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Help Can I use this phone on 3G?

M

mugabuga

Newbie
I don't have 4G coverage in my area, and I want to use it just with 3G. Can I do this, or will I be forced down to 2G?
 
Guess we need a cell guy to answer, the speed tests ive run compared to the wifes 3g phone show almost no difference in speed....I think 4g is used as default 3g thanks to the grey definition of 4g we may never know, try it and sell it if not, beauty of a monthly contact...
 
felunk said:
HSPA+ are backwards compatible....one advantage except it sucks bawls compared to LTE speeds....
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42 Mbps is nothing to sneeze at.

Not all of T-Mobile's smartphones support the fastest HSPA+ speeds.

LTE does not always mean faster; just ask MetroPCS users. LTE vs. WiMax vs. HSPA+ vs. CDMA vs. GSM etc, etc, etc is just comparing protocols and modulations schemes. Some are more efficient than others. Speed is a completely different topic.
 
I'm in the dallas area, the best i've tested was a download of 6.67Mpbs/6831kbps with this phone. Friend of mine on at&t 48 lte was getting 19,000kbps+, faster than my wifi time warner cable modem.
 
Droid808 said:
THERE IS NO 3G on PREPAID , it's 4g or EDGE ONLY
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Don't quote me on this because I am not at all sure... But I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere before that there are more options than just 4G and Edge depending on the area you're in.

As I said, I could be completely wrong and he could be completely right, but I'm pretty sure that is incorrect.

Edit: Oh yeah, for one thing, most of T-Mobiles prepaid phones only support up to 3G, so to say that there is no 3G on Prepaid is definitely incorrect. Whether or not this phone supports the 3G is another story.
 
There is a 3G indicator on the Exhibit, I keep trying to snag a screen shot of it, but I roll back to 4G too quickly. The 4G/Edge thing is mainly due to markets that have HSDPA+ will show as 4G - HSDPA only is 3G - Edge only is 2G... Yes, believe it or not, there are still just 2G areas in T-Mobile's arsenal - mainly their roaming partners...

As for speeds in my area...

AT&T 3G+ is rocking 6.5Mbps...
Verizon 3G is 1.2Mbps...
Verizon LTE is a whopping 20+Mbps...
Sprint 3G is a slow 600kbps...
Sprint 4G WiMAX runs a solid 9.5Mbps...
T-Mobile HSDPA+ (3.5G) is running a solid 6.5Mbps... (I'm only in a 7.2Mpbs area)

So overall, they are pretty comparable. I would love to get an AT&T LTE device to test out, but pretty much all the networks around me are solid and have good signals. There is a definite difference in the "3G" and "4G" numbers with that lovely "3.5G" in the middle - just like the Europeans gave WiMAX and HSDPA+ in reality...
 
I hate whoever came up with this 3g/4g crap. I wish they would just say speeds like they do with home internet.

On my device I have seen it say 4g, E, and G so far.
 
I just signed up for the $50 prepaid plan and went from 4G to 2G/edge speeds after my 100meg limit. There is no 3G after you hit your quota. I did not know this when signing up and feel I was mislead.

"Some plans include specified data speeds. Where indicated, full speeds available up to data allotment; then slowed up to 2G speeds." - Right from the TOS that no one reads....I know I didn't.
 
Not only on the fine print but right in the advertisement. Web unlimited* *First 100MB at up to 4G speeds....not sure how you missed that. I guess one might interpret that below 4G would be 3G instead of 2G, but that's not the way anyone throttles...Good for you it's month to month so get another plan you like better like the $60 for 2Gig.
 
felunk said:
Not only on the fine print but right in the advertisement. Web unlimited* *First 100MB at up to 4G speeds....not sure how you missed that. I guess one might interpret that below 4G would be 3G instead of 2G, but that's not the way anyone throttles...Good for you it's month to month so get another plan you like better like the $60 for 2Gig.
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Thats exactly how I interpreted it. Thought it would throttle down to 3g. Why even have that plan ya know. Still cant beat $60 a month for the service. Coming from a Moto Triumph on Virgin and that phone was garbage. Its nice to have a proper phone and service again for a little more a month.
 
I went with the new $30 data +100 min. plan. For me, it's a bargain. Up to 5gb at 4g speed, they say. You have to activate that plan with a fresh SIM bought and registered online or via Walmart. Not available in TMO stores.

100 minutes is quite limited but at ,10 per minute afterward, it will take 200 minutes more to hit $50. So, consider it 5gb + 300 minutes for $50 at 4g.

Appears too limited, but the data allocation is high, text is unlimited and it flexes to your overage minutes at friendly rates if you look at it that way.
 
swsl said:
I went with the new $30 data +100 min. plan. For me, it's a bargain. Up to 5gb at 4g speed, they say. You have to activate that plan with a fresh SIM bought and registered online or via Walmart. Not available in TMO stores.

100 minutes is quite limited but at ,10 per minute afterward, it will take 200 minutes more to hit $50. So, consider it 5gb + 300 minutes for $50 at 4g.

Appears too limited, but the data allocation is high, text is unlimited and it flexes to your overage minutes at friendly rates if you look at it that way.
Click to expand...

You can always use TalkaTone or GrooveIP apps to make calls using you data instead of voice minutes if that's an issue.
 
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