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Sprint Tab is snappier than Verizon's?

HevecK

Lurker
Nov 16, 2010
5
0
Hi All!

New owner of a Verizon Galaxy Tab - had it since launch day last week. At first I didn't like the black look, but the back has grown on my and I really like the mesh finish on the back. It definietely helps cut down on the fingerprints!

At any rate - I just played with Sprint's version of the tab and am considering switching. The tab was noticeably snappier... especially the pull down drawer, there was no lag at all whereas the Verizon version seems to stutter much more.

Has anyone noticed any other differences between the two tabs? I have about another 9 days to consider returning this one to Verizon...
 
I doubt that there's anything majorly different between the two models. I'll be that display model just had a clean installation, not too many background apps and such. Also, I bet most of the latest you're experiencing is due to the TouchWiz interface. I replaced it with ADW and now it's very snappy. Also, resizeable widgets are awesome ;)
LauncherPro is really nice too. Ive been running it on my phone forever.
 
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LauncherPro is really nice too. Ive been running it on my phone forever.

Have to concur with using LauncherPro... much more customizable and feels quite fast. Oh, and my applications are alphabetized! :D

Launcherpro is great and I've been using it since my D1, but ADW allows 6 columns in the application drawer and LP tops out at 5. Just a minor thing, but it makes the drawer look really bare.

Also, I find on the Tab at least that the Leap feature is smoother on ADW.

Oh and BTW I went to VZW yesterday to play around with the Tab and jeezus is that thing slow, browsing was slow, homepage sliding was laggy and all in all it underwhelmed me. I'll wait for the WIFI only from BB ;)

Well, I wouldn't judge the device solely based on the display model. Who knows how many people have messed with it and installed crap?

The stock browser is garbage on all models, regardless of carrier. It needs to be replaced immediately :)

Also, from what I've read, the WiFi only model will not have the market, you will need to side load it.
 
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Launcherpro is great and I've been using it since my D1, but ADW allows 6 columns in the application drawer and LP tops out at 5. Just a minor thing, but it makes the drawer look really bare.

Also, I find on the Tab at least that the Leap feature is smoother on ADW.



Well, I wouldn't judge the device solely based on the display model. Who knows how many people have messed with it and installed crap?

The stock browser is garbage on all models, regardless of carrier. It needs to be replaced immediately :)

Also, from what I've read, the WiFi only model will not have the market, you will need to side load it.


True, I really don't know what people did to the thing, especially if it's a just some kid who was fiddling with it (my son was doing that to the other tab they had on display ;)) and I've heard that the stock browser was bad, just didn't think it could be THAT bad...
 
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Well, I wouldn't judge the device solely based on the display model. Who knows how many people have messed with it and installed crap?

I would have to disagree, as I purchased one and it is just as slow as the display model. There has to be a plethora of Verizon garbage that is slowing this thing down.

Plus - more reasons why not to get the tab from Verizon:
-- No Skype over 3G
-- The NFL app doesn't work ("this application is not compatible for this device")
-- Verizon "VCast" junk plastered all over this thing

The only advantage is the textured back which helps to hold the device. Oh well - I guess I could always get a case for that. It's going back today!
 
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I too noticed a significant difference in the performance of the display model between a VZW store and Tmobile's. I tried testing youtube video's and they appeared to not even load at VZW but did at Tmobile's.

Most of my fooling around was with the stock browser. Not sure if I noticed a difference in just basic screen transitions but maybe will try again.

I assumed I was just witnessing the difference in the two carriers networks and as I am going to cancel plans and just use Wi-Fi this would be a non-issue....but maybe that is not the case.

Can any VZW Tab users comment on the Wi-Fi performance of their Tab's?

Right now VZW seems to be the easiest TAB to get without a contract and I heard Best Buy could waive the activation fee's.
 
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I just swapped out the tabs... WOW is the Sprint version light years ahead of VZW! I read a post that stated something about a possible recall for VZW? If that's the case, I'm going back in and demanding my restocking fee back!!

If you're on the fence about which carrier, steer clear from Verizon.
 
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I went and checked out the Sprint tab...

...I returned my Verizon Tab and got a Sprint one.


  • Sprint has pretty much the same coverage around Home and Work as Verizon does, so that was a moot point for me.
  • Sprint Tab was $399 on a 2-yr contract with a $200 ETF that prorates by $10 a month after the 5th month. Essentially, the same cost as Verizon's ($599) if I return/terminate within 5 months, less if I don't.
  • Sprint was $29.99 for 2GB Data and Unlimited Messaging. Verizon was $20 for 1GB OR $35 for 3GB, but does not include any messaging. Verizon's 1GB plan also charges $20 for a GB for each GB over and the 3GB plan charges $10 for a GB for each GB over. Sprint charges 5 cents per MB for overages - so it depends on how much you use.
  • Sprint Tab was significantly, hugely, noticeably faster and snappier. This is merely out of box - Verizon might function similarly if de-bloated. I have no honest idea why this is - I compared the low level processes of the two and found no glaring differences that I thought might contribute to it.
And that's that. I'm the proud owner of a Galaxy Tab from Sprint, and I'm loving it.
 
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I don't suppose anybody has access to both versions and could do a side-by-side test?

Background applications really don't do much in Android, if they are behaving properly, and should have NO effect on the responsiveness of the phone the vast majority of the time. They generally use no CPU at all unless they are actually doing something like processing new data. You can see this for yourself using an app like SystemPanel and looking at the total CPU seconds used for each application.

This is why the speed difference being discussed here concerns me. The problem is likely deeper than bloatware, and probably not removable by just removing bloatware. For example, it could be a GPU driver issue. I've seen first hand how the 30fps cap made UI transitions and content scrolling choppy on my EVO.

I have the Verizon tab since it was released earlier than Sprint's version and I'm impatient, and also the cheaper 1 GB data plan covers my needs just fine.

I tried the T-Mobile demo version, but ironically the T-Mobile coverage in the store itself is so poor that I could barely get the Google home page to load in the browser and wifi was not configured. I had to laugh at the giant "Largest 4G Network!" sign right next to the tab.

Anyway I have a couple of weeks to return my VZW tab and switch to Sprint's, so I'd like to know more about the differences.

I'm running the Quadrant Standard benchmark set now... and the result is... 974. Again that is for a VZW Galaxy Tab.

Can someone run this on the Sprint version? It's a free app...
 
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I have been looking at the tab for the past 10 days. This weekend i spent quite a bit of time at Best Buy and did get a chance to play with both the sprint and verizon versions side by side. After reading this thread initially i went specifically to figure out if i noticed a difference. I did. then i started investigating, and i noticed really only two things about the display models. First, they had active wallpappers running on the VZW Tab and did not on the Sprint TAB; Second, there were A LOT more home screens running (7 full of icons and widgets) on the VZW vs. the three home screens on teh sprint tab.

After i fended off the "helpful" sales people i did some digging around and turned off the active wallpaper and changed it to a standard picture, and all of a sudden the functions of both TAB's seemed to be identical to me.

I don't know if this helps anyone, but it helped me feel more comfortable ordering the VZW Tab from Costco ($589, waived activation and $50 giftcard to costco since no accessories were available to be bundled). I will be anxious to hear if anyone else notices a huge difference and what could be causing it.
 
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My side-by-side test was done with both a factory reset Verizon Tab with no Live wallpaper, and a just out of box Sprint Tab with no Live wallpaper. I then returned the Verizon Tab.

I also tested before and after killing higher-level processes that I could with ATK. Sprint still took the cake.

There is a noticeable difference, and like I said, comparing low-level process use between the two yielded nothing major.

It definitely bothered me enough to ditch the VZW Tab in lieu of Sprint, but I'm kind of picky and the fact that I couldn't figure out why the VZW Tab was more sluggish really irked me.

The scrolling, menu sliding, animations, etc. are all smoother and less jerky/stuttery.

I will admit, I did not take the time to de-bloat the Verizon model to see if that would help. As an owner of a Samsung Fascinate, it was improved greatly by a different kernel and being debloated. So maybe the VZW Tab would end up the same.

I have also not done anything in terms of de-bloating for the Sprint model (though it doesn't really have much extra), and it ran significantly better out of the box - so I ran with it.

The only complaint I have is a lack of AMOLED :)

On a sidenote, I seem to have signed a contract for a 0-month term, and a $200 ETF if I end my 0-month term early, all for $399. The site even says that my agreement terms have ended. Hmm...
 
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I went and checked out the Sprint tab...

...I returned my Verizon Tab and got a Sprint one.


  • Sprint has pretty much the same coverage around Home and Work as Verizon does, so that was a moot point for me.
  • Sprint Tab was $399 on a 2-yr contract with a $200 ETF that prorates by $10 a month after the 5th month. Essentially, the same cost as Verizon's ($599) if I return/terminate within 5 months, less if I don't.
  • Sprint was $29.99 for 2GB Data and Unlimited Messaging. Verizon was $20 for 1GB OR $35 for 3GB, but does not include any messaging. Verizon's 1GB plan also charges $20 for a GB for each GB over and the 3GB plan charges $10 for a GB for each GB over. Sprint charges 5 cents per MB for overages - so it depends on how much you use.
  • Sprint Tab was significantly, hugely, noticeably faster and snappier. This is merely out of box - Verizon might function similarly if de-bloated. I have no honest idea why this is - I compared the low level processes of the two and found no glaring differences that I thought might contribute to it.
And that's that. I'm the proud owner of a Galaxy Tab from Sprint, and I'm loving it.



So how exactly does someone go 1G over? Does downloading internet files add to that 1G?
 
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My side-by-side test was done with both a factory reset Verizon Tab with no Live wallpaper, and a just out of box Sprint Tab with no Live wallpaper. I then returned the Verizon Tab.

On a sidenote, I seem to have signed a contract for a 0-month term, and a $200 ETF if I end my 0-month term early, all for $399. The site even says that my agreement terms have ended. Hmm...

Good to know, burningembers. i will repost once i get my TAB that i ordered thru Costco. I thought about going to sprint or T-Mobile but they both have aweful service near my home and while commuting on public transit. Verizon have the best coverage especially on the days I commute so I'm kinda stuck with them for service. If i do find it's aweful maybe I'll return the VZW one get a tmobile one and cancel service and just tether it to my Droid Eris.
 
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So how exactly does someone go 1G over? Does downloading internet files add to that 1G?

For Verizon, if you hit your data cap, you're automatically billed for another GB, versus Sprint where you're just billed in MB increments (which on the whole totals a higher cost per GB. 5 cents per MB for 1024 MB (1GB) is $51.20 by my math). Yes, downloading internet files or any data transfer adds to that 1GB.

So Sprint is cheaper if you don't go that much over more than 200MB - 400MB (depending on your Verizon plan). Verizon is cheaper otherwise.

But for some that's not enough, I am lucky Sprint and Verizon have pretty equal coverage in my area. Might not be the case for everyone.

From what I've heard, T-Mobile is a step better, if you go over on them you don't get charged extra - but your overall throughput is rate limited. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of T-Mobile and their coverage in my area is really really bad.
 
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