GSM LTE phones vs CDMA LTE phones radios

[giper54]

I found an interesting article about radios and LTE connections. The Radio Performance Disparity of the Galaxy Nexus on GSM and CDMA - Mobile Central - Binary Outcast

I have the oppurtunity to either go with ATT or Verizon. The article makes it seems that GSM is a better bet for LTE phones especially in areas with poor reception. I am hoping people can provide insight/comments on LTE phones for GSM and CDMA carriers and the article.

The Radio Performance Disparity of the Galaxy Nexus on GSM and CDMA

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus. It's Google's flagship phone that is designed to complement the Android 4.0

 

[johnlgalt]

Great article. I wonder how this fares with Motorola's in house developed LTE chips?

 

[Crashdamage]

Nice, if long, informative post. For the reasons you gave and others, it's always been a fact that GSM is a superior system vs CDMA. Given a choice, picking GSM is a no-brainer.

 

[johnlgalt]

Post was long b/c it's actually a copy & paste of the entire article.

If I was not with VZW I'd definitely opt for a GSM phone, but it seems here that the issue is more the use of a substandard /subpar LTE chip for the phones made to be sold by VZW and Sprint.

Can the phones sold through Google Play Store be used at all on VZW / Sprint ( I'm betting not on VZW, buy don't know anything about Sprint....)

 

[IOWA]

Nice, if long, informative post. For the reasons you gave and others, it's always been a fact that GSM is a superior system vs CDMA. Given a choice, picking GSM is a no-brainer.

Just wanted to clear something up. In terms of technology, GSM has never, *ever* been superior to CDMA.

In fact, the principles of all the 3G "GSM" technologies in fact, use CDMA technology (WCDMA)

So in the terms of Capacity, clarity, speed, efficiency, and coverage CDMA technology has GSM licked by a long shot, which relies on TDMA.

Now many people will argue GSM somehow magically "evolved" into WCDMA, but that's just marketing speak, and it's not really GSM. The modern "GSM" network is actually a mix of outdated GSM and CDMA technologies.

 

[damewolf13]

I only have my own experiences to draw from, but I have two SGS3's, 1 on AT&T HSPA+, and 1 on VZW LTE. Same exact phones, different technologies/networks.
I live smack dab in the middle of the city of Tucson AZ, and when I download the exact same apps to both phones at exactly the same time, the AT&T phone beats the VZW LTE phone every time. Having said that, they are both screaming fast, most of the time.

 

[Crashdamage]

@IOWA...I just don't have time or inclination to get into a long discussion about it right now but...I'll just say you're kinda sorta right - kinda sorta wrong - but it's not so simple.

Maybe we can go at it in detail another time.

 

[giper54]

Will the snapdragon S4 chip from Qualcomm help with this switch?

 

[giper54]

Techno Buffalo has an article about T-Mobiles transition to LTE and a T Mobile person stated that their enhanced backload will help T Mobile's LTE. will this help AT&T's LTE Too? http://www.technobuffalo.com/news/w...backhaul-is-the-key-to-a-users-4g-experience/

 

[Crashdamage]

...a T Mobile person stated that their enhanced backload will help T Mobile's LTE. will this help AT&T's LTE Too? http://www.technobuffalo.com/news/w...backhaul-is-the-key-to-a-users-4g-experience/

No. AT&T has their own backhaul infrastructure. It's not terrific, at least in some areas.

 

[giper54]

Here is another article talking about the challenge CDMA has with LTE when the LTE signal is weak
http://www.phonearena.com/news/How-...-you-dont-need-it-and-save-on-battery_id32990

 

[giper54]

One more http://www.extremetech.com/mobile/110711-what-is-lte/7