately I work with cheapskates so the only 4G I was able to play with was MetroPCS which has a hit and miss 4G signal at work depending on the location in the building. I did get to play with one T Mobile HSPA+ phone and it got 2 MBPS down.. (I THINK that's enough to stream Netflix?)

Does HSPA+ penetrate buildings better than 4G LTE??

Now.. MetroPCS phones are generally pretty crappy and as of yet I don't think there is a way to flash over to them with working 4G, however...

there is a strong and somewhat substantiated rumor that the S3 is coming to MetroPCS before the end of the year. Okay.. this sounds almost perfect as I live and work in a very strong MetroPCS LTE area. Now I am back to my original concern that the S3 wont pull in the signal as well as other phones and is the only phone this carrier almost has that I would consider.

Now as far as the other carriers go I have the standard selection of phones... I just want a smoking hot phone with a large screen with a equally smoking hot radio. (is that so wrong?)

I know you guys cant give me a definitive answer about this because its all about my location and the location of the towers but I have researched phones and services until my eyes started bleeding and appreciated any educated guesses and advice. The only carrier I have any experience with is Sprint and MetroPCS and I have never had working 4G before. I want it so bad that I am willing to pay Verizon's prices if need be. On the other hand I have heard some people say that the Radio on the S3 is slightly improved... so if I could get an S3 on MetroPCS with unlimited 4G that would be awesome.

Buying a phone can be harder than buying a damn house.