Trying to pick a phone...debating between 3g vs 4g LTE with Verizon

[absolutebica]

I am kind of stuck on my decision. On one hand, I have heard 4G LTE is hit or miss on consistency. I am in Indianapolis, IN and a few people I know on 4G says its up and down. Does it fall back to 3G when its failing? When you are in an area that doesn't support it, does it fall back?

I have heard 4G sucks battery life more. I am considering the Stratosphere for the 4G, but the Droid X2 for 3G. I like all the features the Droid X2 has, plus I can get it for $49.

The Stratosphere will be $99.

I am stuck on whether I should "future proof" the phone by getting a 4g, or am I shooting myself in the foot for the near term future because of the crappy battery life, etc...

I know there is an app called juice defender that apparently drops your signal down when in standby to help battery life.

thoughts?

 

[saptech]

I currently using the Stratosphere with VZ and have the 4G plan. It is kinda spoty at time but it will fall back to 3G if 4G not available. I'm in St. Louis area so it's available more than not.

I do like the Strat because of the physical keyboard and I haven't had any issues with it.

Also, if you buy the phone through Amazon Wireless, it cost a penny. They have other phones for a penny too.

Just a quick thought. Gotta run.

 

[absolutebica]

I currently using the Stratosphere with VZ and have the 4G plan. It is kinda spoty at time but it will fall back to 3G if 4G not available. I'm in St. Louis area so it's available more than not.

I do like the Strat because of the physical keyboard and I haven't had any issues with it.

Also, if you buy the phone through Amazon Wireless, it cost a penny. They have other phones for a penny too.

Just a quick thought. Gotta run.

bah same problem I ran into with Best Buy. The Verizon corporate store says I am eligible for an "annual" upgrade. But Best buy and Amazon Wireless says September 4 is when I am eligible. To Verizon, that date is when I get an additional "loyalty" discount of $50 more off.

So sounds like right now I have to purchase through a Verizon store or Verizonwireless.com

I am just trying to determine if 4g is worth it..and will I be missing out if I choose to NOT go with it now and wait another 1-2 years.

 

[jerofld]

You have to think about what you will use your device for. If you have access to wifi in areas where you'll likely be using your phone most, I'd say 4G isn't a huge necessity for you.

While I have WiMax with Sprint, it's still a 4G service. I use my 4G maybe once or twice a week. Most of the time, 3G does well enough until I'm in a wifi area. And if it doesn't, I'll click on 4G. But if I didn't have 4G, I don't think I'd miss it too much.

 

[ouch1976]

Here's my personal experience, take it for what it's worth.

I owned the OG Droid on Verizon for 2 years and loved it. I then tried several other Android devices (namely the Incredible 2, Bionic, Charge, and Droid X).

Out of all these phones, I've been using the Droid X the most and I like it the best. So I imagine the X2 will be better. Big screen, great call quality, really solid build. Overall, I love my X.

But, I've been playing with an unactivated Rezound for about 2 weeks now and I'm probably going to make the full switch this week. But, it's not fair to compare a two year old device (X) to the two month old Rezound. Everyone raves about 4G speeds, but it's not that important to me.

So, definitely don't be afraid to try the X2. But, if I recall correctly, the X2 doesn't have a front facing camera, which may be important.

I hope this helps.

 

[Unforgiven]

I think the big battery drain with 4G is when you are in a weak area and constantly switching between 3g / 4g. I am in a 3G only area so I am set to CDMA only so I could be wrong about that, just seems like the buzz I get from the GNex forum. Also, many users that have battery issues with 4G only turn it on when they need it (i.e. large download, video chat, etc.) and use 3G for most use. One last thing to consider, you said you are in Indy. I read somewhere that VZW did a huge build out of their 4G network there so it would look good with all the SuperBowl visitors (as well as bringing in 3 PIGs for SB week) so you should be good to go with a reliable 4G signal.

Hope this helps.

 

[absolutebica]

I am considering the Incredible 2 right now.

I am scared though. My buddy gave me his Incredible about 1 year ago. It sat in a drawer because I wasn't wanting to go with a smart phone yet (I previously was with an eris, but downgraded to save $$$).

I started up the phone and things were fine...but it went into a boot loop. I thought it was because of the ROM (it was rooted). So I changed things, etc.. eventually took it back to stock and it didn't fix it. I think its heat related, but I am scared that bug still exists in the Incredible 2. I know the differences are the single core (Dinc2) versus duel core (x2), a bit of ram difference, and the front facing camera. Also 4" screen (dinc2) vs 4.3" (x2).

 

[xmr405o]

If you have an unlimited data plan, I would suggest to get a 4g phone. Buying a 3g phone might not be as practical when you have access to unlimited data. If you got access to unlimited data...might as well use it.

You can always just toggle off LTE until VZW improves their LTE signal in your area.

Also, is the Strat 4g and DX2 your only options that you are willing to consider?

 

[absolutebica]

If you have an unlimited data plan, I would suggest to get a 4g phone. Buying a 3g phone might not be as practical when you have access to unlimited data. If you got access to unlimited data...might as well use it.

You can always just toggle off LTE until VZW improves their LTE signal in your area.

Also, is the Strat 4g and DX2 your only options that you are willing to consider?

no. I will consider others but cost is an issue. Max I'd be willing to pay out of pocket is $149.

Thus far I am at the iphone4, droid x2, strat 4g, incredible 2.

I just added a 2gig data plan to my phone and upgraded my wife to the 2 gig as well.

 

[Unforgiven]

If you have an unlimited data plan, I would suggest to get a 4g phone. Buying a 3g phone might not be as practical when you have access to unlimited data. If you got access to unlimited data...might as well use it.

You can always just toggle off LTE until VZW improves their LTE signal in your area.

Also, is the Strat 4g and DX2 your only options that you are willing to consider?

I brushed on this in my post, but what xmr405o said is an excellent point! 4G is not available in my area yet, so I am set to 3g only. Having that option alone makes getting a 4G phone a no-brainer.

 

[xmr405o]

no. I will consider others but cost is an issue. Max I'd be willing to pay out of pocket is $149.

Thus far I am at the iphone4, droid x2, strat 4g, incredible 2.

I just added a 2gig data plan to my phone and upgraded my wife to the 2 gig as well.

Kinda off topic, did you get the double my data option? You should get 4 gigs for the same price as the 2 gig plan as of right now. 2 gigs, IMO, is not enough for a 4g phone. At least if you want to get the most out of it. I don't consider myself a data hog but once I jump to 4g, my data nearly doubled.

If you want to stick with 3g, the Inc 2 is a really good option as well as the D3. I would also consider buying a pre-owned or refurbished phone if you want to save money via VZW. Maybe you can broaden your choices by perusing the certified pre-owned sections too.

Good luck!

 

[absolutebica]

Kinda off topic, did you get the double my data option? You should get 4 gigs for the same price as the 2 gig plan as of right now. 2 gigs, IMO, is not enough for a 4g phone. At least if you want to get the most out of it. I don't consider myself a data hog but once I jump to 4g, my data nearly doubled.

If you want to stick with 3g, the Inc 2 is a really good option as well as the D3. I would also consider buying a pre-owned or refurbished phone if you want to save money via VZW. Maybe you can broaden your choices by perusing the certified pre-owned sections too.

Good luck!

nobody mentioned the double the data, but I would definitely go with that if it was a free 2 gigs.

The pre-owned is something I have considered, but a bit nervous about since hte warranty is less on them.

I just held the Droid X 2 by a co-worker of mine...its definitely got a HUGE screen. I know the Dinc2 is 4" versus the x2's 4.3". What the incredible 1 a 4" screen as well? I thought it was a good size.

performance wise, will I notice a difference between the x2 and the dinc2?

 

[absolutebica]

just saw this

Motorola Droid 4 Lands at Verizon on February 10 | PCWorld

apparently Droid 4 is coming, for 4G LTE. Thing is...I just held my friends Droid 3, and the weight/size specs almost match that of the Stratosphere...yet it felt completely different when I held it in the store. I just held the Droid 3 and it felt like a brick.

 

[Adauth]

4g is the future. Even if you don't have it now, you will soon enough.

 

[xmr405o]

nobody mentioned the double the data, but I would definitely go with that if it was a free 2 gigs.

The pre-owned is something I have considered, but a bit nervous about since hte warranty is less on them.

I just held the Droid X 2 by a co-worker of mine...its definitely got a HUGE screen. I know the Dinc2 is 4" versus the x2's 4.3". What the incredible 1 a 4" screen as well? I thought it was a good size.

performance wise, will I notice a difference between the x2 and the dinc2?

Oops, the double your data is only for 4g phones and it doesn't re-start until Feb 10th. So if you decide to get a 4g phone, then you will qualify for the promotion.

I remember looking at the X2 when it came out, to be honest I wasn't all that impressed but then again I really didn't have too much time with the device. I can't really make an accurate comparison vs the Dinc 2.

As for the certified pre-owned phones, I thought they carried at least the same warranty as new phones.

 

[saptech]

nobody mentioned the double the data, but I would definitely go with that if it was a free 2 gigs.

Sorry for not mentioning it, I got the buy 2gb data and get 2gb free deal with my plan. The more the better and since Dec. I haven't used 1gb yet. At home I do use wifi the most.

I read that link on the Droid 4 and it does look sweet, but I'm not sure why the article mention this:

Verizon needed a 4G phone with a physical keyboard, and now it has one.

I believe the Strat has been out since around 10/2011 and I bought mine in Dec. '11, it has a physical keyboard and comes with 4G.

I also agree with Adauth, 4g is the future. The wife had to exchange her phone which didn't have 4G and now going to get a Strat. I convinced her to get a phone with 4G even if she won't use it much.

 

[xmr405o]

just saw this

Motorola Droid 4 Lands at Verizon on February 10 | PCWorld

apparently Droid 4 is coming, for 4G LTE. Thing is...I just held my friends Droid 3, and the weight/size specs almost match that of the Stratosphere...yet it felt completely different when I held it in the store. I just held the Droid 3 and it felt like a brick.

First off, I hope you aren't going around asking to hold another person's phone all day. That's creepy! Lol, jk...absolute.

The D3 takes time to get used to...it feels like a brick because it's built like a tank! It's not a sexy phone haha. The D4 looks like it has more curves so it might not seem too brickish.

 

[Unforgiven]

First off, I hope you aren't going around asking to hold another person's phone all day. That's creepy! Lol, jk...absolute.

The D3 takes time to get used to...it feels like a brick because it's built like a tank! It's not a sexy phone haha. The D4 looks like it has more curves so it might not seem too brickish.

I had the OG Droid and the D2, and I totally agree with xmr405o, they are built like tanks (this relates to every Moto device I have owned back to the mid 90's). The big downside for me is the locked bootloader. But if you aren't into rooting and romming, this won't be an issue for you.

 

[sohguanh]

Motorola Defy is less of a tank. But so far I have no problems with Moto smart-phones. The volume,power buttons after two years still feel sturdy. In fact I accidentally drop it twice leading to scratches and it is still working. I guess Moto are great hardware maker. Their software are not so 'fancy' compared to others but it is fine with me.