Tek shops for a Sprint smartphone

S2 is nearly the same machine as the Nexus. It has NFC. Nearly the same processor. And you can root it and put ICS. There are some standard Samsung leaked builds of ICS so you know it's coming out officially pretty soon.
 
Last edited:
ohhh nice. I am so tempted to snag the S2. I just don't want to pony up the extra cash with 7 more months till my upgrade. I did just put a new Rom on my LG Optimus and its running like a champ with a little overclocking. Gingerbread will have to suffice for now I think.
 
Tek7 said:
Because I want an Android phone, not a iPhone.
Click to expand...

an iPhone*

I'm quite pleased with the way my iPod touch operates. It just works. Android devices are like windows computers - anyone can make one and put Android on it, so the quality will vary between the brands. With an iPhone the quality will always be superb because the iOS is designed to be run on that device.
 
Good news: My wife's friend is letting her borrow her HTC EVO 4G for a few days so we can try out Sprint's network.

Bad news: Sprint's data speeds at my wife's place of work and our home are abysmal. I'm talking somewhere between dial-up and low-end DSL. No exaggeration.

Worse news: AT&T currently appears to be the least of all evils.



I don't know which company I loathe more: Sprint for having a lousy network and keeping me from leaving AT&T or AT&T for, well, being AT&T.
 
Oh noes! that's horrible! Sprint is pretty solid on the coast here in So Cal, but that doesn't help you I know.
 
Tek7 said:
Bad news: Sprint's data speeds at my wife's place of work and our home are abysmal. I'm talking somewhere between dial-up and low-end DSL. No exaggeration.
Click to expand...
I may have spoken too soon.

While Sprint's 3G speeds are indeed terribad in our area, 4G speeds were good (though not great). A quick batch of speed tests showed 5-6Mb down and ~500-750Kb up.

But (and there has to be a "but") 4G is not "officially" available in our area. So if my wife and are traveling around town and we're not able to get a 4G signal (which seems likely, given the state of Sprint's 4G network in our area), we'll need to use the 3G network, which is so slow as to be effectively useless.

So Sprint's not quite out of the running, but things are not looking good. :(
 
ewoksrule said:
Oh noes! that's horrible! Sprint is pretty solid on the coast here in So Cal, but that doesn't help you I know.
Click to expand...
Sprint is supposed to be awesome in St. Louis, too. It's a shame that Sprint is (apparently) so lousy where we live.
 
ewoksrule said:
What are you using for speed tests? Just curious if there is one that's designed to test phones.
Click to expand...
I was using testmy.net because I didn't want to install an Android app on my wife's friend's phone.

My wife and I visited AT&T and Sprint stores tonight. One of the employees who helped us at the AT&T store was helpful; the other was no help at all. I specifically went to the AT&T store to look at an Atrix 2 demo phone and that phone wasn't working, even after asking for help with the demo phone 3 times.

The employee who helped at the Sprint store, on the other hand, was very knowledgeable, very helpful, and honest about the phones and local network. All their demo phones (at least, the ones I tried) worked. I have to say, that Galaxy S II is a shiny phone.

Given the state of the local Sprint network (i.e. it's terribad right now) and given that the Galaxy S II and Photon are WiMAX and Sprint is moving toward building a 4G LTE network, I intend to wait until Sprint starts selling the Galaxy Nexus (estimated date is "early summer"), verify that they've drastically improved their network in our area, kick AT&T to the curb, sign up with Sprint, and get two Galaxy Nexuses for me and my wife.

Now I'm wondering if I should try to pick up a used phone on craigslist or buy a GoPhone as a replacement for the next few months.

And the two main reasons I want the Galaxy Nexus instead of the Galaxy S II:
  1. Immediate upgrades to the Android OS. No waiting for Samsung (a company with a reputation for taking far longer than HTC or Motorola to issue OS updates) to test and approve updates for release.
  2. Support for 4G LTE. The S II supports WiMAX, not LTE, and, if what I read is correct, Sprint will not be investing any more money in building out its WiMAX network.
So this is the third time that I've visited a Sprint store and decided to delay getting smartphones (but all 3 times for good reasons).
 
Fun. 4G is worth waiting for. We dont have it here yet but I took this screenshot going through Spokane. Pretty fast internet.

6PhVY.png


No, I wasnt driving...but we were going down the freeway taking this test
 
Last edited:
Tek7 said:
Well, my "feature phone" is on its way out. :(

The internal speaker on my phone is just about shot. I can only get audio when the phone is slid shut (it's a slider phone) and sometimes the audio cuts out even then.

My wife and I were waiting until either (A) we chewed through our rollover minutes or (B) our phones died to kick AT&T to the curb and switch to Sprint. I don't want this thread to turn into, "WIRELESS CARRIER X IS AWESOMESAUCE AND WIRELESS CARRIER Y IS TRASH ON A MONTH-OLD PANCAKE," so just know that we're moving to Sprint because there are no bandwidth caps on Sprint data plans and Sprint does not throttle data speeds.

Moving to the main point of the thread: I'm looking for recommendations on smartphones available at Sprint. I don't need a top-of-the-line, bleeding edge phone, but if I'm going to pay for a data plan, I might as well get a nice phone.

Oh, and I want it to be an Android phone.

So, what Sprint smartphone with Android OS do you all suggest?

EDIT: Oo, the Samsung Epic 4G looks shiny...
Click to expand...

The biggest advantage to andriod is using hte google account it requires you to set(or you can use one you ahve already..gmail counts) your contacts and mail stay on google's servers. Your phone acts up..you format the sucker..re-enter your google account and it pulls all of your contacts and e-mail back.
first of all as a long time sprint user myself..unless you have 4g in your area there's no need for a 4g phone.
I would go for a samsung transform first of all. Nice phone, nice display and the price is good. The cpu is a bit on the low end so be careful about loading it up with apps(facebook is particularly hard on the cpu). You'll get decent battery life(around a day). if you start doing lots of gps stuff that will disappear quickly.

if you want a more highly featured phone then the next step up is the transform ultra. Same phone but with a 1ghz cpu. This is a phoen that's going to handle app loads better if you go app crazy..:) Next up would be the epic 4g. After that i would not get anything by HTC. htc puts a custom UI on their phones that have led to a continuing stream of security problems allowing folks to take over your phone in various way...easily.

all of the mentioned phones have both touchscreens AND a slideout keyboard for easier data entry. I use a transform myself and i love it. I actually get 2 days battery life out of this..:)

I would HIGHLY advise buying the wall/mokbile combo charger. It can either plug into a way or a lighter port and can charge your phone and another device at the same time(any phone or device that has usb). We have two of them..they rock.

Tek7 said:
I was using testmy.net because I didn't want to install an Android app on my wife's friend's phone.

My wife and I visited AT&T and Sprint stores tonight. One of the employees who helped us at the AT&T store was helpful; the other was no help at all. I specifically went to the AT&T store to look at an Atrix 2 demo phone and that phone wasn't working, even after asking for help with the demo phone 3 times.

The employee who helped at the Sprint store, on the other hand, was very knowledgeable, very helpful, and honest about the phones and local network. All their demo phones (at least, the ones I tried) worked. I have to say, that Galaxy S II is a shiny phone.

Given the state of the local Sprint network (i.e. it's terribad right now) and given that the Galaxy S II and Photon are WiMAX and Sprint is moving toward building a 4G LTE network, I intend to wait until Sprint starts selling the Galaxy Nexus (estimated date is "early summer"), verify that they've drastically improved their network in our area, kick AT&T to the curb, sign up with Sprint, and get two Galaxy Nexuses for me and my wife.

Now I'm wondering if I should try to pick up a used phone on craigslist or buy a GoPhone as a replacement for the next few months.

And the two main reasons I want the Galaxy Nexus instead of the Galaxy S II:
  1. Immediate upgrades to the Android OS. No waiting for Samsung (a company with a reputation for taking far longer than HTC or Motorola to issue OS updates) to test and approve updates for release.
  2. Support for 4G LTE. The S II supports WiMAX, not LTE, and, if what I read is correct, Sprint will not be investing any more money in building out its WiMAX network.
So this is the third time that I've visited a Sprint store and decided to delay getting smartphones (but all 3 times for good reasons).
Click to expand...

in regards to your points:
1. No such thing as immediate upgrades. unless you buy it unlocked directly form google the manufacturers don't do immediate upgrades....mainly because the hardware the phones come in won't handle a higher version due to increasing system requirements. Phones are not general purpose computers..yet..they are still phones.
2. If you want 4g then the only one i would point you to is the samsung epic 4g..read my reasoning against anything htc until possibly next year.

also..do NOT buy form a sprint store. Buy it phone/plan everything ONLINE. The sprint store folks are going to push you higher because they get paid commissions..the website doesn't. If you have a technical problem do NOT go to the sprint store. Call sprint...they'll be much better there.

if you are going galaxy nexus that's another samsung phone..put touch though no slider..if that's ok with you then that's aanother very good phone..:)

one trick to extending battery life on any smartphone. turn on wifi and use it as much as possible. if you have wifi connected the phone routes all data through it..it saves on your data plan and also on power as wifi is not nearly as battery intensive as 3/4g. If you aren't using the 3g/4g radio for data it goes into sleep mode and the wifi uses 25% less power. You won't get exactly 25% battery extension but it will be significant. Keep in mind 3g/4g phones are power intensive. If you get more than a days' worth of use you're doing very well..:)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Lloren said:
Fun. 4G is worth waiting for. We dont have it here yet but I took this screenshot going through Spokane. Pretty fast internet.
Click to expand...
So I've heard. Unfortunately, I don't believe Sprint has any 4G LTE coverage in our area and the 4G WiMAX Sprint does have here is "unofficial."

If you're confused about Sprint's position regarding WiMAX and LTE (I certainly was), this article may help.

I was frustrated that I ran into so many roadblocks with my research and efforts to leave AT&T, but I see now that it's all for the best. The Galaxy S II, the EVO 3D, and the Photon, while all great phones, are all WiMAX, not LTE, phones. The Galaxy Nexus will be Sprint's first LTE phone, so even if I have to settle for 3G speeds (assuming Sprint's 3G network is actually usable by the time the Galaxy Nexus is available), I'll be ready for when 4G LTE is available in my area.

Yes, I'll be able to get a shiny new phone in 2 years, but I probably won't unless there's a clear and present need. I take good care of my technology and it (usually) takes good care of me in return. If I drop serious coin on a Galaxy Nexus (I'm assuming it will cost $200-$250 when it's first available at Sprint and I'd be surprised if it isn't $250), I'm going to make it last for as long as reasonably possible. Aside from a wonky internal speaker, my Samsung A737 is still in good shape after almost 4 years.

Lloren said:
http://db.tt/iOH4wrzw
Click to expand...
Thumbnails, please!

Lloren said:
No, I wasnt driving...but we were going down the freeway taking this test
Click to expand...
That's good to know. :)
 
Hescominsoon said:
The biggest advantage to andriod is using hte google account it requires you to set(or you can use one you ahve already..gmail counts) your contacts and mail stay on google's servers. Your phone acts up..you format the sucker..re-enter your google account and it pulls all of your contacts and e-mail back.
Click to expand...

I would just like to point out, Androids' leading competitor iOS, does this as well. :P (also using google's servers if you choose)
 
XionTawa said:
I would just like to point out, Androids' leading competitor iOS, does this as well. :P (also using google's servers if you choose)
Click to expand...

Really?? This is amazing. I'm going to switch to iPhone tomorrow!! /s
 
Last edited:
spend the money now, you cant take it with you. get the best cause God isnt asking you to settle for second best. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and will sell a coupla more of them so you can have the two best phones. an extra coupla hundred is not that much
 
I'm doing the whole phone investigation thing right now, as well. I've appreciated the posts on this thread.

When getting a new phone meant - flip or not flip - camera or no camera - free or 39.99 investment - it just wasn't a tough decision. Now though - several hundred dollars - operating systems - how I handle my contacts and data - my phone has a huge impact on my life for the next year or two.

A little caution is a wise thing. Not sure I'd go the route of the 'abba' above. Thanks for taking us through your process, Tek.

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Proverbs 21:5 (NIV)
 
As I mentioned in my last post, my current plan is to wait for Sprint to start selling the Galaxy Nexus, investigate to verify that Sprint has resolved the severe issues with the 3G network in our area, and re-evaluate moving to Sprint at that time.

In the meantime, I'm searching for a free or cheap replacement for my Samsung A737 without extending my contract with AT&T. If I can find the charger for my Nokia 6102i, I may just use that for the time being. (Don't laugh too hard; the Nokia 6102i has voice dialing and my Samsung A737 doesn't.)
 
Tek, I was on T-Mobile (poorest service EVER) for the longest time and when my contract ran out I could simply buy a new phone and stay off a contract, perhaps AT&T would let you do the same?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top