Gman9831
I'm no Senior
Don't worry Bruce theyre almost the same speeds
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MetroPCS samsung galaxy s4
- Thread starter william1964
- Start date
Gman9831
I'm no Senior
mike28
Android Expert
Nope :banghead:
probably will by the time us in FL get it
Lol same here we have time to think
Shabbypenguin
Extreme Android User
hate to break it to yall but its black mist, not pebble blue
mike28
Android Expert
hate to break it to yall but its black mist, not pebble blue
Lol some of this guys are color blind
I was waiting for the end of the month to buy the Black GS4 from t-mobile. To my surprise, when I looked up the phone on T-mobile, the price jumped back to $630 :O..... Thankfully, ShopNBC still had it for $580, so I ordered it from them today. I'm guessing they will increase the price soon.
stuntiNIN0
Well-Known Member
I too bought the phone last month when they had it on special thinking it wouldnt last, seems like i was wrong.
Now im considering just grabbing the Metro s4, since it's probably gonna cost the same($549+tax) And in addition the MetroPCS should be guaranteed to work flawless, where as in there's the small possibility that getting the Tmo s4 thru BYOD, might, at some point not perform 100%, specially since BYOD is STILL being introduced. Also the MetroPCS s4 should be able to everything the Tmo s4 does, since they share the same model number(SGH-M919/N)
In my opinion, there is no point in having the Tmo version unless using it with Tmo, even then Tmo supports popping in any sim card and go, no issues.
Whereas with MetroPCS its not quite yet known to work that way, there's more of a process to it(IMEI pairing or whatnot) So that would make using the Metro branded s4 i guess smoother perhaps, i could be wrong, but seen as they're both gonna run you the same, and both have the same capabilities(GSM/LTE) which means you could use your MetroPCS s4 on another carrier down the line. I would just rather go with the MetroPCS version to avoid possible headaches down the line.
I dont know how long you've been with metro but in 08 they were offering BYOD through 'flashing' CDMA phones, which yes it enabled the phone to work on metro, but it wasnt a 100% legit thing, internet was glitchy picture messaging wouldnt work, signal and other issues were also known to have taken place, even dis-programming which meant you had to go back to the store to have it 're-programmed'
I will definitely never forget the experience i had with the Sprint Samsung Instinct flashed on MPCS, while my friend grabbed the MPCS Samsung Finesse(essentially the same phone) and it worked flawless.
due to this, i'll be purchasing the MetroPCS branded GS4 tomorrow god willing, just some food for thought
stuntiNIN0
Well-Known Member
yeah i forgot to mention that although its an apples to oranges comparison, the possibility is there that something could somewhere not go right,
that right there paired with no additional support from MPCS + the fact of being over a thousand miles away unable to make a sudden 'setting change' or anything of that nature simply just grew me out of that idea, specially when both phones are priced at $549+Tax. i would much rather try to avoid a headache.
If MetroPCS worked like Tmo where you can simply pop a sim card on almost any device and just go without any issues, then i really wouldnt mind, but since this isnt the case with MetroPCS right now, and as we all know MetroPCS tech support is far from good both over the phone and even at a corporate store, im going to grab the MetroPCS s4.
The only real setback i can think of is that it's only available in white for Metro where as in the one i purchased is the 16gb model in BLACK, and quite frankly after owning my marble white s3 for 9 months now, im over it, and i would rather a black device, oh well
citizen188
Newbie
Even though I did leave MetroPCS for T-Mobile. I thought I'd give a report on it because it is the exact same phone model on the exact same network.
In Staten Island New York.
Speeds are better though not monumentally better. My last four speedtests with metro were between 2000 and 5000 kps download from my house. With uploads between 1k and 3k. On T-Mobile I am getting between 8k and 12k on 4G LTE. Uploads however are slower. A lot slower. Going as low as 100 kps. This might be an issue of my house. Since I am according to the map a bit more marginal in my house than the rest of my neighborhood (and is really weird to see a lighter color spot on the map that only covers your house and your next door neighbors and no one else). I've seen the same thing however when I did a speedtest in a restaurant. And got edge speeds (despite a 4G icon appearing) when I went to a barbeque at a park a few miles away. Pings times however
This is my test from a few minutes ago.
That said I wanted off the MPC network and onto T-Mobile for good reason. For the last year or so my connection has been erratic. And this started with my Esteem and continued with my S3 and though it has gotten better recently it was quite annoying. And it was something I REALLY noticed during last years Hurricane Sandy when I really needed it (it took Verizon two weeks to restore my tv/phone/internet). It made streaming almost impossible. T-Mobile's network was rock solid then and is rock solid now. So I am happy. And really dont care if i ever see 20K kps on a speedtest. As long as I can stream fine the network is doing it's job.
As for the phone itself. It is not the monumental earthshaking upgrade that all my past upgrades were. The Motorola Hint (my first MPC phone) was a LOT better than than the Motorola PEBL (a more stylish RAZR) it replaced. The Blackberry Curve that replaced my hint was lightyears ahead of the Hint in every way possible. The LG Esteem was so much better than the Blackberry I couldn't even imagine ever needing something more powerful than it. Then I discovered some applications could bring it to it's knees and the S3 gave me ample power and though it does have it's hiccups and freezes on occasion is powerful and fast. So much better than my Esteem that I have no idea how I ever tolerated the Esteem.
The S4 is "merely" just a better S3. And it is a better phone. Battery life is much better. Picture clarity is noticeably better. And while it can lag a little it does seem faster. But it isn't a paradigm shift. If you have an S3 and are happy with it there really is no need to upgrade. Unless you're like me and you want to get the maximum value you can off ebay for your phone before the approaching network shutoff date decimates it's resale value. But if you are choosing between an S3 and an S4 I'd go for the S4 just based on the battery life.
And yes. I got the black S4. Like stuntiNIN0 after having had white I was ready for a change.
I plan on keeping this phone until T-Mobile (hopefully) gets some 600 Mhz spectrum for better indoor reception propigation. Or at least that is what I see as the next "big thing."
In Staten Island New York.
Speeds are better though not monumentally better. My last four speedtests with metro were between 2000 and 5000 kps download from my house. With uploads between 1k and 3k. On T-Mobile I am getting between 8k and 12k on 4G LTE. Uploads however are slower. A lot slower. Going as low as 100 kps. This might be an issue of my house. Since I am according to the map a bit more marginal in my house than the rest of my neighborhood (and is really weird to see a lighter color spot on the map that only covers your house and your next door neighbors and no one else). I've seen the same thing however when I did a speedtest in a restaurant. And got edge speeds (despite a 4G icon appearing) when I went to a barbeque at a park a few miles away. Pings times however
This is my test from a few minutes ago.
That said I wanted off the MPC network and onto T-Mobile for good reason. For the last year or so my connection has been erratic. And this started with my Esteem and continued with my S3 and though it has gotten better recently it was quite annoying. And it was something I REALLY noticed during last years Hurricane Sandy when I really needed it (it took Verizon two weeks to restore my tv/phone/internet). It made streaming almost impossible. T-Mobile's network was rock solid then and is rock solid now. So I am happy. And really dont care if i ever see 20K kps on a speedtest. As long as I can stream fine the network is doing it's job.
As for the phone itself. It is not the monumental earthshaking upgrade that all my past upgrades were. The Motorola Hint (my first MPC phone) was a LOT better than than the Motorola PEBL (a more stylish RAZR) it replaced. The Blackberry Curve that replaced my hint was lightyears ahead of the Hint in every way possible. The LG Esteem was so much better than the Blackberry I couldn't even imagine ever needing something more powerful than it. Then I discovered some applications could bring it to it's knees and the S3 gave me ample power and though it does have it's hiccups and freezes on occasion is powerful and fast. So much better than my Esteem that I have no idea how I ever tolerated the Esteem.
The S4 is "merely" just a better S3. And it is a better phone. Battery life is much better. Picture clarity is noticeably better. And while it can lag a little it does seem faster. But it isn't a paradigm shift. If you have an S3 and are happy with it there really is no need to upgrade. Unless you're like me and you want to get the maximum value you can off ebay for your phone before the approaching network shutoff date decimates it's resale value. But if you are choosing between an S3 and an S4 I'd go for the S4 just based on the battery life.
And yes. I got the black S4. Like stuntiNIN0 after having had white I was ready for a change.
I plan on keeping this phone until T-Mobile (hopefully) gets some 600 Mhz spectrum for better indoor reception propigation. Or at least that is what I see as the next "big thing."
Thanks for your input stuntiNIN0. While I would agree that it might be slightly easier to buy the Metro branded GS4, what it comes down to me is that I plan to keep this phone for a very long time, since I'm dropping around $600 for it, I would prefer to go with the black model. Besides, I feel confident about buying the T-mobile version after reading all the useful info I've seen on this forum since joining. It seems that this merger with T-mobile will make the BYOD program easy, so I'm not concerned about my phone working properly or not. At this point, all I have to do is wait until Metro offers it in Florida.
After seeing T-mobile increase the price on the Galaxy S4, I quickly ordered the phone from ShopNBC just incase T-mobile permanently changed their price. I think you pointed out ShopNBC to me a while back if I'm not mistaken, Thanks!
It seems that you decided to buy another GS4, but this time the MetroPCS branded one? Too bad you won't be taking your current GS4 in for activation, but either way, I look forward to hearing your feedback on the Metro GS4.
After seeing T-mobile increase the price on the Galaxy S4, I quickly ordered the phone from ShopNBC just incase T-mobile permanently changed their price. I think you pointed out ShopNBC to me a while back if I'm not mistaken, Thanks!
It seems that you decided to buy another GS4, but this time the MetroPCS branded one? Too bad you won't be taking your current GS4 in for activation, but either way, I look forward to hearing your feedback on the Metro GS4.
On the site in the FAQ...lies?
If I choose to upgrade to a new smartphone, will there be a difference in rate plan pricing or additional fees?
Existing customers who wish to upgrade to a new smartphone will be assessed an upgrade fee to be paid along with the phone price at purchase.
If I choose to upgrade to a new smartphone, will there be a difference in rate plan pricing or additional fees?
Existing customers who wish to upgrade to a new smartphone will be assessed an upgrade fee to be paid along with the phone price at purchase.
OcalaFlGuy
Android Expert
All Metro has said backchannel and on the public page on Faceplant is that you have to have a Current Plan to go with GSM.
I haven't heard a word about any "Upgrade Fee" but that certainly doesn't mean Metro can't change the rules along the way.
Bruce in Ocala, Fl
I haven't heard a word about any "Upgrade Fee" but that certainly doesn't mean Metro can't change the rules along the way.
Bruce in Ocala, Fl
for2njr
Member
"Upgrade" is how Metro refers to "change phones" So, if you were to take your SIM out of a high-end smartphone and put it into a simple flip-phone (we'd think of this as a "downgrade"), Metro still charges an upgrade fee ($15) to pair your SIM to the other phone.
From the TOS:
"A fee of $15 will apply anytime a phone is changed on the account for non-warranty reasons. (additional taxes and regulatory fees may apply)"
From the TOS:
"A fee of $15 will apply anytime a phone is changed on the account for non-warranty reasons. (additional taxes and regulatory fees may apply)"
stuntiNIN0
Well-Known Member
Its cool man, you and i are essentially in the same position since we want the s4 and we want it on Metro here in FL. Only difference is that youre willing to wait till BYOD officially rolls out, ive been trying to get it working for a month now. As far as the Tmo s4 goes, i did bring it with me just in case for one reason or another i cant get the MPCS s4. Infact. I think im gonna do the math between the $587+sim or the MPCS s4. Whichever comes out cheaper i will do. I didnt have time to stop by today i had a hectic agenda. I will however go by Boston tmrw to take care of this. Will keep you all informed
Thanks! Look forward to seeing how it all works out for you. I know you've been trying to get your GS4 activated for a while.
stuntiNIN0
Well-Known Member
Lol thanks man guess i have come a long way after all. Same exact story in October last year for the s3. I guess its the price you pay to have it ASAP. Im writting from my s3 now. Hopefully ill check in tmrw afternoon with an update from my s4 while waiting at the airport!
Have not posted up here before, but would share my experience for any curious. I am just outside of Atlanta (metro atlanta) and most stores around here said they would not get the S4 for another month or so. They did already have the sim cards if I wanted to get a phone and bring it over. I just happened to find a small metro store way off the path that had plenty in stock. I was on the esteem and in my area was averaging 2mb down and 1.2mg up. A few months ago I did reach speeds of 9 down and 3 up, but that was short lived. I have only had the S4 for two days, but coverage in the same areas as well as a bit further around the area I live is much better. Building penetration is surprisingly good (compared to my esteem and my gfs spirit). And the speeds.... WOW. I am averaging 33mbs down and 23mbs up on LTE and on HSPA I am averaging 11mbs down and 4mbs up. I am about 45 minutes outside of Atlanta and on the edge of the map for Tmobile, yet still getting great coverage and service. So any in the area on the fence about performance, I would highly recommend pulling the trigger.
mike28
Android Expert
Thanks so much for sharing with the community we like to hear things like this to keep us motivated into this whole byod tmobile takeover
mike28
Android Expert
Yeah the thing right now in my situation the s4 with tmobile is $629 with metro is $549 that's almost a $100 difference after taxes so I will wait for now the only good thing about tmobile are the flexible payment plans
I received the GS4 today . I bought it from shopnbc with no plan or anything. To my understanding, I don't have to call T-Mobile to unlock the phone because I will be able to take it as is to MetroPCS once they bring the BYOD program to Florida right? Just want to make sure if I have to bother calling T-Mobile or not. Thanks
. I bought it from shopnbc with no plan or anything. To my understanding, I don't have to call T-Mobile to unlock the phone because I will be able to take it as is to MetroPCS once they bring the BYOD program to Florida right? Just want to make sure if I have to bother calling T-Mobile or not. Thanksnew optimus
Android Expert
You wont "need" to unlock it, but you can if you want.I received the GS4 today