Why is the EVO3D limited to Sprint (in the USA)?

[jfe]

OK, I still have the original Moto Droid, and itching to get a new phone, as I am now eligible to get a new one

I thought I wanted the Thunderbolt

Wait

The Bionic looks good

Then I see the EVO 3D, and it looks awesome. But I can't go to Sprint, it sucks big time by my house, and I get a corporate discount with Verizon

Why can't we have it on Verizon? It's CDMA after all.

Just venting, as I am going to make a decision on which new Verizon phone to get

Maybe wait for the Targa

 

[ScorpDX]

Carriers cut a deal with the manufacturer to be the sole carrier for that phone. Just like AT&T had the iPhone for 5 years. They do it for competition reasons. If they make you want the EVO bad enough then you come to them. If Verizon has a phone you like then you stay there.

 

[crabjoe]

If it were a GSM phone and had the proper frequencies, you could just get the phone unlocked, and swap in a SIM card. But since we're talking CDMA, it's different. These companies know exactly what phones on on their network by using the ESN, so they won't allow an off network on their network, even if they have the proper radios in them.

As for wanting the EVO 3D over the Thunderbolt... Well, the specs on the EVO 3D are better, but the Thunderbolt is an LTE phone on Verizon's network. If you're in an LTE area, I think you'll be more then happy with the performance of the Thunderbolt.

The only downside I see is the battery life. Still, even though the EVO 3D has a bigger battery, that doesn't mean the battery will last longer. You have to remember the battery in the EVO 3D has to drive a 3D screen and WiMax. And WiMax is so full of holes, it's going to constantly be searching for a service ... Searching for service is a power drainer for sho!

 

[jdsingle]

Because it forces someone like me who is on big red to jump ship to Sprint because I don't want anything Verizon has right now.

I guess I am in the small niche of people who don't really care about 4G speeds that much. I've been fine with 3G because half the time I am not away from wifi to even worry about it. I have full faith Sprint will come up with someone and start rolling out their 4G again. If not, I'm only with them for 2 years. I don't think I'll be that disappointed in their 4G (which btw has everywhere I am at covered) that even if I only have 3G, I can't live without it for 2 years. In comparison, big red actually has shitty service where I am at. I cannot tell you how many of my friends complain about not being able to hear people and having 0 bars in densely populated areas.

 

[sikclown]

As for wanting the EVO 3D over the Thunderbolt... Well, the specs on the EVO 3D are better, but the Thunderbolt is an LTE phone on Verizon's network. If you're in an LTE area, I think you'll be more then happy with the performance of the Thunderbolt.

The only downside I see is the battery life. Still, even though the EVO 3D has a bigger battery, that doesn't mean the battery will last longer. You have to remember the battery in the EVO 3D has to drive a 3D screen and WiMax. And WiMax is so full of holes, it's going to constantly be searching for a service ... Searching for service is a power drainer for sho!

True on both fronts but you can turn the WiMax radio off when you don't need it. The same can't be said for the LTE radio on the Thunderbolt. I would bet that the Evo 3d has at least the same battery life as the Evo and Better than with some tweaks.

 

[jfe]

I could understand with the iphone and the exclusive deal with att, but htc sells phones to all carriers

just not as excited as with the droid phones as the EVOS right now

 

[sikclown]

I could understand with the iphone and the exclusive deal with att, but htc sells phones to all carriers

just not as excited as with the droid phones as the EVOS right now

Right but HTC makes some exclusives for every carrier. Verizon got the Thunderbolt which is kind of like the Evo 4g. They are a little behind on the HTC front but I am sure more are coming soon. You could always jump ship for the Evo 3d. Sprint will give you 125.00 to port your number which helps with the ETF from Verizon.

 

[dan330]

like the evo 4g.. att got inspire.. and verizon got thunderbolt.. tmobile got ????

but the point is... htc will get each carrier a version of the evo 3d... and with some improvements. just have to wait for it..

 

[sikclown]

like the evo 4g.. att got inspire.. and verizon got thunderbolt.. tmobile got ????

but the point is... htc will get each carrier a version of the evo 3d... and with some improvements. just have to wait for it..

T-Mobile got the MyTouch 4g and the G2. Looks like they opted to go with LG on their big screen beast the G2z or x or whatever it is

 

[Slick1020]

If it were a GSM phone and had the proper frequencies, you could just get the phone unlocked, and swap in a SIM card. But since we're talking CDMA, it's different. These companies know exactly what phones on on their network by using the ESN, so they won't allow an off network on their network, even if they have the proper radios in them.

That's not true. I took my Sprint Touch to Korea and I didn't have to do anything to use my phone on the CDMA network in Seoul except inform Sprint. If you took an EVO to Korea, you wouldn't run into any problems using the EVO either. However, you will have a hefty phone bill when you return. I hand an international phone plan and I still wound up having a $1000 cell phone bill. You have to pay by the minute when using CDMA towers in a different country. But the data in Korea is hella fast. When you have Sprint activate an international plan on your phone you can use CDMA towers in any other country you visit.

 

[lordofthereef]

Ask verizon that question. They are the ones that refuse to activate an ESN of a phone not in their system. Technology-wse, it would work just fine.

 

[crabjoe]

True on both fronts but you can turn the WiMax radio off when you don't need it. The same can't be said for the LTE radio on the Thunderbolt. I would bet that the Evo 3d has at least the same battery life as the Evo and Better than with some tweaks.

I've heard that it's now possible to turn off the 4G service on the Thunderbolt. The question is, have you heard if there kind of power savings, by doing so? Part of the reason I'm asking is because the reason 4G on WiMax seems to drain the battery so badly is because it's constantly looking for for a signal, even in a 4G area due to all the holes in WiMax coverage.

 

[crabjoe]

That's not true. I took my Sprint Touch to Korea and I didn't have to do anything to use my phone on the CDMA network in Seoul except inform Sprint. If you took an EVO to Korea, you wouldn't run into any problems using the EVO either. However, you will have a hefty phone bill when you return. I hand an international phone plan and I still wound up having a $1000 cell phone bill. You have to pay by the minute when using CDMA towers in a different country. But the data in Korea is hella fast. When you have Sprint activate an international plan on your phone you can use CDMA towers in any other country you visit.

Actually what I said was true. What happened to you happened because of International roaming agreements. It's the same as you being able to roam on Verizon in the US. The difference is, Sprint doesn't bill you roam on Verizon, as part of your contract with Sprint. So even though your phone will work on Verizon, try taking your phone over to them and activating it with them.. You'll get a big fat "No" from them.

BTW, a foreign carrier might activate a Sprint phone on their network, but that's only if they allow it... They know exactly what phones they've sold and if they wanted, like US carriers, they don't have to allow the activation. Sure they'll let you roam on to them, but like you saw, you'll get a heft bill.

 

[lordofthereef]

Actually what I said was true. What happened to you happened because of International roaming agreements. It's the same as you being able to roam on Verizon in the US. The difference is, Sprint doesn't bill you roam on Verizon, as part of your contract with Sprint. So even though your phone will work on Verizon, try taking your phone over to them and activating it with them.. You'll get a big fat "No" from them.

BTW, a foreign carrier might activate a Sprint phone on their network, but that's only if they allow it... They know exactly what phones they've sold and if they wanted, like US carriers, they don't have to allow the activation. Sure they'll let you roam on to them, but like you saw, you'll get a heft bill.

For the sake of argument a GSM carrier doesn't have to allow a "foreign" phone onto their service either. They receive the IMEI of the phone instantly and can distinguish wether it was sold by them or not. The difference is that they don't care to do that.

There are US CDMA carriers (Cricket and Boost are the two that I can think of) that will actually let phones not sold by them onto their network.

 

[novemberwhiskey]

Currently on a Dx on Verizon, and can't switch as I am on a family plan. I love the Evo 3d from the looks of it, and want it pretty badly.

Will it ever come to Verizon? Any leaked dates?

If it does not, can I use a Sprint phone on Verizon as they are both CDMA?

 

[BenChase7]

Currently on a Dx on Verizon, and can't switch as I am on a family plan. I love the Evo 3d from the looks of it, and want it pretty badly.

Will it ever come to Verizon?
Probably not (although id imagine they will get some sort of 3D device in time)

Any leaked dates?
NO.

If it does not, can I use a Sprint phone on Verizon as they are both CDMA?
NO

ESN's prevent using Sprint phones on VZW, And vice-versa.

 

[jerofld]

Currently on a Dx on Verizon, and can't switch as I am on a family plan. I love the Evo 3d from the looks of it, and want it pretty badly.

Will it ever come to Verizon? Any leaked dates?

If it does not, can I use a Sprint phone on Verizon as they are both CDMA?

Verizon is getting the SGS2, though. It's not 3d, but seems to have a slight performance edge. There is also rumored to be a new HTC to be released in September, perhaps the next Nexus device. So VZW will have choices here in the next couple of months.

 

[Sketchr]

Verizon is getting the SGS2, though. It's not 3d, but seems to have a slight performance edge. There is also rumored to be a new HTC to be released in September, perhaps the next Nexus device. So VZW will have choices here in the next couple of months.

It was my understanding that Verizon's SGS2 will only be 3G. Or is that not correct? That kills it. Completely. While verizon has the fastest 4G (or 4G like) lte, they have the slowest 3G.

 

[Halfbaked]

It was my understanding that Verizon's SGS2 will only be 3G. Or is that not correct? That kills it. Completely. While verizon has the fastest 4G (or 4G like) lte, they have the slowest 3G.

That's not accurate. Sprint 3G speeds are slower than Verizon from the testing results I saw. AT&T is number one in 3G speeds.

 

[Sketchr]

That's not accurate. Sprint 3G speeds are slower than Verizon from the testing results I saw. AT&T is number one in 3G speeds.

I have both sprint (personal) and verizon (biz phone). And when I had the DroidX on verizon it crawled with 3G everywhere. My EVO when on 3G is considerably faster. Now I have the Thunderbolt for my biz phone on Verizon. I could never go back to 3G only on either network, but Sprint's and att's are acceptable when 4G for some reason is not available, Verizon's is not...IMO.

 

[jerofld]

It was my understanding that Verizon's SGS2 will only be 3G. Or is that not correct? That kills it. Completely. While verizon has the fastest 4G (or 4G like) lte, they have the slowest 3G.

Maybe for you. But the poster I was responding to wanted to port the E3D over from Sprint to Verizon. Sprint's 4G is not LTE, so the E3D would have been restricted to 3G, anyways.

4G LTE phones are slim pickings, and likely will stay that way for a number of months. Personally, I wouldn't want an LTE phone (if I were to stay with VZW) until Christmas timeframe, anyways. But that would matter more on how bad they set up their tiered data plans.

 

[apinkel]

Yeah, the OP's original post is exactly what Sprint wants to hear and why they setup these kind of exclusive agreements with phone manufacturers. For what it's worth I feel your pain... I was jealous of the android lineup on Verizon last year (this year, not so much).

I also agree with the earlier post about having no need for 4G. I can hardly tell any difference on my phone when surfing on wifi vs. surfing on 3G, largely because the speed of the SOC is the bottleneck, not my 3G connection. I guess it would be nice to have 4G for when I'm tethering since my laptop actually has the horsepower to use the speed it provides.

 

[novox77]

3G comparisions are not very meaningful unless they are done in a controlled manner. While there are reliable stats showing that AT&T 3G is faster overall nationwide, that does not mean that AT&T's 3G service where you live will outperform the other networks.

Sprint's coverage map is extremely accurate based on my experience. Down to street level. Half of my neighborhood gets average reception, and right at my house, the reception goes to shit. The coverage map shows that. So... use the map and see if the locations you frequent are in areas of good coverage.

 

[Emmexx]

3G comparisions are not very meaningful unless they are done in a controlled manner. While there are reliable stats showing that AT&T 3G is faster overall nationwide, that does not mean that AT&T's 3G service where you live will outperform the other networks.

Sprint's coverage map is extremely accurate based on my experience. Down to street level. Half of my neighborhood gets average reception, and right at my house, the reception goes to shit. The coverage map shows that. So... use the map and see if the locations you frequent are in areas of good coverage.

This has been my Sprint experience as well. I mapped kit 3G and 4G prior to purchase and the signals flip right where the maps ago when I travel to and from work. Pretty decent speeds too.

 

[apinkel]

Sprint's coverage map is extremely accurate based on my experience. Down to street level. Half of my neighborhood gets average reception, and right at my house, the reception goes to shit. The coverage map shows that. So... use the map and see if the locations you frequent are in areas of good coverage.

On a related note, sensorly.com is a great site for quickly seeing the coverage maps for different carriers. I've found their maps to be accurate as well. It's a handy tool for picking a carrier with the best coverage for your needs.