GS4 radios vs Moto Razr Maxx HD radios

[recDNA]

I am on VZW network. If anybody has a GS4 or even a GS3 and you could compare data reception with moto razr maxx hd I would appreciate it. I go in and out of areas with sketchy reception so I am curious how you would compare the 2 phones. I have the razr maxx hd but love the GS4 screen. colors really pop compared to my phone but if reception isn't good it wouldn't be wise for me to invest $650 in the Sammy. I have no problem with the 16gb or smaller battery. I would trade those features for the nicer screen and bigger ram.

Thanks!

 

[TozyJay]

I just switched from the Droid RAZR MAXX HD. Your mileage may vary depending on your area, but my service has been largely the same on both phones. The areas that I had good service before, I still have good service in. Likewise, the areas where I had spotty service before are still roughly the same.

The biggest gains for me have been in performance. My RAZR phone was pretty sluggish (especially after the Jelly Bean update). This GS4 zips along nicely.

Also, the camera is far superior.

However, the MAXX HD is still a solid device. Please don't take my word on the service as gospel, but I'd assume it would be about the same.

 

[teddyballgame]

I had the verizon S3, Droid razr Maxx and now have the Verizon S4 and can tell you for certain the reception on the verizon S4 is stronger than the S3 for both data and pbone calls. In comparison to the Razr Maxx the reception appears to be equal. No better and no worse. The S4 is pretty awesome. The wifi works well too and I find the 2600 mah battery to be sufficient.
Cheers

 

[recDNA]

From the last man who ever has or will hit 400 I trust u!

 

[rushmore]

The S4 I tested did not by any stretch show better than my S3 and they were side by side in medium to good 4G signal areas. The dBm of the S3 was actually 1 to 3 points better than the S4, though noticed no speed difference. The S4 seems no better than the S3, though did not get to test in fringe areas, since only had an hour and was not my phone to take liberties with... Beyond what I did.

I guess the user perception and the areas used are too subjective for consensus. Kind of like people trying to compare battery life, which is from a true testing standpoint- whack.

 

[recDNA]

Fringe is the key for me. Used to drive me nuts that my wife's iphone had data in places my tbolt had zero reception (like hampton beach, nh). I find the moto comparable to the iphone in fringe areas.

 

[BzB]

compared to my galaxy nexus the s4 is without a doubt better in regards to radios. better voice, data, gps. i notice the data connectivity much more than anything else. i don't really pay attn to dbms and whatnot as real world usage means way more to me than numbers on the screen.

that said, over at xda a few users have posted tests that show the s4 to have marginally better dbms side by side compared to the s3 and on par with a moto razr maxx. everything i've heard about the s3 is the data radio sucks. seems samsung had problems with the radios on their past devices.

from those who actually own an s4 and have used it in many different areas over the past few days, the general consensus is samsung finally got everything right with the s4 radios. i personally am very pleased!

 

[rushmore]

The S3 is a great device in medium to good signal areas and a battery sucking demon in anything less. Not tested the S4 in areas like that, so will not know personally unless a 32gb model is released by VZW. That probably means I never will.

 

[mhynek]

I seem to get one bar less on my S4 than with my Razr Maxx...fwiw

 

[recDNA]

I seem to get one bar less on my S4 than with my Razr Maxx...fwiw

I'm more concerned about places with marginal 1 bar but data able with maxx. Does GS4 lose signal entirely in those places. Like at my sister's condo I have data with my maxx but none with my tbolt.

 

[Kie]

I find my S4 worse than my S2 in terms of area coverage. The S2 was a solid, constant signal even on trains where it used to drop out constantly when I had a 3GS. Now the S4 has returned to me those bad habits. Hopefully this gets fixed with a few radio updates.

 

[mhynek]

I'm more concerned about places with marginal 1 bar but data able with maxx. Does GS4 lose signal entirely in those places. Like at my sister's condo I have data with my maxx but none with my tbolt.

I haven't lost signal with it yet, so perhaps the bars being reported are not exactly accurate?

 

[recDNA]

I haven't lost signal with it yet, so perhaps the bars being reported are not exactly accurate?

I think the bars are for 4G so even with no bars you sometimes get 1X

 

[charlie310]

My S4 LTE reception is noticeably worse than my Droid Bionic (probably uses the same radio as the Maxx). In places where I'd get fast LTE speeds with my Bionic, I'm only able to get 3G on my S4. It's disappointing, but fixable.

 

[recDNA]

Fixable by whom? Samsung hasn't ever had the best radios. Why would they now?

 

[Ken7]

The S3 is a great device in medium to good signal areas and a battery sucking demon in anything less. Not tested the S4 in areas like that, so will not know personally unless a 32gb model is released by VZW. That probably means I never will.

I've had the S4 for several days now and it seems the reception might be a bit better than my S3 was. The one thing that I've noticed is that the S4 doesn't get nearly as hot in marginal signal ares. That used to suck the battery down on my S3 like crazy. In general, my battery life with the S4 is much better than it was with the S3 and I think the reception is a factor in this.

 

[rushmore]

It would be a good thing if the S4 is not the same battery demon in low signal areas like the S3.

 

[cybertec69]

I am on VZW network. If anybody has a GS4 or even a GS3 and you could compare data reception with moto razr maxx hd I would appreciate it. I go in and out of areas with sketchy reception so I am curious how you would compare the 2 phones. I have the razr maxx hd but love the GS4 screen. colors really pop compared to my phone but if reception isn't good it wouldn't be wise for me to invest $650 in the Sammy. I have no problem with the 16gb or smaller battery. I would trade those features for the nicer screen and bigger ram.

Thanks!

You do know the battery is user replaceable, so battery should not be an issue for anyone, it also has micro SD card expansion "up to 64 Gigs", so again that should not be an issue.

 

[Adara]

Just upgraded from a RAZR Maxx to a GS4. I make calls when I'm driving to and from work everyday.

Every day, the RAZR Maxx would drop the signal once on my way to work (when driving past the courthouse) and once on my way home from work (when pulling into my garage).

The GS4 has been terrific when pulling into my garage -- have not lost the signal (or even had the call go all wobbly) in there. However, it drops the call by the courthouse, just like the Maxx. In fact, it drops the call about a block before the courthouse (by the cathedral).

The cathedral location is pretty interesting, because the Maxx used to go all wobbly (and occasionally lose the call) when I was driving past the cathedral going home. The GS4 is fine with the cathedral when I'm going home, but drops the call when I'm going to work. In other words, each phone prefers a different side of the street. I wish I was making this up, but if you have VZW, you know I'm not.

I can't say for sure about data, as opposed to calls. I lost data in my house with the RAZR so much that I finally boosted my Wi-Fi at home, and use that exclusively.

Conclusion: Overall, I expect I'll have about the same number of dropped calls as I had with the Maxx, but they are likely to occur at different locations.

 

[mhynek]

I agree with Adara, same sh*t different place lol.

 

[recDNA]

I don't even care about phone calls. I only care about data. That said, I haven't been anywhere that I've dropped a call on my hd.

 

[gocartone]

I know this is old, but I just wanted to add my info in for anyone that needs it. I went from a GS3 to a Maxx HD and have to say that the ability to make and hold phone calls isn't even comparable in areas where there is anything less than excellent signal.

The dBm, IMO, is a horrible way to measure how good of a signal a phone has. Both phones at my house measured the same dBm. I was lucky to get a long lasting call on the GS3 without it dropping and almost every call would break up. With my Razr I have had nothing but crystal clear phone calls, and the same goes for a ton of other places my GS3 had issues. What was weird was the 3G reception on the GS3 was damn near as good as the Razr. I use my phone as a phone a lot though, and it's my only house phone, so there was no way I could live with the GS3.

That said, I'm pretty sure I'm going to roll the dice and pick up a used GS4 when I can find one. The Maxx HD and GS3 have the same processors (more ram on the GS3, I know), but the two are on totally different levels of speed IMO. That, along with the fact that the new Moto phones no longer have expandable memory (my Maxx HD has a 64gb card that I put to use), AND they are coming out with what IMO is last years hardware, is why I'm going back to Samsung.

 

[recDNA]

I know this is old, but I just wanted to add my info in for anyone that needs it. I went from a GS3 to a Maxx HD and have to say that the ability to make and hold phone calls isn't even comparable in areas where there is anything less than excellent signal.

The dBm, IMO, is a horrible way to measure how good of a signal a phone has. Both phones at my house measured the same dBm. I was lucky to get a long lasting call on the GS3 without it dropping and almost every call would break up. With my Razr I have had nothing but crystal clear phone calls, and the same goes for a ton of other places my GS3 had issues. What was weird was the 3G reception on the GS3 was damn near as good as the Razr. I use my phone as a phone a lot though, and it's my only house phone, so there was no way I could live with the GS3.

That said, I'm pretty sure I'm going to roll the dice and pick up a used GS4 when I can find one. The Maxx HD and GS3 have the same processors (more ram on the GS3, I know), but the two are on totally different levels of speed IMO. That, along with the fact that the new Moto phones no longer have expandable memory (my Maxx HD has a 64gb card that I put to use), AND they are coming out with what IMO is last years hardware, is why I'm going back to Samsung.

I was shocked to read about lag complaints in gs4 forum. With that hardware I expected it to fly but not what I've read.

 

[gocartone]

I was shocked to read about lag complaints in gs4 forum. With that hardware I expected it to fly but not what I've read.

I haven't read any of it, but my guess is they haven't turned off the Samsung added features. I know on my S3 I turned off the touchwiz crap and it got rid of all the lag.

After the huge letdown that is the Moto X, I'm going to be picking up an S4 as soon as I can find a good deal on a used one. $200 with a 2-year contract for an outdated phone (in ALL aspects) with a small battery that isn't removable, and 16gb of storage with no expansion slot? No thank you. So much for a revolutionary phone!

 

[recDNA]

I haven't read any of it, but my guess is they haven't turned off the Samsung added features. I know on my S3 I turned off the touchwiz crap and it got rid of all the lag.

After the huge letdown that is the Moto X, I'm going to be picking up an S4 as soon as I can find a good deal on a used one. $200 with a 2-year contract for an outdated phone (in ALL aspects) with a small battery that isn't removable, and 16gb of storage with no expansion slot? No thank you. So much for a revolutionary phone!

I agree about the x. I'm waiting to hear about the ultra now.