Upgrade or wait? Verizon or T-Mobile for high-end HTC?

[Eugenia]

My beloved T-Mobile G2 stopped picking up service, and I'm looking for a replacement. If it still worked I doubt I'd be considering an upgrade, but my baseline now is a G1 running Android 1.6/Donut. It was a fantastic phone in 2008, but in 2012 it feels unbearable.

I'm considering a switch to Verizon for the better coverage, but I'd stay on T-Mobile if it meant a considerably better phone. If Verizon had a phone that actually excited me, I'd pay the $100 early termination fee without blinking.

What I want, basically, is high-end specs, HTC hardware, and Ice Cream Sandwich. In practice, seems like it's a choice between the One S on T-Mobile and the Incredible 4G on Verizon, both reportedly due out in late April. Is there anything I'm missing? Is anything else coming out this year that would be worth waiting for?

...And if it's those two phones, which do I choose? In my place, what would be your decision?

 

[VoidedSaint]

the problem with this is it is your decision, we can supply you with information, but regardless it is your decision on what you want to do with it, i would suggest once both phones come out, you test each one out, are you on unlimited data with t-mobile? and do you have good service everywhere you go? if so there really is no reason to switch to verizon, you can get some great phones unlocked, and then you can have them on t-mobile.

you are going to want to wait until the phones are on the streets before you try to get anything, i would suggest trying each one out before you buy, cause some users have different experiences with each device.

 

[Eugenia]

I'm on unlimited data with occasional service problems. My significant other is on Verizon and wants to combine plans, but I'm not actively unhappy with T-Mobile and they often seem to have a better HTC selection.

Obviously it's my own decision, but I want it to be an informed one. I do plan to check out both phones in person after their release.

 

[VoidedSaint]

what you need to do, is download Carrier Coverage

determine which service is best for you, t-mobile or verizon in your area.

also note, as i have discovered the phone also makes the difference, with samsungs crappy radios in the nexus, i have horrible service in my area when my droid x was beast.

i wish you the best of luck when the time comes for you to make your choice.

 

[OfTheDamned]

I may be mistaken, but I believe the HTC One S and the Incredible 4G are pretty much the same phone. The big difference is the coverage for the area you live in, battery life and of course 4G LTE.

As VS said, carrier coverage may give you an accurate picture of who has the better coverage in your area. I would also consider the difference between HSPA+ and LTE in your area. If you are able to get around 10 Mbps on HSPA+ then you may not care too much about LTE. If LTE isn't in your area yet, then it obviously wouldn't make any difference at all.

With batter life, keep in mind that CDMA radios generally use more battery than GSM and LTE uses more battery than all the fake iPods in China combined. It is certainly manageable, but if you are used to really good battery life on an T-Mobile GSM device then the jump to a CDMA/LTE device may be a bit if a shock. Then again, if you are having connectivity issues with your current carrier then your battery life is probably suffering anyway.

 

[Eugenia]

Thanks for the link!

Supposedly there's a chance T-Mobile's next G-series phone will be a variant of the One X running stock Ice Cream Sandwich. That may be enough to make me wait, even as an unconfirmed rumor. I'd rather get by with Donut a few months longer than find out I wasted my upgrade on a compromise.

 

[valorian]

One thing to think about, you said you have unlimited data with T-Mobile. If you switch to Verizon you will loose your unlimited data.

 

[indybail]

It's a good dilemma to have with those choices. It's a win, win.

 

[VoidedSaint]

Thanks for the link!

Supposedly there's a chance T-Mobile's next G-series phone will be a variant of the One X running stock Ice Cream Sandwich. That may be enough to make me wait, even as an unconfirmed rumor. I'd rather get by with Donut a few months longer than find out I wasted my upgrade on a compromise.

yeah its no problem, i ran it for a while, but when i went to airplane mode, and it kept trying to resend the signal out, it just killed my battery, so i removed it, so in my area it doesnt have a good reading